1.Hello please introduce yourself to the readers?
Y.S.: Hi, thanks for having us on. We’re a three piece doom metal outfit. M.V. and I used to play in another doom metal band, Apotelesma, which is when an early conception of Angmodnes came to be. Some material written for Apotelesma was rejected, but I wanted to work on the material anyway, which created a natural branch-off.
2.When did you first discover death and funeral doom metal music and what is it about this genre of music that you love so much?
Y.S.: For me, I think my introduction to doom was Anathema. The first truly funereal doom was probably Worship. But I’ve always gravitated toward music that sounds tragic and sorrowful. Doom metal is just one particular genre of typically sorrowful music.
F.S.: I’m relatively new to the genre, but was always drawn toward the gloomier music. Only singing ballads or playing piano pieces that would make people sobb. Even though I do consider myself a cheerful and upbeat person, performing happy music is not my cup of tea :)
M.V.: I discovered doom metal through a friend of mine about fifteen years ago. For me, the combination of music and emotion is very important. I can find that in many genres (even outside of metal), but doom metal stands out in its ability to really immerse someone in sorrow and sadness.
3.Who were the first bands that caught your attention?Who are some of the current bands that you have been listening to lately?
Y.S.: Many of my favourite doom bands today are the same ones that I got into when I really started digging into the doom genre. Worship, Doom:VS, Shape of Despair, Hamferð and Ahab immediately spring to mind. Anathema, too, though they moved away from playing doom metal. I am very excited for the new Hamferð record coming out soon.
F.S.: Hamferð is definitely one of my favorites too! But honestly I also like to listen to artists like Billie Eilish, Dead Can Dance, Wardruna, Joe Hisaishi, Paris Paloma, Sonata Arctica, Belzebubs and First Aid Kit.
M.V.: I started with bands like AHAB, Doom:VS, YOB, Warning, 40 Watt Sun and Akelei (which are still among my favorite doom metal bands). I have since then discovered bands like Bell Witch (one of my absolute favorites), Ard, Hamferd, KAUAN, Pallbearer, Pantheist and much more. But I still listen to those bands I discovered years ago a lot. Besides doom metal, I’m a big Neurosis, Wardruna and Townes van Zandt fan, to name a few.
4.Angmodnes was started in 2013 when did you and the other members first decide to start this band?Are you satisfied with how things have gone with the band over the years?
Y.S.: back when M.V. and I played in Apotelesma, I wrote a lot of material that the rest of the band felt didn’t fit the stylistic direction for the band. I always thought the material had potential and wanted to keep working on it. Back then, the working title for the new project was Persephone. The material was never fully finished until we started working on it again in 2020.
F.S.: Angmodnes started out for me like an experiment. I had been singing for myself and family for a while but never truly considered joining a band due to the lovely concept of imposter syndrome. Y.S. asked me if I wanted to try backing vocals for the first album. And so we started recording, trying to keep low pressure. For Rot of the Soul we went in a lot more deliberate and both gents agreed to make me part of the band.
M.V.: Y.S. asked me to play drums for the aforementioned Persephone project back in 2015. Back then, I didn’t really follow up on that. In 2020 he asked me again, and the material he wrote immediately hit the right spot.
5.Who would you say are the bands biggest influences?For the readers who have never heard Angmodnes how would you best describe the bands music?
Y.S.: The main inspiration point for The Weight of Eternity and Under Darkened Vaults was Worship’s Dooom album, even though Angmodnes sounds nothing like it. I start out with a somber dirge but my love for more climactic tragedy always seeps through and changes the composition’s direction. In the end I think we have more in common with Shape of Despair or Doom:VS than the aforementioned Worship.
M.V.: We get compared a lot to Shape of Despair, Anathema (because of the clean vocals of Y.S.), My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost. Personally, I do not agree with the last two and would say that we sound more like AHAB, Doom:VS and Mournful Congregation, combined with the aforementioned bands.
6.Rot Of The Soul is the debut full length how long did it take the band to write the music for the debut release?How long does it usually take to complete one song?Does the whole band take part in the writing process or does one member usually write everything?
F.S.: For the backing vocals it was an interesting combination of pre-thought out melodies by Y.S. and on the fly improvisation. Getting in the mood and seeing where the sound takes you during recording is a process I very much enjoy.
Y.S.: After the release of The Weight of Eternity, M.V. and I really rediscovered our love for doom. I had been primarily involved in music closer to black metal for many years but had found myself feeling uninspired until I got back into doom after almost a decade. And doing clean vocals for the first time opened up a new avenue as well. I think Rot of the Soul came together in a very organic way, with ideas flowing together seamlessly.
M.V.: To put it in percentages, I guess Y.S. is responsible for 85% of the riffs which were used for “Rot of the Soul”. So we can say that he does the most work. Like Y.S. states, our music is created around certain emotions and feelings. For the drums, I typically just record what comes to mind when I listen to the material Y.S. sends me.
7.Where does the band draw inspiration for the lyrics?What are some subjects written about on the debut release?
Y.S.: Well, people refer to The Weight of Eternity as an EP due to its runtime of 36 minutes, but I actually view it as our debut album, personally. Lyrically, both albums deal with the same themes — depression, existential dread, detachment. Rot of the Soul is a little more structured in detailing the gradual descent into ever increasing spiritual malaise. I take a lot of inspiration from Emil Cioran and Mitchel Heisman.
8.Besides the upcoming Rot Of The Soul release are the bands previous releases still availible for the readers to purchase? Besides physical releases does the band have any other merchandise currently available? If yes what is availible and where can the readers purchase it?
M.V.: We still have some copies of “The Weight of Eternity” available. This is our EP, which was released in September 2022 as a limited edition digipack cd. Besides that, we also have a t-shirt with a black and white design of the album cover of “Rot of the Soul”. All our merchandise can be bought on our Bandcamp page, https://angmodnes.bandcamp.com.
9.Has Angmodnes ever played live or do you prefer working in the studio? If you have performed live what have been some of the bands most memorable shows?
M.V.: We have never played live, and at the moment we are not planning to play live shows in the near future.
10.Are their any shows planned in support of the new release?If yes where will the band be playing?
M.V.: Like stated above, we have no desire to play live, so we will not be playing shows to support the release of our full length.
11.Besides working in Angmodnes do any of the members currently work with other bands or solo projects? If yes please tell the readers a little about them?
M.V.: Both Y.S. and I are involved in several studio projects. My “main” side project is Koudvuur, which is traditional Nordic folk. We released a single in December 2023 called “Dunkar Nar Lieht”. Songs in this project are improvisation based.
Y.S.: I enjoy working on Koudvuur. It being the brain child of M.V. and not metal is an interesting change of dynamics. Wilds Forlorn has been my solo project for a long time, but sometimes I’ll be inspired to write something in a different style and a new project is born. Aside from the many solo ventures, I also play live guitar for Sterveling.
12.When you need to take a break from working on new music or band business what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
F.S.: In my not-band-time I do a lot of illustration and art related work. Drawing, painting, linocuts, sewing projects. Other than that I like to play the dungeon master in D&D games and enjoy the occasional video game (I’m looking at you, Baldur’s Gate 3).
M.V.: I try to work out a few times a week. Besides that, I like collecting vinyl records, listening to music, playing video games and participating in the D&D games where F.S. is the dungeon master.
Y.S.: Now that Rot of the Soul is out, my way of taking a break from doing such a big intensive project is to start working on something simpler. Music production is what I’m most passionate about in my free time. But I too enjoy geeky medieval fantasy things.
13.Angmodnes comes out of The Netherlands funeral doom metal scene what is your opinion of the scene in The Netherlands?
M.V.: The metal scene in the Netherlands mainly revolves around black metal, death metal and several core related genres. There are some excellent doom metal bands here in the Netherlands, but the amount of bands in the “slower genres” in the Netherlands is quite low.
14.Who are your all-time favorite bands coming out of the Netherlands?Are their any new bands you could recomend to the readers?
M.V.: Doom metal wise, I would really recommend Officium Triste, Akelei, Eaters of the Soil and Façade. Besides that, we have some really good local bands like Terzij de Horde and Wesenwille.
Y.S.: Locus Amoenus’ latest work also hits the spot. And Wrang is a proper class act.
15.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final comments for the readers?
M.V.: Thank you for this interview, and hopefully everyone will enjoy our album.
Y.S.: Thanks again. Angmodnes https://angmodnes.bandcamp.com/album/rot-of-the-soul https://www.facebook.com/angmodnes/ https://www.instagram.com/angmodnes/ Meuse Music Rec. https://www.meusemusicrecords.eu/ https://meusemusicrecords.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/meusemusicrecords/ https://www.instagram.com/meusemusicrecords/ Tragedy Prod.
