Connect with us

Alternative/Rock

Stake Guitarist Cis Deman Discusses Anxiety, Finding Peace, and New Album ‘Love, Death and Decay’

Ahead of their tour with Cave In, we chatted with Stake guitarist Cis Deman about anxiety, his own fears, inner peace, and the new album ‘Love, Death and Decay’ (Hassle Records).

Published

on

Facing the challenges and struggles of daily life itself throws up new challenges. Everybody has their own individual way of doing that, and the members of the Belgian quartet Stake are no different.

Fresh off the release of their stunning new record, Love, Death and Decay (Hassle Records), before heading out on tour with Cave In. We spoke to guitarist and one-time funeral director Cis Deman about anxiety, his own fears, finding inner peace and the themes inspiring the new album.

Thanks for your time, Cis; how is life treating you at the moment?

Cis Deman: “We had a pretty busy summer flying and driving everywhere in Europe to play festivals. Not much sleep was involved, but we had two weeks now to catch up on some sleep cause the album is coming up on 30th September, and the train goes even harder then.”

The new album, Love, Death and Decay is out shortly; what can fans expect from the album?

“At first, we tried to make a happy, danceable album, but we were encountering some grief during the writing process of the album also. So there’s a mixture of pretty heavy songs and somewhat melancholy in between as well. Kind of a reflection of our lives.”

Highlighted by the new single “Fuck My Anxiety,” the album’s inspiration feels like it comes from a very personal place; is that the case?

“The lyrics for FMA started with just me writing, ‘I don’t have a remedy.’ Brent completed the lyrics, making it an anxiety topic. Everyone has a bit of fear or reflects too much on certain things. So it’s a song to settle down that feeling for anyone who’s in need. It might be us, but it can be for the fans too.”

Having music as an outlet, how does that help you battle your anxieties and fears?

“Making heavy music or expressing yourself is just a very effective way of letting negative energy flow away very fast. Anxieties and fears are often a little more complex than just having a bad day. But being relieved and being light after some heavy sporting or playing/listening to (dark) music is a good starting point to get to the deeper structures of inner problems.”

You’ve talked about missed opportunities because of fear; what is it that you fear?

“Bwaah, I just think that small or bigger fears have a huge impact on your decisions in daily life, and it’s good to be aware of that. What are our ‘useful’ fears, and what are the anxieties that are blocking the path to our goals? Grasping and understanding the fears was a big step forward for me.”

Artwork for ‘Love, Death & Decay’ by Stake

The last two years have been pretty shitty for everyone; how was it for you?

“We, first of all, did our own thing and ‘enjoyed’ our time off for a half year. Later on, we started writing Love, Death and Decay. And even more later, we wanted to get back on stage like most bands. Let’s hope this won’t happen again.”

We’ve talked about the music and the band but away from the crazy life that this industry brings, what do you do to find peace?

“I’m not really finding any peace for the moment, but being in nature is calming me down. So now I want to go live between some trees and animals with a small recording studio near my bed. That idea is giving me some peace.”

For someone who isn’t as lucky as you to have an outlet to talk about their fears, what advice would you give them?

“Dig deep into yourself and find/decide what makes you happy. It might be cross-stitching or surfing. It doesn’t matter what other people think or say. From that start, you can build something around it. It doesn’t have to be big. It just needs to give you inner peace.”

You started making music at age 13; how did that help you during what, for most young people, is such a challenging period of their lives?

“Me and Joris started playing together when we were 12. It was cool to have a passion already. It was very clear what we wanted to do in life. I don’t know if it helped me, but it felt good to sing about stuff that was touching me, like the first time being in love and losing people, etc…”

Reading into the band dynamic, it seems you write from a different, much darker perspective. What do you think makes these different perspectives work so well together?

“The contrast. A story is much better with weird endings or plot twists. A walk is much nicer with creeks and mountains. So is our music.”

By writing about such personal themes, what do you hope that someone takes away from listening to Love, Death and Decay?

“That, after every shit time: COVID, death, loss… there is time for renewal. Decay is new life, just like in nature. A new beginning. There can be a time that you hang your head, but it won’t be forever.”

Just to finish off, then, next up, we get to see you on tour with Cave In; what other plans do you have for the rest of 2022 and into 2023?

“We’ll probably play a lot in Eastern Europe for a change in 2023. Hell, we want to play every city!”

Thanks for your time; over to you to wrap this up…

“Thank you for having me. I just want to say I am super excited for the album release coming up and hope people catch us live cause the intensity multiplies once you see us in real life!”

Tour Dates:

10/15 – Junkyard – Dortmund (w/ Cave In)
10/16 – Lido – Berlin (w/ Cave In)
10/17 – Kesselhaus – Wiesbaden (w/ Cave In)
10/19 – Badaboom – Paris (w/ Cave In)
10/20 – Le Poche – Bethune (w/ Cave In)
10/24 – Heaven – London (w/ Cave In)
10/25 – The Exchange – Bristol (w/ Cave In)
10/26 – Gorilla – Manchester (w/ Cave In)
10/27 – Room 2 – Glasgow (w/ Cave In)
11/05 – Belvédère – Namen
11/16 – Reflektor – Luik
12/03 – Wilde Westen Festival – Kortrijk
12/11 – WMD – Waregem
12/17 – Trix – Antwerp

I have an unhealthy obsession with bad horror movies, the song Wanted Dead Or Alive and crap British game shows. I do this not because of the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll lifestyle it affords me but more because it gives me an excuse to listen to bands that sound like hippos mating.

Trending