RPR (VIMH): Hi guys, congrats on your new album Doctors & Demons.
FS: Thanks so much! We are really happy to have it out for everyone to listen to.
RPR (VIMH): What is the significance of naming an album after Doctors & Demons?
FS: Fatal Switch is deeply rooted in a concept of duality and so we found the title Doctors & Demons to be very representative of the themes that presents itself throughout the music. It also represents the layer of hidden questions we ask throughout our songs, questions that emerge in opposing truths. You see, when I first came up with the name, I had this picture in my head of a demon trying to help a wounded soul. And when I saw the doctor in my mind, the doctor was the one maiming and mutilating an innocent person. And the picture made me realize that everything in life has the potential to do good or harm, just like a scalpel can help save a life it can also take one. Like most things, it is not the tool itself but the person that wields it who poses the biggest threat.
RPR (VIMH): What do the lyrics talk about? Which are your major lyrics’ influences?
FS: The lyrics throughout the album have been crafted into mini stories leaving a cinematic feel to the songs. Our tales range from robots, cyborgs, demons, doctors, time travel, parallel dimensions, aliens, domestic abuse, murder mystery, child soldiers and more. I have really drawn inspirations from all kinds of sources that have influenced the theme of the lyrics. From real life to movies, TV shows, podcasts, documentaries, books, articles, other musicians and several other sources have an impact on how I shape the music of Fatal Switch.
RPR (VIMH): Which are those elements that separate your new album from your previous albums?
FS: Well as this our official debut album we are really setting the stage with this one. What I managed to accomplish on this album was a level of storytelling that I think is very unique. Some of the literature can go pretty deep and get intricate. Plus, the mesh of traditional rock and metal instrumentation mixed in with crazy rap lyrics adds an important and defining element to music. I am very happy with how everything turned out and I look forward to evolving this sound with new music that we are in the process of writing.
RPR (VIMH): How would you characterize “Doctors and Demons” and what are your expectations from the new album?
FS: I would characterize Doctors & Demons as an action-packed adventure filled with horror, drama and sci-fi fantasy set to the backdrop of heavy groovy music. I expect our listeners to see the replay value in the stories as they begin to assimilate themselves in our vast fantastic universe. This album is just the first chapter of many as future songs will continue to pave the path for the characters we create.
RPR (VIMH): How did the cooperation with Fatal Switch Records occur? How’s working with Fatal Switch Records and how much has he/she helped you on the whole?
FS: I treat myself pretty well I think lol. Kidding aside though I am the creator and owner of my self-managed label with my co pilot Pedro Barbosa. It’s been an amazing ride getting to learn the business with him and I am very grateful for all the knowledge Pedro has shared with me throughout the many years we spent putting this together. Our team kicks butt and this album would have never even been a thought without the genius of our producer Kevin Jardine.
RPR (VIMH): How’s the fans’ reactions been to the new songs on your live shows so far?
We haven’t played nearly as many shows as we wanted to but we did manage to squeeze some in before the pandemic hit. The fans reaction has been priceless and we give them a side to the songs that they will never hear on the record. The guys have done an incredible job at reworking the material for the live experience.
RPR (VIMH): Do you prefer to be on the road or on the studio writing and recording?
FS: Writing in the studio is a more balanced lifestyle then being on the road. Having a family that I have to leave behind every time we have gigs out of town does put a strain on the overall normalcy that we creatures of comfort crave. However, getting into a new city and meeting people is a very humbling experience and does have an appeal in and of itself. I think at this point in my life though I would say writing in the studio would win out over touring only because of my responsibilities.
RPR (VIMH): How did you come up with the name Doctors & Demons initially?
FS: It was actually a potential band name. I had created a multitude of word combinations that I felt represented duality the best and Doctors & Demons almost won out over Fatal Switch. But after careful consideration it became the title of the album as we find it’s a very inviting statement for curious minds.
RPR (VIMH): How would you describe your music style to someone that hasn’t heard of you before?
FS: In a few words I would say it is heavy music mixed with hip hop storytelling.
RPR (VIMH): Which do you consider to be the best male & female vocalist in metal history?
FS: For female I’ll go with Tatiana Shmaylyuk and for male vocalist I’d have to say Bruce Dickinson.
RPR (VIMH): Which is the record you wish you had written and why?
FS: I wish I had recorded Rage Against The Machine because it was the first time that heavy music fused with hip hop and all their songs are timeless. Not only timeless but a lot of the things they talk about are still relevant today, true visionaries.
RPR (VIMH): Were you obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that would represent the whole human music, which album would it be and from which band/artist?
FS: Doctors & Demons by Fatal Switch? … Just kidding. I don’t think any one album would represent the whole of human music and at the end of the day it is all subjective to the listener. With that in mind I would presume they would probably enjoy some sort of EDM music the most. So with that said I think the happy medium would most likely be Radiohead’s OK Computer.
RPR (VIMH): If you had the chance to travel in time… where would you choose to go? To the past or the future and why?
FS: Easy. To the past with the winning lottery numbers so that I can invest in a time machine and go to the future.
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