Interview with death metal band from Germany - DROWNED.
Answered Tlmnn (guitars), thank you!
Recenze/review - DROWNED - Procul His (2024):
Ave DROWNED! Greetings to the catacombs of Berlin. It's been nine years since I last saw you live. It was in a small club in Prague. I remember RAVENCULT played with you. I bought your first album there, which came out in 2014. For playing since 1992, you definitely don't suffer from overproduction. The new album "Procul His" is only your second full-length. So the first question is. Why is that?
Aha, nice! Very much appreciated, thanks for coming out! That was one of the not-so-crowded shows on the tour as far as I rememeber ... To answer your question, for about three years following the release of “Idola Specus“ we played lots of shows and rehearsed rarely due to colliding schedules, day jobs etc., and when rehearsing, we basically had to prepare for the next show.
The fact is that the previous album and this one literally blew me away. How did you take a long time to compose the new album "Procul His", how was the material created and where did you want to go after these long ten years?
Thanks! After the first album, and in addition to the fact that we couldn’t rehearse very often for a certain period, I also had a bit of an issue with songwriting; for a while I just wasn’t satisfied with what I was coming up with, so the whole process just dragged out. From the album, “Blue Moth Vault“ and “Man In Devil In Man“ are from 2017/2018, while most of the other tracks were finished between 2020 and early 2023. That being said, many riffs are quite old, but sometimes it took years until they had found their place. As for direction, I basically only wanted the new songs to gain a bit complexity, speed and tempo changes.
Sound is always very important in death metal. You have it massive, dark and cold. Clear and animalistic at the same time, if you know what I mean. Where did you record the album? Who is responsible for the mixing and mastering? How was the recording process?
Just like previous album, it was recorded by our drummer Tobias at our rehearsal place. He is a professional sound engineer, and the place is stuffed with recording equipment. For drums and guitar we got a helping hand from Michael Zech (also an audio engineer and guitar player in Ruins of Beverast, Secrets of the Moon ...). The mixing was done by Tobias, and the mastering by Patrick W. Engel (Temple of Disharmony).
Both albums have such strange covers. On the one hand they are very original, no skulls or graves, but on the other hand, I don't really know what they are supposed to represent? For example, this year I think it's a picture of a rock, but it could easily be falling leaves. Who is the author of the cover and could you please explain a bit how the motif relates to the music?
I created both artworks, and both are photographs. “Idola Specus” is a super-enlarged macro photography, whereas “Procul His” is just a still life. As you can see from the liner notes, the “Procul His” piece is actually the back wall of F. W. Murnau’s sepulchre, covered with ivy. It is a negative with slightly altered colours which makes it a very surreal and strange image.
I don't have the original CD with me yet so I would like to ask what the lyrics are about. Who wrote them and where did they get their inspiration? They sound occult, mysterious, magical.
Greg wrote most of the lyrics this time, except for “Malachite Mirror“ and parts of “Blue Moth Vault“ which were contributed by myself, as well as the title for “Man In Devil In Man“. You could say that our lyrics are rather symbolistic, a collection of atmospheres and impressions, as opposed to storytelling.
Up until 2014, you've only released demos and one EP. You've also had a pretty inconsistent line-up. It's only since 2010 that you seem to have found yourselves. The only original member is the guitarist Tlmnn. Does that mean that he is the main author of the music? Please take us through the history of DROWNED.
True, I write all the music, but of course we make occasional changes to the arrangements when rehearsing, and I don’t pen out the drums. So it’s a group effort nonetheless.
As for the history of the band, from 1992 up until 1998 the core of Drowned was me and then-drummer G. Vermilion with all kinds of other musicians throughout the years. Drowned was then hibernating from 1998 until 2001 when it was resurrected with me and Theby on drums (formerly of Tha-Norr). In 2001 we wrote three of the songs that later appeared on “Viscera Terrae“ (2006). Theby and me relocated to different cities which made rehearsing difficult, and so we called it quits in 2009. In 2010 the constellation with Tobias and Greg materialized, but because everybody was busy with other bands (Essenz, Necros Christos, Android Empire), it wasn’t until 2012 that we started rehearsing on a weekly basis and preparing “Idola Specus“.
You are exactly what I imagine an underground band to be. You play great death metal, but I think only true fans will appreciate it. What are your goals with DROWNED? Would you like to go on a longer tour? Or a big festival? Is there anything else you would like to achieve?
Well, since we aren’t a full-time band, we can only do a certain amount of shows per year. We’ve played a good number of bigger festivals in the past, and are of course looking into playing more now that “Procul His” has been released. We’re currently also planning a small tour for autumn 2024 with our friends in Lucifericon. In addition to that, there might be a couple of shows with Vircolac at some later point.
How did you start with music? Did you go to art school, for example? Or are you self-taught? What were your beginnings? What about your first gig? First performance with a band?
I had about three years of classical guitar lessons as a teenager, so that laid some foundations. The others also had some basic lessons as far as I know, but not much. We are basically dilettantes and proud, haha.
Everybody's influenced by somebody. Who was your role model, your inspiration when you first started and who is today? What kind of music do you enjoy listening to?
Oh well ... Too many to mention! Black Sabbath are an eternal inspiration, Celtic Frost, Voivod ... Also Darkthrone through all their stages; the fact that they still find new approaches to what they do, whilst maintaining a high level of quality.
I have a very wide-ranging and eclectic taste, from electronic music to 70s rock and what not. From Klaus Schulze to Rapoon to Drexciya to Bo Hansson to all forms of Metal ... It’s all possible. Today I listened to “The Courage of Others“ by Midlake and “The Least We Can Do Is Wave to Each Other“ by Van der Graaf Generator.
What are DROWNED's plans for the next few months? What can we fans look forward to?
As mentioned above, some more live activity!
Thank you so much for the interview. I really appreciate it. I'll be looking forward to some DROWNED shows. I just hope it doesn't take another ten years. I wish the new album to sell as well as possible and that you have concerts packed to bursting. May you do well in your private life as well.
Thanks Jakub! All the best to you as well.
Recenze/review - DROWNED - Procul His (2024):
about DROWNED on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
Recenze/review - DROWNED – Idola Specus (2014)
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