|
If you are in an endless search for a sophisticated mixture of death and doom metal, stop searching right now and better tune in to the spectral music of Druid Lord. I've asked Pete Slate (guitar) regarding their recent releases and live activity. Enjoy our talk!
Greetings to you, Pete! Druid Lord's third long play has been released on 21st of January, 2022. How are the album's sales going? What are the reactions of the fans and the press so far?
- Greeting! The album "Relics of the Dead" is doing very well. We have CDs, tapes, all types of shirts and hoodies. Most of the reviews have been very good. The fans are really into this album. The overall songs are more varied from our last album. A good mix of slower doom with fast death metal parts. We incorporated and mixed both styles and the press/fans have been totally into our style of writing on this album. The over package with the artwork/layout came out sick!
It was issued by Hells Headbangers Records on CD and cassette formats. You've been working with them since the release of your second album "Grotesque Offerings" (2018). How do they treat Druid Lord? What kind of deal have you signed with them?
- Yes CD/tapes for now. Vinyl LP will be out in October or early November from what I understand. They treat us well. No complaints. Very easy to communicate and work with. We do one album at a time so there is no long-term contract. Hells Headbangers did our last album and our new album "Relics...". It's a professional working relationship and so far, the arrangements are working as planned.
The music you play is a sort of utterly ethereal mixture of doom and death metal that was literally extracted from the beginning of the 90s. How do you manage to get such a vibe lately? Talk to us a bit about your influences please.
- We all come from a death metal background with our previous bands. Playing fast has always been in our blood. I've been into doom metal for years listening to early bands like Cirith Ungol, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost, Winter, Sabbath and tons of others. Our death metal influences have been bands like early Possessed, Necrovore, Autopsy, Carnage and a lot of the early 90's bands. We just write music that feels natural to us. We don't want to play just slow or just play fast. Druid Lord combines both elements into our own style. The songs must flow together to create that eerie feeling.
What topics are involved in the lyrics of "Relics of the Dead"? Who wrote the lyrics?
- Tony Blakk wrote most of the lyrics on the album. I wrote one or two. Mostly horror related type lyrics taking inspiration from 70's/80's b-horror type movies/slasher movies too.
As I see all your materials have been recorded at Blakk Magik Studios, which is the home recording studio of your vocalist/bassist – Tony Blakk. Does Tony's skills and studio are the secret weapon to your bewitching old-timer sound?
- Tony has a great studio to record and get our parts down. This time we recorded our drums/vocals/bass and guitar leads there at Blakk Magik. I recorded my rhythms at my home. Dan Lowndes from Resonance Studios did re-amping and mixing for us. The album was mastered by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios. It was a combined effort for our new album. We recorded our first album "Hymns for the Wicked" and a lot of our older EPs at Tony's studio.
What should we know about the special cassette release of your "Druid Death Cult" 7" (2012) and "Baron Blood" 7" (2013) EPs by Gurgling Gore? They also pressed some killer long sleeve shirts of "Druid Death Cult" with the original artwork from Mark Riddick. What's the limitation for that item and who designed it for the shirts?
- Gurgling Gore made us an offer to put out both those EPs on limited cassette format. We kept all the artwork original. Mark Riddick did the "Druid Death Cult" EP art and Eric Rot did the "Baron Blood" EP artwork. There are two different versions of the tapes. Some are blue and the others are clear/red. They look incredible. There is a double-sided slipcase with artwork on both sides. Gurgling Gore wanted to do a special shirt with the "Druid Death Cult" artwork, red/orange colors. I think the shirts were very limited, maybe 40 if I remember correctly. The tapes are still available so check out Gurgling Gore before they sell out.
Your freshest release is a split 7" with Japanese deathdoomsters Anatomia. It was issued by Me Saco un Ojo Records from England and pressed onto black and white vinyls. How many copies of each were pressed? What's the story behind "Beyond Putrefaction"?
- Don't quote me on this, but maybe 400 black and 100 white. Honestly, I can't remember, but Me Saco did a killer job. Again, we used Mark Riddick for a front/back wrap around cover. The layout on the inside has the total old school vibe. We wrote "Beyond Putrefaction" at the end of writing songs for "Relics...". We decided not to use it for the "Relics..." album as the songs were too long. We worked out a deal with our good friends in Anatomia to do a split EP. They were totally down. I really like their track "Horrid Fate". We play "Beyond Putrefaction" in our live set. The split will also be released on cassette with Gurgling Gore here in the US and Gutless Asia.
In 2021 Tony and Elden joined the mighty Massacre as live musicians. Have you attended any Massacre show lately? How was it? By the way, what's your opinion about their recent "Mythos" EP?
- Yes, Elden and Tony are live musicians for Massacre. I went to their first show last November 2021. It was cool. Obviously, they are my friends and I wanted to support them. BTW, I was asked to contribute a guitar solo on the Massacre "Resurgence" album for the track "Fate of the Elder Gods". It came out killer. I've heard a track from "Mythos" and it's good. Has the OSDM feel.
Your next live ceremony will be at The Haven in Orlando on August 12th. Please tell us how a regular Druid Lord show looks like? I mean, what should the fans expect from you atmosphere- and visuals-wise? How long is your set in general?
- Unfortunately, we had to pull out of that show due to an injury. I think our next show will be in October. We are working on the details now. We use some props on stage like a few old gravestones, skulls and a few things. Our sets are anywhere from 35-45 minutes depending on the show. We always like playing live. We keep the tone heavy and dark.
Any wise oracles from the druids for the end? Please finish the interview.
- Many thanks for the interview and supporting the scene.
| 
