(Below you will find Comrade Aleks‘ interview with the very enthusiastic Doom Lord from the Polish doom band Metallus, who have a double-album to their name so far and a lot more to come.)
Funeral of the Sun is the first and very ambitious work of the relatively young Polish doom team Metallus formed by Doom Lord (bass, vocals), War Drum (drums!), and Hell’s Mage (guitars, vocals) in around 2018. The guys decided to start with a double album, the total duration of which exceeds an hour and a half. It contains quite a lot of traditional doom metal with very epic influences.
For example, the first track is the genre’s textbook “Witches Hammer”, which incorporates all the necessary elements of traditional doom. There are painful leisurely riffs, a short mid-tempo break that dispels drowsiness, heroic clean vocals, and lyrics that exaggerate clichés about a witch hunt. On the other hand, the massive “Great Hall of the Battle Hammer Cult” is a bit more entertaining, where you can feel the hammer-hearted Bathory’s influences set on a Sabbathian classic sound. This eleven-minute epic has a decent array of hooks, but you’ll need patience to get through each one. There’s a play on the atmosphere of the Lovecraftian issue “Shadow Over Innsmouth”, and that’s my favorite track in the album… Guess why!
So what do we have here? We have here the interview with Doom Lord, so let’s get down to business finally.
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Hi Doom Lord! How are you doing? What’s going on in Metallus’ camp?
Hails! We’re All Doomed!!! Yesterday we played one of the last rehearsals… before recording our second LP (laughs). So, we feel full of power.
Okay, we’ll return to this topic later. The band is pretty new, so can you tell us how did you decide to gather in the name of traditional doom metal?
First time we played together with Hell’s Mage was about 11 years ago. We even played one song which is on debut record Funeral Of The Sun. Title of the song is Witches Hammer. The name of the band was the same then. But we made only two rehearsals and…went for a beer (laughs). Later Hell’s Mage played in a big beat band with the one who became our War Drum. Black Sabbath gathered us together. Simply.
But the most important thing is – we’re good friends… of hell? And I have to mention our first drummer, Megathor. He is also our friend who played bass and sang in the blackened death metal band Thunderwar. We were drinking together quite often and once we were standing on a staircase in 2018 Hell’s Mage said to me: It’s time to bring doom together. Who will take the sticks? – I asked. I can do some drums – answered Megathor from behind my back. And that’s all.
War Drum took the sticks from Megathor a couple of months after, ’cause he is better (laughs). A few years of further drinkin’ in the basement revealed our epic doom.
What was your original vision of the band? Did you aim to follow the path of purists, as Reverend Bizarre did? Or did you have other examples to guide you?
For me Reverend Bizzare are gods. But we always wanted more melodic choruses to sing along. And of course there are other gods. Fathers of all, Black Sabbath, Candlemass, Pentagram or Manilla Road, Bathory, Scald from the other side of doom…
Didn’t the example of Pentagram and Scald warn you that doom metal is a very niche genre? And you won’t get real feedback probably?
Fuck it! Yes it is a special genre. It is for the chosen. Played by chosen for the chosen ones. Scald and Pentagram are cult bands, and others mentioned like Bathory or Candlemass created new music worlds. Sabbath are thr roots of whole metal… Leif from Candlemass once said that they could play also with thrash, death, or heavy bands and fit well. We are on the right path, don’t you think?
Your debut release Funeral of the Sun is a double album, and, honestly, it looks like a quite ambitious endeavour for a young band. So, firstly, are you ambitious?
Nah. We’re barbarians dude! (laughs).
Okay, so you released it without a bigger picture in your mind?
In case of ambitions and the bigger picture I will tell You the story behind Great Hall of Battle Hammer Cult. My son almost died on an altar of this song…
I had the vision of an epic one witch, a touch of Candlemass, Manowar, Bathory, Scald or Omen. And I was searching for a connection between elements. It was during holidays on the seaside. I was still walking somewhere to find the best idea and peace of mind. And one day my kid choked on a healthy candy, nimm 2. Thank gods, at this moment I wasn’t searching for a bridge to the faster part or an outro. I was with him – my wife was in a panic ’cause he almost passed out without air in a few seconds.
We tried to take him upside down and it didn’t help. But just one week before I watched a movie showing a Heimlich maneuver so I was able to save him. It was like a sign… And Great Hall of Battle Hammer Cult became our most complex and longest work… so far (laughs).
It seems that releasing the whole album Funeral of The Sun was easier than creating single composition, because we made a selection of songs and we recorded the whole material in four days. Instrumental parts in two days, all together live. And we released it ourselves. Simply. But epic. So, maybe a bit complicated (laughs).
And the second, why did you decide to release it as a double album?
We have much more material, first of all. Metallus was forged in 2009 for example and Demonica in 2011 when I felt in love (laughs). There are compositions played before the ones from Funeral of The Sun. And they are still waiting in the darkness to be doomed… Flame of Darkness came to my mind now. Oh, how I long for playing this one again… So the question should be “why only double, not triple”? (laughs)
You know, from the very beginning we had a vision of a double record. Maybe because we wanted to do two bands with the same members – Witches Hammer with Hell’s Mage compositions and Metallus with mine. So we wanted two records of two bands in one. In some way we have it! The other reason, Funeral of the Sun is our declaration – it’s never too slow, it’s never too heavy, it’s never too long. Doom!
The album was released about one year ago, but you already have the new album (almost) done. Can you tell more about it?
10,5 compositions, around 66,6 minutes and just one CD (laughs). You will hear pure Metallus on it. It will be entitled We’re All Doomed! On the cover there will be a hussar of doom riding a skeleton of a dragon turtle. Really! It’s our crazy idea – my brother, who’s playing in a hard-rock band called KIEPP – painted this one. And we will have two mighty and fast openers here – Mega Doom and Hell’s Mage… Don’t worry, the Doom Lord song will be also recorded, it’s one the old ones, played long before the recording of Funeral of The Sun but its fate is to wait for third Metallus LP.
Getting back to We’re All Doomed there will be more choir vocals for example in Jacubus, dedicated to my son, in the very dramatic finale of Brides of Dracula, Solitude Aeturnus-inspired and almost progressive Schadenfreude, Biblical Job’s Lament in which Hell’s Mage is singing the suffering like… a doomed one.
There will be also Guardian of The Arrow, another old stuff with Pagan Altar spirit, which was supposed to be on the debut. It’s telling the story of the most famous Hooded Man. Great epic stuff made by Hell’s Mage, though we all love the Robin Of Sherwood series with Michael Pread … Lyrically not so much of war, more traditional doom darkness. All because the next one, the EP Heart of The Mountain which is already composed in great part, will be based on Tolkien, so plenty of battles and epic stuff.
And the third LP will be concentrated only on war and battles… The best place for Flame of Darkness. Funny, but the EP will last longer than the second LP – just the fourth and final track of the EP, Return to Minas Tirith, will be almost a half an hour story (laughs).
Wait! So you’re heading to the studio to record the second album, and you already have the material for the EP and you have an idea of the third album on your mind?
Yes. We’re all doomed!
Which qualities of doom metal did you search to perform in this album? What’s your working formula?
The formula was, is, and will be the same. Majestic, powerful, heavy, barbarian, and melodic doom. Catchy choruses are an important factor for us. And they’re working! It was a great experience seeing the crowd singing Odin’s Call, Funeral Of The Sun or Beyond Light And Darkness… on our first gig ever. Really!
We have our compositions made completely before bringing them to rehearsal. Doom Lord’s stuff is Doom Lord’s stuff, Hell’s Mage’s stuff is his stuff. We trust each other and we love the ideas of each other. We may do some suggestions or ad some colors in notes but the idea and last word belongs to the writer – the beloved dictator (laughs). And the writer sings the main vocals but choruses are raised together.
Of course the future EP will be conceptual but the music, melodies, and doom come before it so it will be even greater I think. And maybe one song, the mentioned Brides Of Dracula, from We’re All Doomed was made by myself and Hell’s Mage together with some great ideas of my two sons, aged three and seven. It was a fast one to do but will be a slow one to doom (laughs).
Do you feel that you succeeded with the first album? What in Metallus’ sound do you want to improve on the second album?
We released Funeral of the Sun out of nowhere. And it is well received. We send CD’s to many countries round the world. So, yes, we take it as a success. What’s to improve? I won’t complain on our work (laughs). Although we want to get louder, stronger, and heavier. And we will. We have better drums, some new overdrives… and mighty riffs. The idea stays the same – doom.
You based one of your songs on Lovecraft’s famous story Shadow over Innsmouth, probably his most popular story in metal. Why did you choose this one? How does doom metal benefit the story’s mood and atmosphere?
This Lovecraft story is great and I think this Hell’s Mage song is huge. He chose it, it’s all his vision. For me he squeezed the essence of darkness from Lovecraft here. Now I feel more in Lovecraft’s story than before, thanks to my friend. Trouble kinda riffs and chanting of a cult to praise Dagon. Total! Hell’s Mage’s writing is often based on literature, mythology (“Quetzalcoatl”) or history (“Witches Hammer”). I’m rather into mystic incantations bringing visions of power. But we both believe in the truth Dio once said: dark words are more epic!
I didn’t hear news about traditional doom metal bands from Poland for some time, though Evangelist and Monasterium are the names which naturally come to my mind. There are a few death-doom bands though, but most of them are pretty new. So how do you see the local doom scene from your position?
Evangelist and Monasterium raised the cathedral of epic doom in our country and they’re the priests. I saw both Polish shows of Evangelist and last month I doom danced on Monasterium…We all worship them. But the priests have children now (laughs). Rosary and CrossRoad are our brothers in doom! Dave the Grave from the second one invented the term New Wave Of Polish Doom Metal. The first wave was more doom death in ’90 – for example Cemetery Of Scream, Corruption or funeral Gallileous…
So with CrossRoad and Rosary we’re the unholy trinity forging a New Wave Of Polish Doom Metal. There is also Schema getting stronger and stronger, there is Grieving, Hydra, Tankograd in the style of KYPCK, a studio project named Pagan Idol. There is So Long in the north of Poland – since their name refers to the title of the last Reverend Bizarre record…
Thanks for mentioning these names, I should check the bands! Do you ever discuss an opportunity to organize a Doom Festival in your country?
Yes. Most bands mentioned here are ready. Foreigners should come too ’cause we’re all brothers in doom. The time will come…
How often do you play live? Is it easy to organize a gig for doom metal bands now?
It is easy when you do it alone (laughs). We organized Doom Over Warsaw II in January – a great occult doom band Devil In The Name, Rosary, and CrossRoad were invited. It was great. People from many parts of the country, crazy maniacs, real ceremony. Our friends from Schema also made a December’s Doom fest in Warsaw on which we played with other Polish doom bands – Schema, Cemetery Of Scream, and Nightly Gale. It was Nightly Gale’s very first show in… 29 years of career!
We play more often (laughs). To be honest – a few gigs a year. I spoke recently with guys from Evangelist and Monasterium about organizing a tour. Would be a blast! And there’s a fifth edition of Helicon, a glorious old-school underground metal festival coming…
You’re a journalist in the Teraz Rock magazine, does this occupation benefit your work with Metallus?
Music is my passion and a great part of my life. I also had a music shop before the pandemic. Teraz Rock is the biggest printed music magazine in Poland and I gained some friends in business thanks to years of working there. Also I had a chance to speak with Leif and Johan from Candlemass, Chandler from Vitus, Bobby Liebling, Mark Shelton… But doom is a small and close scene. We search for each on our own hand. All we have is just a handful of puritans… Although when Candlemass played in Poland last year on the Summer Dying Loud festival there were thousands of doomsters in front of the stage – it would be great honor for us to play there.
What are your further plans for the rest of 2024?
First of all, we will start recordings of We’re All Doomed very soon! And it should be released this year. So doom is coming, but “slow as a mountain”… Hell’s Mage as Captain Paradox is also singing in a speed metal band, Aquilla, so he’s even more busy. And since there is no more Hammer Of Doom festival in Germany there will be some new one organized instead. Dunno the name, it’s too early, but in the end of the year we will be there. There and everywhere, ’cause we want to bring you doom. Doom over the world!
Thanks for the interview! I wish you all the best with recording! Good luck!
Thanks and hails. For You and for all doomsters!
https://www.facebook.com/METALLUS.MEGA.DOOM/
https://metallusdoom.bandcamp.com/album/funeral-of-the-sun