Crashdïet is back with their 6th album, Automaton and it’s a monster! Just like a gigantic robotic machine with pre-determined instructions, failure was never an option… No matter what obstacles may have come their way in the past, Crashdïet have always marched forward, delivering their own style of Sleaze Metal they have become so well known for. Automaton has everything you love and a slew of sing-along anthems with massive drums, guitars, bass, and powering vocals (including a surprise special guest and a haunting voice from the past). We caught up with Martin and Peter to find out all about it!
Mark: How are you both, Great to see you both again.
Martin: We’re good.
Peter: Great.
Mark: Things are finally getting a little more back to normal and what better way to celebrate than with a new Crashdiet album!
Martin: That’s a great shirt. (I’m wearing a shirt from the last Australian Tour shirt)
Mark: Thank you. It was far to long ago!
Peter: It was.
Mark: Speaking of tours I see there are new European dates out there , are things looking good?
Martin: Looks like it’s gonna happen! (laughs)
Peter: (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) We’ve all been saying that for the last two years I know!
Martin & Peter: (laughs)
Mark: Just as we were easing into the pandemic you gave us the wonderful ‘Rust’ album and you’ve knocked it out of the park again with ‘Automaton’ tell us when you started writing this one, with the way we were all locked down was it right after ‘Rust’?
Martin: (laughs) Well I think we realised quite quickly that we needed to focus on the next album
Peter: (laughs)
Martin: When things started shutting down everywhere we realised that we were not gonna tour for a long time so we kind of just started writing. It was hard.
Mark: I’m sure it was but the results of having that much time are pretty spectacular, I’ve been listening to the album for a few weeks now.
Martin: Wow.
Peter: That’s more than we have! (laughs)
Mark: (laughs) I think we got it early, we definitely got the first review so thanks for sharing that. I donlt know it’s a big call though isn’t it, I’ve loved all of your albums but this might just be the best? I love the fact that each song sounds huge and that there are shades of all of your past albums in there. But from the start I was blown away by the opening – hearing those words right at the start that was a lovely touch. Who thought of adding Dave’s words to the opening?
Martin: We had a producer on this album who was very involved in the song-writing at stages too and he actually made the intro to the album and actually put Dave’s voice in there to see how we would react and everybody liked it so we kept it.
Mark: It’s a lovely touch and great surprise for the fans and then it begins. The singles so far just keep getting better!
Martin: ‘Together Whatever’ just hit and everyone is loving ‘No Man’s Land’ but I think when people get to her the full album it could well blow them away! I thought I’d heard the album of the year a few times now but I’m sure this is it!
Peter: Oh wow, nice! There have been some good ones.
Mark: One of my favourite tracks on the album is ‘Powerline’ and I know when we get to see you we’ll not only have this album to hear live but also ‘Rust’ too. It sounds like it would be a great ‘live’ song. Have you decided what might make it into the set?
Martin: We’re gonna start small (laughs) maybe try out a few songs here and there and as the tour goes on we might put in more newer songs. I mean we want people to hear them – to hear the album and learn the songs but we won’t jump in and put half of the album into the live set!
Peter: Much as we might want to.
Mark: How did Covid affect the writing of the album? I’ve talked to lots of bands over the last two years who have said that it isn’t always a blessing to have that extra time at your disposal?
Martin: It was scattered, spread out over a longer period. Which meant that the song-writing wasn’t as effective because we had so much time (laughs).
Peter: Too much time, like they say, is generally not a good thing.
Mark: I’ve spoken to a lot of writers who have said that, that having a tight deadline is helpful because when you have too much you think, I’m not going to bother, I’ve got six months before deadline…
Martin: (nods)
Peter: (laughs) Exactly!
Mark: Great to se the European dates as I said and you’re taking Shiraz Lane out with you so it’s a Tour not to miss. What’s it feel like to be on the verge of betting back on the road again?
Martin: I don’t know, We’ll see! (laughs)
Peter: We can hardly believe that it’s happening. The wait has been so long and I can’t yet be too confident that the tour actually is going to happen! I always have that in the back of my mind that it might not go ahead.
Mark: It is crazy even the guys who are back out there, all it takes is one positive test and a show is cancelled. It’s hellish.
Martin: Yeah, we’re all going home!
Peter: Exactly, a lot can happen. We’ll see! (laughs)
Mark: The album is out on 29th April, so everyone should get that in the diary. It’s out on CD, vinyl and cassette plus a format that I never thought I would see of hear of again – the mini disc!
Martin: Yeah, great format!
Peter: (laughs)
Mark: Have you guys all got mini-disc players at home?
Martin: I have but I don’t now where it is! (laughs)
Peter: (laughs) I like it because it’s so portable! You can take it anywhere! I think it’s great!
Martin: You can shake it far more than a CD!
Mark: (laughs)
Peter: Even that! (laughs)
Martin: It’s the shakeable music format! A CD player you can only shake so much!
Mark: And that’s exactly why I have no idea why it went out of favour! Thanks for bringing it back!
Peter: I have no idea!
Mark: I’m going to get the mini disc and as I shake it in my player I shall think of you guys!
Peter (laughs)
Mark: Great album, I love ‘Unbroken’ and I love that you close on that ballad that just swells up musically. To end with a ballad is unusual but it works so well.
Martin: Well it worked I think because we ended the ballad kinda of with a majestic sound – you know with all the drums and guitars coming in at the end, you know. It ties up the whole album.
Mark: I couldn’t have said that better. Let’s cast the clock back now – after 20 years of great albums tell us where it all began for you – what was the moment when you knew music would be such a vital part of your life?
Peter: I remember hearing Guns ‘n’ Roses when I was a kid – that’s a as far as my memory goes back and after that I always knew I wanted to do this in one form or another. I knew then. I never had a ‘Plan B!’ so to say, after that.
Martin: I think I always knew.
Mark: And this year the twentieth anniversary or is that next year?
Martin: We usually count from ‘Rest in Sleaze’ there were other line-ups before that but that’s what we usually count from.
Mark: So next year is the big twentieth anniversary! We’d love to have you down for that! If you could have been around like a fly on the wall’ in the studio for the creation of any great album in teh history of Rock what would you like to have seen being created? I think I might have an idea here!
Martin: I think it would have to have been ‘Appetite for Destruction’ I’ve always been pretty curious about that album. Did they really just nail it or did some other musicians come in and play some ‘ghost parts’?
Mark: I think that would be pretty intriguing, there are so many stories around that album and the craziness that surrounded the sessions.
Peter: Same for me.
Mark: Getting back to ‘Automaton’ teh sign of a great album for me is when no one can agree on their favourite tracks. For me it changes daily. I hate to ask as it’s the impossible question but do you have any particular favorite songs?
Martin: (laughs) You can like them all!
Peter: It’s OK to like them all.
Mark: I know it’s hard to separate your children.
Peter: I think for me it’s ‘We Die Hard’ that’s a the top of my list probably because of the lyrics and I’m allowed to say that because I didn’t write that one!
Martin: (laughs)
Mark: As I said, I can’t pick just one and I love the way that I get echoes of past records here and there too. What did you set out to do on this record?
Martin: Just make another album. (laughs)
Mark: I walked right into that! (laughs)
Martin: Like we always do we just write tons of songs and then we fight over the ten best, or eleven in this case as we couldn’t settle on ten!
Mark: What does a song have to make the cut?
Martin: I think it has to have great lyrics and a chorus that isn’t stealing too much from the past I guess. It has to be something new.
Mark: Who came up with the ballad ‘I Can’t Move on’? Who brought to the table?
Martin: That was a song I wrote in 2007, maybe 2006. It’s a song that’s been laying around. w had ideas to put it on the ‘Generation Wild’ album but it never happened. So it’s been laying around a while and I pick it up sometimes and think “What about this one?” and this time it all seemed to fall into place.
Peter: It finally happened.
Martin: So it’s an oldie for me but fresh on the album?
Mark: Is there anything else of a similar vintage, I talk to a lot of writers who have ideas that they know are great but are just missing something and then maybe when they get looked at again that missing piece falls into place. We any other songs ones that had surfaced before?
Martin: Oh we have tons of those! (laughs)
Mark: Let’s hope there are tons more albums then! I know Guns ‘n’ Roses are obviously a huge touchstone for the band but are there any more obscure bands from those days that made an impact? Bands that maybe deserve a bit more credit?
Martin: I would have to say Madam X
Peter: That’s a god one!
Martin: ‘High n High School’ you know.
Mark: That’s a classic. And now the question that all your Australian fans will be dying me to ask. Is there space in the diary for the much postponed Australian Tour?
Peter: We are waiting for the new dates at the minute but we’re available!
Mark: Are we looking at 20th Anniversary shows, or something a little nearer
Martin: I hope it’s this year!
Peter: Yeah!
Mark: It’s been too long! We’ve had two years or dates being announced, postponed and announced and postponed again. It’s horrible for everyone!
Martin: we’ve lost count!
Peter: (laughs)
Mark: I think Rock and Roll is going through a bit of a golden age at the moment with heaps of great bands out their like yourselves making music that is just as good as the best we had in the 80’s ad I know a lot of Rock fans are still buying those physical formats as well. I just hope they all go out and stock up on those mini-discs!
Peter: (laughs)
Martin: It’s going to be huge!
Mark: We’ll close with the easiest question you’ll get asked today. What is the meaning of life?
Martin: My God!
Peter: (laughs)
Martin: Well it must be music.
Peter: It appears to be.
Martin: Take that way and you would die from boredom.
Mark: I think you’ve nailed it. Our music has been taken away for far too long. Good luck on the European Tour which starts on May 4th. That’s something all my European mates have been holding out for.
Martin: It’s a four week run and then we have a bunch of one off shows after the Summer and then hopefully we will have something cool coming in the fall.
Mark: I think I know what you mean! Thank you both for a wonderful album, my favourite of the year so far. One that will please the fans and also an album with a few little nuggets in there that push things a little but don’t go too far like the synths in one particular song, they sound great but you don’t over power things like some bands have down.
Martin: Not like ‘Turborider’ which we love, but man they took a risk there.
Mark: They certainly did. The only risk people will take buying ‘Automaton’ is whether to buy it on CD, Cassette, LP or…
Peter: Or minidisc! (laughs)
Mark: Take care guys! Stay safe and best of luck with the launch!
Martin: Thanks Mark.
Peter: Thanks for having us. Cheers.