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Andrew: Upon listening to the album, I feel a sense of rawness in the music. Was that deliberate?
DIS: It is a process which comes relatively natural to us as a collective of extreme and angry individuals. At the same time, Dragged Into Sunlight is an extreme metal band and it is our objective to create a truly abrasive sound, the type which sounds like someone being kicked to death and one which, at maximum output, sounds like it's going to tear the flesh from your skull. It is rewarding that such rawness and true emotion is evident in our music, however, to answer your question, it is neither deliberate nor natural but somewhere in between.

Andrew: You said in the press release that "a few blastbeats, a scrawled logo and people accept it". So, do you think modern extreme metal is just too clean and over-produced?
DIS: Whilst there is nothing wrong with making use of technology, it remains a matter of artistic integrity as to whether the musician opts for an honest representation of ability. There are far too many over-produced, triggered and ultimately false sounding records out there. Many bands opt to enhance their abilities rather than record an accurate portrayal of their capability. There is so much competition across the different sub-genres of extreme metal, however, it seems more commendable to look for a different approach rather than engage in a competition of technologically advanced superhuman musicianship. The same applies to artwork where many modern extreme metal bands appear to be competing for the most unrecognisable logo. Whilst artwork is very important, true craftsmanship requires an honest approach, if your objective is simply to create a logo which no one can actually read without drawing on the music of the band in question, your efforts are wasted. Bands like Incantation, Dystopia and Nasum continue to have a massive influence on Dragged Into Sunlight, however, each of those bands have an authentic down to earth approach and rather than present themselves with a superhuman ability, they rely on their true musicianship and true craftsmanship and this is evident in each and every recording. From personal experience, we have found that many bands are a shadow of what they are on record when experienced live. It is important to capture the emotion at the time of playing and it is very unfortunate that such emotion is lost in the vast majority of contemporary extreme metal. As above, it is rewarding to both us as musicians and the listener that an element of rawness and true emotion is evident in our music as we opt not to rely heavily on technology and instead rely on our true abilities. If that means that one beat falls slightly out, then so be it. There is something precious about a beat which falls slightly out. It is almost as if it were meant to be. True emotion can only be derived from a depiction of true ability. It is impossible to attain if you are disguising your song writing ability by enhancing your abilities as a musician via technology. There was a recent interview with Sodom's Tom Angelripper in which he said that a drum production should sound 'like it did in the 80's' and we concur. Unfortunately, the majority of modern extreme metal is so over-produced, any raw power is lost. Since the inception of Dragged Into Sunlight we have come to know some truly talented musicians who have not yet been given the attention they rightfully deserve. We have been fortunate enough to meet bands such as Lazarus Blackstar, Dead Existence and Parole, those bands really have something uniquely heavy to offer.

Andrew: How did you come up with the band's name?
DIS: We sat for three days throwing alphabet spaghetti at the walls until the moon and the stars aligned.

Andrew: The album cover also represents the sheer rawness and brutality the music possesses. Who came up with it?
DIS: The artwork was created by a good friend of ours, Justin Bartlett. We have a lot of respect for Justin, as both a true fan of extreme music and as uniquely gifted individual. Whatever cogs tick inside his mind, it definitely isn't sane or normal. Equally, genius can never be described as normal. Justin understands what it is that we do and how we work, he is as much a part of Dragged Into Sunlight as any one of us and we are honoured to have his continuing support.

Andrew: What was it like working in the studio with Tom Dring and Billy Anderson?
DIS: Billy Anderson is almost a household name in extreme metal. We met in early 2003 and having worked with bands such as Weedeater, Eyehategod and Neurosis, we'd always anticipated that he would be the one to deliver the finishing blows to the record. The production on "God Luck and Good Speed" is so well fitted and the Porn/Merzbow split is almost a perfect construct of what it was meant to be. We're fans of his work to say the least and we're humbled by his efforts towards the production on this record. Much less is known of Tom Dring, in fact, he is one of the raw talents responsible for having produced the original recordings. We hope to work with both in the future.

Andrew: Was any modification done for this re-release in terms of the production, mixing and otherwise?
DIS: There have been no modifications to the original recording.

Andrew: How do you feel about being compared to the likes of Eyehategod and Neurosis?
DIS: When you have shared our life experience, there are very few legitimate releases available. We would like to think that our music borders very close to sheer manical violence. Needless to say, if we were not truly inspired by bands such as Eyehategod and Neurosis as a means of channelling our release, we would not be here today. Both bands are influential and legendary in their own right. There is something so savage about seeing Eyehategod perform. We were fortunate enough to share the stage with them on a few occasions last year and in our eyes, they are martyrs amongst men.

Andrew: Other than the above two bands, which are some of the bands that have been an inspiration to you?
DIS: The list is endless. Noothgrush, Nuclear Death, Exhorder, Slayer, Black Sabbath, Morbid Angel, Dystopia, Rudimentary Peni, Buzzov*en, 13É. Collectively, our record collections are museums. When extreme music is your life, a complete understanding is mandatory.

Andrew: In live performances, how much importance do you give to creating an atmosphere that suits the music?
DIS: Atmosphere is invaluable to any band. It is what creates that unique and memorable experience. Although we use some lighting, much of our atmosphere comes from the combination of personalities on stage as well as the fact that we each put everything we have into each performance. In our case, it is that particular aspect which not only creates an atmosphere but also suits our music and portrays our absolute conviction.

Andrew: Following up on the previous question, when you play in the day time in huge festivals, does it bother you that you are not able to create the same atmosphere?
DIS: The answer is simple. It is very rare that we will agree to play in circumstances difficult to reconcile. We do things on our own terms. At the end of the day, we don't earn anything from this, and so there is absolutely no reason why we would make such a grave sacrifice. Our music, performance and identity are all that we have. Therefore, somehow it makes more sense to play to three people in a setting where we are comfortable than to deliver a substandard performance to two thousand people.

Andrew: This album was originally released in 2009 on a different label. What has the overall response been like among press and extreme music fans in general?
DIS: Overall, it seems to have had a welcome reaction. It is, however, one which holds no reward. Dragged Into Sunlight is inevitably the last project for those involved and so self-gratitude is a priority. Put simply, as above we create extreme music on our own terms and none other.

Andrew: Did you read each and every review that's sent your way, or did you get kind of indifferent to them after a while?
DIS: We read each review. It is not so much relevant to the content, but more because someone has taken the time to construct something which requires effort and enthusiasm influenced by our work.

Andrew: Songs like "Lashed To The Grinder And Stoned To Death" and "I, Aurora" are both well over 10 minutes long and have quite a progression of slow and fast-paced segments. How much of a challenge is it to pull these off in live performances?
DIS: When you know each other as well as we do, the atmosphere tends to bind things together. It becomes almost second nature.

Andrew: It seems like you're all set to make your first trip to North America this Spring. At this point, what are your expectations from that tour?
DIS: We hope to see some old friends and new faces.

Andrew: Extreme metal bands are often treated as criminals when they enter other countries to play shows. It has happened to the best of them, including Watain, Hypocrisy, and others. Has it ever happened to you?
DIS: One of our biggest problems touring is being overweight, we fall into that category of band where we don't get paid enough to hire a trailer and we have above 3.5 tonnes onboard, the legal limit on a standard driving licence.... but coming from 7 guys travelling in a van with 3 seats in 2007, we've definitely gone up in the world. Plus, what are the chances that you're going to get pulled over and what are the chances that the police pulling you over are going to go through the hassle of actually weighing your van. Welcome to Germany, where the police can apparently sense if you're overweight. We'd just crossed the Czech border into Germany when we were stopped. There were 7 of us and Dixie from Weedeater onboard. The German police did a really good job of blowing it out of proportion. In light of that experience, we'd agree that extreme metal bands are often treated like criminals when crossing borders, although it definitely doesn't help if your van stinks of pot and you're knee deep in empty bottles when they pull you over.

Check out Dragged Into Sunlight's official myspace.