In this interview spotlight, I chat with Dead Heroes about their debut single (Witch Doctor), AI in music, dream collabs, and more.

Full Q&A along with links and music below.

Stream Witch Doctor on your favorite platform.

AI (aka Artificial Intelligence aka Chat GPT 4.0)… How is it changing the music world? What are your thoughts about this new trend?

AI’s a tool, like the internet or a hammer. More realistically, it can be used like a catalogue of all existing art, in a more active way than the internet, but it’s still a tool. Nothing more, nothing less. It can spark ideas, speed up production, orinspire new sounds. When it’s used to churn out synthetic bands and music however, it waters down the culture with invariably asinine, fake bullshit. Music should come from real experience, not a programme trying to mimic one. If anyone is using AI to full create and curate art, which we believe is a wholly human endeavour, then they should go and fuck themselves.

Can you choose a favorite song of all time? Or is this an impossible task? If yes, what’s the song? If no, what’s your current Top 3?

We’ve been asked this a few times recently, so thank you for letting us pick more than one (which we absolutely would’ve given you anyway). It’s impossible to pick just one, but today’s contenders are:
– Post Boredom by Every Time I Die
– Oblivion by Mastodon
– You Think I Ain’t Worth a Dollar, But I Feel Like a Millionaire by QOTSA

What about this project makes you most proud? Was there a specific goal you were trying to accomplish with this release?

Witch Doctor is our debut single, and it’s exactly the sound we wanted Dead Heroes to stand for: heavy, hypnotic, a little unsettling. We’re proud because it nailed the atmosphere we were chasing. That said, this song is as unique as any of our others, so we may get heavier, happier, faster, slower, however we feel. That’s the beauty of Alt Rock, it’s a boundless genre. Let’s find the deepest, dark recesses of the map of rock, and of our combined consciousness… and let’s get real weird with it. We love riffs, we love vibes, and we love creating music!

What inspires you to create music? What motivates you to keep going?

Honestly, whenever we hang out, we end up jamming. It’s as natural for us as grabbing a bite to eat or drinking water (see: beer). Every time we’re together, something new comes out, and we’ve built up demo after demo that we’ve been kicking ourselves for not releasing because of other commitments. Eventually, we just said, “fuck it, these deserve to be heard.” So we pulled a project together, and here we are. We draw so much inspiration from each other’s styles that the process never feels stale. We’re constantly pushing each other to grow, subconsciously. That energy keeps things fresh and exciting, and we think that comes across loud and clear in the music. There really is nothing better than working on something cool with your best mates. That’s what this project is all about, really! No holds barred, ever.

If you could collaborate with anyone – dead or alive, famous or unknown – who would it be and why?

Given how many options there are to this , the answer may not be definitive. That said, Keith Buckley from Every Time I Die/Many Eyes might be the best lyricist of all time, so working with him on something would be amazing. Ray Manzarek from The Doors, Josh Homme of QOTSA, Damon Albarn of Blur/Gorillaz, there are so so so so so many. What’s great about this project is that there are really no boundaries or rules, so we’d happily collaborate with anyone just as long as we ended up with a track we thought we could be proud of and enjoy ourselves.

What was the last song you listened to? Favorite all-time bands/artists?

Right now, I’m listening to Life On Mars? By David Bowie. He’s definitely an all time favourite. If you want us to shoot off a top five, then please understand that this is another answer that would change depending on when you asked us… but here goes:
– QOTSA
– Gorillaz
– Motorhead
– Pink Floyd
– TOOL

Oh god, even now I’m already wishing I’d said different people but not because I don’t likethose that I’ve said as much, they’re just all so awesome and so different. Apples and oranges, but in a world where fruit fucking rocks

Where is the best place to find you and stay connected?

Follow our Instagram, @Deadheroesuk, to stay up to date with all our releases and news! Following this debut release, Witch Doctor, we will be on all streaming platforms as well. So make sure you follow us on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music or wherever else your music habits may take you!

I appreciate your time. Want to say or plug any other projects before we part ways?

Dead Heroes is our main focus right now, and Witch Doctor is just the beginning. We’ve got more releases lined up for the coming year, including a super exciting cover that no one in their right mind would ever guess we would do. So, if you’re into dark, groovy alt rock, then we’re happy to have you on board. If you’re not, then you might as well tag along too because no one has any idea where this train is headed. You might just find something to surprise you.

Witch Doctor. Our debut single. Out today.

Thanks so much for chatting to us!