Dammnatorum Interview

 

1. Can you let us know what's been going on in the band lately?

Our line-up has been enriched by a second guitar. Celer, due to his musical education, is a good reinforcement for the band. It took us some time to get in tune. Finally, we can play concerts as they were recorded in the studio. In July 2024, we published the first official video clip for the song "Per Mortem Vado". Working on it was a new, interesting experience. We enjoy performing on stage, where we have contact with the audience and see how they react to our music. We thank everyone very much for their support. Between concerts, we are preparing material for the next album (it will probably be two mini-albums spread out over time), which are to be recorded in 2025. The music will be recorded in a different studio than our debut.

2. In 2023, you released your first full-length album. Can you tell us a little more about the musical style you used in the recording?

Everyone can determine at their own discretion what style to pigeonhole us into. Our music is what we like to create and what we feel comfortable with. Generally, what we play can be described as death metal spiced with elements of black metal.

3. The band has existed since 2018, but waited 5 years to release its first full album. Can you tell us a little more about this long wait?

We haven't played instruments at all for twenty-something years. It took us some time to get good at it. It's about being good at executing the intended projects. Starting from scratch, you have to buy instruments, which is not easy at all, because there are some goals set, but unfortunately they cost money. Finding the right room to play was not easy either. We used to get chased away because of the noise.

During our inactivity, the music world has changed a lot for the better in many ways. It's about technology that didn't exist before. Electronics and the possibilities it brings have developed a lot. Now we can create projects to play at rehearsals and update them without leaving home. Social media has become very important. In addition to playing, you have to take care of additional tasks such as selling gadgets, online activities, etc.

From the beginning, we imagined that we would play with two guitars. We tried with several guitarists. We had spent a lot of time on that. However, they dropped out due to difficulties in mastering the material and lack of time.

Our debut was the song “Tenebrae”, which was released as a single. It was created very quickly. We were motivated to take part in the project “IN MEMORIAL”, in which famous artists from all over the world from different musical styles were offered to participate. Unfortunately, the project was not realized, but “Tenebrae” was released on popular streaming media.

Then it was time to record the album. Before the recordings, the first vocalist left us. We started a feverish search. We had several willing people. We made the final choice and, as it turned out, the right one.

We chose the most favorable studio for us. The start date of the recordings was postponed several times, but in the end, the drum part was recorded. It took 2 days, but the processing of this material was also postponed several times. The guitars and vocals went smoothly, but we had to wait a long time for the final mix. The whole production took us over a year.

4. What non-fictional topics has the band touched on in the lyrics so far? Are there any fictional lyrics in them?

Basically, all of our lyrics are non-fictional. We touch on the problem of evil, various states of mind and the matter of death in the context of human proclivities and frailties. “Aokigahara” is a story about a forest at the foot of Mount Fuji, which is a traditional place for committing suicide. “Necrophagus” is a true story of an ordinary man, a printing worker. The hidden side of his personality was necrophilia and cannibalism. The lyrics “Animarum Pernicies” talk about suffering and depression. In the other lyrics, you can find metaphorical references to modern times.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration of the name “Dammnatorum”?

The inspiration for the band's name is... Latin. It has many meanings. It signifies the damned or the curse.

6. Can you tell us more about the artwork on the album cover?

The artwork was created by Daniel Rusiłowicz, who works for bands such as BELPHEGOR and HATE. The artwork directly refers to the album title: “In the Shadow of Death”. At first glance, it is associated with a certain religion and in this context it is a provocation. When you look closely, you can see that the figure is crucified contrary to Christian iconography and, above all, it has no face. This figure has the face of every human being and is a symbol of suffering (crucifixion - that is, torment for a long time) that we experience for most of our lives, the arrows stuck in the body of the condemned (the damned - a reference to the name of the group) are a metaphor for death that awaits each of us.

7. You also wear masks in promotional photos. What do they symbolize and mean to you?

Masks are our “armor”, our “dehumanization”. Our image directly refers to the music and lyrics.

8. What are the best concerts the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?

We remember every concert fondly and every performance is a valuable experience. It would be very hard for us to single out the best one. We definitely don't remember the first 2 performances fondly due to our lack of experience (we were inactive for almost a quarter of a century), although we learned important lessons for the future from them, so they weren't completely unsuccessful concerts.

9. Do you have any plans for a tour or performances in the future?

Unfortunately, a lot doesn't depend solely on us and it's hard to plan anything specific in certain matters. We post planned performances on our band's FB. Of course, we would like to play concerts as often as possible and reach the widest possible group of metal fans. First of all, we plan to record new material.

10. The band currently has no signed contract. Are you looking for a label or have you already met with interest?

Thank you for this question. We are open to cooperation. We will consider any proposal. We can confirm that we have already analyzed the offers, but they did not meet our expectations.

11. What is the reaction of black and death metal fans around the world to your music?

The reactions are very positive. Interestingly, the response to our music came from various corners of the world, even from such an exotic country as Peru, where we sent our records and T-shirts.

12. What musical future do you see for the band?

The future is primarily to play and practice as much as possible. Musically, we are evolving a bit, the new material will be a bit more developed and technically slightly more difficult, but there will also be a greater emphasis on melody in solos - of which there will be a bit more now thanks to the second guitarist - Celer.

13. What bands and styles of music do the band members currently listen to?

Of course, each of us listens to metal, with a special emphasis on death and black metal.

Dziab

I uncritically love Decapitated. I listen to (apart from metal) the most guitar music: Vai, Plini, Satriani, Malmsteen, etc. I also listen to a lot of classical music and occasionally jazz. My great love in music is progressive metal like Dream Theater. For many years, Symphony X has been my number 1 band, a mix of progressive and neoclassical metal.

Max

I listen to a variety of music. But metal has always been and will always have a place of honor in my life. I think that our domestic bands are among the world's top. Bands like Hate, Decapitated, Vader are our pride.

Mef

That's a difficult question for me. I know that for the rest of the band too, because I've been listening to bands for several decades and if I were to go back to the beginning of my adventure with metal music, listing the bands would fill an entire page, and this is only part of it. You know, we musicians listen, absorb a huge amount of new music and exchange it with each other, talk about bands. Sometimes I laugh, because when we talk in a band I have the impression that we are small encyclopedias of music. So ok, I will put it this way: I listen to metal in every possible variety, starting with bands from my city, country and the world. I think that Polish bands have their own recognizable character. I like some genres of jazz and electronic music, especially the monumental kind. At work, usually Polish hip hop.

Celer

I have been very closed in on the musical diversity of what I listen to for the last year or two, because I know how much it influences the way I play. So recently I have been listening mainly to Necrophagist, Obscura, and Death. Personally, I think that the first one is the best band of all time, I know that it is not the most accessible music, even in the world of metal, but it has a unique atmosphere, something that has not been repeated later in the history of music. Apart from that, I sometimes get lost in music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance or Baroque. I really like listening to John Dowland, his music increasingly shows me more and more details that I haven't heard before. It's like discovering new threads in an old story.

Vesper Locust

Metal and other interesting songs from different genres and because of varied reasons.

14. Before we end the interview, do you have any last words or thoughts?

Dziab

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Let's hurry up to love people, the world and music - because we're leaving quickly. Let's live and let live.

Mef

Metal is the music of freedom and fight! We don't give in to the system! As my brother in metal said: LOVE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS AND ROCK AND ROLL!!!