Interview with ATRAMENTUM
!!!BLACKENED DOOM DEATH METAL FROM GERMANY!!!
We had a conversation with Julian (Drums). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about ATRAMENTUM (Members, Starting Year etc).
Atramentum was founded in 2018 by our bassist Tobias and our vocalist Sebastian. Later, I (Julian) became the band's drummer. The line up was completed when our two guitarists, Oliver and Tim joined. At that point we had already put out our first album.
In 2021 you have released your album ''Doomed In Time''. What was the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
It would probably be fair to say that it flew somewhat under the radar for most in the metal scene. However, we were happy to get even some international Attention, for instance by a Mexican fanzine, as well as a few reviews on the internet, ranging from mixed to very positive. Most importantly, our fans liked "Doomed In Time".
Label or DIY and why?
Both have their advantages! Theoretically, labels could really help promoting our music and take a lot of the business side of things out of our hands. Then again, a lot of labels already require a level of fame that is unrealistic for most smaller bands, or don't give bands the best deals. For our new album "The Wrath Within", we chose to go independent.
You are going to release your new album ''The Wrath Within''. Tell us a few things about this project.
On the new album we continue our eclectic mix of different genres like Doom, Death, Black Metal and even a little bit of Blues. Sebastian switches from brutal screams and growls to harrowing clean vocals with ease. However, I think that the genre mix is even more coherent this time. The glue that binds the music and lyrics together is maybe the feeling of sorrow and being fed up with this world. It is also the first project for which our guitarist Oliver composed and recorded two songs. Lastly, I'm very happy to have recorded all the drums and even some piano for this album, whereas the first album still had some tracks with programmed drums.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
I work as a teacher and at one of our gigs, some former students of mine showed up. It's maybe not the funniest story, but it was cool and surreal to see people headbang to our music whom I've taught and graded just a year earlier.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
I have a vinyl collection and want to say that I prefer vinyl and CDs over digital. But realistically I (and probably most of our band?) will listen to music over digital platforms. It is kind of sad how the digital age has eroded our attention spans, though, and putting on a CD or vinyl is usually a much more active listening experience.
Your music style is Doom/Death Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
There are a lot of different influences, for instance Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Dark Fortress, or Obituary. We have a playlist of our favourite bands on Spotify, if your readers want to find out more.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
The most obvious things are time and money! You need to be willing to put in a lot of hours to practice, compose, tour, buy equipment. But every compromise, for instance on musical style, is also a kind of sacrifice. And you need to find compromises a lot in a band if you want to make music that all members enjoy making.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
We have had different live shows that we loved for different reasons. Our shows in the small town of Minden were awesome because people were enthusiastic about listening to new music and we gained quite a few new fans. We had a very cool gig in a sort of leftist/alternative venue in Berlin which did a multiple camera livestream of the event and even gave us a free place to sleep (it kind of felt like a school trip, haha). And the gig at which my students showed up was amazing because we packed the venue to the brim with our fans, friends, and family.
What attributes do you think that a new Doom/Death Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
If there was a list of attributes that a band could follow to be unique, I don't think they would be unique at all. I think the most important thing is to make the music you enjoy making and not try to engineer success by following a trend or finding a niche just for the sake of it.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Doom/Death Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
At this point, digital platforms are just the reality, for better or for worse. It certainly wouldn't help Doom/Death bands if they didn't promote their music online at all. Instagram is probably the most important platform for us. Then again, live shows are still the best way to gain new listeners.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Germany (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
It currently seems like the supply of underground metal bands is bigger than the demand. This may have something to do with the fact that a lot of clubs closed or had to cut back during the pandemic. Thus, it is now much more difficult to organise gigs than it maybe was 10 years ago. But this also means that bands help each other out more with getting gigs or cross-promoting on social media, which is nice. Still, our city of Hamburg continues to have a huge metal scene, with both underground and established bands playing regularly. As far as webzines go, we can shout out ammo-underground.at, and vampster.com, which have reviewed or shared our music.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Not much, I am afraid! I do enjoy some Greek metal bands, though, like Rotting Christ. Of course, George Kolias is a huge inspiration to me and drummers everywhere, but I don't know if that counts since he plays for an American band (Nile).
What are your future plans?
We want to shoot some more music videos for "The Wrath Within". And we will play our first festival gig, this year. Other than that, just writing new music and touring as much as all of our separate jobs allow.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank you so much for the interview! Nothing else to say other than I hope your readers give our singles "Emptiness Inside" and "Living in Dystopia" a listen, as well as "Lighthouse" which is out on January 10th. And of course our album "The Wrath Within" when it comes out. Keep supporting the underground!
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
ATRAMENTUM CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/AtramentumHamburg
https://www.instagram.com/atramentum_doom
https://atramentum1.bandcamp.com/album/doomed-in-time
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5TbJp4ggBwzg0mQQezIjvI