Swedish Doom Metal band Domkraft are set to release their fourth album entitled Sonic Moons on September 8th. Domkraft’s bassist/vocalist Martin Wegeland took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about their upcoming album, their focus on touring, his favorite album’s of the year, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Your band, Domkraft are set to release their fourth album entitled Sonic Moons on September 8th, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?
Wegeland: It’s seven tracks loosely based on the thought of an unknown galaxy with different planets, all having their own atmosphere. Some with high density, some bordering on weightless, some constantly changing.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being your fourth album?
Wegeland: We started writing right after we had recorded our split LP with the Slomatics in 2021. As the pandemic was still settling, we knew that we would not be hitting the live circuit heavily, so it felt like the right thing to do. We had quite a lot of riffs and ideas that we wanted to pursue this time, so we tried out a lot of things and experimented quite a bit for about a year until we landed with these tracks. Then we headed back to Welfare Studios in Gothenburg, where we’ve recorded the last two releases, and nailed the whole thing in four days.
MER: How would you compare Sonic Moons to your previous three albums?
Wegeland: I would not go as far as saying it’s an experimental album in any way, but there are some elements that feel pretty new – at least to us. But, yeah, it clearly continues where Seeds left off. The only thing we were clear about was that we wanted to make at least a few very direct songs, that kicked off right away without any hesitation or build-up, and in that aspect, it may differ a bit from the last one.
MER: You’ve released a single entitled “Whispers” from the album, what kind of feedback have you received?
Wegeland: Overall good, I’d say. It’s kind of hard to tell as only the positive things tend to reach you, but the general feeling is that it has been well received.
MER: What do you see as plans for you and the rest of your band for the remainder of the year?
Wegeland: To not write a single song for a while. It feels like we have been in constant writing and arrangement mode since forever. Apart from the now four albums we’ve released two EPs, one split album and have recorded tracks for at least four different cover/redux albums. So we’re taking a break from that now. Instead, we’ll focus on touring as much as possible. It has been difficult for quite a while, both due to post-pandemic over-saturation, but also because of work and family duties. But hopefully that will change now.
MER: Is there anyone that you hope to tour with that you haven’t yet and why?
Wegeland: Oh, there’s way too many to mention. I think we’d fit with a lot of good bands, both heavy ones and bands more in the psych/groove field. We’ve played bills where we were the by far heaviest band, as well as those where all the other bands are way harder, harsher and heavier than us. So, I can see us touring with a really broad spectrum of bands. But if cornered, I’d say Slift, Yob and Slomatics. Because they all rule.
MER: How would you describe the Metal scene in Sweden?
Wegeland: We kind of operate in between genres, so we don’t really fit that well in any given scene, it seems. We never play metal festivals or anything like that, unless they’re focused on slow and heavy stuff – which is more of an underground scene. But from what I can see, the metal scene here seems as broad and healthy now as it has ever been before. And I can’t remember ever seeing so many young kids walking the streets in full denim armor, backpatches and all as this summer, so there will probably not be any shortage of new bands coming either.
MER: Is there anywhere that you hope to play live that you haven’t yet and why?
Wegeland: We’d love to play southern Europe more. We have only done one festival in Portugal a couple of years ago, but we would love to do way more dates in that area. Actually, we would love to play more all over Europe. And the US. And Canada. And Iceland. We haven’t toured that much, it has basically been down to a bunch of festivals. So there’s still a lot of places to cover.
MER: What have been some of your favorite releases of 2023?
Wegeland: Dead Meadow – Force Form Free, Saint Karloff – Paleolithic War Crimes, Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs – Land of Sleeper.
MER: Out of Domkraft’s four album’s, what is one you would suggest to a new fan and why?
Wegeland: Obviously, I should say Sonic Moons here, but I’ll give an option to either start with that or Seeds, as those two best represent what we do today. Start there and work your way back, is my advice.
Be the first to comment