Danish doom metal band Katla are set to release their debut album entitled Scandinavian Pain on March 21st. The band’s drummer/vocalist Rasmus Bang spoke with Metal Express Radio about their debut album, the band’s formation, signing with Naplam, and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: How did the formation of your band come about?
Bang: The very first thought was to have a vocalist, but since it didn’t really work out and we preferred the three of us, it kinda came naturally that I, Rasmus, (on drums) would be the one singing alongside former bassist David and now Theis. Being a three-piece is a very democratic size for a band, it turns out! If two people agree, that’s what we roll with. It works great as well. Both in the song writing and who’s buying the next round.
MER: You’re set to release your debut album entitled Scandinavian Pain on March 21st, what can you tell fans about your upcoming release?
Bang: It’s a very heavy doom metal album with a lot of influence from death and black metal. We also flirt a lot with sludge metal, so if that’s your jam, you should check it out! We’ve also tried with this one to be very audience-minded in our lyrical world and in the thematics. You can pull out a lot of self help from this record.
MER: How was it getting together to write and record your first full length album?
Bang: Very naturally. It really “wrote itself.” Theis joined the band as we just finished our last release and with this new musical and creative energy it just made a lot of sense to make a full length and keep pushing the boundaries.
MER: How did signing with Napalm Records come about?
Bang: As far as we are concerned, it was our booker Thorsten sending a 13-second long video from an iPhone of us performing at a festival to Sebastian, our now A&R at Napalm Records, and that’s how it started. We started chatting and the rest is history. Haha. Of course there is a lot of very boring business talk about it too, but we prefer to keep it at the video from an iPhone kicking everything off.
MER: Who are some of your favorite artists on Napalm’s roster?
Bang: That’s not a fair question, of course they all rock equally! But of course we are very proud to share the roster with our Danish sisters and brothers in Konvent and Plaguemace and of course we are stoked to go on tour with labelmates 1914.
MER: You’ll soon be going on tour supporting 1914, what are your expectations on the upcoming tour?
Bang: The plan is to take advantage of this huge opportunity to tour such a big part of Europe and make a big impact on the cities and venues we visit. The album is so fresh and it’s a huge chance for us to really get the ball rolling.
MER: What do you see as plans for you and your band after the tour with 1914?
Bang: To tour even more and play even more. This is what we wanted from the start. So the grind is real and the hard work only just began.
MER: Who do you hope to tour with and why?
Hang: We’ve realized after touring with a few different bands that it actually doesn’t matter what genre they play or who they are on their social media platforms. If they are cool, they are cool, if not, it sucks. And it doesn’t really matter if it’s the town locals or Metallica. You spend a lot of time together on a tour and it’s important that people are nice people. So we hope to tour with nice people.
MER: Is there anywhere you’re hoping to play live and why?
Bang: South America is a huge one for us, so that would be amazing. Australia would also be banging.
MER: What are your hopes for your band’s future?
Bang: To finally quit daytime jobs, haha. And spend time on touring and hanging out with our families. The ultimate freedom within the limitations of being a musician, I guess.
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