Det tyske bandet, en trio, kom med sitt debutalbum i fjor høst, som fulgte opp en ep fra et par år før det igjen, og nå er de endelig online med intervju her på Heavymetal.no. Det har dessverre tatt tid, men mye skal ut, og festivaler og konsertanmeldelser kan ofte stikke kjepper i hjulene på flyten av intervjuer. I min anmeldelse skrev jeg
«….I doom-/stonerscenen er det mange aktører, det er vanskelig å skille seg ut. Pariahlord er ikke trendsettere, eller tilbyr voldsomt nye greier, men de gjør det de gjør bra.»

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Hello Pariahlord, and welcome to Norway and Heavymetal.no, life’s heavy?

Carsten: «Hello and thank you so much for having us. We really appreciate it.»

I guess most of my readers don’t know the band, and just to get a bit on top of the bands history, can we get a fast food version of your story this far?

Carsten: «In 2018 I had the idea to form the band and wrote an EP called Embrace the Misery. In search of a drummer and bassist there were two people that immediately came to my mind and of course it was Jan and Phil. We used to play in bands before and were all friends. I knew from our previous musical experiences that we all just always clicked. After the EP we started rehearsing and then came the pandemic. Since we could not play any shows, we used that time to write the Vultures album together.» 

And why Pariahlord as band name?

Jan: «The name of the band opens the first window of interpretation and that’s why we don’t like to explain our name. We do not want to take away too much of the audience’s imagination. That’s why the following explanation is only part of it: Carsten, Phil and I have already played together, as well as independently from each other in different bands, which no longer exist for various reasons. If you now use the term pariah and break it down to the simple meaning you have the meaning outsiders / the outcasts.»

And the ep back in 2020 was your recording debut, followed by the debut full length album last year. How has the media and the listeners reacted to your music? What pros and cons have been tossed in the reviews and feedback?

Carsten: «Generally, I would say we got really nice reviews and a lot of support from all over the place. The EP got us first recognition in the scene and we did not really expect that. That was a nice and uplifting time that got us even more motivated to get our first album out. So far, we read favorable reviews but also noticed some criticism towards the vocal-message called This is the voice of…. We read every review and take a lot of feedback into consideration. Although it does not change the way we write songs, it does make us think about what to do in the future in some parts of the release process.»

Vultures by PARIAHLORD

I really like the ‘Valley’ track, what fave tracks do you have yourselves? 

Phil: «I think everyone has his own favourites. I know Jan’s favourite is Super Mega Ultra Van and Carsten’s and mine is Vrillon. We all love Valley, too, but hey, there is no weak song on the album, so we love them all.

We only get tired of playing some of them, because we wrote them in 2020, so we have been playing some of them for three years now. The good thing is, we don’t need to rehearse them anymore.»

Boersma-Records, what kind of label is this? And if not a private one, how do they work for the band? Are you guys satisfied?

Phil: «Boersma-Records is a small label that was located close to us in Essen until last year. When we had recorded Vultures, we started looking for a label that would release the album without telling us what to do or how to look or sound like. The album, the artwork, the first music video, everything was ready, so we got in touch with various labels, saying: Here we are, this is us. We ended up with Boersma, because they had a focus on rock and heavy music, were close to us so that we could get to know each other and wanted to support us selling and distributing the record. That’s why we signed with them.»

Germany, oh man, it may be hard to break in Norway, a small country, but in Germany? Come on, there are thousands of bands, and I guess the doom/stoner scene is packed as well. How do you work to get some recognition? Do you have a label with a solid network? Do you buy promo deals from a management/company?

Carsten: «The scene is pretty packed and there are amazing bands in the German scene and the underground. We try to play lots of live shows and network with other bands and venues to make a name for ourselves. We do like to be in control of the networking process and to be involved in it.»

I like the sound, the production, it’s a huge monster, and a lot of the massive wall is the bass guitar. I really like the way the bass is granted a good position. Is the fact you’re a trio the reason the bass is so dominant? 

Jan: «I personally don’t have the feeling that the bass dominates within this band. Compared to other bands, the bass may be a bit more dominant. When writing songs, the three of us have a good feeling for which instrument should be dominant at which point, so that the song works best. Furthermore, Martin, the producer of the album, knows his craft and knows how to make every instrument show its full presence in detail. The fact that we are a trio clearly plays a role. But I also need the free space that is created by a missing second guitar, but is also given to me by Carsten and Phil. The reason is that I was never a bass player who worked as a minimalist, unless the song needs it to develop fully.»

Bilde, fotograf: Ukjent

And why the trio format? I do see a trend in this style of music, but is it any other reason you chose three? Was it difficult to get another guitar player? 

Phil: «A couple of years ago, the three of us had played in a band before with another guitarist. It was a very different kind of music, but the chemistry in a four-piece-band is very different. First of all, if you have two guitarists, you tend to get more arguments and discussions – and of course more ideas, as there are two people that bring in riffs and melodies. Also, there is often two against two. It can take forever to decide on something. As a trio, everyone has his instrument, his place in the band that he is responsible for. Still, you can be experimental. For example, Jan is also a guitarist and for the next album he will bring in some guitar riffs. But there is more space and the whole thing is a lot more democratic. If two people say yes and one says no, there may be an argument, but in the end, you will find a solution. It’s a very relaxed way of working together, of playing and of writing.»

What influences do you have, both regarding the band’s sound and your personal musical upbringing… 

Carsten: «There is a lot of influences that we all bring to the table. We all had different upbringings, from the classics to our punk phases, even having played in an indie band together. We all come from different paths but we all work in our personal style when we write and play our songs.»

And are there any bands/artist you listen to that will surprise us? Influences not located in the stoner/doom area? ‘Cause when I listen to a song like ‘Valley Of The Roses’, I get hints of Tool for example.

Carsten: «I think we all have bands that we love that are not typical for a stoner/doom influence. One is definitely Tool that we all share. As for me one of my biggest influences that might surprise, I would say The Cure.»

The album came out last year, is the band already in the process of writing news tuff? Or do you promote and play live from Vulture to the max, and then start the rehearsing?

Jan: «We never really stopped the creative process. After the release we took some time to concentrate on concerts and took a little vacation over Christmas. Nevertheless, we kept on writing riffs and collecting ideas for lyrics, videos and so on. Without giving too much away I can say that we are working intensively on new songs besides planning concerts.»

Any last words, merch links, people supporting the band which need to be mentioned? Here’s the spot for all of this:

Phil: «You can find all information about us on our website

. Also, we are on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp etc. You can purchase our album Vultures here.

There are many people we would like to mention or say thank you to, but we already did that on several occasions. Let’s say just say: Thanks to our families and friends for your help and support and thanks to everyone who supported us along the way. You know who you are. And thanks to you, Yngve, for giving us the chance to introduce ourselves to Norway! We really appreciate it! Thank you!»