Dave Moras is the singer and one of the songwriters of two full time bands: Elvenking and Hell in the Club. We caught up with him to talk about the latter band’s recent release – F.U.B.A.R. And all things related to his decade’s in the industry.
Rob: Good afternoon Dave, thanks for talking with The Rockpit. How are you?
Dave: Hi there Rob, Thank you so much for this interview. I feel pretty ok, even if it’s extremely hot in Italy these days!
Rob: You’re very welcome! We’re just coming off of extreme heat where I’m from thankfully. Not that I want to rub that in ha ha ha!
Dave: he he no worries, it will cool down a bit next week here also, so let’s just be patient.
Rob: Please tell us about your background, what music did you grow up on, who influenced you to pursue a career in music, and what bands were you in prior to Elvenking?
Dave: I started listening to hard rock and heavy metal when I was 6/7 years old thanks to my older brother.
Actually, The very first things I ever listened to were Michael Jackson and Madonna back in 1985/86 and some other pop artists like Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, and the like. Then we discovered bands like Europe and Bon Jovi and finally in 1988 Seventh Son of a Seventh Son by Iron Maiden and …and Justice for All by Metallica came out and that was the moment in which I really understood it was the music of my life.
In that period I also fell in love with bands like Guns n’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, Kiss, Skid Row, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, W.A.S.P. and all of the hard rock/glam scene together with all of the classic heavy metal bands like the afore mentioned Iron Maiden (my favourite band), Metallica, Megadeth, Ozzy, Testament, etc. That was my first imprinting in hard rock and heavy metal.
Prior to Elvenking I was in a very juvenile cover band around when I was 15. Basically it was me and some school mates and we played songs by Manowar, Metallica, Maiden, Megadeth, etc.
Rob: That’s a lot of great influences! You can hear many of them in the music you do and the cover Hell in the Club did of “Chainsaw Charlie” by W.A.S.P. on your E.P. last year was killer!
Dave: Thanks man! Yes, I think that Hell in the Club is definitely our homage to the early days and to the bands that made us fall in love with this kind of music and literally changed our lives.
Rob: What are the origins of Hell in the Club? I know you guys are from other bands, How did you all meet and when did you guys decide you wanted to form this band?
Dave: It all began in 2009 when Andy and I met at a festival where we both played, Me with Elvenking and him with Secret Sphere. We both knew each others bands since the late ’90s but we never met in person (really odd). We were both wearing shirts from bands I mentioned above (I remember me wearing a GNR shirt, I don’t remember Andy’s) Anyway, We started talking about these bands and he told me that he wanted to form a band with which he could play this genre. So the day after he sent me some demos and I really liked the music, so that’s where it all started!
Rob: I think the fact that you guys come from a power metal style of background musically that it gives a great feel of melody and theatrics to Hell in the Club’s sound, It’s an element I don’t see in many of the modern bands. It really adds to what makes you guys stand out.
Dave: We have a wide background when it comes to influences. What I mentioned above was just the beginning, I listen to such a wide variety of styles and bands: From classical music to hard rock, from folk music to death metal. I have a deep passion for black metal for instance, so this probably helps when it comes to creating music, and it’s easier to have the right boundaries.
Rob: It definitely comes across in the music of both of your bands that you have such a wide range of influences. The cover you did on your album Shadow of the Monster of “Money changes everything” by Cyndi Lauper is excellent! Even better than the original, and I say that as a fan of her music.
Dave: haha thank you so much! to tell you the truth we were particularly proud of that song!
Rob: By my count between your two bands you have released eleven studio albums, one EP, and one live album in the last twelve years. That’s insane! Especially when you factor in touring with both, How do you balance being that productive and having a personal life while juggling two bands?
Dave: That is a question I ask myself every day,
I honestly don’t know. I mean, I believe that the passion for what I do is giving me the strength and the dedication I need, even though I sometimes feel very tired since I also have a regular job and a personal life. Years ago it felt like I needed to do all these things with a strict deadline, But lately I am slowing things down a bit and do things with more balance. Things need their time to be done and they especially need the right moment… I need the right space and the right set of feelings in order to do things, so I take my time now.
Rob: I can relate to that. As a creative person it’s hard to tap into that side of yourself if you’re exhausted, So much of art in any form is about feeling and it’s also a mindset that you have to be able to get into, so I find that balance is definitely important.
Dave: I absolutely agree with you.
Rob: Does it keep things interesting and exciting for you as an artist that Elvenking and Hell in the Club are two different musical styles?
Dave: Yes, it does! And the more different they are the more things are interesting and unique. When I write for Hell in the Club I’m in a totally different space than when I write songs for Elvenking.
Rob: It shows! I actually got into Hell in the Club first and heard Elvenking afterwards, Very different bands musically but both are excellent. Is it a bit easier doing Hell in the Club in that there’s a lot less theatrical imagery to it in comparison to Elvenking?
Dave: To tell you the truth, I find things a bit more difficult with Hell in the Club since it’s stripped of all the imagery and the theatrical side of Elvenking. It is more natural for me to give a certain kind of theatricality to the music since it completes it and it gives something that goes beyond the pure music. So I feel a bit more naked with Hell in the Club. It’s like playing classical guitar when you are used to playing the electric guitar… No effects, No help.. Just you and the music.
Rob: For me, Hell in the Club is one of the very best rock bands to emerge in the last couple of decades and your new album is absolutely phenomenal! You guys really go from strength to strength. How long has F.U.B.A.R. been in the works? And what was the recording process like for this album?
Dave: Thank you so much for your words!
The songwriting for F.U.B.A.R. started as soon as the Kamikaze E.P. was released, But due to various reasons it was a pretty long process. Not because we spent a lot of time writing the songs, But because different things happened. Especially for me, the right moment hardly came this time. We had 7 songs ready (by Andy, Picco, and Mark) but we were missing 4 tracks and all the vocal melodies, But once the moment came I wrote the remaining songs and all the melodies in a matter of days. It’s been a very instinctive session and even though I was afraid that the result wouldn’t be as good as in the past, when I listened to the final mix, I had to reconsider.
Rob: How do songs usually come together for you guys? Is anyone the primary songwriters or is it overall a full band effort?
Dave: Usually we write individually and we record demos, Then we send the files to each other and start discussing. When the demos are ok I write the vocal melodies and record a rough version in order to see if everything is ok. So basically we all write songs.
Rob: Do you guys have a system where you choose which songs from each of you make the cut?
Dave: Well, yes. It’s a band discussion. We all listen to the pre-productions and decide together which are the songs that should be on the album.
Rob: A lot of artists archive song ideas that they think have potential which they aren’t satisfied with in the moment but get it right later, Do you guys do this? Are there any songs on the new album where that was the case? And do you guys ever have songs you intended for one of your bands that end up getting used in the other?
Dave: Yes, we have some leftovers of course. There was a song that was meant to be on this album that was supposed to be included back in the “See you on the dark side” album but it didn’t make it this time also, We are never satisified about the chorus!
I can say with a certain degree of certainty that “Tokyo Lights” from Hell of Fame could have been a nice Secret Sphere song. That’s Andy’s of course, but you know sometimes boundaries are somehow tangled.
Rob: I know this is always a tricky question to be asked, Do you have any favorite songs on the album? And what songs were the most challenging to record?
Dave: Yes, It’s a very tricky question indeed.
The whole album has been really challenging to record for me, Since deadlines were pretty strict and I had to squeeze in the session between many different commitments. Anyway, I am very happy about “The Kid” since it turned out much much better than I expected, I also love “The Arrival” I think it’s a very cool song. it has good vibes.
Rob: “The Arrival” is one of my favorites. One that is a big hit with people I talk with and my personal favorite as well is “Tainted Sky“
Dave: “Tainted Sky” has been a great challenge for me. Since the very last day I had no clue about the vocal melodies, then an idea struck me and I made all the melodies in a few minutes.
I have to say that the way we write songs with Hell in the Club is not the way I’ve been used to for years with Elvenking for example, With which we NEVER write instrumental songs on which we write the melodies on top.
But with Andy, Picco, and Mark it’s how it goes and even if sometimes I find it odd and difficult. I have to say that I have great satisfaction writing vocal melodies on pre-written songs, especially with songs like this one, “Devil on my Shoulder”, “Kamikaze”, “Total Disaster”, or “The Arrival”.
Rob: Last year you guys released your E.P. Kamikaze: 10 years in the slums to commemorate a decade since your first release – Albeit a year after that anniversary – What is the best lesson you’ve learned in your time doing this? and what perspective about your career do you have now that you might not have had when it was new for you?
Dave: The best thing I got out of this journey is having the chance of playing the music that made me become who I am with people that became friends for life. This is definitely the best I got out of all the years with Hell in the Club.
The harshest lesson came from the music business. It was nothing new to me, but having to deal with the music business for a band like Hell in the Club is frustrating. But that’s another lesson learnt!
About the future? I don’t have a clue! As it always happen with HITC. We do this because we love it so we don’t plan things ahead, we just do what we feel when the time is right.
Rob: What song is your favorite to perform live with Hell in the Club and what song is the most challenging to sing that you’ve recorded in this band?
Dave: I like the simple ones haha! Like “We are the Ones” or “Proud” But there are very few simple songs to sing with HITC!
Probably one of the most challenging will be “The Kid” but I haven’t tried it yet, we’ll see.
Rob: I know several people who would love it if Hell in the Club played the monsters of rock cruise, Do you guys have any shows planned outside of Italy? I personally have my fingers crossed that one day you’ll play Las Vegas.
Dave: That would be amazing!! I really hope we’ll have the chance to play there one day.
At the moment we have three shows confirmed: The release party of the album in Milano on Sept 15th 2023, Then one festival in Germany for next summer (still to be announced) and the HRH Ibiza in May 2024. We’ll try of course to add more shows!
Rob: What is your dream band to tour with? And what is your favorite band that you have already toured with?
Dave: More than the band, for Hell in the Club I would like to choose the year: So back to the mid 80s, In those years we may have made a few more fans.
Rob: We both lived to see that era thankfully, what a great time the 80s were. You guys would definitely be huge in that era.
Dave: Yeah, great times indeed. At least there were no mp3’s or social media channels.
Rob: Yeah, I actually have this discussion with other fans on the pros and cons of the digital era. A big pro of it is that I think it gives the chance for more bands to be heard without the need of being signed to a label. I’ve found so many bands because of everything from YouTube and Facebook to purchase recommendations on eBay. Funny enough, That’s where I found out about you guys when I was just finding a lot of great newer bands in the genre, one of your albums was labeled similar to Crashdiet.
Dave: That is defeinitely true, I agree. But there were also fewer bands since it wasn’t so easy to enter a studio and record an album like it is today. I don’t know if I will ever really understand if all this is truly positive or not, All I know is that I enjoyed so much buying albums and diving into the music. Today it’s a bit less “romantic” I would say.
Rob: I definitely miss the music culture of those days. Music stores really encouraged that and there was definitely more of a mystique about rock stars than there is these days, But I also think the relationship between fan and artist is more personal these days. For better or worse.
Dave: Totally agree.
Rob: If you could travel back in time to witness firsthand the recording of any album ever recorded, what would it be and why?
Dave: Nice question. I would like to witness firsthand both an album that was born out of nothing and an album made with a big producer. To feel both situations in the 80’s. Like for example Kill ’em all from Metallica on one side and an album like Dr.Feelgood from Motley Crue on the other.
Rob: Great choices for both ends of the spectrum! Kill ‘em all is so raw and vicious, Dr. Feelgood is just a massive album. Both definitely would be great to see.
Rob: We always end with this question, what is the meaning of life?
Dave: Having enough time to listen to the great albums of our life, time and time again!
Rob: Hell yeah! Thank you so much for your time, it’s been a pleasure.
Dave: Thank you so much man!