(In this brief interview Demonos Sova, a co-founding member of the long-running Finnish black metal band Barathrum, answered questions posed by our Comrade Aleks about their new album Überkill.)
One of the oldest Finnish black metal entities Barathrum is here again, and as you saw in our Shades of Black department, Demonos Sova and his circle have not returned empty-handed.
The new album Überkill is out thanks to Hammer of Hate, and it’s easy to predict what you’ll get from it – a portion of concentrated black metal nihilism with savage heavy metal touches. So I welcome you to take a short quest to the Mountain of Bones to fulfill symbolic Ritual Murder through the Dark Sorceress’ Black Magic Rites and accept the Death by Steel for Überkill’s sake.
Hail Barathrum! How are you? Who’s online today?
Hailz! Demonos Sova here.
At this time your new album Überkill is almost released, and how are you busy promoting it? Do you care about spreading the word and, well, your message?
I have given a few interviews and actually tonight there will be Überkill’s pre-hearing session in Bar Base, Hellsinki.
Überkill is damn heavy and solid, yet it seems that the new songs aren’t as intense as your previous album. How did you see the entire album when you started to compose it? Do you start with a vision or do you tend to collect some songs which complete a full-length album in the end?
There were actually more raw version songs, but we decided to keep it in a more balanced way, and for example I decided to leave my own song writings to the future’s use, so I mainly did only the lyrics. Except “Dark Sorceress 3 (Spring Siege)” which actually includes my old riffs (it’s not mentioned in the cover, but yes, I wrote most of those old “Dark Sorceress”-riffs).
There are three bass-players in the band, as far as I get it, so how do you share your parts between each one?
Actually, two bass players. One distorted and one clean.
What about Barathrum’s sound in general? Did you find the balanced formula finally? Which elements help you to channel the right mood more efficiently?
Barathrum‘s sound and style have been created in evolution of the band. Basics are two basses and heavy sound.
How was everything organized at the studio? Did you record Überkill at once or did you stretch the process for a few months?
This time we recorded all instruments in different sessions. We didn’t have any pressure with recording and I think it turned out pretty well. Recordings themselves were easy.
What was the most difficult part when you recorded the new songs?
Actually, as I told you above, there was not too much difficulty with the recordings of Überkill.
By the way, do you have a concept or, let’s say, a core source of inspiration that drove you when you wrote and composed the new songs?
All evil, dark, Satanic, Warlike ideas, flirting with death.
Barathrum was always known as a Satanic black metal band. Did your perception, your vision of Satan, change through time? What does it symbolize for you nowadays?
For me Satan symbolizes individual views and inner strength which is very personal.
There are songs like “Death by Steel”, “Black Magic Rites”, “Denial of God” and “Dark Sorceress” in Überkill. How important are such topics for you? Do you use such lyrics as a kind of cultural code to connect with like-minded persons or something?
Ideas come from various ways. For example, “Death by Steel” is based on Conan The Barbarian. So there’s inspirations even from movies.
Do you see the songwriting as a spiritual process? How does it work for you?
More or less that’s exactly a spiritual process. Songs start from scratch and they will be built up by progress.
What are your plans for the rest of 2024?
Not too many plans. We are working on our new video at the moment. And to play some gigs for starters.
https://www.facebook.com/BarathrumOfficial/
https://barathrum.bandcamp.com/music