Information
Author: Mourning
Line Up
Justin Doom - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Kalvin Doom - Drums, Vocals
Spontaneous and doom lovers, today we have Doomsower here with us.
How are you guys?
Justin: We’re doing pretty good. We really appreciate the interview...good to know our reach has spread to Europe!
Let’s begin introducing your band and telling us your story.
You are active since 2008 and last year you released “Vintage Era”, about which era are you talking in the title? What is this “Vintage Era”?
Kalvin and myself (Justin), met in the summer of 2008 and started jamming together. We released a crude first demo that October entitled, "Ov Doom". We played our first gig with The Gates of Slumber that November too. In 2009 we worked endlessly on new songs and played as many shows as we could. 2010 was pretty much a repeat of 2009 but with even better shows (like the first annual Seattle Doomfest) and in December we recorded, “Vintage Era.” Which was actually released in January of this year.
The “Vintage Era” to us, is the last two years of our existence. We look at the songs as being vintage because they are old to us and “classic” Doomsower tracks if you will. There’s really not much else to it...haha
One of the best things of listening to your album was that i couldn’t mention bands which dominate the scene, this show that you have a strong personality which isn’t a common thing today. If i’m not wrong the monicker Doomsower comes from a song by Reverend Bizarre, right? So i suppose that they influenced you as well, but which are the other bands which made you think that you wanted to play doom metal?
Yes that is a Reverend Bizarre track. Since they no longer exist, we figured it would be a good homage to the band. Plus the name is cool isn’t it? As far as other bands that influenced us to play doom, well it’s a long list of course. Cathedral, Saint Vitus, Trouble, Candlemass etc etc. We are very influenced by other genres of music though. We don’t limit ourselves and say, “we have to sound like this and do that.” That isn’t a very fulfilling way to go about things. If I came up with a riff that sounded like say, Morbid Angel, we’d probably use it some way or another.
In "Doomsower" i noticed some parts near to noise and blues, which are your non metal listenings? Are there any bands in those genres which you like?
I’m personally a huge blues fan. Muddy Water, Howlin’ Wolf, BB King...like I said earlier, we have very diverse tastes in music (of course doom metal being the main center). I’m personally a huge folk music fan as well. Neil Young will always rule. I would say though between Kalvin and I, Thin Lizzy and other old school rock n roll bands will always be a huge inspiration (even if we don’t sound like them, it’s more about the attitude).
Justin’s performance is really good, he’s not a standard vocalist, it seems like he is more oriented to other genres, but anyway its vocals fit the music. Is there any vocalist which inspired him?
Thank you! Very much appreciated. As far as a vocalist who inspires me... Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad is certainly on the top of my list. But of course, Scott Wino, Lee Dorian, Ozzy, Phil Lynott... another long list of influences you see. Jim Morrison is also a huge influence in that he did a lot more, "talk-singing".
The production is 100% natural, the imperfections of the sound are a good thing in this kind of albums. Who took care of it? How was recording the album? Did you create the songs from some jam sessions or do you have a modus operandi about composition?
We recorded everything ourselves in the Hellhole here in Oregon. It was all done live with only solos and vocals over dubbed. It was frustrating but in a good way. The songs were already done and we just finally sat down and recorded them. So again, while these songs are new to the world, they are “Vintage” to us. haha I’m not 100% happy with how things turned out, but we worked with what we had to the best of our abilities. Needless to say our next step is to get into an actual studio with someone who knows how to work with recordings.
On our songs themselves though, I usually come up with a riff and then it goes from there. We’re a very riff based band, but we always jam and improvise a lot. It adds a lot more character to the songs I feel, much like the old 70s bands would do.
Which are the themes of your lyrics?
-The first demo is more or less warnings against evil. Like in the Black Sabbath sense. The new album deals with Robert E Howard, witchfinders, ourselves, and overcoming obstacles. Personally, I like to leave the lyrics up to the listeners though.
The Doom Metal scene is probably the one who kept the highest quality in these years, are there any bands of the new generation which impressed you?
New generation? hmmm... that’s tough to say. Just like any genre, there are a few good bands and a lot of shit bands. I don’t really listen to new bands per say. So many new “doom” bands either just play drone or rip off Eyehategod. I’m not sure though who would be considered in a "new generation of doom".
Did you have a goal before the release of the album? How are the comments you received by the critics and your fans?
Our only goal is to better ourselves and do the best we can with what we have. Of course we want to gain as many fans as possible, but we don’t want to compromise anything. But to answer your question directly, the only goal was to make a demo/album/ep/whatever you want to call it that we’re proud of. It was released on the Doom Metal Alliance and so far the response has been pretty good. I think it will only get better.
Wino, Leif Edling, Lee Dorian, how would you describe these artists? Do you think that one of them is the father of the modern doom metal generation?
To put it bluntly, if it weren’t for these three guys, I wouldn’t be doing this interview! haha Wino of course with his many bands is just an unstoppable force of energy. Leif Edling and Candlemass are the reason why Sweden even had metal (next to Bathory of course). As a side note...I’m a huge Swedish Death Metal fan! Anyway, Lee Dorian and Cathedral are huge. Without the band and Rise Above records, a lot of bands wouldn’t be where they are. To say one is more important than the other, I don’t know if I could do that. If anything Tony Iommi would be the father of metal in general!
Five albums that a Doomsower fan should listen to?
Reverend Bizarre - "In The Rectory Of The Bizarre Reverend"
Saint Vitus - "Born Too Late"
Sleep - "Holy Mountain"
Pentagram - "Relentless"
Grand Funk Railroad - "Grand Funk"
Free download, digital files, file sharing, we hear more and more about stuff which is just a sequence of 0 and 1. How can we prompt young guys to buy cds, tapes and vinyl?
That’s a really tough issue and more of a social problem. The people who are dedicated buy the cds, tapes, vinyl, etc.... it’s really easy to just go online and download something and kids (and adults too) see that and jump on it. From a musicians stand point, it’s brutal. To put so much effort into something and have it turned into a sequence of 0s and 1s and too not make a single penny off of it, isn’t good (not that it's about the money by any means, but it would be nice to make a living off our music). But then again maybe those people who download our album come out to a show and buy a shirt? It’s a really tough subject. I don’t download and I don’t believe it should happen, but it’s too late to say "no".
About live shows, how are they going? Are doing some gigs? Is there a beautiful experience which you’d like to share with us?
We haven’t had a show since last November, but hopefully we can pick up some gigs with friends here and there. Of course our ultimate goal is to tour and even go to Europe, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon. I would like to think all of our gigs are a beautiful experience. They are for us at least. There certainly is something ethereal about our songs. The sword mic stand I use, the axe covers for my speaker cabs, and the snakes that dawn Kalvin’s drums all make for a memorable experience. When I talk to people, the usually say something like, “Oh you’re the band with the sword!” Which in once sense I’m proud of, but in the other I wonder if they remember us more for that than our music...
How will be the future of Doomsower? What should we wait for?
Well we just got back down to a two piece. Our bassist decided that he didn’t want to play with us anymore (due to his personal issues, not Kalvin or myself), so we are on the lookout for a bassist. Other than that, we plan on getting more merchandise. Actual cds, shirts, patches etc. There’s at least one gig set up for this year in Seattle but I can’t really say too much. But it will be awesome. But what should people wait for? Nothing! They should be active and find us online, send me an email asking for a cd, or be going to our shows (or getting us shows).
Thanks for the time you spent with us, the last message for our readers is up to you.
Kalvin and I really appreciate the exposure. It’s an honor to be recognized clear across the Atlantic. As a final statement: go listen to our songs, tell your friends, buy our merch if you can, and just remember that what you’re getting into with Doomsower is something Raw and Real! We don’t try to copy anyone and are certainly on our
own with style/sound. We love what we do and we hope you will love our songs. Find us on facebook, listen to our bandcamp page, and support our label.
http://doomsower.bandcamp.com/
http://www.doommantia.com/
All the best!!
