Interview with death metal band from Sweden - GLUTTONY.
Answered Anders Härén (guitars), thank you!
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Questions prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - GLUTTONY - Drogulus (2022):
Ave GLUTTONY! I have never found any interview with you in Czech language. I will ask you first to introduce the band to the readers who do not know you yet. You can start from the beginning and take us through the whole history of GLUTTONY.
Hail Jakub! GLUTTONY was formed in 2009 by me, John and Max, after we had disbanded MY OWN GRAVE. One guy who truly understands the early days of Swedish Death Metal and was already involved in the early scene is Johan Jansson (INTERMENT, ex-DELLAMORTE, ex-CENTINEX, ex- REGURGITATE) so I asked him to sing on the first demo which he did. We recorded the Coffinborn demo mostly for ourselves but a few copies got circulated and one ended up at Rogga Johansson (PAGANIZER, RIBSPREADER, ex-DEMIURG) and he really digged it and told Roel at VIC RECORDS who also liked it so we signed with them for two albums. The debut album Beyond the Veil of Flesh turned out exactly like we wanted thanks to the great mix and master by Dan Swanö (ex-BLOODBATH, ex-EDGE OF SANITY). It was really hard to stay active as a band with Johan living 7 hours away so we decided to part ways and we brought in our friend Magnus Ödling (ex-DIABOLICAL, ex-SETHERIAL, ESCUMERGAMENT) on vocals. The debut album got great reviews and we did a few shows. Then we started writing the second album which became Cult of the Unborn. This album took longer to write since me and Magnus created a horror tale and wanted to make the album a theme album, telling the legend of The Casket Master raising the dead to life. This time around we choose Daniel Mikaelsson (SYN:DROM) as a producer because he did such a good job on our split with SORDID FLESH. I still think the album is strong song-wise, but I’m not as happy with the sound as on the first album. It also got mixed reviews – overall positive reviews but the sound was a watershed where some thought it was awful whereas others thought it sounded better than the debut. We played a few shows and started preparing for a tour with MOB-47 and CRAWL when the pandemic came. Since we couldn’t tour, we figured we might as well start writing a new album, so we did and that became the latest album, Drogulus.
This year, you have just released the new album „Drogulus“. Again, it's a dark, harsh and honest death metal. Did you access the recording process differently than last time or did you choose verified practices?
Actually we recorded this album in exactly the same way as Cult of the Unborn. We meet up for 2-3 hours and write a complete song and record it. We continue this process at each rehearsal until we feel we’ve run out of inspiration. Then we listen through the songs and decide what songs are good enough and which ones need adjustments (usually they all do). Then the second iteration starts where we re-arrange the songs and record them again. After that we listen one final time and decide which ones are good enough to be on the album. After that me and Magnus write the lyrics and we record it in our own studio, starting with drums, then guitars, then bass and finally vocals.
The new album seems to me more complicated, perhaps initially less accessible, at the same time incredibly dark and evil. Was it intentional? How did the album originate and how did you compose the music?
There are some Black Metal-minding musical parts on the new album but I think musically it’s actually very similar to our previous albums, but the new vocals overarch this and gives the impression of the music being harsher and more evil even though it’s quite the same. The reason for changing the vocals was the lyrical theme. We wanted to do an album dedicated to the universe of H.P. Lovecraft and subsequent, inspired authors. When it was time to record the vocals, the lyrics simply sounded better with a more high-pitched growl so we went with that. This is actually something we talk about in the Studio Diary on our YouTube channel as we are recording the vocals.
I have a „Drogulus“ in my MP3 player and I have to say that this album literally engulfed me. These are not just great ideas but also sound is simply devastating. I'm sitting in the tram, and suddenly I find myself shaking my legs. I have a feeling to start moshing. If I weren’t so old, I would probably start to. Where did you record and who is signed under mastering?
That makes me really happy to hear! I’m 41 myself but I find that I still want to write and perform the same fast and aggressive music as I did twenty years ago. A lot of people in my age shift towards softer and slower music and that’s fine but I simply can’t. If you can’t mosh to it, I don’t want to play it. We recorded the album in our own studio where we have recorded the two previous albums, but for mix and master we co-operated with Jonas Jönsson (BLACK BAY) who is a very talented yet unknown, local talent here in Sundsvall.
Who is the author of the lyrics on „Drogulus“? What are they talking about? Where do you get inspiration for themes?
On the two last albums, Magnus and I have written about 50% of the lyrics each. I wrote the lyrics to the title track. It started with me trying to find a title for the album that would encapsulate the vast lyrical theme. I stumbled upon the word Drogulus which means “Something that exists but whose existence cannot be verified because it is completely intangible” which to me is a perfect metaphor of what H.P. Lovecraft is conveying. In many of his books, he describes the monsters and beasts as hard to describe, explain, or fathom, so I found it to be the perfect title. Then when I wrote the lyrics for the title track I wanted to do the same: To write something that summarizes H.P. Lovecraft’s world of horrible beasts. For the chorus I used a line from the book The Case of Charles Dexter Ward which I found poetic and dark: “And of ye Seede of Olde shall One be borne”. Besides H.P. Lovecraft, for this album we also found inspiration in the works of Robert W. Chambers and Clark Ashton Smith.
Who is signed under the cover of „Drogulus“? I like his work very much. How did you choose the motif for the cover?
The cover was drawn by the artist known as Karmazid. I follow a lot of artists on Instagram and I always think a lot about what kind of esthetics would suit the music. I really like his raw and occult style so I contacted him and explained what we envisioned for the cover: some kind of Lovecraftian monster arising from the sea.
When we look back at the beginning ... What was the first impulse to found the band? And why the death metal? It's not the typical style which can would give you great "glory".
I grew up listening to Swedish Death Metal in the late 80’s, early 90’s. But for some reason when we formed our first Death Metal band MY OWN GRAVE we went for the more thrashy / Gothenburg style of Death Metal. So I’ve always had the desire to start a band playing Death Metal the old-school way and when MY OWN GRAVE disbanded in 2009 it turned out that Max (bass) and John (drums) felt the same way so GLUTTONY was formed. And you’re right, we didn’t start GLUTTONY and choose to play this type of music to get fame and fortune. I think with MY OWN GRAVE we had that rock star dream of making it big, but pretty soon we realized that there is a very select few Death Metal bands who do and I think they’ve all earned it. We wrote great Death Metal, especially the last album, Necrology, but we weren’t original in any way and did not deserve to make it big. So when starting GLUTTONY we decided we just wanted to start a band and play the type of music we love and grew up with. That has been the ambition from the start and I believe we have been consistent so far, staying true to our formula for how GLUTTONY should sound.
You come from Sweden and you play extreme death metal. Our readers would certainly wonder how the death metal scene works in Sweden. To tell you the truth, so lately I hear only the great new bands from there. Does this mean that the scene there is so strong at the moment? What about concerts, how many people coming to them?
I am very proud of the Swedish Death Metal heritage and that is what we try to honor with GLUTTONY. I would say that the scene has had its ups and downs but has always been strong with the old bands continuing and new great bands appearing each year. I think the pandemic hit the scene hard as with all live music but I’m seeing many of the gigs, tours and festivals re-emerging so I have high faith in the future of Swedish Death Metal. I’ve always liked the community and have met vey few rude fans or bands. When going to the shows, you meet people that you’ve met at concerts since you were 15 and that you share some kind of bond with for that reason. That’s one of the reasons I keep doing this and that’s what I like about the Death Metal community worldwide as well – it still feels like a strong subculture even though it’s not as active and steaming as it was in the early 90’s.
I have to ask. You live in Sweden, which is considered a strongly Lutheran country (61%). You play death metal. Do you have any problems with it? Do you get space in TV or in newspapers? How is life in your country affected by religion?
You have to understand that Sweden is a very non-religious country. It’s true that statistically a lot of people are registered with the Swedish church which is automatic when you’re born. But the number of people who are actually actively Christian is much, much smaller. Of course, during the years, often when I was young, there were situations with people commenting on our shirts and our lyrics but nothing more than that. We have a strong freedom of speech in Sweden and musically or lyrically I have never once stopped to wonder what people might say about the work we put out. Death and Black Metal are accepted musical genres so it would not be odd to see such bands in the media but it’s often the recognized bands like In Flames or Entombed who get the spotlight. Which I think they’ve earned, we’re comfortable with getting press in the underground media and have no strive to make it big. We only want to keep writing our music and get to play it live. Although I do miss touring in Europe, that was too long ago.
From your music it is possible to feel that you are influenced by strong Swedish old school death metal bands. How do you feel about it as a fan? Do you prefer the original death metal of the 1990s or do you get inspiration as well from the new albums? If yes so I am wondering which bands had the greatest impact on GLUTTONY.
I’m a bit traditional when it comes to Death Metal. Sometimes I say things like “but I do like the never stuff, like The Crown’s Deathrace King” only to realize that it was released 2000... I’ve realized that the Death Metal I listen to span somewhere from the mid 80’s till somewhere around the millennium. I try to listen to new bands sometime but I realize that the ones I like seem to play old-school Death Metal that sounds a lot like it could have been recorded in the early 90’s. As for influences, it’s not any particular band, it’s more like a mood or feeling that emanates from those bands. One record that for some reason always has stuck with me as inspiration is Ancient God of Evil by UNANIMATED. On that album I think they combined Death and Black Metal in a way that has inspired many songs I’ve written. And sound-wise there are of course albums like Left Hand Path and Slaughter of the Soul that you unintentionally define as a foundation. But my favorite band in the Swedish scene was always DISMEMBER. Since no song on any GLUTTONY album is intentionally inspired by any particular band or song I think it’s better for the fans to listen for themselves and let me know what they hear.
What about you and concerts in general? Are you a band that goes for concerts anytime you can or you are picky about where you will play? Do you have a dream, maybe a group you would like to go with for a tour or festival, a city where you would like to perform?
We really like playing live but living in the North of Sweden has limited us in many ways for instance when it comes to being booked in Europe. We have to charge more than a band from Malmö or Gothenburg for instance. But we’ve done several European tours with our previous bands MY OWN GRAVE, DIABOLICAL and SETHERIAL and we definitely want to do it again. So if there’s any organizers out there who are interested, please get in touch. We’re not picky. As for touring with any particular band I think BLOODBATH + GLUTTONY would be a great bill but there are so many other great bands as well. As for places to play on the bucket list, it would be fun to play in the U.S. since we have so many fans there and also in Japan or South Korea.
I'm going to listen again your new album „Drogulus“. I have to say that for me personally, this is basically a perfect death metal work. Totally inferno. I wish big success to your record and to get this album to as many people as possible. This album deserves it. I wish you all the best in your personal life. Whatever you do and the last words are yours. If you want to tell something to fans, labels, promoters, you have space here..... Thank you for the interview and I am looking forward to seeing you live!
Thanks Jakub, I’m very happy that you enjoy the album. As for any final words, keep an eye out next year for the LP release of Drogulus and if you want to book us, just reach out to info@gluttony.se
Keep on rotting!
Recenze/review - GLUTTONY - Drogulus (2022):
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