Hello! Can you tell us about the creative process behind your self-titled debut album, and what inspired you during the writing and recording of it?
I wrote/arranged this album during the first lockdowns and between. Some of the ideas were already several years old, but many came to me during the process. I wanted to do this album and this band (what seemed to me) forever, finally I found the time, without any touring and live obligations due to covid, to bring the ideas to paper and to focus on creating this band.
Your music has been described as a blend of doom/death and classic doom metal. How did you come to embrace this sound, and what do you feel distinguishes your approach from others in the genre?
I am a big fan of all things doom, and coming from an extreme/death metal background, death/doom ideas come most naturally to me. Nevertheless, I always had the impression that most death/doom bands lacked the big melodies, the epic grip of classic Doom/Doom Metal, relying more on the intensity of dissonance and low tuning. I wanted to combine the ominous and lead-heavy feel of death doom with the epic, melodic side of classic Doom Metal and even some of the fragile elements of (prog-ish) metal.
The music video for “Weary” is visually striking and powerful. Can you discuss the ideas and themes behind the video, and how it relates to the song?
The lyrics deal with frustration over superficiality (among others). Where our first video “atropos” had a more trippy feel to accompany the rather eccentric feel of the song, weary is a more straightforward and melodic piece of music, so we went for a classic live shot kind of thing here, but with emphasis on the big nature shots. Atropos was shot in the woods, a scenery sheltered from the outside, a more claustrophobic view, and weary is the opposite, showing open skies, mountains and far panorama.
Your lyrics touch on topics such as religion, transcendence, and evolution. How do these themes inform your music and creative process, and what are some of the messages you hope to convey to your listeners?
I think lyrics need to transport the overall feel of a song, and these topics, besides being some of the topics that concern me the most, transport this particular vibe the best. As for message: I like the lyrics to be direct and cryptic enough at the same time, so the listeners can succumb to their own interpretation, while not being left completely clueless. Some of the phrases leave very little room for interpretation, some a lot.
Your album was recorded during the pandemic, a time of great uncertainty and upheaval. How did this global crisis affect your creative process, and how did you adapt to the challenges it posed?
In the beginning I enjoyed the break from playing live and being able to focus on writing and even more practicing my instruments. But after a few months it felt more and more dull. I was very lucky that I could channel my creative forces into this album and several other projects, otherwise, it would have become dull way sooner. Also, I was fortunate enough to always remain busy with my main job, which is the mixing/recording studio. So the biggest difference was not being able to perform live, which, as I mentioned earlier, was nice for a while, but made me go crazy toward the end.
Can you talk about the role of melody in your music, particularly in the context of the heavier, more aggressive elements of your sound?
For Endonomos melody is an integral part of the music. Regardless of its more beautiful or more sinister-sounding melodies, they are meant to breach the heavy feel and make the song take off so to say. Riffs are still, of course, the fundament of it all, but the big melodies can take the song to higher spheres while giving the riff even more emphasis when it returns in full bluntness.
The band was formed in 2020, and the debut album was a long-time wish of the creator to bring the initial ideas to tape and stage. What was it like finally bringing these songs to life as a full band, and how has the response been so far?
The first rehearsals were just huge fun, and also new grounds for all of us. We played together in different constellations before, but never this way. But everything came together very naturally pretty soon. The responses to our live shows have been very good so far, and we hope to improve with every show.
Your music is often described as “sinister” and “menacing.” How do you cultivate this dark and foreboding atmosphere in your songs, and what are some of your influences in this regard?
The most important thing is the excessive use of minor scales 😀 The influences range from classic metal, and proto-metal over all sorts of extreme metal to all subgenres of doom and classical music.
What are your plans for the future, both in terms of live performances and new material? Are there any specific goals or directions you hope to explore as a band in the coming years?
We are right now writing the second album and will play a couple of festivals and club shows in 2023. It would be awesome to play some full-fetched tours, but for new bands this has become even harder in the last years. Nevertheless, touring, maybe even with some of our favourites, would be something I would call a long-term goal. And putting out records of steady quality and suspense.
Buy Digital: bit.ly/Endonomos_DIGITAL
Buy CD: bit.ly/Endonomos_CD
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