Devourer Interview

1. Can you give us an update on what has gone on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
F: I've put a lot of effort into promoting Devourer and the new album, something I didn't do for the album we released in 2013. It didn't get much attention at all because of that, which is a pity since I know a handful of people who hold it in very high regard and I think more would if they knew it existed at all.

2. Recently you have released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound presented on the recording and how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
F: Reviewers usually describe Devourer better than I am able to, I am better at writing music than describing music in words, but I would like to call the album a Swedish Black Metal album with elements of Death Metal and Doom Metal presented in a way that is unique to Devourer. I don't think that naming genres says much about the music so I'd also like to say that it has a lot of anger, hate, horror, despair and an ambiance reeking of sorrow and dread. Devourer has always been a band where we create music freely and without limitations so I don't think much about how our earlier releases sounded when I write new songs and instead just let the new songs write themselves, then we keep the good stuff and throw away the bad.

3. This is your first album since 2013, can you tell us a bit more about what has gone on during that time span?
F: I was playing the drums in Sorcery in 2013 and put a lot of my time into that band at the time, writing songs, touring and rehearsing. In mid 2014 I had to leave Sorcery and stopped playing music altogether because my depressions and opiate addiction got really bad. I spent almost all 2015 in rehab and about three months of 2016 in a psyche ward. I recorded a three song EP on a four-track digital porta in rehab that I released as Nastrand. That EP is called Addicted to Death and can be found on YouTube, SoundCloud and so on. It doesn't sound like Devourer and that's why I came up with a new name for that project. While I was still in rehab I also recorded Devourer's single Pest, and that's why I did the vocals on that one instead of H. Now it's almost business as usual so our next release won't take that long to complete.

4. Some of your lyrics deal with Occultism and the Left hand Path, can you tell us a bit more about your interest in these topics?
H: You are somewhat correct that Devourer delve into aspects of the left hand path. I'm studying a lot of occult mythology, qlippothic aspects of the Kabbala and have a belief in chaos Gnosticism. But the main theme of Devourer is really about life and death and a journey into the human psyche. I find it interesting that we have the instinct of survival combined with the impulse to destroy ourselves and everything around us, that contradiction is intriguing and truly something to explore. Take dreams and nightmares for example, what is reality, is it our awakened state that is reality or is it in our dreams we are truly awake? I consider Devourer musical alchemy, the strive to merge social science with myths and religion.

5. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Devourer'?
F: To me Devourer is the demonic equivalent of a black hole, devouring everything and leaving only horror and dread behind. I came up with the name back in 2002, 15 years ago, and can't really remember what I was thinking then, but I think it was something like that.

6. What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and how would you describe your stage performance?
F: Devourer has never played live, but we probably will sometime
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7. Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
H: At the moment no. We are a two-man act at the moment, which we have been for over a decade. We have been talking about it though and have people who've expressed interest in working with us so it might happen at some point.

8. You are currently unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
F: We have received some offers, none of which has resulted in some sort of deal yet though.

9. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
F: So far the feedback I have received has been very positive, but I haven't got that much of it. I'll continue working on promoting Devourer as best I can, so hopefully there will be more feedback coming.

10. What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
H: I am working on a new album with Patronymicon at the moment but other than that it isn't much going on.
F: I'm probably going to join a blackened thrash metal band as their new drummer but we're just talking about it now so I won't mention which one it is just yet.

11. Where do you see the band heading into musically in the future?
H: You never know, not even us. That's the thing about Devourer. It has always been an experimental platform where we explore ourselves and the world around us.
F: Like H says, it's as much a surprise to us as to the people who're listening what will come next. We've started working on our next project and so far it's just starting to take form so I can't really tell yet.

12. What are some of the bands or musical styles that have influenced your newer music and what are you listening to nowadays?
H: Mgla, Deathspell Omega, Mayhem.
F: Right now I am listening to Taake's self-titled album from 2008 but other than Taake I have to mention Marduk, Gorgoroth and Thorns too. A band that sadly enough is both a bit underrated and are never going to play again is Abandon from Gothenburg. Their album The Dead End from 2009 is an absolute masterpiece so fans of funeral doom should check it out.

13. Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
H: Life is random, death is certain!
F: Our newest album is free to stream and download from our website so head over to devourer.se and get it now!

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