DAWN OF WINTER - Gerrit P. Mutz

\r\nMetalzone.gr: Welcome to Metalzone.gr Dawn Of Winter, an let me congratulate you for this doomed masterpiece, entitled “The Peaceful Dead”, it really
\r\nstacked for many days on my CD player.  Well a new album after almost
\r\nten years, really odd, why didn’t you release an album earlier?
\r\nGerrit : Well, we always take things slow. We do not rehearse on a constant basis and we only meet when we all find the time to fully concentrate on
\r\nDOW. It was not planned to really take about 10 years to come up with a follow up to our so called debut though. We have started the song writing
\r\nfor this album about 5 years ago and we were pretty quick with that. But then things slowed down again and we just couldn’t get us 4 together in
\r\na rehearsal room to work out the songs finally. Rehearsals were rare and when we finally had completed the song writing, we just could not agree on a fix time schedule for going into a studio.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: How Difficult is to be a traditional Doom Metal band today? Have you got any support from the media around the globe, or doom metal still lives in the dark crypts, like so many years ago?
\r\nGerrit : For us it it easy nowadays to be what we are. We have a record deal and lots of friends in other doomcults. What could be better? We’re not striving for stardom anyway. The support from the media at least is existent these days. In the early 90s there was no big worldwide doom scene, like there is now, and there was no media support at all. So, things surely have changed for the better.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Give us a short Dawn of The Winter history, (line up changes, albums, and releases)
\r\nGerrit : Oh, man, really? OK, but I’ll cut that short. I have started that band as a two piece with my then best friend Oliver in the summer of 1990. We
\r\ndid one demo under the name of CEMETERY. In early 1991 we changed that name to DAWN OF WINTER.
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\r\nIn September of that year we have released our first proper demo called “Path Of The Worm”. In 1992 Bolle joined on Bass and Jörg joined on
\r\nguitar. In 1993, after our EP “Celebrate the agony”, Oliver left the band and  Dennis joined on Drums. We are active in that line-up since then. In 1994 we recorded a full-length called “Doomcult Performace” but that was shelved until a LP-only release in early 2003. We recorded our first real full-length “In The Valley Of Tears” in 1997. That was released finally in 1998. We then did lots of shows and 2001 we released another EP called “Slow is the suffering”. We also contributed to several tribute albums in the meantime.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Give us some info for the newest release (Such as line up, recording sessions, when did you start composing and whatever you like)
\r\nGerrit : Well, as stated before, the line up is still constant since 1993. Me on vocals, Jörg on guitar, Bolle on Bass and Dennis on drums. Song writing started about 5 years ago but due to our usual time problems we couldn’t  arrange going into the studio before September, 2008.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: What feedback did you get so far for “The Peaceful Dead”?
\r\nGerrit : Pretty good feedback! I’ve read about 20-30 reviews so far and most of them were really positive. Of course, there always will be people who
\r\ncan’t stand what we do but it’s not for them that we play this music. We play it for ourselves in the first place anyway.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Well, while I’ve been listening the album, the first track, “The Music of Despair” really got me, how does it feel to refer some legendary
\r\nbands such as Witchfinder General, Saint Vitus, Pagan Altar, Angelwitch,Candlemass, on a track? Is it homage to your favourite bands,
\r\nor just homage to doom metal genre and Doom Metal fans in general?
\r\nGerrit :  It is a homage to doom metal itself. I mean, I have supported doom in times when nearly nobody else was interested in this kind of metal. And
\r\ndoom itself has never let me down as well; I could always rely on these albums by my fave artists.
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\r\nThey never changed and always meant the same to me. It’s like a relationship between me and the kind of metal that I hold dearest. Doom is the biggest part of me and I truly love that music. So I wanted to write a kind of “thank you” letter to doom in general. I have not mentioned all of my fave doom bands in that lyric, because then the song would have been way too long though, haha.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Tell us please your opinion for some “so called” doom metal bands and genres, like funeral doom, drown, stoner and this kind of stuff
\r\nGerrit : I like slow, desperate, passionate music in general. I have no problem with bands that not totally follow the orthodox doom rules like we do. My fave bands definitely come from the traditional doom corner but I also enjoy the likes of Thergothon, Skepticism, Mournful Congregation, Winter, Bunkur, Otesanek, Eye Hate God, Grief, Grand Magus, Goatsnake, Burning Witch, The Devils Blood, Blood Ceremony or Jex Thoth. So, no matter if more sludgy or drone or more early 70’s oriented, I like it when played with conviction and identity.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Your Lyrical themes have to do with Sadness, Witchcraft, Isolation, Who is responsible for the lyrics, do you believe that this the proper lyrical themes for Doom Metal, is doom metal the music of despair, after all?
\r\nGerrit : I write all the lyrics and I always did. Yeah, I think that doom metal lyrics should deal with those topics. The only band that I can forgive for writing kinda political lyrics from time to time is Black Sabbath.
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\r\nBut well, down to the point, they also wrote more anti-war songs like Vitus later also did. And that’s something that kinda also fits doom. I just prefer songs about solitude, depression and good old black and white horror flicks. That matches perfectly with the mood of a good doom riff normally.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: What does Doom Metal mean to you? Is it the “Soul Of Metal”?
\r\nGerrit : Sure! Black Sabbath invented doom metal. Doom is the purest and most archaic form of metal. Just listen to the song “Black Sabbath”. This song started it all. The overall feeling of dread and the wailing vocals, warning of a bitter fate, just summed it up perfectly. Doom has remained to most outsider subgenre in metal and the genre with the most honest bands. So, yeah, doom IS the soul of metal.
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Have you planned any shows for the spring / summer, any festivals probably? Any idea about when the Greek “Children of Doom” will be able to catch you on stage here?
\r\nGerrit : Nope, we have neither planned a tour nor any shows yet. We just don’t have the time to rehearse these days. We’ll start rehearsing again in April and then we’ll see if we can play one or more shows. We’d love to come to Greece for sure! I’ve been there several times and the people and the food are just amazing!!
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\r\nMetalzone.gr: Well, thank you very much for your time guys, Add whatever you like as an epilogue to this short interview and Doom on!
\r\nGerrit : Again, thank you for the support! Keep fighting for metal.
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\r\nInterview Lampros “Witchfynder General” Tennes
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