Doomcrusher are not a band that happened by accident. Brought together by existing friendships and a shared musical vision that had been quietly taking shape for years, the supergroup, featuring members of Any Given Day, Rage, and Betontod, arrived fully formed with their debut EP “Forsaker” on Arising Empire: seven tracks, just over twenty minutes, and absolutely no room for compromise. We sat down with frontman Marv to talk about how the project came together, the thinking behind the sound, and why, for a band with this much collective experience, the only direction worth going is forward.
Doomcrusher brings together members from very different bands, Any Given Day, Rage, Betontod. How did this project come together, and what was the initial spark that brought you all into the same room?
(Marv) Doomcrusher basically grew out of existing friendships. We’d already worked on music together in one way or another, just not in this exact lineup. When it became clear for Jean, Rob and me that it was time for a fresh start with our shared musical idea, Andy came on board pretty quickly because we all get along so well. Maik joined a bit later through Andy. We hit it off right away, and he brought in his very own skill set.
The EP has a very distinct industrial and martial character in its riffing. Was that a conscious aesthetic choice from the start, or did it emerge naturally during the writing process?
(Marv) First and foremost, it was definitely a conscious decision. The musical vision behind Doomcrusher didn’t come together overnight or from a single demo. We’d thought very carefully beforehand about which direction we wanted to go. We approached it in a more abstract than concrete way, and everything else grew out of that core idea. The fact is, though, that we simply didn’t want it to be too convoluted. The music should have a high standard, but it also has to get straight to the point. We just don’t want to get lost in technicality for its own sake.
“Forsaker” manages to balance cinematic, wide-screen atmosphere with the rawness and immediacy of metalcore. How did you approach that balance in the studio, and how much of that was down to the production process?
(Marv) Compared to a lot of other modern metal, our music isn’t really built on complex riffs or beats, so we try to come at it through atmosphere and mood first. How we get there varies a bit from song to song. On many of the tracks we also brought in outside help to add more expertise on the electronic side. We have a really cool collaboration going with Sven aka Code: Pandorum in particular. The rest comes down to feel and trusting our ears.
The title track, “Breakout” and “Odyssey” all feel like they push in slightly different directions, from deathcore to something more dynamic and expansive. How important was it for you to showcase that range within such a compact runtime?
(Marv) The great thing about this genre is that you can do so many different things without losing sight of your sonic vision. “Odyssey” grew out of one of our older demos. But if you compare the demo to the finished song now, there’s not much left of it, except maybe a vocal part here and there. I don’t think it’s about showing off our range or anything like that. It’s more about giving every song its own meaning and not repeating ourselves too much. A clear identity is important, but having the same song seven times on an EP just doesn’t do it for us. A lot of it simply comes from the heart, not from the drawing board.
Seven tracks in just over twenty minutes is a very deliberate choice. Was the EP format always the plan, or did you consider going longer?
(Marv) It ended up being an EP because it felt right to draw a line at this point. I’m not saying Doomcrusher will suddenly do things drastically different on the next releases, but the songs that made it onto the EP just feel really well-rounded together. We also simply wanted to give people something to hold in their hands. The fact that it turned out to be such an intense, tight record in terms of runtime comes from us preferring to keep things short but uncompromising. Anyone who’s seen us live knows we don’t mess around, we just go all in. Short and brutal.
With the collective experience you bring to the table, did that make the creative process easier, or does starting something new always come with its own set of challenges, regardless of your background?
(Marv) I wouldn’t say it makes the creative process easier. If anything, the opposite. But we all know what we want our music to be, and we stand up for that with each other. The great thing is that it never gets lost in egos. We pull together really well and stay focused on what matters. So the fact that we’ve already seen quite a bit has far more upsides than downsides.
Arising Empire is a label with a very strong identity in the modern metal scene. How did that partnership come about, and what does it mean for the direction of Doomcrusher going forward?
(Marv) The contact itself came about through Andy’s existing work with Arising Empire. As a German band, if you’re thinking of a modern, heavy label, there’s just no getting around Arising Empire. Their roster is modern and diverse, and we could already see ourselves there. When the response was positive and they could picture working with us, we didn’t hesitate and got right to it. We definitely feel like we’re in good hands and want to take the next steps with Arising Empire beyond the EP.
“Forsaker” feels like a statement of intent, a debut that already knows what it wants to be. Where do you see Doomcrusher going from here, and how far do you want to push this project?
(Marv) We’re currently back in the writing process, developing the next direction for the project. We already have quite a few demos, and of course they’ll build on what we’ve released so far. It’s great to read that people understand the EP as having a clear intention, because that’s exactly what it is. Next, we’ll see which of our existing influences we can push further in one direction or the other, and how far. We’re not thinking about some gigantic goal, we see it more as a process. Just make it as massive as we possibly can.
WEBSITE
www.doomcrusher.com
