IGNITED’s Dalton Castro Sits Down With Us To Discuss New Album ‘Cradle Of The Wicked’ And All Things IGNITED!

Posted on November 16, 2023 by chrishammond54 in Exclusives, Heavy Metal // 0 Comments

Dalton Castro of IGNITED took some time from his busy schedule to sit down with us and discuss the newly released album ‘Cradle Of The Wicked‘.

Did the Pandemic that halted your live performances in front of audiences help with
A/ honing and polishing up the sound on the newly released album “Cradle of the
Wicked” getting it just the way it sounds?
B/ Building up anticipation for the band to get out there in front of audiences with this
new material?

Castro: “Alternative A certainly. The home studio work has been intense since the beginning of 2020
when the pandemic has spreaded like a bomb in Brazil. I worked on many ideas, themes, riffs
and whatever I could do. Also, many personal aspects started to appear and then it was more
clear to see the future a bit through the door hole“.

Are the lyrics and musical direction a group effort?

Castro: “Most of the lyrics are mine, just like the first album. I received two or three drafts from other
members this time, and I organized and edited everything to fit into the album accordingly. It
took some time to prepare those”.

There’s a ton of juicy guitar shredding and magnificent vocals on this new album.
Since this was worked on during the time of Covid, was the band ever worried that
fast-paced kick you in fast-paced kick-you-in-the-ears sound might not have the same
energy if and when you finally had a chance to perform it live?

Castro: “That will be another preparation, actually. When the time comes to perform live, some decisions
must be made regarding the live action. But the result in terms of heaviness and punchiness is
what was intended from the beginning”.

There’s a heavy element of falsetto to the vocals by Denis Lima which really meld well
with the lyrical content. How do you go about picking the pacing and tempo of songs like
“The Overflow” which is fast heavy and downright energetic

Castro: “The Overflow, in particular, was intended to be massive right from the first riff! I created it using
downstroke picking as the main technique to add more aggressiveness. I believe the vocals fit
well, providing a contrast to the riffs and adding depth to the overall mix. Additionally, there are
some more drive-ish vocals in the verses, which adds a nice touch!”

There are a couple of slower songs (I don’t want to call them ballads “Life Goes By”
and “Abyss of Fear” because they’re too heavy for that. Very reminiscent of bands like
Queensryche and their earlier work. Tell us how the group composed these songs and
decided to slow it down just a tad.

Castro: “Life Goes By is one of the drafts with a recording containing an initial verse in a demo format
that I got. I then developed the rest of the song structure, lyrics and the arrangements, following
the theme and adding leads and solos during the recording sessions experimenting with some
ideas.
For “Abyss Of Fear”, I wrote the main riff a couple of years ago… it’s very Sabbath-inspired,
dark, and doomy, with an uneven use of timing. It’s one of my favorite songs. I believe the
chorus is really made for singing along with the audience! Queensrÿche has been mentioned in
many reviews we got so far, and I am truly impressed with the comparisons. I’m a big fan of The
Warning, Operation Mindcrime, and Empire albums”.

The album’s lyrics seem to be a mixture of warnings and looking back at life. How
many of these song’s lyrics were created over the Pandemic and did have the ability to
create music to help the band deal with what was going on in the World at the time?

Castro: “The lyrics I wrote were essentially conceived from January of last year until the moment we
were seated in the studio room. Some isolated themes may have been written before as well.
However, the lyrics, particularly in the song ‘Cradle Of The Wicked,’ delve into the chaotic
behavior that some people, mixing anonymity with hatred, can exhibit on internet timelines,
transforming them into a kind of no man’s land with zero consequences. In Brazil, we witnessed
the worst orchestrated by extreme far-right individuals. I also want to highlight songs like ‘At The
Damned’s Hall,’ which illustrates how miserable people can surround us and drag us into their
disgrace without being noticed. In ‘Tearing Down The Walls,’ there’s an irony related to the
modern work ethic adopted by some, where it never seems to be enough, and you need to be a
hero every day to meet the requirements. However, the most reflective is ‘Abyss Of Fear,’ where
I attempted to expose the idea of when people’s egos and vanity feel threatened, and they adopt
a defensive stance to uphold their supposedly moral position, akin to a real animal world”.

There are so many interesting guitar breaks and shredding on the album. Which
guitarists inspired you to pick up the axe and shred?

Castro: “Thank you so much for saying that! I draw immense inspiration from guitarists like Marty
Friedman, Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, and Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Additionally, I appreciate the
influence of more jazzy players such as Alex Skolnick, Eric Johnson, and Frank Gambale. A big
fan of Richie Faulkner from Judas Priest as well – he plays and performs like hell! And, of
course, the godfather of all: Tony Iommi, the real creator!”

I know the band has done a mixture of Judas Priest covers in the past. Are they an
influence on your group’s style?

Castro: “I can’t say no! Hehe, Judas Priest is a fantastic, energetic band. Every time I listen to them, I
have a blast. Interestingly, I was recently spinning ‘British Steel’ on my vinyl player, and
everything sounds so beautiful. The riffs are exactly like the cover art suggests! A sharp blade!
Yes, they have a considerable influence on us, but we don’t want to be a mere copy, like a
product on a shelf. We are still crafting our musical and artistic identity, I think”.

What is something you’d like fans to know about the new album “Cradle Of The
Wicked”

Castro: “This album was a significant effort aimed at delivering a more modern and contemporary
representation of heavy metal music. The band isn’t trying to fit in with any wave that pops up
from time to time. It’s not a record company product that sells or not; it’s something made with
the utmost desire to create good songs to connect with the audience and share an authentic
message from the heart. Hopefully, the next album won’t take as long as it did from Steelbound“.

The song “NIGHTSHIFT” really struck a chord with me. When I was younger I used to
work the night shift. Who came up with the lyrics for this one?

Castro: “I wrote it based on a terrible job I had back in 2008 at a food chain, starting at noon and closing
at 3 AM. It was during a tough period, and I had to take it. I remember one time getting really sick of entering the cold chamber to get stuff and then putting it into a big oven
I’m glad you caught the message! I thought it would be good to transform a ridiculous period of
my life into a punchy song with some fast licks and desperate solos, just out of the blue, trying
to convey how mad I was and my desire to start running away! Hehe”.

Do genre labels in music bother you (for example: Ignited is a power metal band) or
do you prefer just being referred to as a great artist that can flow between any genre and
not be confined by a certain genre?

Castro: “I usually start by saying ‘heavy metal,’ but depending on everyone’s experiences, it might be
labelled as power metal or whatever suits better. I believe we have various influences from
different genres as well. In the end, people can call it whatever they wish! The less imprisoned
to a certain niche, the better, I think.”