DAY 40

“I never wanted ‘Phenomenon’ to sound like a history documentary. I wanted listeners to discover their own meaning.”

“The best stories are the ones that leave questions unanswered.”

“I don’t follow formulas. Every song has to surprise me first.”

“Atmosphere isn’t something I consciously create, it simply becomes part of the music.”

“History isn’t just something to remember. Sometimes it’s a warning.”

“Every guest musician was chosen because they could bring something impossible to explain with words.”

“Metal should challenge the imagination as much as it shakes the speakers.”

“We write about subjects that genuinely fascinate us – not what people expect a metal band to write about.”

“The artwork, the music and the videos all belong to the same creative universe.”

“Technology should enhance music, never replace the human element.”

“We’re storytellers, but we prefer to let listeners finish the story themselves.”

“After all these years, we’re still creating the music we want to hear ourselves.”

Thrash metal has always thrived on intensity, but Day 40 proves that the genre can be just as compelling when it embraces atmosphere, history, and mystery alongside aggression.
With their latest album, ‘Phenomenon‘, the British band delivers a record that reaches far beyond traditional thrash, exploring ancient civilizations, unexplained events, forgotten rulers, and timeless questions about humanity itself.
Rather than offering simple answers, Day 40 invites listeners to interpret the stories for themselves.
For this exclusive interview, Fok ‘bs‘ spoke with Den Dimitrov – guitarist, vocalist and founder of the British thrash metal band Day 40 – about the creative vision behind ‘Phenomenon‘, the band’s evolution over more than two decades, and why great metal should inspire curiosity as much as it delivers power.
Your new album ‘Phenomenon’ feels less like a collection of separate songs and more like a complete journey.
When you started writing this album, did you already have a clear vision of the world you wanted to create, or did the concept reveal itself gradually during the process?
“I didn’t have a plan, but I knew where I wanted to go with this album, so it happened gradually. Musically, I wanted it to be heavier and darker than the first album. Still, lyrically, I wanted to continue in the same direction and to expand it with different topics, too.”
The titles on ‘Phenomenon’ reference historical events, ancient rulers, mysteries, and unexplained phenomena – from ‘Tunguska‘ to ‘The Yellow Emperor‘.
What fascinates you about these moments in history, and how do you transform them into metal without simply retelling stories from the past?
“That’s true! The songs in ‘Phenomenon’ delve into these themes, and this was the hardest part of the job: creating metal lyrics based on them while also making sure they didn’t sound like a TV documentary. I wanted to create stories that the listener has to get into and find their own understanding. Their own take on the event. I didn’t want to tell the people what happened, but to give them a hint and let them find their own meaning.”
Many thrash bands build their identity around speed and aggression.
Day 40 seems equally interested in atmosphere, tension, and cinematic moments.
Was expanding beyond the traditional thrash formula a conscious decision, or did your songwriting naturally evolve in that direction?
“I have been writing songs for over 3 decades now, and with the years, I have managed to create my own style of expression. I don’t need to follow a certain formula. My wide range of influences always takes me to more than one different plane. I just can’t write one-sided songs. There is always a twist, and this is what makes things interesting for me. This also could be a curse, because not everyone likes it when more than one style of metal is present in the song, but this is who I am and how I like to create. For example, I wrote the whole first album on my own entirely for my own listening pleasure. I never bothered with ‘what if nobody likes it’ or ‘shall I put less of this and more of that to make it appealing to someone?’ I took the same approach with ‘Phenomenon’. The only difference was that I worked on the song’s arrangements with Stefan (our bassist and co-vocalist), and I took ideas from him about certain aspects, like vocal lines and the direction some riffs would go. We also co-wrote a song together, and this is ‘Slaves’, where you can tell there is more than one writer involved.”
The album explores themes of humanity, power, survival, and perhaps the darker sides of civilization.
Do you see ‘Phenomenon’ as a reflection of the world we live in today, or more as an escape into other times and places?
“I think it’s neither of these. Some of the songs with historical and mythological themes could be interpreted as the lesson we needed to learn from the past, while others are designed more like a wake-up call or message to modern humanity to notice that something is wrong and they need to do something about it now, before it’s too late.”
Your music often creates a feeling of something much larger approaching, almost like a soundtrack to an unknown event.
How important is creating a certain emotional atmosphere before the listener even pays attention to the lyrics?
“I haven’t thought about that. It seems like it happens naturally. I didn’t try to enforce this feeling. It’s part of the magic that makes a song what it is.”
You worked with guest guitarist Kris Norris on ‘Tyrant Of Syracuse’.
When you invite another musician into the Day 40 universe, are you looking for a specific character or energy that they bring to the song?
“There are 4 guests on this album, and Kris is one of them. I have to say I adored his playing style from the time he was in Darkest Hour, and then he went on to pursue a solo career. When we were in the process of arranging ‘Tyrant of Syracuse’, I felt I needed his solo in one of the parts. So when I contacted him, he was kind enough to respond and deliver something that exceeded my expectations. Similar to the keyboard parts that Nikolay Velev created for this song. You need the right musician for the job to achieve what is in your head, but you can’t explain, and you just need the correct person to add to it. We also needed Morten Fausboll to provide his chilling and attitude-correct voice at the end of ‘Tyrant of Syracuse’, where there is a Roman sentence in Latin. And I knew from the start that he was the right person to deliver this!”
The visual side of ‘Phenomenon’ seems to play an important role.
Do you consider the artwork, imagery, and music videos as part of the same creative process as the songwriting itself?
“Totally! You get everything as a whole package. In metal, often the cover art is not related to the music, but we wanted something that is an integral part.”
You have been releasing music since the early 2010s, moving through EPs and albums before arriving at ‘Phenomenon’.
Looking back, what is one thing the young Day 40 from the beginning would probably not recognize about the band you are today?
“Day 40 from 2003, probably would be surprised it’s still there in 2026, and it’s a full band with such amazing musicians in it! And at the same time, I would have advised Day 40 from 2013 to rethink certain choices we made at the time.”
The modern metal scene is full of bands trying to sound bigger and more polished.
Your new album still keeps a strong sense of urgency and rawness.
How do you balance modern production with keeping the human element alive?
“A big part of our sound is in our collaboration with E.X.A. Audio. They made sure everything was spotless and clear, and at the same time they kept our rough and organic sound. With ‘Phenomenon’, we’ve gone old school and used our valve amps and speaker cabs. We mic’d everything and used real drums, unlike a big part of the modern bands. We wanted to sound tight and natural and use less modern technology.”
Your songs often deal with huge topics, ancient civilizations, disasters, legends, and mysteries.
Do you see Day 40 more as a metal band telling stories, or as storytellers using metal as the language?
“Most of all, we didn’t want to be cliché and write about corpses, killings, or religious stuff. I know there are a lot of other bands that write about similar stuff, but in general, this is still something obscure and rare. I was never interested in writing about what someone would expect to see in our lyrics, but only stuff that personally I was interested in.”
London has always had a strong underground music identity, but it is also a city where many different cultures collide.
How has living and creating there influenced the way Day 40 sounds and thinks?
“I am not sure if London itself contributed to our sound in any way. We don’t sound like a typical London band, maybe just the opposite, and this is making us a rare breed in the London underground scene.”
If ‘Phenomenon’ was a movie rather than an album, what kind of movie would it be, a historical epic, science fiction, horror, or something completely different?
“A documentary! Hahahaha! Not one of these boring documentaries, though, but one that exposes interesting stuff without giving their verdict to the viewers as ‘the absolute truth’ and lets them decide how they could interpret this.”
After more than a decade of Day 40, what advice would you give to the musicians who are forming their first metal band today and dreaming of building something that lasts?
“Day 40 is actually two decades old now, and I have had other bands before this, so I have been in the scene for the good part of 35 years now. I would advise newer bands to be themselves first and to follow their heart, not the trends if they want to be long-lasting!”
With ‘Phenomenon‘, Day 40 continues to prove that thrash metal can be both intellectually engaging and emotionally powerful.
Den Dimitrov’s vision reaches beyond speed and aggression, blending history, mythology, atmosphere, and modern songwriting into an album that rewards repeated listening and personal interpretation.
Rather than dictating conclusions, the band encourages listeners to question, explore, and discover their own perspectives.
Our thanks to Den Dimitrov for taking the time to speak with Radio Highway Pirates and offering an in-depth look into the philosophy behind Day 40 and ‘Phenomenon‘.
If this conversation is any indication, the band’s journey into the unknown is only just beginning.
by Fok ‘bs‘