Interview: DUMAL

Interview with Dumal members, an excellent black metal band from Pennsylvania, USA.

Hello, it’s a pleasure to have an interview with you. I have listened to your new album ‘’The Lesser God’’, sounds well. But firstly I want to ask you a question about your band’s name: Why this name? Is there a meaning behind this?

Dumal: Hail! I am glad you have enjoyed the album. Our name “Dumal” comes from the Charles Baudelaire book of poetry Les Fleurs Du Mal, which translates to The Flowers of Evil. So essentially, our name in English would be “Of Evil”. We take our inspiration from many places, both musically and lyrically, and felt that this name matched what we hope to achieve very well.

When and where did the band get formed?

Dumal formed in March 2013, though we have been collaborating musically in other projects since 2008. When our previous project started to crumble, we three decided to create a new project focusing purely on our love of Black Metal from near and far.

Do you play live shows?

Yes, we have been playing live since 2014, though we choose to do so sporadically. When we do play live, we typically play in Philadelphia and New York. We have found a welcoming home in both scenes and have been privileged to play with some great bands. We look forward to playing more shows in the coming year and venturing further out into the world.

What are your influences? Your band sounds really great, reminds me of some great bands like Antaeus and other European BM bands.

We take our influences from all over the world. In a way, we are just doing what America has been doing for hundreds of years – taking bits and pieces of other cultures, combining them into something different, and calling it our own. There are specific passages in songs that one might hear a Polish influence, with bands such as Werewolf and Furia guiding us. Other parts may have an early 90’s Norwegian influence, or a more modern-sounding French Black Metal sound. The melodic Swedish styles of Sacramentum and Arckanum can be heard in our sound as well.

Where is the album ‘’The Lesser God’’ recorded?

Unlike all of our previous recordings, which are recorded entirely in our basement studio, The Lesser God was recorded at a studio called Red Planet. We have worked with the engineer there, Joe Smiley, on projects before, and he has done some great work both in and out of metal. It was recorded and mixed from April through September of 2016, although the vast majority of the recording was completed in a single weekend in April. Like most of our previous recordings, the album was recorded semi-live, meaning the drums, bass, and half of the guitar tracks were recorded at the same time. We returned to the studio slowly over the next several months to add the finishing touches to the album.

Which are your favorites themes of your tracks?

Lyrically, the themes that we touch on most is the desire for the world’s destruction and the complete rejection of the three monotheisms. These themes seem to keep recurring in our lyrics, as it is something that weighs heavily on my mind. I envision a world where humans have long since been extinct and forgotten, where the lies of religion no longer have any power. These are the themes can be found in many of the songs on The Lesser God.

I just want to know more about a track entitled ‘’Serpent Of The Bramble’’, it sounds great,the production is excellent too. Can you tell us something more?

The lyrics for Serpents in the Bramble came to me as I was listening to the album Stronghold by Summoning. I sat entranced as I listened, and watched a small candle flicker back and forth. The first line of the song references this. As soon as that first line was created, I had to pause the album for 10 minutes as the lyrics for the song came out of me. The scream that comes towards the end of the song is an homage to the vocal style of French Black Metal.

Will you release your demos and albums independently or do you have a label?

We do not currently have a label. We have worked with a few labels and distributors in the past, but we are currently independent. This comes with its advantages and disadvantages, and in the coming months we will to be talking to labels regarding the distribution of our material.

May we consider your band as a Satanic Black Metal?

In some regards, yes. We are Antitheist – not only do we not believe in god, but we are firmly opposed to god. Satan to us is a metaphor for the opposite of god, the adversary of god. As we too are the adversaries of the false idea of “god”, we can be called satanic in that sense. We oppose the worship of any deity and consider them all equally false. Satanic imagery appeals to us because it is antagonistic of god and what Abrahamic religions dictate as “pure”, “good”, and “decent.” We feel it is inherently offensive to tolerate ideologies that we believe are at the root of nearly all intercultural conflict and elitism in the history of the world.

American BM scene is full of great bands. Do you have any favorites?

We have been able to play with many great American Black Metal bands here in our region of the country. Bands such as One Master, Windfaerer, Haxen, Throaat, T.O.M.B, Ritual Decay, Abazagorath, Ozama, Fin and Wolfcloak come to mind. Of course we enjoy and appreciate the classics, and even recorded a cover of Gaze Upon Heaven in Flames by Judas Iscariot for a recently released split. Black Funeral is another great second-wave band that we listen to for inspiration.

What are your plans for 2017?

We are taking an extended break from playing live in order to finish writing and arranging material for a second album. Indeed, many songs are already written for the next recording. After this writing period, we plan on spending the summer playing shows throughout the Northeast region of America, and any other region where there is interest. Following that, we will be recording the songs we have written throughout the year and releasing a second full length album.

Thank you very much for your exclusive interview

Thank you for your interest.