Interview Shores of Null

Italian gothic doom metal band Shores of Null recently delivered an unforgettable performance on the iconic Temple Stage at Hellfest. We spoke with Raffaele about their experience, inspirations, and future plans.

1. Hellfest is one of the most prestigious metal festivals in the world. Can you walk us through your emotions and preparations leading up to your performance on the Temple Stage?

Raffaele: Performing at Hellfest was a dream come true. It’s a festival we’ve always admired, a true amusement park for metalheads. You can enjoy an incredible variety of music across six different stages, explore diverse genres, indulge in dedicated food areas with countless options, ride the Ferris wheel, shop in a massive metal market, or relax in the VIP area where the party atmosphere is always alive. The backstage is amazing—you can meet anyone performing at the festival, and it’s truly a unique experience.

From the very first moments, the excitement was palpable, but stepping onto the Temple Stage and preparing for the show was unforgettable. When we started playing, we gave it our all, and the performance turned out perfectly. We also recorded the entire set, which has been fully released on Thunderflix, with some videos available on YouTube. The thrill of experiencing such an important moment was immense. It’s one of the performances I will remember for the rest of my life.

2. The live video for "My Darkest Years" captures the intensity of your performance. How does performing that song live compare to recording it in the studio?

Raffaele: Performing "My Darkest Years" live carries a strong emotional weight because this song has a deeply personal story. It is inspired by my grandfather's experience during World War II. He was a prisoner of war and, after managing to escape, hid in a swamp in Greece. In that isolated place, a local woman found him and helped him, bringing him water and bread once a week. Thanks to her, my grandfather survived and was able to return home to his family. I often think that I might have relatives in Greece because of this episode, a thought that deeply resonates with me.

When we perform this song live, I feel like we are honoring his memory and his incredible story of survival. The live performance amplifies the song’s meaning, transforming it into a dialogue between past and present. In the studio, we focus on interpretation and recording, but on stage, the audience’s energy adds a layer of intensity that makes the performance unique and special. For me, this story is deeply personal. For the rest of the band, I believe the lyrics and the mood of the song have still struck chords that resonate deeply with them.

3. Congratulations on partnering with Thunderflix to showcase your full Hellfest performance! How important do you think platforms like Thunderflix are for connecting with fans globally?

Raffaele: Thunderflix is an interesting platform that allowed us to share our Hellfest performance with fans who couldn’t attend in person. Having a space exclusively dedicated to metal offers a valuable opportunity to reach new listeners and stay connected with our long-time followers.

The possibility of presenting a live set in high quality is a good way to highlight important moments in our career. We’re glad to have been able to use this platform.

4. Your Hellfest setlist spans tracks from "The Loss of Beauty" and beyond. How did you decide on the songs for this special performance?

Raffaele: We wanted the setlist to best represent our present, so The Loss of Beauty was the core of our performance. We chose tracks that work particularly well live, such as The Last Flower, Destination Woe, and Nothing Left to Burn.

At the same time, we always like to pay homage to our roots, so we included two pieces from our debut album, Quiescence: Ruins Alive and Quiescent. We aimed for a balanced set that showcased both our present and our past, engaging the audience in a complete experience.

We also deliberately avoided overly doom-oriented tracks, opting for faster ones instead, considering the variety of audience that Hellfest attracts.

5. Looking back on the journey of "The Loss of Beauty," what stands out most about how it has been received by fans and critics?

Raffaele: The Loss of Beauty was received very positively by both fans and critics, but what struck me the most was how people felt connected to the songs. Some shared with us how tracks like The Last Flower or Destination Woe brought out emotions or personal memories, and that’s always something special.

We didn’t expect such a warm reception during live shows as well. Seeing the audience connect with the new songs, sometimes without even being familiar with the album yet, was a pleasant surprise. Critics appreciated the balance between melody and intensity, but for us, it was more important to see how the new songs naturally fit alongside the older ones, as if they were part of the same journey.

More than the reviews or numbers, what matters to us is that these songs had an impact. It’s gratifying to know that the album’s themes and atmospheres resonated with people in different contexts, without us ever taking it for granted.

6. Both "The Loss of Beauty" and "Beyond The Shores" were recorded during the same sessions. How did you differentiate the creative direction for these two albums?

Raffaele: Although they were recorded during the same period, the two albums represent completely different approaches. The Loss of Beauty follows a more traditional structure, with separate tracks focusing on strong melodies and a more direct narrative. It reflects the path we had taken with our earlier works, like Quiescence and Black Drapes For Tomorrow.

Beyond The Shores, on the other hand, was an experiment. We wanted to push beyond our boundaries, creating a single 38-minute composition with an immersive atmosphere inspired by funeral doom and cinematic elements. This approach also stemmed from a practical need: at that time, we needed to distance ourselves from some difficulties with our previous label, and Beyond The Shores was a way to explore something new without constraints.

The differentiation happened naturally. The two albums express different facets of our artistic identity, but they are connected by a common idea: creating something authentic that could represent us in all the nuances of our sound. Recording them simultaneously allowed for sonic consistency, but the two projects quickly took distinct directions, reflecting different moments in our journey

7. Your lyrics often explore beauty in imperfection and transience. What inspired this recurring theme in "The Loss of Beauty"?

Raffaele: This theme was strongly envisioned by Davide, who drew inspiration from the wabi-sabi aesthetic, a concept deeply rooted in Japanese culture. Wabi-sabi celebrates beauty in imperfection, transience, and the ephemeral. He sought to translate this philosophy into words, reflecting on the fragility of life and the importance of cherishing what we have before it fades away.

The idea was born from observing nature and those small details we often take for granted, but which reveal a unique beauty precisely because they are destined to change and disappear.

The Loss of Beauty does not aim to merely tell a story; it seeks to invite listeners to reflect on their own relationship with time, memories, and the small things that make every moment unique and precious. Davide succeeded in translating these inspirations into lyrics that are both poetic and profound, further enriching the album’s message.

8. Since your formation in 2013, your sound has continuously evolved. How would you describe the band's growth over the years?

Raffaele: The band’s growth has been a natural and steady journey. When we started with Quiescence, our goal was to create a sound that blended melancholy and power, with strong doom and gothic influences. Over the years, we’ve explored different musical territories, expanding our approach to both composition and arrangements.

Black Drapes For Tomorrow led us toward a more complex and layered sound, while Beyond The Shores was a bold experiment that highlighted the cinematic and immersive side of our music. With The Loss of Beauty, we aimed to synthesize these elements, balancing melody, intensity, and a more immediate touch.

Live performances have also played a crucial role in our evolution. Playing on stage, sharing it with bands we admire, and connecting with diverse audiences have allowed us to mature not only as musicians but also as individuals. Today, our sound reflects years of experiences and heartfelt choices, always staying true to our identity while embracing the courage to experiment.

9. Your music blends gothic doom, melodic death, and blackened elements. Which bands or genres have had the biggest influence on your sound?

Raffaele: Our influences are diverse, drawing from multiple genres and scenes. Each band member has brought their own musical background, contributing to a sound that reflects a blend of our collective experiences.

Personally, I find inspiration in bands like Katatonia, Swallow The Sun, Enslaved, and Borknagar, which have significantly influenced my musical path. Groups like Paradise Lost, Sentenced, and Novembre have also left a major mark, especially in their way of balancing melody and darkness.

Davide, with his voice often compared to that of Woods of Ypres, has brought a melancholic and intense atmosphere to our sound.

In addition to doom and gothic, you can find elements of melodic death and black metal atmospheres in our music, allowing us to move fluidly between heaviness and melody. This mix lets us avoid confining ourselves to a single genre, continually exploring new possibilities while staying true to our identity.

Moreover, a band that undoubtedly unites us all is Iron Maiden, and sometimes we manage to include riffs inspired by their music—for instance, the chorus of "A New Death Is Born." But honestly, which metal band hasn’t been inspired by the masters at least once?

10. Your live shows are known for their emotional intensity. How do you ensure that same energy translates to an audience as diverse as Hellfest's?

Raffaele: In our live shows, we always focus on connecting with the audience, no matter how diverse it may be. For Hellfest, an event with such a vast and varied crowd, we built our setlist with impact and dynamics in mind, selecting songs that could engage even those hearing us for the first time.

We included more direct and energetic tracks like "Destination Woe" and "The Last Flower" to keep the energy high and capture attention quickly, balancing them with more atmospheric moments like "Nothing Left to Burn" to add depth and variety to the performance.

We also place a strong emphasis on technical and visual delivery: we prepare our set with focused rehearsals, working on every detail to ensure flawless execution. We don’t rely heavily on stage effects, so we focus entirely on the intensity of the music and our stage presence.

Another important aspect is maintaining a balance between directly communicating with the audience and letting the music speak for itself. Hellfest was special because we immediately felt a great openness; the audience was attentive and ready to engage, which made everything feel more natural.

We don’t aim to "impress" but to create a moment that is authentic and truly reflects who we are as a band.

11. With "The Loss of Beauty" and your Hellfest performance behind you, what can fans expect next from Shores of Null?

Raffaele: Our fans know that we always strive to stay true to our musical identity, but at the same time, we don’t like to repeat ourselves. Every new album is an opportunity for us to explore new ideas and push boundaries while maintaining that blend of melody and darkness that defines us.

We’re currently working on new material for our next record, and we’re still in the writing and arrangement phases, although many tracks are already finalized and recorded as demos to share with industry insiders. We like to take the necessary time to refine every detail, ensuring that each song fully represents our vision. Without revealing too much, I can say we are experimenting with some unconventional elements that we hope will surprise our listeners. I can also hint that the songs we are crafting may end up on two separate releases, but I won’t spoil anything more for now.

Remaining faithful to our tastes and the quality we want to deliver has always been our priority. We are aware of the expectations and work with the goal of providing fans with something authentic that reflects our growth as a band while staying connected to what has always inspired us. We hope to share the new material soon and to hit the road again to present it live.

12. As a band with a decade-long journey in the metal underground, what advice would you give to emerging bands trying to carve their own path?

Raffaele: The most important thing is to be authentic and stay true to your musical vision. There's no need to chase trends or imitate others to stand out. Creating something personal that genuinely represents who you are as artists is the first step toward building a meaningful connection with your audience. For instance, we always start with inspiration, and the songs we write take shape from our most personal feelings, emotions, and tastes. Only in a second phase do we rearrange the songs to give them a professional form, but I personally don't write songs unless I feel inspired.

Being organized and determined is equally crucial. Music is art, but it's also a job that requires discipline. Promoting your projects, managing social channels, and maintaining a network of contacts are essential aspects of growing and getting noticed in a competitive scene. It’s hard work, but necessary if you want to reach your audience, given the vast variety of bands offering a wealth of music to fans.

Lastly, resilience is key. Obstacles are part of the journey, but every mistake or difficulty is an opportunity to learn and improve. It's important to always keep the desire to grow without ever losing sight of your passion for music. In the end, it’s that passion that will guide you through challenges and make the journey unforgettable.

Doom gothic black metal band | Shores Of Null

THE LOSS OF BEAUTY - Listen on YouTube, Spotify - Linktree

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