The Total Sound Of The Undergound

Lelahel Metal

Aeonian Sorrow returns with From The Shadows, an EP blending melancholic doom and atmospheric depth. We discuss its creation, inspirations, and the band's evolving journey in the doom metal scene.

1. From The Shadows is your first release since 2020’s A Life Without. What was the creative process like for this EP, and how did it differ from your previous works?

Actually, we released our second full length album named "Katara" at the end of 2023 so it's only been 1,5 years without any new music. The creating process of "From the Shadows" EP was like diving into unknown waters for me but I needed new and fresh perspectives to create something even more melodic and emotional. I asked my bandmates to contribute a bit more and bring their own ideas early enough to experiment with. Usually, I go full radio silence for a while and then I come back with new songs but this time we co-worked at a good level.

2. Your music is known for its deep emotional weight and melancholic atmosphere. What themes or personal experiences shaped the lyrics and sound of From The Shadows?

Is inspired from cold nights in the forest, isolation, despair and  haunting memories that linger in our minds. We live in Finland and here all you see is forest and cold winter for 6 months so sometimes this heavy atmosphere is inspiring us to delve into deeper emotions that resonate with our listeners too. 

3. Aeonian Sorrow blends elements of funeral doom, atmospheric metal, and gothic influences. How do you approach balancing crushing heaviness with fragile melodies in your songwriting?

I don't really know as it's probably my way of composing. I normally focus on contrasting dynamics. For example, I like using heavy riffs and then layering them with melancholic melodies on the keyboards and sore vocal line. I think this provides moments of beauty and helps to capture both the crushing and the fragile.

4. You’ve mentioned that From The Shadows draws inspiration from isolation and haunting memories. Was this influenced by real-life events or more of a conceptual exploration?

It was influenced by both. The feeling of isolation stems from a conceptual exploration while the haunting memories are based on real-life events. It's more focusing on collective human experiences because everyone has their own shadows and memories they grapple with. So everything blends with our personal experiences and other people's stories.

5. The EP is being self-released. What made you decide to go the independent route for this release, and what challenges and freedoms come with that choice?

It's pretty simple. We haven't yet found the right record label and the right group of people to where they will make a proper investment in us and not treat us like another band on their label. Because it's a fact that many bands are just signed with labels but quite often the deals are very bad so in the end it doesn't lead anywhere. For now we prefer to handle release matters and promotion matters ourselves until we find the right agreement to go with. It's not an easy road as it requires a lot of devotion and double effort to achieve something but it is what it is so you must do it.

6. Your last single, Anemos, marked a return after some years of silence. How did that track pave the way for this new EP, both musically and thematically?

"Anemos" was a song taken from our full length album "Katara". This song and the whole record was dedicated to my homeland and relatives that are no longer with us so musically and thematically had its own burden and epic moments at the same time. It was a personal reset after being away for some time and we tried to make it count. Now, I wouldn't say that it has any connection with the new EP, perhaps the up-tempo inspiration continues but the rest dives deeper into our atmospheric and melancholic sound. 

7. You’ve toured with bands like Swallow the Sun and Oceans of Slumber, who share a similar emotional intensity. How have those experiences shaped your evolution as a band?

Touring with such bands has been an incredible experience. Their emotional intensity and musical depth was quite inspiring to witness every night and of course we felt quite lucky and grateful that we were able to perform in such big venues and crowds every night. Of course experience and evolution doesn't start or end with one tour. It helps you to get more listeners but you keep building yourself by playing more and composing more and this is exactly what we did. We had more shows, more tours and we kept developing with our own style and sound and that's really what counts. I think people got more into our music because we kept evolving. 

8. The sonic landscapes in your music feel deeply immersive. Can you tell us about the recording and production process for From The Shadows?

Thank you! We are working pretty hard for this. We did the final recordings and production in the studio room of our singer Joel Notkonen. I think at first we were all pretty skeptical as we didn't know if the outcome would reach our expectations but yet, we wanted to try something different and see how it goes. In the end, it all worked pretty smoothly but the most important is that we took the time to bring ideas and discuss a lot about the construction of the songs. This has never happened before as we always have a more fixed schedule and different approach overall. But Joel and I had to meet so many times to work on vocals and details and after that the mix and master came pretty fast.

9. If you had to describe this EP in just three words, what would they be?

It's way too emotional, transcendent and cathartic.

10. Doom metal is often seen as a genre that thrives on raw emotion and atmosphere. How do you see Aeonian Sorrow’s place within the doom metal scene today?

I think Aeonian Sorrow has always been somewhere in between  traditional elements of Doom Metal music and atmospheric gothic sound as we've never been so deep-rooted in one direction only. I mean this wouldn't be enough to describe our music or our lyric themes that quite often are emotional and romantic and other times are heavy and raw. However, we stand close to so-called popular bands of the genre, which is a pretty good place to be and that's an achievement to us. It means that more and more people connect with our music and this is a wonderful development. 

11. What are your plans following the release of From The Shadows? Are there any upcoming live shows or plans for a full-length album in the near future?

Yes, our booking agency has delivered a plan of shows in Europe for the next months and as far as we know we will be having enough things to do but we will elaborate more once we get the green light to announce things. As for album releases, of course there will be another album to wait for but this will possibly come in 2026.

12. Lastly, for those who may be discovering Aeonian Sorrow for the first time through this release, what do you hope they take away from From The Shadows?

I hope they discover a part of themselves and connect with it. We always aim to create a space where our listeners can immerse themselves and find comfort in the heaviness of our sound. I think that's the best we can wish for and to feel the experience and the journey that it has to offer. 

Aeonian Sorrow – Melodic Doom Metal / Funeral Doom

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