As much as I enjoy retro-rock and old school doom (or whatever else you want to call it), I think you’d lie to yourself if you claimed that innovation was one of the biggest virtues of the genre. Usually it’s enough to do what is tried and tested well, but to do something new is rare. I remember a few years back when a band called MESSA and their music video for “Babalon” was making the rounds. Suddenly, there was this young Italian band that combined occult rock with drone metal, and heads were turning left and right.

Clearly, Messa was onto something with their debut Belfry, and it went beyond the fantastic songwriting and Sara’s sublime vocals. Something Messa would reiterate with their excellent sophomore record Feast for Water last year, which boldly flirted with elements of doom-jazz and even black metal. So prior to their special set at Roadburn 2019, for which they had brought along their saxophonist Lorenzo, I sat down with Sara (vocals), Marco (guitar & bass), Alberto (guitar & keys), Rocco (drums & additional vocals) and Lorenzo to talk roots, plans, and what it takes to come up with a new sound in a traditional genre. The transcript of our conversation follows.

How are you?

We’re fine.

Where are you actually based? I know it’s somewhere in Northern Italy but I’ve got no details.

Sara: We live about an hour away from Venice, near the mountains. One of the closest mountains around us is Monte Tomba and one of the songs on our first record is named after it. A little bit of Messa trivia.

And how did you all get together? Is there an established music scene in that region?

Sara: We were all in different bands before Messa but knew each other through the local music scene.

Alberto: And we’re the same age.

Sara: Yeah, three of us were born in ‘92 and we went to school together. Knew each other since we were 14, but we never played in a band together before. And there’s a lot of bands in our area, everything from black metal, to progressive and stoner rock. We all have different musical backgrounds and different genres that inspire us.

So, could you talk about the different bands you were in?

Rocco: Well, I play black metal, and it’s also what I usually listen to. When I started playing for Messa I first had to get used to playing so slowly. But I wanted to try something new, experience something different, and I really enjoy what we’ve been doing.

Lorenzo: Well, I think I’m the alien of the group because my background is so different as a saxophone player. That being Jazz of course. The funny thing is that when I was young, I used to sing for a rock band. Had long hair and all.

Sara: I’d love to see some pictures of that.

And what about you, Sara?

Sara: Well, I’ve always played hardcore punk and fast music in general. I still play bass in Restos Humanos, which is a deathgrind band with Spanish lyrics, as our singer is originally from Colombia. And I’ve got a studio project called Sixcircles that’s psych-folksy kind of stuff. But my main background is playing bass in hardcore punk bands.

Alberto: I’ve been in several surf rock bands and I have a '70s prog band. I went to a conservatory to study jazz guitar. That’s also where I met Lorenzo. And I met the rest of Messa through a stoner rock band I was involved in.

Marco: I’ve always been in rock bands. I had a band called The Sade that was a mix of Danzig and The Hellacopters, you know that Scandinavian rock sound. Been doing that for 10 years and then Messa came about.

And when you first started Messa did you go into it with a concept in mind, or did the sound clarify itself through jamming together?

Sara: We had a certain idea in mind. We knew we wanted to play doom because it’s something none of us had ever done before. And the more we developed the music the vision developed with it. It went hand in hand.

Still, I’ve heard my fair share of old school doom bands and practically none have ever been as adventurous as you. I had always assumed there was some degree of deliberation behind that, but did it really just come about like that?

Marco: I think we’re very different minds with different musical interests.

Rocco: And we fully put ourselves into it.

Sara: And we work together very closely. We’re bound to each other when we work on songs. But at the same time, we don’t want to be held back by boundaries and get stuck into something. Like using the Rhodes Piano. We just went for it. Said “Why not, let’s do that.” There’s a lot of great '70s doom bands out there that we love, but we as musicians wanted to create something different.

Would you not wanting to get stuck in something also explain the slight shift in sound between 'Belfry’ and 'Feast for Water’?

Marco: Well, for Belfry it was first just me and Sara wanting to do something different with doom. After a few months we shared our work with Rocco and Alberto and started jamming. And for Feast we had a similar approach, wanting to do something new, not be satisfied with the first shot, the first riff.

Sara: And I’d say it was natural that there was change. Belfry was composed rather quickly in a few months. Feast took more time to be developed. We got to know each other better as musicians in between the two records. And like I said, we’re very close and still are growing together, on an individual level, on a musical level and a spiritual level.

And how long was Messa a band before you went into the studio to record 'Belfry’?

Sara: As a serious band? Less than a year. We first got together in November, recorded in August 2015, and Belfry was released in 2016.

Marco: It was very straight forward. We went into the studio with the entire material written and recorded Belfry instead of playing the material live and see how people react to it and then try to make an EP and wait. No big demos. Just straight into the studio.

Put it in the can and you’re out again.

Rocco: One shot, one kill.

Marco: But yeah, straight into the studio, really low budget. But we were sure of what we had done, we believed in our work.

And were you already signed to Aural Music at that point?

Marco: We sent out some stuff and we made a Bandcamp that had a rehearsal recording with some black and white pictures as cover, really simple. And then Emiliano from Aural music wrote us. Said “Please, I want to hear more. It sounds really interesting.” He was also interested because despite being Italian himself, he’s only got like three Italian bands on his label.

And what is the local music scene in general like in your region? You said that you were all based in pretty much the same area, right?

Sara: Well, three of us live a maximum of 10 kilometers away from each other. And we live in tiny places, there’s no huge city. It’s a five minute drive to rehearsals. For some of us it’s a bit longer, like an hour.

Rocco: And there’s a lot of musicians in our area, from all kinds of different genres.

Marco: As far as doom and stoner rock goes though, maybe not as much in our own region, but in the whole of Italy there’s some bands that we want to mention. There’s Grime from Trieste, who play sludge metal. There’s Naga from Naples, a great blackened doom band who are friends of ours.

Sara: Super nice guys, but devastating, especially live. One of the best Italian bands at the moment, in my opinion.

Marco: Thing is, you gotta drive at least one hour to get to most concerts in Italy. What’s happening music-wise is usually restricted to the big cities.

A bit of a thematic jump, but what are some defining records or bands for you?

Sara: I think for each one of us there’s gotta be some Led Zeppelin record in our lists.

Marco: Yeah, I think we gravitate more towards Zeppelin than Sabbath.

Sara: Well I like them both, but I’d say Messa is way more influenced by Led Zeppelin than Black Sabbath. As for other records, the first –- no, all records from The Devil’s Blood. I think that goes for Marco, as well.

Did you catch the Molasses (the new band of The Devil’s Blood vocalist Farida Lemouchi) set yesterday?

Sara: I loved it.

Marco: I think it was missing some of that darkness.

Sara: But I think that was intentional, it was going for something different. It’s a rib of The Devil’s Blood. They can’t be the same. The concert was great. Farida’s voice is amazing.

Marco: As a project beside The Devil’s Blood it was super good concert. If you just treat it as its own thing and don’t think about it coming from The Devil’s Blood. The drummer was great.

I really enjoyed the guitars and unusual structures.

Sara: And the Rhodes Piano and guitars. I love twin guitars. How can you not love them?

Alberto: Disraeli Gears by Cream.

Sara: So, we’ve got Zeppelin, The Devil’s Blood, Cream. Ah, Transilvanian Hunger by Darkthrone.

Rocco: Oh, yeah. I used to listen to that one a lot when I was younger. It’s still good.

Lorenzo: I’d say the biggest influence for me was Lush Life by Joe Henderson. Best record I ever listened to in my life. But I love all the jazz greats and can listen to another one each day.

Marco: One band we haven’t mentioned so far that really changed how we wrote music was Bohren & Der Club of Gore. I cried the two times I’ve seen them live. We exchanged bands when we started writing and Bohren was one of them, and they really got us excited to experiment with music. So, that’s one of the central bands that gave us the push in the direction Messa was going.

Sara: It was game-changing.

See, I was almost waiting for you to name drop Bohren. If I have to explain Messa to somebody Bohren is sure to be mentioned, too.

Marco: Thinking of, there’s this band that also takes cues from Bohren who have released a new record recently. But they’re originally from the whole screamo/post-hardcore scene, and they mix a bit of that into it. They’re called Radare. They’re great, check them out.

I’ll be sure to do that. What was the preparation for Roadburn like? They must’ve approached you first to come and play, right?

Sara: Yeah, they asked us to play. We’re super happy to be here and being able to play at these great venues, work with professionals and play with a lot of awesome bands. It’s such a cool opportunity to be here.

Rocoo: Yeah, it’s quite surreal. I won’t really believe it happened until after the show tonight.

Marco: As for preparations, we rehearsed a lot with Lorenzo to get ready for the show.

So, will you perform more often Lorenzo in the future then?

Marco: We’ll see how it goes. It depends on his price. He’s an expensive dude (laughs).

Sara (to Lorenzo): Are you ready to sleep on a floor for five days and have no showers?

Lorenzo: Yeah, we’ll see how it goes.

Sara: We had a lot of rehearsals for this and we worked hard to arrange the songs and tracklist in way that it flows nicely. We’ll play material from both records as well as a song we never performed live before. We’re anxious and happy to get on stage.

Marco: And shortly after Roadburn, we’ve got a 10-day tour with Sabbath Assembly.

Sara: And we’re playing Hellfest this summer and after that we’ll see what happens.

And is this the first time you’re playing with the full line up?

Sara: Actually the second time. The first time was the release show for Feast for Water.

Marco: We did that show in our rehearsal space, which is in an old church. it was a friends only thing, no facebook event, just invitation by email.

Rocco: And we played together with Gorrch, which is a great black metal band and good friends of ours.

So, what sets have you already seen at Roadburn and which ones are you trying to catch tonight?

Marco: Well, Gold is playing soon, so definitely them.

Sara: Triptykon. We saw Twin Temple.

Rocco: I’ll see Midnight.

Alberto: Heilung.

Rocco: Petbrick was fucking freaky.

Marco: AA Williams.

Sara: Craft is playing tonight but we’ll unfortunately miss them.

Yeah, I was thinking about watching them too, but alas there are clashes. What are your plans for the future? Can we expect some new music soon?

Sara: We haven’t really worked on any new music so far. We’ve been concentrating on preparing for Roadburn and the tour in general mostly. Of course, sooner or later the call for new music will come. I have some ideas I’d like to develop and I think the same goes for the rest of the band.

Last question. Which five objects would one have to lay in a pentagram to summon you?

Rocco: A beer. A piece of wood.

Sara: A burning fire.

Rocco: A burning fire for sure. Something from nature. So I guess water and sand.

Preface

When Billy asked me to review Roadburn Festival 2019 for Doomed & Stoned, I was a bit hesitant. Live reviews have never been my specialty and I prefer to enjoy shows instead of being critical. However, when he suggested a diary-style review, I got the idea to do just that; write a diary.

I went all out and paid a whopping two Euros and some change to buy a notebook. After four days of Roadburn, it will probably be as wrecked as I expect to be, but hopefully it will still be readable. [In hindsight it was money well spent, as the notebook survived Roadburn without too much damage.] Whether its pages will be literary gold or the drunken ravings of a madman, only time will tell. The truth will probably be somewhere in the middle. [The fact that I had not been feeling well all week and decided to drive to Tilburg by car each day probably helped me not fucking this up, though.]

Day 1

14:30 – Ticket booth

The sun is out, Crypt Trip’s Haze County was blasting through my car speakers on the way here and the queue to get my wristband went smooth. That’s about as good a start as it can get. Sadly, my first dilemma of the day is already coming up: See Myrkur perform her Folkesange set or Bismuth. For now I’ll just sit and wait in the sun for my friends T and S to arrive.

16:30 – Studio Tilburg

We compromised. We started Roadburn with Bismuth engulfing us in the epic ‘The Slow Dying Of The Great Barrier Reef’ in the Hall of Fame. Sadly the band had some technical issues which fucked up the dynamics in the beginning, but otherwise it was an intense experience.

before the end of the Bismuth set, we moved on to the main stage. On the way there, we ran into some friends who decided to join us to see Myrkur. The Scandinavian folk songs were moving and well performed, but not what we needed, so we set our sights for Vile Creature, who were preparing to destroy the Patronaat.

Arriving outside, we noticed that we weren’t the only ones. The queue to the Patronaat was leading pretty much up to the Cul de Sac. Since the weather was still nice, we decided to go for a beer in the sun instead.

19:05 – Veemarktstraat

Molasses was something I had been looking forward to, since it was for a large part a The Devil’s Blood reunion. Their set was in general an honest and loving tribute to TDB leader Selim Lemouchi. At some points though, the band seemed possessed by Selim himself. I desperately hope they will release this as a live record. [Later, at the merch I discovered that the band had already recorded an EP. That satisfies me for now, but I still need a live record!]

After that intense show, it was time to get some food. I decided to go for some Vietnamese street food. A good choice, but I should have been more careful with the sambal. I love that stuff, but a full bite at once was a bit much.

19:30 – Green Room balcony

Luckily, I was just in time to hear the last, hauntingly beautiful song of Lingua Ignota. I had a hard time getting in and when I managed to get in, I couldn’t get closer than the back of the balcony. Only when the show was over, I could see that she sat behind her keyboard in the middle of the Green Room. An eccentric choice that befits the woman.

21:20 – Ladybird Skatepark

Emma Ruth Rundle was more Doomed & Stoned appropriate than I expected. Last time she did a solo show, but this time she brought her full band. Her songs were sometimes dark and doomy, sometimes rocking, but always unique.

But the best kept secret of today are certainly the heavy psych astronauts of Mythic Sunship. Even though it’s not crowded, they know how to throw a party on a skatepark. [Mythic Sunship was the first band to be programmed on the Skatepark, but during the weekend more bands were scheduled to perform on this special location. More on that later.]

22:45 – Koepelhal

I’m not sure why a band like Midnight is performing at Roadburn, since it’s pretty much the odd one out this year, but I’m not complaining. I really enjoyed their filthy, sexually laden mix of Venom and Motörhead sleaze. And judging from the large crowd that gathered in the Koepelhal, I wasn’t the only one.

00:40 – Main Stage

Post rock is a hit or miss for me, but the combination of guitars and classical instruments often brings a smile to my face. The latter convinced me to watch MONO perform their Hymn to the Immortal Wind record, supported by the Jo Quail Quartet. I’m happy I did this, since the show was pure aural bliss. Rarely have I heard such a natural mix of metallic guitars and classical instruments. Although it certainly wasn’t boring, the floating melodies did make me a bit sleepy.

2:xx – Eindhoven

I guess I went full circle today. I started with Crypt Trip and ended with them as well. After MONO, these Texan rockers were exactly what I needed. Their country infused hard rock really got my energy levels back to par. Then again, anyone who can stand still during a Crypt Trip show, must be dead. It was also very nice to see my Doomed & Stoned colleague Calvin again. Roadburn is off to a good start.

Day 2

15:25 – 013

T, S and I started our second day at Roadburn queuing up for Gold. I lost sight of the Dutch band after being disappointed by their second record, when they traded in their occult rock for a more post rock sound. Today, however, I was not disappointed at all. Their pounding post black/punk/rock really grabbed me by the balls. Charismatic frontwoman Milena Eva and her accomplices are back on my radar.

I’m currently enjoying one of the three sets of Seven That Spells. Between all the avant garde stuff, it’s nice to see some proper heavy psych/stoner rock. Very well executed!

17:00 – Ladybird Skatepark

Between all the good stuff, Triptykon was my most anticipated concert of the festival. As I said, I’m a sucker for metal mixed with classical music, so I wouldn’t want to miss the Swiss band performing with the renowned Metropole Orkest, the world’s leading pop orchestra. Today they are playing something heavier, namely the requiem penned by Tom G. Warrior. The first and third parts date back to the Celtic Frost days, namely Into The Pandemonium (1987) and Monotheist (2006). The piece never had a middle section, until now.

The show wasn’t perfect. There were some flaws here and there and at certain moments it felt like the orchestra was overtaking the band. Altogether it was an impressive performance, but somewhere I feel like there could have been more. Still a highlight, though.

I’m currently enjoying some surprise sludgy goodness of Vile Creature, while the queue for the Hall of Fame is reaching new lengths while A.A.Williams is performing there as part of the Holy Roar x Roadburn showcase.

19:55 – Studio Tilburg

After getting my eardrums destroyed by Vile Creature, it was time for a beer with friends. Consequently, that meant I missed Conjurer, but I did manage to see the last half hour of Anna Von Hausswolff on the main stage. On record I find her music very calming, but live the tiny lady and her band deliver a massive tidal wave of sound. 'The Mysterious Vanishing of Electra’ was even more impressive than on record.

22:20 - Koepelhal

After enjoying watching Calvin struggle with a massive burger from the Studio café and between the neck snapping sets of Svalbard and Pijn (both part of the Holy Roar showcase), I conquered my first queue at the Koepelhal. This was for the collaboration between artist in residence Thou and Emma Ruth Rundle. It was well worth the effort. This noisy matrimony sounded exactly as you’d expect from the two factors.

3:xx – Eindhoven

After Pijn’s set, it was straight off to the Patronaat to grab a good spot for another show I highly anticipated. That turned out to be a good decision, since I heard afterwards that the queue for Messa turned out to be huge.

My love for these Italians stems from their ability to make old school doom sound fresh again. The band manages this through the incorporations of jazz elements, as well as sporadic black metal outbursts. Today, the band brought along a saxophone player, which truly added an extra dimension to their music.

Day 3

17:20 – 013

Today we started off with Have A Nice Life. The new wave was enjoyable, but we had other priorities, for Wolvennest was about to perform their latest effort, Void, in its entirety. The Belgian band went all out for this show, bringing several guest musicians, as well as brand new visuals. Musically, Wolvennest definitely made a step up from their debut, WLVNNST. Their black metal with psychedelic and doom influences pleased the many people who came to witness this ritual. The only negative comment one could have, is that the altar looked very small on the large main stage.

Henrik Palm is no stranger to most Roadburners. The Swede used to be a member of In Solitude and Ghost. You can clearly hear this in his solo work, but his eclectic rockers always feel unique. I remain with only one question. Why the early Judas Priest videos?

19:20 – Ladybird Skatepark

I’m not much of a fan of most of the bands from the Exile on Mainstream roster, but Treedeon I had to see. These Germans make for some noisy, primitive doom, which is right up my alley. There are some clear Conan vibes here, but the double vocals make it just a tad more brutal.

23:15 – Koepelhal

I always enjoy good times with good people, so I was happy to join a small Doomed & Stoned meetup with Calvin and Sally [whose photos add some color to this article]. Contrary to my instincts, I left my friends behind to make it in time for what is probably the highlight of this year’s Roadburn. Coming near the 013 was like walking into a coffee shop (the Dutch kind), with the smell of weed greeting you from far away. Not surprising, since it wouldn’t be long before the almighty Sleep would perform their classic record Holy Mountain in one go. When I arrived, some 20 odd minutes before the show, the hall was already crowded, with people queuing up, not more than five minutes later.

It was quite the magical experience to hear one of my all-time favorite records being performed live. The first notes of 'Dragonaut’ already gave me goosebumps and headbanging became a priority for nearly two hours. Sleep performing 'The Clarity’ and a part of 'Dopesmoker’ surely was an extra treat.

4:xx – Eindhoven

Doolhof was a typical case of the right band at wrong time. The drone outfit, with Aaron Turner of Old Man Gloom and Sumac fame in its ranks, sounded highly intense and mesmerizing, but after Sleep, I was looking for something more energetic.

Luckily, I received a push message after the Sleep show, saying that Thou would perform a special set at the Skatepark. There had been rumours that the band would perform a set of Misfits covers somewhere during the weekend and this was it. A couple hundred people had shown up and the band was going through classics like 'Die, Die My Darling’ and 'Hybrid Moments’ like the audience was going through beers.

This set was absolute mayhem with the crowd moving as one mass and there was pretty much constant crowd surfing. The band was joined by Emma Ruth Rundle on a couple of songs, and for their final song, 'Last Caress’, they were joined by Converge/Old Man Gloom’s Nate Newton and Gilead Media chief Adam Bartlett. The former even went stage diving. If anyone was doubting why Thou is the artist in residence this year, they get it now.

Recharged by the insane show I had just witnessed, it was time for some after-partying in the basement of the 013 until the lights came on.

Day 4

Up until a few years ago the Roadburn Sunday was more of an after party, or Afterburner as it was called, but in recent years it changed into a full day. This year, all stages but the Koepelhal have bands playing, but thankfully my schedule is far less busy than the previous days.

17:30 - Main Stage

The intensity of three days of Roadburn appears to have had an effect not only on me, but on most of the visitors. That’s why T and I decided to take it easy. This meant we missed Lucy in Blue because we arrived in Tilburg at 3pm. Since for the first time this weekend, temperatures reached comfortable levels, we decided to enjoy the sun a little before diving into another day of musical adventure.

my first band of the day was Supersonic Blues, a last minute addition to the program. The young band from The Hague had the honor to play the now infamous Ladybird Skatepark. Their heavy blues rock wasn’t that special, but it surely was a welcome energizer for the rest of the day.

The first highlight of the day was TankZilla, a newcomer from my hometown Eindhoven, who got to warm up the Hall of Fame. Even though this was their second gig ever, the two members are anything but new to the scene. Singer/guitar player Peter van Elderen has enjoyed success for over twenty years with Peter Pan Speedrock, but also has more stoner credits with bands like Repomen and Four Headed Dog and drummer Marcin Hurkmans is known for his work with rockers Wolfskop. Although there’s just two guys on stage, they manage to produce some fat-sounding stoner rock with the signature riffs and lyrics of van Elderen. Today saw the release of their first 7", but this show leaves me hungry for more!

20:45 – 013 Lobby

With an hour to kill, I decided to walk to the 013 to check out a few songs from today’s Thou set. Even though it was their fourth set this weekend, the main stage was packed with people wanting to see the artist in residence one more time. And rightfully so. Even after four days of playing, the last time being only 16 hours before, the band played another energetic set of nasty doom.

This made it somewhat difficult for me to leave early, but I had been looking forward to my second chance of seeing Bismuth ever since it was announced this morning. The Skatepark has become my favorite venue and the acoustics are perfect for the intensity of “The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef”. This time not troubled by technical difficulties, the UK duo’s perfect performance of 'The Slow Dying of the Great Barrier Reef’ is one of my absolute highlights of the festival.

Fuel is important on days like these, so I decided to skip the beginning of Old Man Gloom to grab a delicious pancake filled with spinach and goats cheese, walnuts and honey. By the time I reach the crowded main stage, the OMG set is almost over, but judging from the enthusiastic crowd, the New Mexico sludge machine managed to deliver.

2:xx – Eindhoven

Roadburn is over, but not before we were treated to another two-hour set of Sleep. This time the sonic titans performed their most recent effort, The Sciences, in its entirety, with the addition of “Leagues Beneath”, “Dragonaut” and another section of “Dopesmoker”. Sadly, the band was troubled by technical difficulties, to the great annoyance of Matt Pike, who even had to switch amps mid-set. This prevented the show from being the legendary event it could have been.

After Sleep, the time had come to slowly start Brexiting (saying you are leaving, but staying as long as you can).Saying goodbye to friends, both old and new, is always difficult, but it was fun to hear all the great stories everyone lived this weekend and see the joy in everyone’s tired eyes. And just like Great Britain, we stayed until we were kicked out, leaving Tilburg behind with many new memories.

Oregon has long established itself as a cradle for doom metal, to the point where you’re not really surprised anymore to find out that the new band you’ve discovered turns out to be from Portland. Yet there’s still much gold to be found when you scratch the surface and venture beyond the YOBs and Red Fangs of the world. In short, there’s more to the Beaver State than meets the eye.

Likewise, the Salem-based HELL mastermind MSW would generally not stand out in your typical Roadburn crowd, where long hair, beards, and a ragged denim jacket are standard fare. You might notice the weary eyes and Lucky Strike tattoo on second glance, but you probably wouldn’t know that you’re standing next to one of the most gifted songwriters doom has currently on offer. Which I am thankful for, as we were forced to do interview in a lobby on account of the press room being unexpectedly closed – aside from one person asking for a picture with him, nobody seemed to recognize him.

I was nervous and starstruck in my own way, on account of finally meeting the other half of what I’d like to call the “Oregon Circle” that brought us bands like Hell, Merkstave, Urzeit, Elu of the Nine, et al, having already interviewed the first half, MSW’s frequent collaborator ALN (of Mizmor fame) the day prior. However, he broke the ice immediately by complementing my Primitive Man shirt and informing me that he’d release a split with them next year (which was incredibly hard to keep my mouth shut about, but turned out great, unsurprisingly).

What follows is our conversation on the third day of the 2018 edition of Roadburn, presented here at the one-year anniversary of Hell’s appearance to the storied Dutch festival.

Let’s talk about the new record. Were you surprised about the reception of it? I personally loved it, and it was one of my favorite records of 2017.

Yeah, it was better than I thought it would be.

I felt that the new record leaned more towards the doom metal side, as opposed to the previous material, which was a bit more routed in black metal and had more quiet moments. Was that a deliberate choice?

We, being me and the people I play live with, had been playing the material for a long time and I just wanted to write something that is fun to play live, too. Less slow, quiet moments, more mid-tempo, more fun on the road.

Which I thought was so great about the record. It’s all punishment until the mid-section of Victus, when that one quiet section hits like a freight train.

Yeah, that’s just how I write things. I wanted a little something like Hell III so I put that in there. Little bit of quiet, little bit of loud.

What can we expect from upcoming Hell releases?

Just more of the same.

Not a full blown black metal record?

No. As far as my own songwriting goes, I’m not a huge fan of blast beats. I prefer that groove, you know. Incorporating various influences – stoner metal, death metal.

Just as with Mizmor (whose own A.L.N. provides live drums and vocals for Hell) I think I’m hearing a lot of atypical sounds in Hell’s music, things you wouldn’t normally find in metal. So, for example, what inspired songs like “Foetorem Timere”?

Oh, I worked on that song for three years. Had it on my recorder forever, but classical – that’s my influence. I grew up with it. My ma, my grandma, and my grandpa, my whole maternal side of the family, were all music majors. My grandpa was the music professor at Western Oregon University. I grew up with classical music constantly blasting in the house. I hated it at first, wanted to listen to Nirvana, you know? Eventually, there were some songs like the romantic adagios that really got me hooked on it, with the way the harmonies would work together.

What first got you into metal?

Like most people, Black Sabbath. I started hanging out with the Burial Grounds Crew. They’d have me play bass in really crazy heavy bands and I wasn’t even really into metal. And eventually they’d show me these bands from a genre called doom metal that I had never heard of. I was around 15 at that time and I was like: “What the fuck is this shit? It’s pretty cool. I like this! I can probably write shit like this.” And they were like: “Oh dude, you totally should try.” So, I went home and wrote “Brutus” (which would eventually end up on Hell I). I went back to them, asked them if this worked, and they thought it was rad, that I should write more. And within three months, I had written the rest of the songs.

And you were 15 at when you wrote these songs?

No, no, I was 15 when I started hanging out with those guys and smoking weed. I was 17 when I wrote these songs.

That’s impressive. I love that section in “Brutus” where you just start rocking out, it’s so unexpected.

Yeah, it’s fun.

I’m not sure how much truth there is behind this, but I read somewhere that Hell was supposed to call it quits after ‘III.’ Is that true?

Yeah, I say all sorts of shit. I will get tired. My voice is gone, my throat is sore, I drink too much. The lifestyle of a musician, the touring, it gets to you – but I like playing. Sheene, who plays guitars with me in the band, is my old best friend, and we’re together in a rock and roll/blues band called The Fools. And that’s what I really love to do. Hell represents different phases of my life. Those that were really hard, like when my dad and grandparents died in the span of two years. I wrote all this music in the buildup to and the aftermath of that. Now I’m just not that bummed out anymore. And I’m not going to fake it. I see a lot of people doing – or rather faking – that sound, but I’m not feeling it. And I’m not going to produce music, if I’m not feeling that way.

So if you got the idea for a riff, you just stash it away for later?

If I have an idea I’ll record, but I only get ideas when I’m going through bad times. Or when I’m really high.

But what made you come back then?

Well, I already play live drums in Mizmor for however many shows Liam (ALN) wants me to, and he plays drums for me. I’ve got a lot of traveling anxiety, so I told him that if I go over to Roadburn, we might as well bring along all the other solo projects we are in. And I was really into the whole idea, as long as I’d be home for my birthday to be with my family, but as it turned out Hell is playing on my birthday. But yeah, the traveling anxiety, me not liking big crowds and so on, that led me to saying I’d end Hell, but I’m still here and having a good time.

Is there any new music besides Hell that you’re working on? I discovered Merkstave just a week ago and I totally fell in love with it.

Oh, Merkstave is an old one. That was started by Paul Riedl and Kyle Watson in 2007. They asked me to play guitar and then we wrote Spawn of a Lower Star. Then I played bass in a punk band called Midnight Persuasion and guitar in Teenage Handmodels, which was one of those dirty, sleazy rock and roll bands. And then of course the aforementioned Fools.

And what records have you been listening to a lot recently?

Superfly by Curtis Mayfield. Lots of Leonard Cohen, The War on Drugs, Spectral Voice. Paul is a good friend of mine. He was in Merkstave and he got me doing metal in the first place.

That new Spectral Voice record was great.

Yeah, I just love Paul and their shit is just rad to me. It’s some of my favorite death metal.

What are some sets you’re going to catch here at Roadburn?

I really wanna see Earthless – ideally, each of their sets. And Godspeed. And I wanna catch the Mizmor set. I don’t really know that many of the bands that are playing, so I’ll just walk around and try to catch a little bit of everything. And support them, buy some merch.

Defining records in your life?

The Wall. Paranoid and Master of Reality. And Peasant by Thou. Really funny people, too. Electric Wizard’s Come My Fanatics and Dopethrone.

I find it kind of funny, as I’ve seen people refer to Hell as 'Dopethrone’ being recorded by a black metal band.

People say that. I’m not really hearing it. To me, Windhand and Cough got that EW sound.

How would you describe Hell to someone?

I don’t really know. I mean, there’s blackened doom or however the terminology for that may be – there’s so many different names. It’s hard to describe. It’s a lot of different things, but I can tell you what I like. A heavy tone, low tuning, a good rumble, thumpy bass, tight snare, and a punchy, huge kick drum. Echo on the vocals, so it sounds like you’re in a trance.

Oh, I loved the bass sound on the new record, it’s absolutely rotten.

Yeah, I recorded that one with a guitar amp. Been using the same Fender combo for all my recordings since Hell I. I don’t even know what it is, but it sounds cool.

Last question: What five objects would one have to lay into a Pentagram to summon you?

Oh, Liam already warned me about this question. A blackface Big Muff. A pack of Lucky Strikes. A bottle of gin. An Epiphone SG. Not a Gibson, the new ones are terrible. And a pulled pork sandwich.

By Billy Goate (Editor in Chief)

For those in the know, ROADBURN FESTIVAL in Tilburg, Netherlands is the crème de la crème of music festivals. This owes not so much to its size (Hellfest and Desertfest draw bigger crowds), as to its prestige, atmosphere (there’s a very communal vibe), and uncanny knack for identifying rising stars and bringing a laser focus on emerging trends in heavy underground music and art.

The year I found out about it, I was so excited, I scrambled to buy my tickets when they first came on sale. So proud was I of my conquest (three-day pass with camping, snatched up before they’d all disappeared) that I neglected to think about the logistics of, you know, getting there. Turns out there is no inexpensive way of travelling from Portland to Amsterdam, so I ended up making a friend’s day who lived just miles away, but couldn’t afford the price of a ticket.

Still, my aspirations to do Roadburn and, for that matter, the entire European festival circuit, has not dissipated. Perhaps 2017 or even 2018 will yield possibilities. For now, I’m grateful I can live vicariously through the experiences documented by super208productions, LiveManiacs, KoenG, GigBreeder, and iljahhh (among others) who have graciously posted footage for us to enjoy (with, perhaps, a sense of wistful envy).

(click below or the title above for full story and video clips!)

Regulars will know that Doomed & Stoned has a week radio show that airs live on Grip of Delusion Radion, Sundays from 5-7 pm PST / 8-10 pm EST and then we release a podcast sometime between Wednesday and Friday of each week (sometimes two!) on Mixcloud

Here is the most recent and the last two, in case you missed!

Avid Dutch vinyl collector and concert-goer Marcel van der Haar continues to tell us what we all missed at Roadburn Festival ‘14, with this excerpt from his diary covering Day II of this hallowed fest.

Friday, April 11th, 2014

10:00 Wasn’t feeling well at all when I woke up. Stayed at the campgrounds in my tent for a good bit of the morning. 

18:00  Instead of going with the shuttle bus to the venue I went in my car (it’s only 6km to Tilburg from the camping site).

18:30  Arrived at the much celebrated venue 013 in time to see Corrections House on the main stage. What a band with members of the caliber of Scott Kelly (Neurosis), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza), Mike IX Williams (Eyehategod) & Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium). Really enjoyed their gig!!!

20:30  After Corrections House I took time to do some much needed vinyl shopping—both for myself and three Facebook friends who sent me money expressly for this purpose (each year, Roadburn Festival offers records that are not available anywhere else).

21:40  Went to the Patronaat venue to see Sula Bassana. The venue was, as usual, packed. Didn’t try to fight my way to the front as I did the day before with Lord Dying.  Even so, I thoroughly enjoyed the show from a distance. It was, as expected, an incredible psychedelic trip!!!

23:10 After the gig from Sula Bassana, I walked pass the merchandise stands were I’ve met Sean Bryant Dunn from Hull. We had a nice chat and quite a few laughs (he’s a cool guy).  Best of all, I got a discount on their new 7" The Legend of the Swamp Goat!

23:45  On to see one of the biggest names in music right now: Opeth, who performed on the Main Stage as a Day II Headliner.

The last time I saw Opeth in concert it was 2009 and I was living in Dubai. The played the (now defunct) , which was the only festival of its kind in the Middle East.

Opeth’s set at Roadburn was virtually perfect, with singer/songwriter and guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt sharing his wry wit and dry humor with the audience in between songs. To be honest, I don’t know or remember if they played new stuff, as their new album will be released in June.

02:00 Missed quite a few bands On Day 2 due to being under the weather, but on the other hand there were not as many bands that interested me playing today. Can’t wait for Day 3! 

Marcel van der Haar is our Doomed & Stoned contributor from The Netherlands.  Ironically, he did not have a ticket to Roadburn Festival 2014 originally and I did (managed to get lucky and purchase a four-day pass with camping before they all sold out). The only problem? Turned out I couldn’t afford the cost of airfare from Portland to Amsterdam, so when reality set in, I offered to sell Marcel my ticket (he was ecstatic). And boy did he ever make good use of it!  Following is Marcel’s diary from Day I of this iconic and eclectic festival, which attracts thousands to the small Dutch town of Tilburg each year.  Note: the pics are his, but the vids are sourced from various Roadburn attendees. -BillyGoat-

08:00   Got up to prepare my stuff, like packing my bag, preparing sandwiches, and everything else on my mental checklist. 

10:30   Left the house and scooted off in my car towards Hilvarenbeek de Beekse Bergen to the Roadburn campgrounds. The ride took only a bit more than an hour (it’s about 110 km. from my place).

11:45  Arrived at the Roadburn campsite where I set up my tent and unpacked. Didn't have enough tent pins, so I used all four headrests from my car to keep my new home away from home in place.

14:30  I took the shuttle bus from the campgrounds to the venue 013. Once arrived at the 013, it was already really crowded, yet there was a really nice atmosphere. In front of 013 were the stands with vinyl and merchandise from the bands. Looked around for any people I knew, and went to get my wrist band for all four days. The venue wasn't open yet, so I walked about and checked the bars around the corner from the venue, where I ran into a few friends from Australia, whom I know only from Facebook.

15:00  After having a drink together the lot of us went towards the venue and then went our separate ways (so many bands to see!). I went to the Main Stage to see Sourvein! The venue was pretty filling quickly, but not full yet. Sourvein put down a great gig!!!

                               via Earsplit Records and Revolver

16:00 Halfway through, I went to the Green Room next to the Main Stage to see Brutus. However, the Green Room was packed, and the people were even standing outside the entrance to get even a peak at the show—or at least to hear it.  Listened to a few songs, and went back to the Main Stage to Sourvein. From what I’ve heard, Brutus put down a killer gig, as well. After Sourvein, I walked around and chatted with many people.