Dope
by Chris Fox
July 2010
Edsel Dope
After more than ten years of playing shows, recording albums, and writing heavy music that just gets stuck in your head, DOPE continues to spread the disease. The quartet has a continuously growing devoted fan base that they have lovingly dubbed the Dope Army. They credit their influences, ranging from the metal likes of Ministry to Skinny Puppy and other industrial musicians, for their diverse sound. Edsel Dope explains, “we no longer really listen for inspiration, we know our sound, now we listen just cause the music kicks ass.” DOPE has effectively found their sound and they are happy to present it to the masses.
“People as a whole, they will all rock their asses off to DOPE,” Edsel explains, “and we reach even more people when we play live.” They credit much of their success to their intensely energetic live performances and the unique connection that they make with audiences. “We are a hard rock metal band, not as heavy as Lamb of God, they’re good, but that’s not us,” Edsel takes pride in their metal and industrial tonality. Their latest album, No Regrets, has pushed their sound to the next level, “this album is very DOPE sounding, written more intelligently on purpose,” Edsel explains. The album proudly presents more elaborate drumming and much more intricate guitar work. The album even features Zakk Wylde playing lead on their single “Addiction” giving more credit to their expanding guitar vocabulary. Edsel elaborates, “we’ve always been founded on simple riffs, but this time we spent more time on true instrumentation.” Their message continues to be about having a loud and crazy show, and their effort goes into “making every song go off.” Edsel continues, “you really need to listen to this music loud to get the right impact. If you wanna have a good time and wanna party, we are the band to do it with.” The live appeal is what really keeps DOPE fiends coming back for another fix, “when you hear this music live it makes you escape.”
Being a high school dropout, Edsel takes pride in the business that he has built with DOPE. “Without doing this for a living, I don’t know what I would do with myself,” he explains. DOPE drives to make their music stand the test of time, doing it at a high level, and providing a truly entertaining live show. When playing live “it is a bit more special, our originality comes out better than it does on the records. We have the reputation as that band that you saw live, and we love it.” From Billy Idol covers to featuring metal guitar legends as guests, DOPE continues to push themselves, but Edsel explains, “look at all the bands in the past, and you will be hard pressed to find a group still doing it without a platinum record on the wall. We have always been that steady ship without getting really big.”
DOPE will be in Madison to display their live antics during JJO’s Band Camp on August 14 at Willow Island in the Alliant Energy Center. The band is excited to be out touring and spreading the disease. Live shows keep their fans coming back for more, and Edsel explains, “fans and shows are what make it.”
(7137) Page Views Dope Online:• Facebook • Wiki