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OMENLOTH a black metal band, has decided to release an all new album, and they go into great discussion about this release. Giving a lot of details about it's creation, appearances, music style, and everything else in-between it all.
1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?
The name Omenloth is an old inspiration - more than 15 years old, where the spiritual origins of the band belong too. It comes from the word Omen, which is of Latin origin and –loth, which is an archaic form of the word ‘loath’. It means something like "Bad Omen" and it has to do with a bleak feeling concerning the future of mankind. Or the past. And Tolkien!
2. Why did you want to play this genre?
This form of music is liberating, in the sense that it is free from limitations. Black Metal is unique in the way that it allows for various ways of expression, as it has been proven many times in the past. I think it really shows on the album, there is melo-stuff, aggression, rage, sadness, nostalgia, various soundscapes. It allowed us to use some exotic instruments, even a string quartet. Personally, it allows me to express every feeling, essentially.
3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?
Yes, the band consists of old acquaintances. Most of us have been in a few bands together the last 20 years or so and shared precious experiences. So when the composition stage concluded, I just called my old trusted friends to contribute their part. It's really interesting as they come from relatively different music backgrounds, which contributed to the sound greatly.
4. You decided to go with a self-titled release, why go this route?
Because Omenloth was supposed to be those songs, with no further planning. They were composed without a special plan or calculation, the album is there because there was a reason for the songs to be written, not any other way. However, this is not the case anymore, there is new material in the works, there is going to be a second album. We greatly enjoyed the procedure, and it is well-received too. It's also a tribute to some bands of old, as it wasn't uncommon for a debut album to be self-titled - see Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Motörhead, Bathory.
5. Upon this release you had an array of guest appearances, why do such a thing?
Every appearance is there for a reason, and there is a little backdrop story for each. Firstly, Stefan from Varathron lives in the same small city as we do, he's a great guy, and it was an honour to have the Black Metal Greek pioneer doing some parts for us. Next is George, fellow musician and producer, who happens to be my cousin and with whom I have talked a lot in the past about doing something together. The time came and it was a perfect fit since he can play the Armenian Duduk which we used in "Tree House". Kostas is the producer and sound engineer of the album, who also happens to be a great guitar player. We are really thankful for the awesome solo idea in 'Remembering Now'. And Panos is the original vocalist of the song 'The City of Dreadful Night', which was originally recorded some 10 years ago, for fun. We kept some of his lines to honour that.
6. Does this album have a concept behind it, if so, how did that come about?
No, not really. But it's about esotericism in general. It has a lot to do with symbolism and the general concept is darkness with a dim ray of light coming in once in a while.
7. What is your favorite track on this album and why?
Hmm, I think that would be 'Tree House', as it captures the mood at the time in a precise way. It's straightforward as it conveys the feeling naturally without having to be as sophisticated or complicated as some other tracks. It also features the duduk melodies.
8. What can the listeners expect from this new OMENLOTH album?
They can expect an array of emotions, given in various ways, while keeping the band character intact. In my opinion at least. It will remind you of the 90ies, the Norwegian scene, the naivety of that time, given in a mature way though. I think you can find more oxymora like that in the music. There are also elements which I find hard to categorize, one being the production and the sound direction.
9. What was the writing and recording process like for the album?
The writing process was a personal journey, one which lasted a few years. There wasn't a plan to record anything, it was just that at some point there were 8 songs composed, and I thought I would like to listen to them properly. The band has never rehearsed, it was a home project moved to the studio. The main reason behind this is that the members are split in two cities. It took us quite a while to organise the recordings, it was a long period, as each member had to record their part at a different time. Then there was the time for mixing and mastering and we were lucky to have Kostas and his Infinite Loop Studios, who did an awesome job.
10. Does the band have any new material in the works?
Yes, as I mentioned already, there is the base for a few songs and pre-production phase will begin soon. The way they will look will probably be a surprise for us too, so I can't say much about that.
11. How about playing shows and or touring, anything planned?
It would be good, very interesting to perform the material live. At the moment, we are looking for a viable live line-up, which can be tricky due to the issues of distance between members. We'll see!
12. Can you describe OMENLOTH in three words.
Dark but Bright. Fok S. on behalf of OMENLOTH
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