Earlier this week, I had the chance to check the German epic melodic death metallers Darkest Horizon‘s Conquer and Command, and I was really amazed by the melodic, tightness, and harmonic atmosphere. Frankly, I became more curious to know more about these dudes. Let’s discover below!
● Since 2010, you guys have achieved a lot, but I believe that the past 3 years I like it’s a transitional period for the band, am I right?
Yes, you’re right, at first, we had a pretty quick start and a lot of stuff happened in the first years. But as you say, in the last 3 years it went a little bit quiet (though we still supported e.g. Wintersun which was an amazing time). There were some things coming together. For example, our former singer left the band, our former lead guitarist left the band… so we had quite some changes and wanted to use these times to reorganize ourselves, to work on our songwriting, improve our arrangement, and so on… So yes, it definitely was a transitional period and it still is (for we still work on improvement and we’re only getting started).
● Many rock and metal acts discussed the other life and the soul’s journey. In your opinion, what’s different in ‘Conquer and Command’?
Conquer and Command is not so much a story about the other life and the upcoming (or not) journey, it is more the moment of leaving this life and passing it on. The lyrics tell about two sides of the same moment: for once there is the dying, passing person, looking back on his life and mankind in itself and seeing (and judging) what goes and went wrong and what could have been. So to say the privilege of the left. The second side is the “wake-up” call towards the staying person, “take this life… conquer and command!”. Take this world, seize this life, you only live once… use your time wisely.
● I loved the idea of adding orchestral elements to your raw melodic death metal roots. Do you think it’s a movement these days especially that many bands go for fusing styles together?
Thank you, we are glad you like it! Actually, it is difficult to say for us, for we used symphonic elements from the very beginning on. But I think you’re right, there are more and more symphonic parts in songs (or bands) where you wouldn’t expect them to be. On the other hand, I personally had the impression that most of these influences are from modern music in general (see Pop, Rock, R’n’B, etc) for there often are some strings or some brass and so on. It is still rare to hear a whole orchestra combined with metal.
● ‘Conquer and Command’ is your second single of 2021. Are they part of an album that is coming up soon?
No, they are not. Right now we focus on singles (and there are much more to come, stay tuned!) because of different reasons. We still want to improve our writing skills (in which case singles are absolutely crucial to always check yourself with every new release), we want to experiment a lot (which is also easier with singles), and last but not least we do not work on one big theme (as on an album) at the moment. So there will be no album in the nearer future. But who knows what mindset we will have in a few months? Maybe there will be an idea for an album… we don’t know, so we don’t exclude this idea.
● Tell me more about the orchestral arrangement. How did you do it guys?
The orchestral part is the main baby of Darkest Horizon and Chris (our Keyboarder) who writes all the songs. Indifference to some bands we don’t write a metal song and
then add keys or orchestra parts to it, it is the other way round: Chris writes a song for the orchestra and we add our “metal parts” to it. This is why the orchestra always
manages to be pretty big without just being attached to a metal song.
● The song has been produced by Unleash the Sound Studios. What was their role in the production process exactly?
We love working with Matze (Schmitt, the producer) for he gives us finishing as well as feedback on what we do. We write and record the songs, arrange them and then Matze does the mixing and mastering. This workflow is very good for us for we have a lot of possibilities to record and experiment at home but in the end, he always gives us the feedback we need. Then he does his magic and parts that were pretty cool when we recorded them, become amazing when he polishes them. No idea how he does that but he always gets the best out of the songs and gives us the push to try a new step with the subsequent production.
● Finally, thank you guys for the chat, and tell your fans about your next 2021 plans.
First of all thanks to you for the chat and the quick contact. We are very glad that you like the single and gave us the possibility for this interview, thanks again for that. Then, of course, thanks to all of our fans out there that are tired of hanging around at home and not banging their heads out on the next concert. Especially in these times, it is amazing to know that there are people around the world who listen to our music. And as well, we try to give all of you guys something special for your playlist rotations. You give us the biggest push by listening to it! You are simply amazing! We will keep working on and releasing singles in 2021. The next one is already in the studio, we think there will be news around June. There are no concrete plans for further activities but a lot of ideas (though you never know what happens next week these days so no concrete plans). But do not worry, as soon as we have anything new we will publish it through the usual platforms (and, of course, Rock Era Magazine!). Until then stay safe and listen to metal!
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