Interview with death metal band from Sweden - ABYSMAL WINDS.
Answered Nekromonger (guitars), thank you!
Recenze/review - ABYSMAL WINDS - Magna Pestilencia (2024):
Ave ABYSMAL WINDS! Hello to the Swedish underground. I hope everything is okay with you. It should be, you have the first long-playing great album of your career this year. I have to admit, it literally put me up against the wall. It's dark, it's energetic, it cuts with a knife edge. It's very telling that you've done a great job and a great deal of talent too. How do you feel about the new record in relation to your demo? Where did you want to go and how do you think the recordings are different?
Hello!
Well, musically the record doesn't differ that much from the demo. It's a natural continuation, I think.
We have found our formula, and we know what type of death metal we love and want to create ourselves.
We do not aim to evolve our music in any other direction but rather try to perfect our craft.
We recorded the demo and the album in similar ways, but since they're mixed/mastered in different studios, the sound/production is a bit different. We really like the sound on both recordings though.
It's always harder to write an entire album than to write a few songs for an EP or demo, but we are really satisfied with the result.
"Magna Pestilencia" contains all the attributes of good death metal. For me personally, it is a record that I love to come back to. How was it made? How did ABYSMAL WINDS compose the new material?
Well we started working on the album as soon as the demo was recorded. They were both written in the same way. Either by some cool riff ideás or some drum patterns and then we forge it to songs together at the rehearsal room.
The music of Abysmal Winds shall be dark and brutal, filthy and with that ancient feeling. And without any unnecessary elements - no fuss!
I have to confirm that I like the production of the album. It still makes me turn up the volume on the hi-fi tower. Who made you a sound that is harsh, raw and dark and animalistic at the same time. How did you work with him and why him? What studio did you record in and how did it all work?
We recorded the drums in a local studio (Secure) with the help of Stefan Eriksson, a friend of ours. The rest we recorded by ourselves in the rehearsalroom.
Devo (Endarker studio)then mixed and mastered it, so the most credit for the sound/production goes to him.
We of course had ideas and inputs of how we wanted it to sound and he was able to realize most of it.
The album has a deadpan cover. Who is the author? How did you choose the theme and how does it relate to the music on the album?
I (Nekromonger) made the cover. We prefer minimalistic and stylistically pure art for our releases. Art that also will look good on a shirt.
We also want all our relases to have coherent artwork. Similar style and colour scheme, so we will continue on the dark red and grey path.
And we like that old woodcut style. Like an old biblical illustration, that fits well with our lyrics.
The cover symbolizes mankind's futile strife, misery and death in a burning world while god is slumbering blind and oblivious.
I've been roaming the underworld for over thirty years and I actually go to Sweden for music just in case. I think we have similar moods and tastes when it comes to metal. I like your bands a lot and I follow your scene very closely. Maybe I'm a bit jealous, we only have a few death metal bands in our country that are worth it. What do you explain that death metal is so successful in your country? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
Really don´t know why there is such a strong scene here, but I guess it has to do with the first wave of Swedish death metal where a few good bands inspired each other, were able to get some reputation in the metal scene and inspired other bands to emerge.
Even though we mainly grew up listening to death metal bands like Morbid Anngel, Incantation, Autopsy and Sadistic Intent etc and never were that fond of the typical Swedish sound there are still loads of great Swedish death metal bands. Like Kaamos, Repugnant, Degial, Encryptment and so on....
Nowadays there are lots of good liveshows and festivals. Many cool bands who come here to play so the scene is still vital.
You play death metal influenced by the old school. Nowadays a band can't really avoid comparisons, but I would like to know how the idea to start ABYSMAL WINDS came about, who was and is your role model and where you want to take your band? Are you tempted by big festivals abroad, for example, are you willing to tour with a more famous pack?
The idea to start a new band actually came with the creation of a couple of songs that did´nt really fit with the bands we were active in at the moment.
So we decided to start a new band and continue in the style of that material. Abysmal Winds quickly evolved into our main priority and is not to be considered a side project or anything like that.
We don´t really have any direct role models or influences, but of course we are influenced (direct or indirect) by the bands we grew up listening to. Band like Sadistic Intent or Autopsy and old obscure thrash, black and other extreme metal.
When I started my site eight years ago, I had a vision of trying to support bands that I felt weren't as visible. Let the world know about them. I think I've been pretty successful at that, at least judging by the response. How do you approach promotion? Do you leave it up to the label or do you send out CDs yourself for various reviews? I buy albums that I really enjoy, for example. How are you? Are you also a fan who likes to support your colleagues often? Do you go to concerts? Do you party?
We don´t have any promoes ourselves to give out, but we try to do our part when it comes to promoting the band. Whether it´s trading albums with other bands, playing the occasional live-shows or answering interviews like this one.
We definitly support our colleagues by buying albums. We're all really in to collecting records and music and we go to concerts whenever we can.
When we get the whole band together there tends to be some partying as well.
On the one hand, a band starting out today has a lot of opportunities to make their presence known, but on the other hand, there are a huge number of bands and fans get lost in them. A lot of people just download mp3s from the internet and spit venomous spittle on Facebook instead of going to a gig. How does modern technology affect you as ABYSMAL WINDS? What do you think about downloading music, google metal, streaming music etc.?
I think the modern technology is a doubble edged sword.
Like you said it´s easier to reach out and easier to get in touch with mealheads and great bands around the world.
On the other hand, it´s easy to loose yourself in the vast quantity of bands and releases. Both as a band and as a metalhead. You probably miss many great bands in the constant stream of new releases.
We miss the old days when you had to read zines, browse you local record store, go to shows shows or trade tapes to discover new bands though...
I like to ask musicians what death metal means to them. How would they define it, is it more of a philosophy and lifestyle for them or "just" relaxation. What does it mean to you? How do you perceive and experience it?
For us extreme metal is a lifestyle, we have been into black and death metal since the nineties and it's our flesh and our blood. It not just a hobby or anything like that.
Death metal should be dark, bleak and filthy. More of a philosofy, Dealing with the darker sides of humanity, religion, spiritualism, life - and, above all, DEATH!
Finally, a classic but important question. What are ABYSMAL WINDS planning in the coming months? Where can we see you in concert and when will you visit the Czech Republic?
We have some plans in motion. We have some shows that are being planned at the moment. Just in Sweden though, but we´d really love to come to Czechia to play!
Thank you very much for the interview. I wish not only the new album a lot of success and may the ranks of your fans expand as much as possible. I'll be looking forward to seeing you live somewhere and may you do well both musically and on a personal level. I'm going to get "Magna Pestilencia" in my head again!
Thank for the support! We really appreciate it!
Recenze/review - ABYSMAL WINDS - Magna Pestilencia (2024):
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