1. For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We started the band in 2015. Vråhl and Darth found each other on a forum and connected over the wish to play harsh black metal and drink beer. Music that smells like a heart attack. Darth already knew Sargaroth so he came in pretty quick, and Kråkfar found us a few months later. He quit soon after we recorded the album and went on to his own musical projects as Kråkfar and soon after Nocturnotto, who laid down the solo on Rök och Svart Magi and already played with Onoskelis, joined.
2. So far you have released a demo and a full length. In your opinion, how do they differ from each other musically?
Well the demo was one day of rough recording in the rehearsal studio and the album took about two years to complete! We'd say the album is more focused, more refined in a way, even if that's not really reflected in the quality of the mix. After recording we noticed we had lost one mic for the guitars on half the songs and the overhead mics were completely missing, so the cymbals are all through tom mics. We spent a week in the studio, sleeping on the floor, getting pissed at each other and drinking copious amounts of beer while consuming a doomsday prepper’s basement stock of ravioli. We were a combination of drunk and hungover throughout the process, recording through the worst storm in modern Swedish history. It's all recorded live except for the vocals and the solos.
3. When I listen to the new album I can also hear some elements of doom and stoner, do you feel this makes your songs stand out a lot more?
It's aggressive and filthy. Not really doom or stoner on purpose. There is no specific marketing thinking going into it, we just found that it fit well with these large cavernous sections interspersed with hysterical chaos! And honestly, who's to say black metal has to be extremely fast all the time? Everybody's just listening to De Mysteriis the wrong way (except for us)! Our guitarist and drummer do play in stoner bands as well so that probably bleeds over a bit, but we have our roots pretty firmly placed in black metal.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
Well for me, Vråhl, when I write lyrics I have all these concepts in my head I want to express, but when it comes time to put it into words to a song, the most important part for me is that it vibes with the song itself. I like to go on long walks putting a recording from the rehearsal on repeat until I start getting the words that fit coming to me. So basically it's a whole jumble of concept and ideas distilled through the sound of the music and filtered through my sense of what the song wants to say in a way.
5.I know that the band's name means 'Tombstone' in Swedish, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
Hah, well it's actually "Tombstoned" or "Gravestoned". The idea that the music should feel like someone's throwing tombstones right in your face! Though you can also take it as someone smoking weed at a cemetary really. The music shifted but the band name just got more relevant with time.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
It kind of evolved over time. We took a picture of some woods at one point, which we used together with the logo for making a backdrop to use on stage. At some point Perra, of Sunny Sound who mastered the album, added our faces to it. We then put it through some filter for the hell of it and figured it looked pretty fucking cool, so we decided to use it as the artwork for the cover. It sticks out from the numerous black and white contrast images and religious iconography at least.
7.Has the band had any opportunities to do any live shows or open to the idea?
Yes. Fucking hit us up! gravstenad@gmail.com
8.Currenly you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
We haven't really been looking, but we're very open to the idea of having a distributor and some kind of booking agent to find us gigs! We have made contact with a distributor in Asia through which we might be printing some CD's. If anyone is interested, hit us up!
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Well, the five people who have commented about our latest album have had positive things to say about it! I think our favourite so far is a guy describing it as "Bulldozers driven through a stone crusher being ripped apart by a black hole."
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We'll be playing more, faster, and slower. More weird and more furious.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Weed and black metal. The group has our root in nineties black metal, a lot of Mayhem, Darkthrone and Burzum. Our first rehearsal with Kråkfar was just jamming Jesus Tod and that's what brought the band together, but we all come from pretty different musical interests and I think it all bleeds over into the music. Skullwand by Serpent Omega was a song we listened to together at an early point and were all pretty floored by. That may have signaled a shift in the style of our music. It's about playing chaotic, raw and frenzied music, and we're very open to be influenced by whatever adds to that.
12.Does Satanism or Occultism play any rule in your music?
Hah, no, not at all really. We don't fuck with these Satanic LARP-witches. Lyrically we're more about human madness than anything religious.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Surf rock is just black metal before distortion pedals.
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