Interview DÖ

With the release of Unversum, cosmic doom band DÖ explores themes of insignificance and cosmic nihilism. We discuss their evolving sound, collaborative songwriting, and creative journey.

1.  First of all, congratulations on the release of Unversum! Could you tell us about the album’s central concept and how the idea of “There is no I in Unversum” came to shape the themes of the record?

J’andrömeda: Thank you! We’re really excited that the album is finally being released. The journey to this point was a long one, but it was worth it.

‘Unversum’ was chosen as the album’s title a couple of years ago when Teröid threw out a phrase “Megative Unversum”. The word “Unversum” in particular resonated with all of us, and it was an easy and quick decision to make it the album’s title. It perfectly captures everything the band’s mood and message are about at their core. It’s about existence and non-existence. Greatness and smallness. Death and birth. Cosmic nihilism and the embrace of insignificance.

“There is no I in Unversum” is similar to the meme “There is an I in team, but it’s hidden in the A-hole.” That phrase expresses the idea that in the grand scheme of things, the individual has very little significance. Yet rampant selfishness, greed, and toxic egoism are constantly driving humanity closer to destruction. The phrase is also featured on our new shirts, in the same way that the long-sleeve shirt featured the phrase “The power of Cosmos compels me” as a tribute to the greater forces of nature.

However, we don’t want to explain all the symbolism and mysticism—we prefer to leave room for the listener and viewer to discover and interpret things for themselves.

2. Your music has a distinctive blend of doom, sludge, and cosmic themes. How did the long writing process, especially with Teröid joining in 2019, affect the evolution of your sound on this album?

Teröid: Since 2019 and after ‘Black Hole Mass’ EP, my equipment, mostly my pedal board, has changed a lot. It has changed even during the recording process of the ‘Unversum’. I partly get my inspirations, song ideas and vibes by just fiddling and goofing around with different kinds of sounds, so it has a significant influence on the writing process. Many years have passed since joining the band so there’s lots of different kinds of vibes, moods and influences in the record.

Of course when I bring my ideas to the guys they put their own vibe and feel into tunes. Many times the ideas eventually sound very different from what I was hearing in my head while writing them. For example ‘Nuclear Emperor’ was first like a classic 80’s heavy metal tune, but it didn’t work out too well so we decided to slow it down and it ended up very sludgy and kind of heavy flowing. But that’s awesome and one of the magic with playing in the band with the fellows you feel the chemistry with.

J’andrömeda: When it comes to using effects, Teröid is phenomenal. In the past, I’ve tried adding more variation and weirdness to the band’s sound through various bass effects, but that’s no longer necessary. I’m extremely pleased that I can now focus on building solid backbones for the songs together with Kristos. In terms of riffs, Teröid has his own personal style that still follows perfectly the cosmic path laid by his predecessor, Big Dog. So I believe it’s this new dynamic between the guitar and bass, and exploring that relationship, that has given döömer a new direction, without losing its core essence.

3. You’ve mentioned that "Wasted Life Form" was born during your very first rehearsals with Teröid. How did that song evolve over time, and how does it reflect the dynamic in the band now?

Kristös: Yes, that’s true. It was one of the first songs that we started jamming with Teröid and it came along really easy. One of the reasons that it was so easy for us is that me and Teröid have a background in another band called Masteroid. We played together for about 5 years and we kind of became welded really nicely back then and now when Teröid joined DÖ it just continued in the same way and J’anrömeda was also easily able to pick up Teröid's vibe.

The song represents the more stoner rock side of DÖ (of course traditional doom also in the end) and I think it has been quite the same from the beginning. Not much has changed. It pretty much came along as it is now on Unversum.    

4. "Ode to the Dark Matter" was written in the studio, which contrasts with some other tracks that took longer to develop. Could you share more about the writing and recording process of that track?

Teröid: While in the studio we were considering an instrumental opening intro track for the album and it was supposed to be a title track called ‘Unversum’. I had some riffs but they all ended up being too long for the intro. Then the frustration reared its ugly head and I just smashed the main riff of the “Ode” out of the blue. Then the rest of the riffs fitted in like a glove after tweaking them a little bit with the guys, Ode, our soundman included.

5. What was the most challenging aspect of creating Unversum, considering that it spanned nearly five years, and what were some of the most rewarding moments?

Kristös: I think the most challenging thing was that covid pandemic kind of destroyed our creativity and made us a little bit lazy. We had clear plans after Black Hole Mass but all went to shit. And after that it took more power to put together the pieces and find the creativity again than we expected. It was horrible because we had used to do things pretty fast and the material used to come along really quickly and suddenly all stopped.

But after covid we picked up the pace, finalized the material and finally got to the studio. The studio and the mixing process were quite fast compared to the song writing session. And I think one of the most rewarding moments for me was that our trustee producer, recording and mixing engineer O.D nailed the drum sounds at once. I was like “fuck yes” because I have had also in the past so hard and consuming mixing processes with my drum sounds. And one other rewarding moment was when I got the vinyl in my hand and I dare to say it was a really rewarding moment for all of us. Finally it was ready and completed and it was in our hands and it looked and sounded really awesome.

Teröid: I got difficult health issues after a corona infection. I was constantly tired, foggy and exhausted for a long time and it still affects me after two years. That affected all of my doings, not least the playing and composing. Inspiration was almost gone, but maybe you can hear the bleakness in the album in a good way. I even had to stop my favorite sport, Thai boxing and that was devastating itself. Now I’m better but I’m still struggling with some issues and even now I cannot do heavy sports which sucks. Fuck corona.

6. You’ve mentioned that the album's sound might make listeners think there are keyboards involved, yet everything was made using just guitar, bass, and drums. Can you explain the techniques used to achieve these textures and layers?

Teröid: I have a shitload of stompboxes and guitar geek stuff. There’s different kinds of delays, reverbs and modulation pedals chained. There’s also some weird and obscure pedals used which I’d not even know what to call them… reverse engines and other sound distorters which sound like your guitar went to black hole and came back as a Balrog or something. I'm largely an experimental and creative player rather than technical and I love playing around with those toys and seeing what happens after what. You know, [with a lunatic voice from the chamber]: “If I back my wah cocked and set the phaser pulsing quickly and chain them to a tape replay machine modeler, which makes it sound like a neutered male choir, and then add some reverse reiteration, what would it sound like?!?”. There you go – summoning balrogs with choir modeling stompboxes…

On the other hand, it’s not that crucial in a live situation. It's another realm. Sure I can produce spacey and psychedelic sounds on stage too - J also makes some crazy noises with his bass and mouth (K is crazy in other ways) - but the most important thing is the massive fuzzed out and crushing soundscape that we have with all the basses and drums put together. No-one cares, and no-one shouldn’t care, if all the recorded effects aren’t precisely mimicked live.

7. Given that Unversum is designed with the LP format in mind, how did you approach the sequencing of the tracks to create that cohesive, black hole-like pull for the listener?

Teröid: I think the final point was when we were driving back home from the gig and we listened to all of the songs and decided the order. Sure the vinyl is a somewhat limiting element, but the songs are not too different in length so it wasn’t that hard eventually. Of course there’s some excitement in the air when each individual sees and hears things differently. For example Ode to the Dark Matter wasn’t going to be in the record in the first place. It was just before the mastering when we decided to drop one High On Firerish and rocking song off and replace it with Ode. That’ll be released later on in an EP with another stonerish leftover tune.

J’andrömeda: The songs are varied, and we carefully planned the order so that the overall flow moves from one mood and, in some cases, even one style to another, making the album something you’d want to listen to as a whole.

8. This album marks the first time you’ve written lyrics collectively as a band. How did that collaboration work, and how do you feel it influenced the lyrical themes on the album?

J'andrömeda: Writing lyrics is the part of songwriting that I enjoy the least. Fortunately, Teröid is a member of the Ursa Astronomical Association and has a natural interest in space. So he was really enthusiastic about inspiring me and coming up with song titles, and even full lyrics. For example, Teröid came up with the title and lyrical concept for "Sulfur Incense" even before the composition was written. Once one of the song’s ideas took shape and we felt it had a bit of an exotic, Kingston Wall-like vibe, the cosmic incense theme fit to it perfectly. In these cases, all I had to do was to adapt the lyrics to suit my style, the song arrangements, and DÖ’s overall vibe.

9. You’ve spoken about the Astral Death Cult ideology influencing the lyrics once again. How do these cosmic themes relate to the events and personal experiences that shaped Unversum?

J’andrömeda: Every human being belongs to this cosmic death cult, whether they accept it or not. We are all subject to such vast cosmic forces that they are beyond comprehension. Yet, these forces make our existence possible, which is why they must be respected. They are also unpredictable and could, in theory, wipe us out in an instant. The Astral Death Cult concept is about honoring and revering these forces that enable life but can also take it away. It’s also a way to explore and comment on humanity, religion, wars, and their significance—or rather, their insignificance.

So, even though the lyrics address vast, distant topics, they also reflect the moods and feelings experienced at the time they were written. Some lyrics are more aggressive and destructive, while others carry the calming influence of space. For example, the lyrics of “Call of the Supervoid,” written during the pandemic, reflect feelings of isolation and an escape to somewhere far away, like the Boötes Void. “Wasted Life Form,” on the other hand, revels in the thought that at this rate humanity won’t last much longer, and will soon perish, freeing up space for the planet and the universe.

Writing lyrics is cathartic because it allows you to scream out your feelings. But at times, it has been a bit overwhelming when the feeling of smallness has momentarily taken over.

One major inspiration for the lyrics is still Carl Sagan’s “Pale Blue Dot” speech, which we recommend everyone to listen.

10. How do you think your sound has progressed from previous releases like Black Hole Mass (2020) to Unversum? What new elements or techniques did you explore this time around?

Teröid: For me BHM was a jump into the  unknown realm. So I really didn’t know what to expect. Fortunately J and K were really encouraging for me to trust myself and to do what I felt right and not to think so much about the earlier stuff. Guys really made me comfortable to create what comes to me naturally.

If there were any demons lurking they were my own to fill the big shoes of my predecessor Big Dog and not to disappoint the fans of older DÖ. That was kind of scary since I know there's people with DÖ tattoos and stuff. I surely didn’t want to ruin it and make them laser their tattoos off… I kind of forced myself to create stuff which didn’t differ too much from the earlier DÖ because I've a very different style of playing than Big Dog. But I think the results were better than expected and I discovered a different kind of approach to songwriting for my part. So with that I think we found our own path to go with J and K. With the ‘Unversum’ we’re still on the same path as what was discovered making the BHM. Playing gigs has made the path even clearer. It’s liberating to realize that you can do anything.

To speak more practically, ‘Unversum’ was partly recorded in the studio and in my home when BHM was completely recorded in the studio. For ‘Unversum’ we recorded the drums, bass, vocals and some guitars live in the studio and the rest of the guitars at my home studio. For the base sound I used my old workhorse Soldano tube amp with a reactive load box and cab sims. At home I had more time to try and concentrate more on that space stuff. Our soundman Ode put them all together nicely. Actually we could publish the parallel unversum remix with all the omitted stuff - haha.

11. With the world opening up post-COVID, how excited are you to bring these new tracks to the live stage? What can fans expect from your upcoming live performances of Unversum?

Kristös: We are really excited! Fucking bursting. As I mentioned before we were little bit depressed and in some kind of a loop where we didn’t had the possibility to do thighs as we had used to do, well in the world no one did, but now when that depression is gone we are full of energy and ready to fuck shit up! :D

Fans can expect a really tight package of new material, fierce performance, happy and eager band, good times and my striptease show (actually that is already a tradition in our gigs :D)

12. Lastly, with Unversum soon to be released, what do you hope listeners take away from the album, both musically and thematically? What kind of journey do you hope it takes them on?

J’andrömeda: The greatest thing would be if we could momentarily take the listener away from this reality. We’re all old-school music fans and appreciate well-crafted albums. So from the musical perspective, we wanted to create an album that doesn’t become monotonous. Hopefully, this will help listeners escape the hectic nature of life and the daily grind, even if it’s just for 45 minutes.

Thematically, the most important takeaway is this: know and accept your place in the universe–appreciate the fact that you even exist. And don’t be an asshole.

DÖ Dark Cosmic Doom (astraldeathcult.com)