(In this new interview Comrade Aleks conversed with vocalist Elina from the Moscow-based death-doom metal band Deathwind, whose debut album was released last year — and who plan to record a new one in 2025.)
Deathwind is a collaborative product of five musicians from different Moscow-based metal bands. Andrey (drums) and Vladimir (guitars) came from the black/death outfit Anotherside; Elina (vocals) previously sang in the doom band Gbvrh; Lepeha (bass) does speed/black metal in Unholy Night; and David (guitars) is from Vendel, with whom we did the interview two months ago or so.
All of them are united now by their passion for Bolt Thrower, Sacrilege, and Candlemass, and Deathwind is a product of this love. The EP Fall of the Phaeton (2023) and the full-length Triumph of Fear (2023) demonstrate that they’re good at writing and performing quite catchy and tense doomed death metal with a lady on vocals. And here she is. This interview with Elina will reveal some facts about the local underground and its life.
Hi Elina! How are you? What’s going on in your camp now?
Hi! We are going well! Working on the new stuff.
The band was formed in 2022, but you released the EP Fall of the Phaeton and the full-length album Triumph of Fear really fast, even though the album includes both songs from the EP. However, I mean that you seemed to be very motivated from the start, so what were your motives back then?
Me and our guitar player played in a heavy/doom band called GBVRH and we wanted to change the concept and play heavier music. We didn’t find the sound right away, but then we figured out what to do, so it went faster and that was all this was supposed to be.
All of you played in different bands before Deathwind – from heavy/doom metal to speed/black metal. What made you gather under the banner of death-doom metal?
We all just wanted to do something different and new. This does not lose interest and makes us move forward further.
Did you have any landmarks to guide you? How did you see the band’s concept from the start besides the fact it should be heavier than GBVRH?
No, we didn’t have any landmarks. Honestly, we just wanted to start playing after the break. For a long time there were three of us: guitar, drums, and I. We tried to find out what we could get. “Until the Fall of the Phaeton” and “Against the Sun” came. Oh, and I even decided to change the way I would sing the “Fall of the Phaeton” verse right at the time of recording. It was fun.
I mean, until these songs came out, we didn’t really know how we were going to sound. Now everything has changed. We have a clear vision of how we want to sound and what we want to convey.
Your first album Triumph of Fear was released one year ago, so did you get some feedback after all? Did people become more active online or is the feedback on your gigs far more spectacular?
I’d say 50/50. Because the internet gives the opportunity to listen to us anywhere in the world. It is definitely a good thing and we get a lot of feedback from people around the world. But at the same time, after gigs we get a lot of feedback, from those people who are silent on the internet, I guess haha
Soundage Productions released Triumph of Fear in February on CDs and tapes. Was it a push that helped you to reach more listeners? Do physical releases play any role now?
I don’t think physical releases are so important in that way. Now is the era of the Internet and it plays the biggest role if we put out our songs in some well-known public networks. I think that the physical releases now are more about support for the band, about capturing music for the ages, at least in Russia. I look at it from that perspective.
Speaking about promotion – did you think to release a split with some foreign band? Do you keep in touch with some bands from abroad at all?
We never thought about it because there were no proposals. And unfortunately, we don’t know any cool band so close. But it would be really awesome! Any ideas?
Derketa. By the way, how often do you play live? It’s obvious that underground bands in any country have to play in front of quite small numbers of people usually. Does that disappoint you? Is it worthy of efforts?
We are not disappointed at all. We get enough offers to play live, but we are selective enough and choose gigs that we’re really interested in. However, we would be thrilled to play a big fest with the world bands that we listen to.
With what kind of bands do you usually play? And how far did you tour with Deathwind already?
We mostly play with friends’ bands so it’s different: from punk to doom. We are trying to make gigs in the same genre as Deathwind but it’s not really popular here. In fact, it’s often a problem.
And we didn’t tour a lot yet, only around Russia. But you can call us! haha
The Triumph of Fear songs sound tight, focused, and quite extreme, even though you tend towards death-doom’s most hard edge. What kind of bands shaped your vision of Deathwind?
Thank you! I would say we were most inspired by Bolt Thrower, Sacrilege, and Candlemass. But personally, I was influenced by John Tardy’s vocals.
I see your point, and how did you discover that you’re able to sing with brutal vocals?
I just tried it haha. I would love to sing more brutal but I think the type of how I sing in Deathwind is our thing.
How did you manage to achieve that high-level result in Triumph of Fear? Did you record everything on your own? Or did you spend some time at the studio?
Thanks again! This album was recorded in the studio. It was pretty fast but really relaxed.
We recorded each instrument separately. It took about two days. Actually, we are not fans of sitting and working on songs for years. It’s never possible to get satisfaction like that. Though you never know…
The Metal-Archives sums up your lyrics’ themes as “myths and history”. How much of that is in your texts indeed?
Well, in some ways yes. I think it’s because of the song “Fall of the Phaeton”. It’s really from ancient Greek mythology. I use many metaphors and parables that represent deep experiences and questions that affect every person. The creation of the world, the meaning of life and existence, as well as fears about simple things such as love, honesty, and loyalty.
So you mentioned this earlier… As the album was recorded a year ago and you have new material… do you hurry to record another one as soon as possible? Do you have enough inspiration to continue?
We have a lot of energy, ideas, and inspiration to continue. Honestly, we’re working on a new album right now. All the songs are almost ready. We are going to release it in the beginning of the next year I hope.
Do you keep the new album in the same vein as Triumph of Fear? Also, will you release it DIY or through a label?
Yeah, we tried to keep the same mood. But it seems it will sound a bit heavier than the previous one. We will see soon! Also we are going to start recording the new album in the beginning of the next year and we are open to cooperation!
Are you ambitious? How do you see Deathwind’s prospects nowadays?
We just want to do what we love. But doing it with maximum value and quality. And when you do it from the heart and without expectations, people pick up your wave and give a ton of support. Isn’t that the main purpose of creativity?
Thanks for the interview Elina! Let’s hope that you’ll deal with the new release in the most effective way and the word of Deathwind will spread further. Any final words for our readers?
Thank you! And thanks to the all who are not indifferent. Let your heart light up from what you love and do. See ya.
https://www.instagram.com/deathwind_metal/
https://deathwind.bandcamp.com/