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.
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