For those of you out there who are unfamiliar with DYNAHEAD, then perhaps it is time to listen up. With only one full length independent release (the recently issued “Antigen”) under their belt, this Brazilian band is already positioning themselves to follow in the footsteps of legendary Progressive Metallers like DREAM THEATER and OPETH. I was privileged to have the chance to discuss a few topics with Caio Duarte (vocals) this last week and hopefully this is a great introduction to the band for all of you faithful "The Metal Observer" readers.

First of all, I would like to thank you for agreeing to do an interview! I’m sure if there are people that loved your releases as much as I did, then they will be excited to read what you guys have to say. So on behalf of all your fans out there I just would like to give you guys a hand for what you have done. Well here are some questions I’m sure your fans would like to know:

I’ve always had trouble describing the band’s sound to my friends. If you could describe the DYNAHEAD sound what would you say?
Hey Matt! Thanks a lot for your kind words. Describing the band’s sound is also quite difficult to us, since we don’t usually think about what label to place in a song while we’re writing. I think that the media conditioned us a little in that sense, in a way that made genre-defying music somewhat uncomfortable. I could describe us somewhat as a Thrash band playing Prog Rock, if that makes any sense! (laughs)

What are the major influences for DYNAHEAD?
I think that it’s everything good made in music over the last 40 years. In the band we have a very wide range of tastes, and that influences us somehow. It’s cool to work with guys who are both into Deicide and Stevie Wonder, you know? It’s the best thing that can happen to a band creatively, in my opinion.

I’ve always wondered this myself, where did the name DYNAHEAD come from?
It’s our little secret! We kept it because it sounds nice, and can be interpreted in many forms… Pretty much like what we think that music as an art form is.

DYNAHEAD has some tour dates coming up in May, is there any chance that you guys will be touring internationally any time soon?
We’re setting dates in Brazil, which is a huge country, and South America. I don’t think that we’d be able to tour the US and Europe right now, since we’re a Brazilian band releasing its first album, and without a release in those territories it’s really difficult. That’s why we’re working hard to release the album there, to pave the way for touring in the near future.

There has been some very positive feedback for your debut album “Antigen”, how are you responding to it?
To be honest, sometimes it’s a great surprise. We are not playing the most commercial and “safe” kind of Metal in the world, and we are aware of how trendy some media outlets can be. And then we read so many nice comments about our work, without any big-time label to support us... It makes us feel really thankful and excited. All of sudden, the effort is worthy.

“Antigen” was independently released from what I can remember, but are there some labels that are (finally) taking interest in what you guys are doing?
We’re doing our best to release the album worldwide, but it’s really difficult to grab someone’s attention in this oversaturated market, especially if you’re from a distant third world country. We have some labels interested in licensing our album, but we’re still looking for different offers, trying to give this album the best distribution we can.

DYNAHEAD has taken some massive steps from the Demo I heard from 2007 to your debut album, were these changes just a natural progression for you or are you moving towards a specific sound?
I feel it’s a natural progression. We are more confident and determined to find our own sound, and I think that reflects on “Antigen”. At the same time, there are some pretty old songs in the album, and I think that they gel well with the new ones. The evolution as a musician is something that unavoidably happens, and we’re eager to see where our inspirations will lead us to in the future!

Your new album was produced and mixed within the band, but the mastering was handled by the legendary James Murphy. How did this combination come to be?
Since the album was produced and mixed by me, with me singing, my band, I had the feeling that everything was too centered. An outsider opinion at some point could give perspective and avoid me screwing with the album. I wanted to master it with someone I trusted, and I remembered James. I’m a big fan of his work as a producer, and he have a musical taste similar to ours, so he was the man!

And finally, are there any big future plans for DYNAHEAD at this point?
The biggest plan is to release “Antigen” everywhere we can, and of course, play live like crazy. We are already filled with ideas for the next album, but there’s still a lot of work to do promoting this one as it deserves.

Thanks for taking the time to do this interview! This will be my first interview for "The Metal Observer" and I feel honored to be doing it with you! THANKS!
Really? That’s awesome, it’s a big honor to me as well! Thanks a lot for your interest and support, it was a pleasure talking to you. To anyone who might be reading, feel free to visit our MySpace – www.myspace.com/dynahead - there is an online shop where you can order our album anywhere in the globe with a great, great price. Let’s all keep supporting the independent scene, and stay Metal! 

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