What inspired the name of the band? What are your influences and are they the same as when you started out?
We are named after an Archangel. The name is from a book my mum had on Reki the Japanese crystal healing tradition. She was a Reiki healer. Reiki is an energy form based on the chakras.
I saw the name and thought it looked great written down and it just suited the music which I write which is strange and otherworldly but also powerful. There are supposed to be 7 Archangels in most new age writings.
Zadkiel is the angel of Freedom and Justice.
Zadkiel are influenced by Alternative Rock and Modern prog, The likes of Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, Muse,
My vocals and songwriting are influenced by Jeff Buckley, PJ Harvey, Martin Grech to name the most relevant ones.. I’m also inspired by some poets / writers.. William Blake, Charles Baudelaire, William S. Burroughs. J.G. Ballard, H.P. Lovecraft..
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I write poetry everyday, as notes when I read books and films or when I feel a certain way..
I write quite abstract but there are recurring themes. Time, Space, Love, Death, Hate, Dreams, Nightmares..
I write in a stream of consciousness style whatever comes to me that is original/ unusual or emotional.
I then take the best bits from my poetry whilst writing songs and construct them from the various lines.
I then take the best bits from my poetry whilst writing songs and construct them from the various lines.
They sometimes add up to something unexpected, and there are more direct lines that are more relatable amidst the metaphors. The Metaphors are there for a reason though to add atmosphere, texture and sometimes mystery..
In terms of writing music, mostly the chord progressions come first either on guitar or piano, then I add the vocals and lyrics as the icing on the cake.
How do you approach songwriting? Are there any themes that you are keen to explore when you start off?
I write poetry everyday, as notes when I read books and films or when I feel a certain way..
I write quite abstract but there are recurring themes. Time, Space, Love, Death, Hate, Dreams, Nightmares..
I write in a stream of consciousness style whatever comes to me that is original/ unusual or emotional.
I then take the best bits from my poetry whilst writing songs and construct them from the various lines.
I then take the best bits from my poetry whilst writing songs and construct them from the various lines.
They sometimes add up to something unexpected, and there are more direct lines that are more relatable amidst the metaphors. The Metaphors are there for a reason though to add atmosphere, texture and sometimes mystery..
In terms of writing music, mostly the chord progressions come first either on guitar or piano, then I add the vocals and lyrics as the icing on the cake.
Why do you write the sort of music that you do?
It’s the way that I create, the art that I make, probably as a way of making sense of my experiences.
There is a lot of subconscious imagery that I use which helps me figure out what is going on for me or in the world.
In terms of writing alternative rock / modern prog.. I just connect with the more unconventional chords or melodies.
I find happy songs kind of boring unless done in a new exciting way. I’m drawn to juxtapositions of emotions happy/sad, discordancy/resolution.. I would prefer to be able to express all the emotions a human being is able to express, to convey the whole range. Alternative rock has some great songs which are happy sounding with sad lyrics and vice versa, I was inspired by Nirvana in this way, but also the likes of Radiohead who were unafraid of expressing existential dread and for it to sound beautiful at the same time. Dark sounding songs with happy lyrics is kind of interesting too..
How did you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
When I take songs into a band setting they either connect with the others or fall by the wayside. Some of those songs I reclaim later if I still believe in them and they get worked into solo material. In terms of performing live with Zadkiel we rehearse, change some stuff as a band or the band back it to the hilt and come up with their own parts. We always tend to pick the stuff we connect with most at the time of rehearsing to play live. Some stuff refuses to be dropped cause we or the audience are still into it, and those songs tend to be the ones people remember most.
I like to give people the freedom to come up with their own parts to my chord progressions, then if I really think they’ve hit gold with their accompaniment, I point out that that is the perfect fit, and we tend to settle on that as the way to present the song as a band if they also agree.
How did you decide what songs to perform live and how do you transpose them into that live setting?
When I take songs into a band setting they either connect with the others or fall by the wayside. Some of those songs I reclaim later if I still believe in them and they get worked into solo material. In terms of performing live with Zadkiel we rehearse, change some stuff as a band or the band back it to the hilt and come up with their own parts. We always tend to pick the stuff we connect with most at the time of rehearsing to play live. Some stuff refuses to be dropped cause we or the audience are still into it, and those songs tend to be the ones people remember most.
I like to give people the freedom to come up with their own parts to my chord progressions, then if I really think they’ve hit gold with their accompaniment, I point out that that is the perfect fit, and we tend to settle on that as the way to present the song as a band if they also agree.
What plans do you have for the future?
Zadkiel have had a Covid enforced hiatus during most of 2020 and 2021, and have just started planning to meet as a full line up next year in early 2022. Our Bass player has returned after moving away with his parents after uni, to Ely and now he is back in Nottingham again. In the meantime we have been meeting up the rest of us to write new stuff and rehearse to keep our hand in.
Next year will be exciting as we are all in the same place again, planning to play live in the first half of 2022 in the UK. The writing we have been doing and are doing will hopefully form the basis for our 2nd album which we will begin once we have enough material for the next record. We have an Ep we have finished before the Corona Virus pandemic hit which we will bring out first though..which is more proggy/ trippy called Transient Resurrection.
That will probably see the light of day pretty soon..
In the meantime I have just released my first solo acoustic album Limbic System on Cd (on the Public House Brand Label) which I am going to gig to support in January in both Nottingham and Sheffield.
Its a chilled out, beautifully haunting record, which sounds like I’m in the same room as the listener!
It is available to buy here via bandcamp..