Exclusive Interview: I don’t do drugs, I am drugs talk “The Savant on Ketamine”!
As we all know, the Internet age has opened up a World of possibilities for musicians from around the Globe to collaborate in ways that previous generations could have only dreamt. Broadening their horizons and daring to step out of their comfort zones, one such collaboration is I don’t do drugs, I am drugs, which finds members based in Scotland and Canada pairing up to create abstract art with roots in Progressive Blackened Death Metal. We had a conversation with mastermind and Cyclops Cataract multi instrumentalist Scott Hogg about his latest adventure and it went something like this…
What makes a pair of musicians from either side of the Atlantic Ocean get together to form a new project when they’ve already got their own things going on? How did you go about finding each other? “I have known Omer for a very long time. I’m a photographer and Omer used to photograph bands like Fear Factory and Strapping Young Lad so we had a lot in common. Later on, we bonded through our love of music in particular playing bass. I have always admired what Omer has done with his project, Trailight. I asked if he wanted to be a part of this new project and he agreed to do vocals. I wrote everything so it didn’t use up too much of Omer’s time. He was great to work with and I really appreciated his advice when recording.”
They say that variety is the spice of life and here you bring together a wide variety of elements from crushing Death Metal riffs to cinematic keys. How did you go about finding the balance for these compositions? How do you keep the compositions for this project distinctive and separate from your other works? “I love brutally heavy music like Anaal Nathrakh, Strapping Young Lad, Napalm Death etc all the way to Lana Del Rey, Ulver and Type O Negative so I wanted to try and make something that was heavy as hell but also with melody. The main thing with this project is the clean vocals and harmonies. My other band, Cyclops Cataract is 99% harsh vocals.”
We always say that even in the digital age, the first bite is with the eye and it has to be said that the artwork you have on the record is incredible! How did you go about choosing it and what do you feel it says about the project? “I have always liked Salvador Dali’s work so I went for something that was quite trippy/abstract but also eye catching. It’s definitely influenced by Dali. I don’t do drugs, I am drugs is a Dali quote”
“The terrible paradox of self awareness” finds you joined by Romain Jenx of Omnerod as a guest vocalist; how did you come to work with him and what was the experience like? “I heard Omnerod’s latest album last year and it blew me away. I sent a song to Romain and he messaged me back saying that he would love to do vocals on a song. He wrote his own parts and I’m delighted with what he came up with. I would love to work with him again.”
What are your aspirations for this project? Do you have dreams of performing any of these songs or do you foresee albums or art house film scores on the horizon? “Performing live would be amazing but is logistically difficult. Never say never though. If we had some backing from a label, that would perhaps make it possible. I would love to write film scores. I have always been obsessed with huge, cinematic music.”
What’s next for I don’t do drugs, I am drugs? “I’m half way through writing a full album. If he has time, Omer is up for doing main vocals which is awesome. I already have a guest who is a huge musical influence on board. I’m also hoping to have some more guests although it shall depend on who wants to take part. It would also be really cool to have Romain return.”
“The Savant on Ketamine” by I don’t do drugs, I am drugs was released on 21st January 2024 and is available over at bandcamp.