The Palest Grey is an exciting new goth / death rock band from Florida. The Palest Grey’s singer, Malek Tzimisce, has been nice enough to answer some questions from DJ Jason about the band, their influences and their new album release. Please note: this Interview originated in early Feburary 2022, and since then The Palest Grey has officially disbanded. Be on the lookout for more from their individual members in the future.
DJ Jason: How did The Palest Grey start out?
Malek: Thank you for this opportunity. It all started just by going out to brunch in 2019. Back then, it was Azy, Maus and me. We decided to start a project with certain objectives in mind, not sure where we were going.
DJ Jason: What made you come together and create original music?
Malek: Friendship most of all. We were all friends and at the time there was bit of dissatisfaction with the music nowadays, but also we wanted to do something for ourselves. We were not thinking that it was going to be well received by many of you.
DJ Jason: Were any of you in previous acts?
Malek: Ripley was the only one of us who actually knew how to play and had 30 plus years of experience. Azy learned how to play for this project. As for me, I’m trying my best.
DJ Jason: Congrats on your new release. I’ve been waiting for it’s release for a long time. How has the global reception for the album been?
Malek: Thank you again, it was totally unexpected and we never thought it was going to be as good as it has been.
DJ Jason: Was the decision to record in both English and Spanish languages partially due to the tremendous upward growth of gothic music & culture in the Spanish speaking world in recent years? I’ve noticed a lot of interest in goth bands with Spanish verses lately. As a bilingual band, have you considered touring in Mexico, Peru or other Spanish speaking goth places?
Malek: Well, you see, I’ve been listening to bands like Paralisis Permanente, La voz de tus ausentes, Trapodolls and such for a very long time, and I am from Puerto Rico, so Spanish is my first language. We were invited to Chile and there was something for Mexico but nothing was ever made concrete during the time that The Palest Grey were together.
DJ Jason: You covered the Finnish deathrock band Virgin in Veil’s Lovestains on your debut album. What made you pick that track, and what other songs might you cover in the future?
Malek: That track was amazingly written, short and it was on point so we thought of giving it a twist by making it in Spanish… besides, Jacques is our friend, so we asked him first. **Laugh**
DJ Jason: Who are your influences? Also, who are your favorite bands? …since favorites and influences are not always the same.
Malek: For influences, I’d say Acid Bats, Bloody Dead and Sexy, 1919 and Horror Vacui. Favorites would be London After Midnight, Age of Heaven, Dr. Arthur Krause and Scarlet’s Remains. My absolute favorite band is Violet Stigmata; I actually want to sound like that when I grow up!
DJ Jason: Oh wow, so the name The Palest Grey was taken from the Scarlet’s Remains album, then. That makes sense!
Malek: Yes, the song in particular; the lyrics identified us as a band, so we thought it was a good idea to take the title of that song and use it.
DJ Jason: Two of your members are also DJs. Do you think being a DJ first has made you approach the creation of music differently? If so, please elaborate…
Malek: It has been a part of what made me think of doing a musical project. Being a DJ exposes you to a lot of music. There’s so much out there that one wonders how can I take these elements and make it unique without changing the genre completely. That’s when you get together with some friends and start something new.
DJ Jason: It’s great to see a goth band scene developing in Florida, since Florida has many events scattered throughout it’s southern cities and some would argue that Florida has a long history of goth-related nightlife… however, not many local goth bands have been active in Florida up until fairly recently. Do you feel like you are part of a movement and that this is the beginning of a greater shared history with other bands like Astari Nite, Obsidian and Rux Vendetta? (For a long time, The Crüxshadows were the only goth band from Florida that people knew about as being from Florida, after all)
Malek: The goth community has been like a family to me except for a few scums that had shamelessly lied about me. All of my in person interactions with people have been always awesome and I am grateful for the good ones.
DJ Jason: You played a live date with Obsidian recently. How was that show? Do you have any favorite moments that you would like to share?
Malek: The Obsidian show was our very first show we are always thankful Obsidian trusted us to open for them and it was awesome. They are amazing people to work with. My aunt and my cousin came to see me at that show and they are good Christians (Laugh). No, but seriously, we had nice people asking for our music and it wasn’t released at that point.
DJ Jason: If you could make a wish, what would it be? (it doesn’t necessarily have to be music related)
Malek: I have three wishes. I wish we could have a robust scene where people come together to have a good time. I wish to continue working in different areas to solidify those ties that bind us as a family. Last but not least, I wish that all fucking war ends.
