Music means a lot to Gravemind vocalist Dylan Gillies-Parsons. When we spoke in April, Dylan was very clear that music with integrity and depth that you can immerse yourself into is as important to him as a listener as it is to his role as frontman of Gravemind.
Dylan elaborated on the importance of authenticity in music, saying: “Sometimes when I listen to music, I like to do what I call ‘hanging it up on the song’, which is almost like meditation. I try and reduce myself to the song, push out all external thoughts, doubts and worries, and really hone in on the music. I feel strongly that I can only do this when I know the band means what they do, that it’s something more than just being popular for popular sake, or heavy, just for the sake of being heavy. I want our fans to feel like they can do that more than anything, so for this reason, we take great care in all aspects of Gravemind.”
With this in the back of my mind, it’s no surprise to me to learn from Dylan that Rage Against The Machine were at the core of his love for music; a legendary LA-based influential rock band with a revolutionary political core. You hear a Rage Against The Machine song and you know without a doubt that they mean every. single. word. Powerfully.
It was Dylan’s dad that introduced Rage Against The Machine to him; sneakily playing the Renegades cover album when Dylan’s mum wasn’t in the car. With a love for the band that has continued over time, Dylan grew from enjoying the band’s signature groove and aggression, to also greatly appreciate their song meanings and passion.
For Dylan, a pivotal moment was feeling the impact of vocalist Zack de la Rocha’s words, specifically the passion and lack of restraint shown in his vocal delivery. Watching the Live At The Grand Olympic Auditorium show “sealed the deal” for Dylan: “I knew I wanted to be in bands from that moment on.”
Reinforcing how Rage Against The Machine have influenced Gravemind’s sound and approach to making music, Dylan shares “Gravemind is a ‘heavy’ band, but to me, music, and our music in particular shouldn’t just be heavy for the sake of being heavy. It has to come from a real place, and the lyrics and the meaning has to compound on the instrumentals, just like the band that sparked my passion in the first place.”
When it comes to stand out songs, Dylan’s votes are with “Bombtrack”, “Fistful of Steel”, and “Take the Power Back”, “because those songs kick ass, and “Guerilla Radio” because Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2.”
Catch Gravemind at BIGSOUND Festival starting 4th September!
- The Zoo, Wednesday 5th September @ 11:20pm
- 256 Wickham, Thursday 6th September @ 9:40pm
Details & tickets! https://www.bigsound.org.au/
[Gravemind photo courtesy of Rowan Donohue @ “Black Mamba” launch]