'Jay' Poom Euarchukiati - lead vocalist for Defying Decay

1. Defying Decay are an exciting, up and coming Metal band based out of Bangkok, Thailand, who are currently (Summer 2019) touring the U.S. In full disclosure, I'm sorry to say that I will not make it to their July 9 performance at Club Red in Mesa, AZ. I'm happy, though, to get the chance to ask the band a few questions. First off: Can you guy tell me and everyone what I'll be missing? What can fans expect at a Defying Decay show?

JAY: Defying decay is a collection of various sounds and genres. We are at the core of it a metal band, however we draw influences from mainly 90’s era bands. Our visuals as well as sound reflect the music that we grew up listening to, just with our own modern twist.

2. How do you describe your sound to people who don't know what you're all about?

JAY: There’s a lot of exploration when it comes to our sound. Again we draw from 90’s nu metal bands as the foundation of sound, with more modern styles such as electronic music as well as hip hop. We’re all about bringing sounds that we all love growing up.

3. I definitely hear some Linkin Park and Deftones in your sound. What other bands and artists do you admire? How did they influence your own songwriting and playing?

JAY: Those bands are definitely some of our greatest influences. From the rap-metal style of Linkin Park and the drone-y ambience of Deftones, we incorporate all those aspects into our interpretation of metal. For song writing we definitely admire the large hooks that they’ve had. Capturing attention and emotion with memorable hooks is what we’re about.

4. What is the music scene like in Thailand for a Metal band?

JAY: The scene is amazing, we couldn’t be more thankful for all the support we’ve received throughout the years. The fans are very loyal to their favorite bands and will pull all the strings necessary to watch them succeed. Although the core and death metal scene are the most prevalent, we’ve been grateful for the open-mindedness that they have had to us.

5. How have the audiences been during your international tours? Were any cities especially memorable?

JAY: It’s honestly been beyond what we’ve expected. As an international band flying thousands of miles to a completely new environment, it is definitely a very new and almost intimidating, especially playing alongside bands that we’ve admired and followed since we were kids. People are so open minded and receptive of new experiences, and for a foreign band like us with a sound like this, we feel nothing but grateful for everyone who came early and gave us a chance.

6. You've beeen doing this for almost 10 years now. What are some of the biggest surprises you've encountered along the way about being in a Metal band on the rise?

JAY: The biggest surprise is simply the logistics and musical direction. Like any other band who starts off, finding people with similar visions is always challenging. Touring internationally as band obviously creates logistical issues, with the visas and travel. It’s definitely an additional barrier but it’s something that we’re willing to overcome.

7. I applaud the creativity and inventiveness in your music. What inspired you to include the non-traditional instruments and melodies into your songs?

JAY: Honestly coming from where we come from we’re exposed to many untraditional things, music included. As a consequence of it, we just love the sound of a wide variety of instruments and we just want those sounds in our works.

8. Tell us what you're most proud of about the "Metamorphosis" album.

JAY: The one thing I can say about this is that it is another step that solidified our sound and our artistic direction. The past few albums required a lot of exploration into different styles that we all love, however with Metamorphosis we went in with a fine tooth comb to specify what we as a band are about.

9. Have you already begun making future plans for Defying Decay, beyond the tour? Can you tell us what' coming up in 2019 and 2020?

As of now we’re planning on touring for Metamorphosis in different regions of the world. We’re planning on exposing as many people as possible to our sound and hopefully we’re creating some sort of connection with our listeners.

10. Finally, thanks for taking the time to answer a few questions. To wrap up, tell people why they should get into Defying Decay!

JAY: If you’d want to hear a foreign band’s interpretation of metal and music, I think you’d definitely want to check us out. All the members come from different backgrounds but are connected through music and that really shows through in the music.

Get the latest album here: https://music.apple.com/us/album/metamorphosis/1468417919?app=music&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Official website: Official page: https://defyingdecay.com/