DEATHASSAULT Talk New Album, Favourite Instruments And More

 

Who is in DeathAssault, how did you meet and what do you play?

DeathAssault has 5 members, this includes: Jake Ackrell (Guitarist), Bill Mander (Guitarist), Wiktor Weinreb-Osiecki (Bassist), Levi Spry (Drummer), Darrell Baker (Vocalist).

Each member of DeathAssault met via different means, however the 3 members: Wiktor, Jake and Levi met through old bands that never progressed out of the rehearsal room. Darrell Baker, who was not as involved with the local metal scene, joined through a Facebook post put out by the founder Jake Ackrell by submitting vocal covers and joining in the first real rehearsal as an audition. 

Newest member Bill Mander, joined DeathAssault in 2025. Auditioning around April time after the departure of Jack Madderson on guitar in March of 2025. DeathAssault is an amalgamation of multiple musical styles, we refer to ourselves as Thrash Metal Fusion, however our latest progression in our writing could be described as Nu-Metalcore Fusion. Fusing our love for varying metal subgenres as well as many more musical genres outside of metal, such as: Blues, Reggae, Hip-Hop etc

What is your earliest musical memory?

This would vary based on the members (Levi Spry & Bill Mander) however, the earliest full rehearsal memory was at Pirate Studios in Plymouth, which was Darrell and Wiktor’s first rehearsal with the band around late 2021.

When did you begin songwriting?

Early song writing began with Jake, before the band was fully formed, with early EP songs such as “Follower” and “Scarred By Arrogance” from 2021-2022. We performed our first show in April of 2022, playing all of the early stage EP songs from our debut release “Time After Time”. Soon after, we began to write songs for our upcoming self-titled album “DEATHASSAULT”.

You have your new self-titled album released on 13th February 2026. How did you want to approach the making of the album?

For our upcoming album, we wanted to approach the creation of this record with one goal in mind. Step up every aspect of production. We always are striving to do something better than the last thing and that began with stepping up our recording methods. Although we ran into many issues during production and post production of the album, we managed to scrape by and create something we are all truly proud of.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

Plymouth’s very own PMC studios is the studio we chose to record our drums at alongside Doc, who has worked alongside many other bands throughout the years. However, the rest of the album’s recording process was done totally independently. Recording guitars, bass and vocals ourselves. The rest of the album was then mixed and mastered by our very own vocalist, Darrell Baker, over the course of a couple months.

Do you have any interesting, funny or memorable stories from the recording sessions?

Without fail, every single funny or frustrating story has one person at the centre of it all… Wiktor Weinreb-Osiecki, our Bassist. Whether that is him falling asleep during breaks between recordings, playing the same EP bass lick into everyone’s headphones after completing takes or complaining that he specifically asked for FISH and chips when the rest of us left to grab food… of which he fell asleep whilst we went.

Did you use any particular instruments, microphones, recording equipment to help you get a particular sound/tone for the record?

All of the instruments, par the drums and vocals, all run through amp sim software with post production processes honing the sound of the instruments. However, no particular piece of equipment aided us in achieving the sound of the record.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Despite all of the songs carrying a certain level of fury and chaos, some of the songs on the record dip into varying aspects and emotions of the human condition.

We Will Remain: Undoubtedly the happiest of the songs despite its aggressive sound, it conveys our sense of brotherhood and unity within the band. Sharing our love for each other and our tight knit circle.

DeathAssault: Angriest song is hard to pick for multiple reasons, each song dips into varying topics and sounds. However, DeathAssault has a specific fury, anger and aggression to its sound. It arguably could be rivalled with a song that is on the album, which we have waited on playing until the album is out. For that reason, we won’t include it here. But it is truly something.

Winds Of The Past: Another song which we haven’t played yet, but will be soon at our upcoming album pre-release and release shows. Taking a leap out of our comfort zone musically and delving into new playing styles as well as expressing the rest of our musical ability. It is a song written just after Wiktor’s grandad passed away, and as a way to deal with his grieving he joined together with ex-guitarist Jack Madderson to compose something beautiful.

Was it a difficult album to write?

For us, we find writing music a seamless joint effort process. We bounce off each other musically on a whim which often leads to swift writing. That goes for just about every single song on this album, making the album writing process a lot easier and quicker. The only difficult thing about the albums writing to recording process and timeline has been finances and member changes that have halted our plans over time.

Who designed the album artwork?

Our vocalist, Darrell Baker, who manages the: social media, photography, videography, editing, is who designed the album cover. Utilising a photoshoot for the album release in order to put together a cover which perfectly conveys the new era of DeathAssault as a band. Unity. Chaos. Defiance.

One of the tracks is the single ‘We Will Remain’ which is out now. What was the story/inspiration behind the track?

We Will Remain is a track that was written a couple years back by Wiktor Weinreb-Osiecki and then taken to the rest of the band as a fleshed out idea to work on. To explain the story, inspiration and meaning behind the song: “When I first heard We Will Remain coming together in the rehearsal space, it really spoke to me and felt as if it was a musical love letter. Almost like a poem. I aimed to match it in its almost defiantly emotional nature and put across my feelings as a nod to the rest of the band.

Displaying through a musical poem my connection to the lads in DeathAssault and how we possess an unwavering brotherhood. Supporting each other through thick and thin, not letting anything stand in our way. It is by far one of the songs I hold most dear and love to perform live. “There is this almost electric sense of until and emotion on stage every time we play it.” – Darrell Baker (Vocals)

 The track is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

Due to the issues we encountered and the amount of work we have done independently, that hasn’t left us with much money to spare on music video production, or time for that matter. Hence why the We Will Remain music video is more of a live lyric video. Due to its emotional nature about unity, it only felt fitting to utilise live footage of the song being played, where the true feeling of the song is best felt.  A thank you to the fans and community.

We will strive.
We will remain.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

We come from the Coastal City of Plymouth.

If we had to give you five words to describe it, it’d have to be…Small, Grey, Bleak, Derelict, Home. It’s not perfect, but it’s the reason we met one another and our music wouldn’t exist without that. It’s still home.

How do you look after your voices?

“In order to take care of my voice, I do a few things that keep it in good shape and ready for both rehearsals and gigs. Eating the right food, drinking herbal tea with honey, exercise and regular practice accompanied by pre gig warmup. It is essential as a vocalist to understand your body and what you are doing in order to treat it right and know what your body needs. The simplest things as not enough rest can massively affect your vocals.” – Darrell Baker (vocals)

Do you have any live dates planned in the UK/Europe in 2026?

 We are currently working on dates for 2026, with some dates early in the year. However, we are still in the process of working towards better opportunities, gigs further afield from home and to play with bands we have never played with before. One thing we want to work on is playing in Poland in our Bassists home city as we have spoken with a band who want us to come out and perform. The minute we are able to, we will immediately be taking up the offer.

What two things do you hope to have achieved once you have left the stage?

Simply put… have caused chaos and people have enjoyed themselves.
It isn’t just a place to play music. It’s a lifestyle, an energy of us at our rawest. Expect no less from us.

 

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals, microphones etc?

Although both Guitarists switch out guitars, the most frequently used guitars are both Jackson and Solar. Amp wise, their preferred amp is the Boss Katana, which also utilises digital tones that can be easily replaced, worked on and switched during shows.

 

On bass, Wiktor uses the Helix floor for all simulation and changing tones/effects for his bass soundscape. 

For drums, Levi’s brands of choice are: Paiste, Evans, Tama and Pro Mark.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

 1984 by George Orwell.  A lot of topics we touch on are that of a dystopian nature and express our feelings in order to put across a message politically and socially. 1984 perfectly encapsulates that.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

As a band that never wants to box ourselves in musically, we take inspiration from many bands, genres and all of our influences. All of us share such a vast and differing taste in music . To name a few: Slayer, Black Sabbath, Soulfly, Lamb Of God, Trivium, Slipknot, Acid Bath, Mr Bungle, Twelve Foot Ninja, Meshugga, Faith No More, Sepultura, Sevendust, Gojira… the list goes on and on.

If we were to recommend a band however, that would have to be both Acid Bath and Twelve Foot Ninja. Both such unique bands for totally separate reasons, that harness their sound into something that you’ll only hear from one place.

What makes DeathAssault happy and what makes you unhappy?

Performing shows, getting to witness places we may not have gone to otherwise, seeing the fans and crowd whilst we play. The community really. These are all things we hold dear to us that make us happy.

However, you can’t have good without bad. If there is anything that makes us unhappy, it’s the current political climate. Too many people are being allowed to run rampant, making harmful decisions, causing tension across the globe. We are outspoken in our music and will continue to do that outside of it as well.

Music is a vessel for a message. Use your voice wisely.