Thanks to the cool folks over at Majestic Mountain Records you can hear the thrilling new album in full:
Music:
DRÖÖG Social media:
Majestic Mountain Records Social Media:
Thanks to Majestic Mountain Records for all of the details.
Showing posts with label DRÖÖG. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DRÖÖG. Show all posts
Wednesday, 26 June 2024
Exclusive Album Premiere Of Psych/Jazz/Stoner Rockers DRÖÖG New Album: Det Stora Oväsendet
Monday, 29 August 2022
DRÖÖG - S/T (Album Review)
DRÖÖG - S/T - Tracklisting
1.Irrbloss
2.Rista hans namn
3.Stormhatt
4.Nattfjärilar
5.Blodörn 06:39
6.Hamnskiftaren
7.Bergtagen
Review
DRÖÖG self titled debut album has the mighty power of Majestic Mountain Records behind it who are pretty confident of these guys making major waves within the Doom/Stoner Rock underground and I can see why with this highly original blend of Psych Rock, Stoner Rock and Progressive Doom sounds. The album does have its fair share of Post-Rock moments and a twinge of Folk Rock.
The album is also sung in Swedish and I can’t really say what the lyrics actually mean as I don’t speak Swedish. However, the lyrics and vocals are quite heartfelt and even emotionally driven when matched against the heavy Post-Rock/Post-Stoner sounds. DRÖÖG play similar grooves to bands such as Elder and Weedpecker but still doing their own thing.
Opening song Irrbloss is an instrumental offering that moves between mellow Post-Rock sounds and heavier Stoner Rock/Metal riffs. The song is multi-layered and progressive in all of the right ways with a cool sideline in Blues Rock driven atmospherics. One of the standout tracks on the album that sets the mood and tone for the whole album.
Second song Rista hans namn is played at a mid-to-slow pace with a heavy Prog Rock atmosphere appearing amongst the modern Psych Rock attitude that DRÖÖG capture superbly well. The vocals are quite gloomy in places with a Blues Rock sullen attitude but there is still a warm hearted feeling from this song. A great mix of Seventies Prog Rock themes and modern day sounds.
Third song Stormhatt is more Folk Rock/Americana inspired with DRÖÖG on fine storytelling form. The music has a classic Doom/Stoner Rock approach and fully comes alive when the band lets the Psychedelic elements of the song take complete creative control. The instrumental work is beautifully played and welcomes the listener with open arms. The vocals have a classic touch to them and appear to be heavily inspired by the Seventies Hard Rock scene.
Fourth song Nattfjärilar offers a more laid back approach with its gloomy style of Psych Stoner Rock. The music can feel quite isolated and solitary with the excellent low-key production values. The heavy atmospherics allows DRÖÖG to remain firmly in Prog Rock territory and maybe the band could have played a faster style of music here. However, DRÖÖG remain true to themselves and dictate the action that they see fit.
The next two tracks Blodörn and Hamnskiftaren are two of the other standout tracks on the album with Blodörn perhaps being my favourite. As DRÖÖG conjures up exciting moments of Psych Stoner Rock imagery even with their music. This section of the record is perhaps the gloomiest part of the album.
Bergtagen is the final track on the album and it offers more of the same Psychedelic magic heard on the previous tracks but outlining what damn good band that DRÖÖG are.
As I said earlier in this review, the production values are quite low-key and more direct than you initially expect. However, this remains a wonderfully diverse album that allows DRÖÖG to play some wonderful original sounds of their own.
DRÖÖG debut album is a winning mix of different styles from the Doom/Stoner Rock underground and showcases another great band from the Swedish Underground scene. DRÖÖG are an exciting new voice from the Doom/Stoner Rock scene and I can’t wait to see what they’ll achieve with future releases.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Vesper at Majestic Mountain Records for the promo.
DRÖÖG debut album will be available to buy on CD/DD via Majestic Mountain Records from Septemer 2nd 2022.
Links
Tuesday, 2 August 2022
An Interview With DRÖÖG
DRÖÖG are a band that I only became aware for recently and that was thanks to Vesper at Mountain Majestic Records. The album blew my mind with DRÖÖG playing a haunting mix of Prog Rock, Psych Rock, Doom Rock and Stoner Rock with a heavy Sludgy groove. The vocals are sung in Swedish and even though I didn't understand what the lyrical content was, the vocals and grooves were simply mysterious and beyond thrilling to listen to.
Newly signed to one of the best underground labels with Majestic Mountain Records with their debut album being released on CD/DD on September 2nd 2022.
Thanks to DRÖÖG for doing the interview.
DRÖÖG’s self-titled debut album will be available to buy on CD Digipak/DD via Majestic Mountain Records from September 2nd 2022.
Links
Facebook | BandCamp
Newly signed to one of the best underground labels with Majestic Mountain Records with their debut album being released on CD/DD on September 2nd 2022.
I wanted to find out more about the band and I'm happy to report that DRÖÖG did this extensive interview.
Where did the name for your band come from and what does it mean?
(Magnus) Originally, it’s from the Nordic mythology’s Draug, which is a kind of undead, a ghost. But since we, lo and behold, were not the first to have this idea, we had to do something with the name. Then I found that drög could mean like slow, sluggish, something like that. So, I guess it’s a made-up name, but it is a mix of those two words, even though it might seem like we just put another “ö” in “drög”. And from my point of view, that is just what DRÖÖGs music is all about. A DRÖÖG is this sluggish creature taken from the underworld and could be a part of any folk lore really.
We’re here to talk about your upcoming debut album. What can people expect for this album?
(Magnus) I wouldn’t say that it’s a concept album, but I hope people will hear that the songs are intertwined, musically. My aim was to write these songs so that when you listen to the album you will hear that the end of the first song will connect with the beginning of the second song and so on, this without knowing a single word of Swedish. Sometimes the harmonic of the vocals tells you just as much as the lyrics, if that makes any sense. At least that’s one way I listen to music. My hopes are that if you like the single you will like the rest of the album. Even if the songs are not identical, of course, and maybe not share the same tempo I really hope that you get the feeling that the song fit together like pieces in a puzzle. You will always get this riff driven or melodical touch in every single song on the album.
I've only heard the album over the last few days and I was blown away by the sheer creativity and bold visions included on this album especially with the vocals and lyrics sung in your native language. What do the lyrics actually represent and was it a hard choice to sing in Swedish.
(Magnus) Me and Daniel met about two and a half years ago, for another project, and I remember he say that if we are going to do this, we are only doing this in Swedish. I kind of adopted that, and when we started this project, it only felt natural to do it in Swedish. We got other bands doing songs in Swedish, which inspired me to do it as well, but I wanted to do it all the way, all lyrics in Swedish.
What's the whole theme and story of the album for non-Swedish speakers such as myself?
(Magnus) Every song on the album is represented by a part of the history, more or less. And I guess we have a fascination for the northern parts of Europe. We had this conversation with Svempa from MMR about Blodörn, which is translated to “Blood eagle” and was an execution ritual the Vikings used to perform as an act of revenge or retaliation. Without going into details, it includes breaking some bones in a special kind of way. It’s brutal. It’s barbaric, yet fascinating.
(Daniel) For this album we split the writing between the two of us. Usually, I start with a single word, or title if you like. Then we worked together to find out which lyric goes with which song. When the lyrics is done you “feel” where it belongs.
How did you get involved with music. Was it a particular album, group or artist that made you want to write and play your own music?
(Magnus) I've been writing songs for about fifteen years, but it has become worse these last couple of years. Worse as in more time put into writing rather than the songs are getting worse. There are a lot of ideas almost flowing through my mind, every day, and I can tell you, we got the next album covered. As for this band, I guess that the album that made me start writing was Legend by Witchcraft. I remember streaming some music with the "Radio mode" on and suddenly I stopped doing what was doing and just listened. I remember thinking "Hey, I want to do songs like that".
The artwork for your new album is quite striking and original. Who designed the artwork and how much say did you have into the final design?
(Magnus) The cover, for both the album and the single is made by Arvid Hällagård from Pools, Greenleaf and Sleep Moscow, amongst others. When I saw the artwork for the first time, I knew it was exactly that one I wanted. It had something wild and dangerous about it. As for a final design I wanted it to be his work and not mine. I knew that he would pull it off, since he made the front cover so awesome. I am truly loving it, he did an awesome work. It really represents what the album is about, the dangers in nature and mankind of some sort.
What is the current state of the Swedish Underground Rock/Metal scene. Do you have perform gigs on a regular basis and do you have a local scene that your actively involved with?
(Magnus) Since we haven't done anything with DRÖÖG earlier and really not been involved in this scene before, it's all new to us. We are currently trying to find out where to play, what are the forums for this kind of music and things like that. The only thing I really know is that, not far from where I'm sitting right now, there is a festival called "Krökbacken". Bands like Besvärjelsen, Skraeckoedlan and Greenleaf have played there, all favorites of mine, and I must say that Krökbacken would be awesome to play at, some day.
Thanks for doing this interview. The best of luck with your new album. It's a great album.
Hi Guys. How’s it going? Thanks for doing the interview.
Hi Steve, thank you for having us. We are doing just fine I would say. Somewhat sore thumbs after the release with all the social media handling stuff you know. It’s been crazy. We’re not used to social media of these proportions and since this is the startup for the entire band, we noticed that we had things we needed to do, and still do for that matter.
For folks not in the know, can you give a brief history of the band and where it is today.
(Magnus) So I found myself having a lot of material for songs that didn’t fit in any band that I was playing at the time. And about a year ago I started to put these pieces together and ended up with a set of songs that I really wanted to record. At first, I was considering recording it all by myself, but the vocal melodies ended up being way out of my capacity, so I asked Daniel if he would like to help me out. We recorded the album last winter, got the songs mixed and mastered early this spring and here we are. As of today, we are rehearsing like crazy, as a band. We got three great musicians to join us, and it feels like it is now the fun begins.
How would you describe your music in your own words?
(Magnus) Yep, so, this is always a tricky part. I would say it is melodic, heavy, riff driven and dark. The melodic part has always been a part of me, so it’s hard, at least for me, to write something that is not melodic, especially when it comes to vocals. About the heavy and riff driven, well, I don’t think that needs any further explanation. At least when it comes to Blodörn. I guess the darkness is all in the lyrics and not necessary from the melodies, which I will explain later.
Hi Steve, thank you for having us. We are doing just fine I would say. Somewhat sore thumbs after the release with all the social media handling stuff you know. It’s been crazy. We’re not used to social media of these proportions and since this is the startup for the entire band, we noticed that we had things we needed to do, and still do for that matter.
For folks not in the know, can you give a brief history of the band and where it is today.
(Magnus) So I found myself having a lot of material for songs that didn’t fit in any band that I was playing at the time. And about a year ago I started to put these pieces together and ended up with a set of songs that I really wanted to record. At first, I was considering recording it all by myself, but the vocal melodies ended up being way out of my capacity, so I asked Daniel if he would like to help me out. We recorded the album last winter, got the songs mixed and mastered early this spring and here we are. As of today, we are rehearsing like crazy, as a band. We got three great musicians to join us, and it feels like it is now the fun begins.
How would you describe your music in your own words?
(Magnus) Yep, so, this is always a tricky part. I would say it is melodic, heavy, riff driven and dark. The melodic part has always been a part of me, so it’s hard, at least for me, to write something that is not melodic, especially when it comes to vocals. About the heavy and riff driven, well, I don’t think that needs any further explanation. At least when it comes to Blodörn. I guess the darkness is all in the lyrics and not necessary from the melodies, which I will explain later.
(Magnus) Originally, it’s from the Nordic mythology’s Draug, which is a kind of undead, a ghost. But since we, lo and behold, were not the first to have this idea, we had to do something with the name. Then I found that drög could mean like slow, sluggish, something like that. So, I guess it’s a made-up name, but it is a mix of those two words, even though it might seem like we just put another “ö” in “drög”. And from my point of view, that is just what DRÖÖGs music is all about. A DRÖÖG is this sluggish creature taken from the underworld and could be a part of any folk lore really.
We’re here to talk about your upcoming debut album. What can people expect for this album?
(Magnus) I wouldn’t say that it’s a concept album, but I hope people will hear that the songs are intertwined, musically. My aim was to write these songs so that when you listen to the album you will hear that the end of the first song will connect with the beginning of the second song and so on, this without knowing a single word of Swedish. Sometimes the harmonic of the vocals tells you just as much as the lyrics, if that makes any sense. At least that’s one way I listen to music. My hopes are that if you like the single you will like the rest of the album. Even if the songs are not identical, of course, and maybe not share the same tempo I really hope that you get the feeling that the song fit together like pieces in a puzzle. You will always get this riff driven or melodical touch in every single song on the album.
I've only heard the album over the last few days and I was blown away by the sheer creativity and bold visions included on this album especially with the vocals and lyrics sung in your native language. What do the lyrics actually represent and was it a hard choice to sing in Swedish.
(Magnus) Me and Daniel met about two and a half years ago, for another project, and I remember he say that if we are going to do this, we are only doing this in Swedish. I kind of adopted that, and when we started this project, it only felt natural to do it in Swedish. We got other bands doing songs in Swedish, which inspired me to do it as well, but I wanted to do it all the way, all lyrics in Swedish.
What's the whole theme and story of the album for non-Swedish speakers such as myself?
(Magnus) Every song on the album is represented by a part of the history, more or less. And I guess we have a fascination for the northern parts of Europe. We had this conversation with Svempa from MMR about Blodörn, which is translated to “Blood eagle” and was an execution ritual the Vikings used to perform as an act of revenge or retaliation. Without going into details, it includes breaking some bones in a special kind of way. It’s brutal. It’s barbaric, yet fascinating.
So when we got into details with Svempa, I guess he realized what we meant with “exploring the darker, or somber, parts of history”. Without saying too much, we got some stories about how people we treated in the past, tales and lore, and not the beautiful ones.
What were the recording sessions like for the new album? Was this a hard album to write and record for?
(Magnus) Since we have our own recording equipment, we recorded the tracks when we felt like it. But of course, we were eager to finish the album, but not at cost of having “bad tracks”. I remember one night, we tried to record some guitar and vocal tracks, and both me and Daniel weren’t having the best of days and we be like “Nope, screw this, see you in a couple of days”. At most times it was just me, recording at my house, just getting things done, or not. Maybe just hanging in studio. The best part, for me at least, was when we recorded the vocals, and I would just sit in a chair and press record and have the greatest conversation between the takes. Either we were almost shouting at each other, mostly for fun, or we were recording stupid lines in the songs which had nothing to with anything really. A lot of fun.
Majestic Mountain Records are releasing the new w album. How did you become involved with that great label?
(Magnus) They surely are great, I can tell you that. I started following MMR on Instagram and saw that they were very active, posting things with a lot of bands, and I started to listen to many of them. When we had recorded the first song I said to Daniel “Ok, so I will try to get in touch with MMR and see if they are interested”, “Any day now”. One day, when I got home, I was so sick and tired of playing music (cannot remember why) but since I had promised Daniel to send the song to them, I googled MMR for contact information, found, luckily, an “Artist submission form” and pressed send.
Majestic Mountain Records are releasing the new w album. How did you become involved with that great label?
(Magnus) They surely are great, I can tell you that. I started following MMR on Instagram and saw that they were very active, posting things with a lot of bands, and I started to listen to many of them. When we had recorded the first song I said to Daniel “Ok, so I will try to get in touch with MMR and see if they are interested”, “Any day now”. One day, when I got home, I was so sick and tired of playing music (cannot remember why) but since I had promised Daniel to send the song to them, I googled MMR for contact information, found, luckily, an “Artist submission form” and pressed send.
This was a late Sunday night and about 15 minutes later I got an email, which I though was some sort of “confirmation email”, you know “We have received your email and we will contact you if…”, BUT(!), it was Svempa! And now they’re releasing our album so, I guess it was good enough.
Did you reach out to any other labels to release your debut album. Or was Majestic Mountain Records the only one?
Nope, just MMR
Who writes all the lyrics for the album. Is this a group effort or down to certain individuals?
(Daniel) For this album we split the writing between the two of us. Usually, I start with a single word, or title if you like. Then we worked together to find out which lyric goes with which song. When the lyrics is done you “feel” where it belongs.
(Magnus) Another way of how I am writing lyrics is that I usually sit down with the guitar and try to come up with a catchphrase, of some sort. Even if I only have this one word to start with, I feel that it sometimes is necessary to find when and where it should be placed in a song. After that, I guess it’s just to build the story around it.
Who and what influenced your lyrics for the new album?
(Daniel) We wanted to tell stories from the old days up here in the north. Myths, legends and our, sometimes, brutal history. Since I was a little boy, I’ve been fascinated by the dark side of our history. Crazy kings and forest creatures which sole purpose for existing is to end us humans. And so it continues throughout the album. Shapeshifters, trolls and ladies of the night, they all have a story to tell.
Will you be touring and promoting the new album in the coming months at home or abroad?
Who and what influenced your lyrics for the new album?
(Daniel) We wanted to tell stories from the old days up here in the north. Myths, legends and our, sometimes, brutal history. Since I was a little boy, I’ve been fascinated by the dark side of our history. Crazy kings and forest creatures which sole purpose for existing is to end us humans. And so it continues throughout the album. Shapeshifters, trolls and ladies of the night, they all have a story to tell.
Will you be touring and promoting the new album in the coming months at home or abroad?
(Magnus) We’re rehearsing right now for a release party in September, and we got a gig in Oslo, probably weekend after the release party. Other than that, we haven’t got anything planned but we sure will be working on getting more gigs, absolutely. That’s really why, we asked the others to join us. Now, it really feels like we’re a band and aiming for doing live shows the following months Whether it’s close to us or abroad doesn’t really matter at this stage, since we haven’t done anything earlier with DRÖÖG and don’t have a crowd, yet, I guess we need to be seen and heard where we can find a spot.
How did you get involved with music. Was it a particular album, group or artist that made you want to write and play your own music?
(Magnus) I've been writing songs for about fifteen years, but it has become worse these last couple of years. Worse as in more time put into writing rather than the songs are getting worse. There are a lot of ideas almost flowing through my mind, every day, and I can tell you, we got the next album covered. As for this band, I guess that the album that made me start writing was Legend by Witchcraft. I remember streaming some music with the "Radio mode" on and suddenly I stopped doing what was doing and just listened. I remember thinking "Hey, I want to do songs like that".
(Magnus) The cover, for both the album and the single is made by Arvid Hällagård from Pools, Greenleaf and Sleep Moscow, amongst others. When I saw the artwork for the first time, I knew it was exactly that one I wanted. It had something wild and dangerous about it. As for a final design I wanted it to be his work and not mine. I knew that he would pull it off, since he made the front cover so awesome. I am truly loving it, he did an awesome work. It really represents what the album is about, the dangers in nature and mankind of some sort.
What is the current state of the Swedish Underground Rock/Metal scene. Do you have perform gigs on a regular basis and do you have a local scene that your actively involved with?
(Magnus) Since we haven't done anything with DRÖÖG earlier and really not been involved in this scene before, it's all new to us. We are currently trying to find out where to play, what are the forums for this kind of music and things like that. The only thing I really know is that, not far from where I'm sitting right now, there is a festival called "Krökbacken". Bands like Besvärjelsen, Skraeckoedlan and Greenleaf have played there, all favorites of mine, and I must say that Krökbacken would be awesome to play at, some day.
Thanks for doing this interview. The best of luck with your new album. It's a great album.
Thank you Steve, may peace be with you.
Words by Steve Howe and DRÖÖG
Thanks to Vesper at Majestic Mountain Records for arranging the interview.
Thanks to DRÖÖG for doing the interview.
DRÖÖG’s self-titled debut album will be available to buy on CD Digipak/DD via Majestic Mountain Records from September 2nd 2022.
Links
Facebook | BandCamp
Friday, 29 July 2022
DRÖÖG Sign To Majestic Mountain Records To Release Debut Album And Release Video For New Single Blodörn
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Majestic folk! It is Friday and today we bring you an announcement of the newest signing to the MMR roster. We bring you DRÖÖG, Mythical Lumberjack jazz from northern Dalarna.
We not only announce their signing today with great pride but we also present for your enjoyment the premiere of the first single ‘Blodörn’ from their self-titled debut album courtesy of the mighty Outlaws Of The Sun. This is a very special release for us as it is our first release completely in Swedish. It’s an astounding offering with expansive braun and immersive beauty.
The band tells us that “Becoming part of the majestic family feels almost too good to be true. We had our eyes on MMR right from the start and sincerely hoped that we, DRÖOG, would be able to become a part of and contribute to Majestic’s already fantastic spectrum of music. We stamp the premiere of DRÖÖG, both for the band and the upcoming album, with the Majestic logo with pride.”
We at Majestic are equally proud to welcome DRÖÖG to the MMR crew as their unique brilliance is undeniable and intensely gripping and as a label, it’s a true pleasure to bring our fans a release solely in our mother tongue.
Their first single, Blodörn’ (translated to English as ‘Blood Eagle’) explores the notion that through revenge you will be set free, but at what cost?
The band tells us that “Becoming part of the majestic family feels almost too good to be true. We had our eyes on MMR right from the start and sincerely hoped that we, DRÖOG, would be able to become a part of and contribute to Majestic’s already fantastic spectrum of music. We stamp the premiere of DRÖÖG, both for the band and the upcoming album, with the Majestic logo with pride.”
We at Majestic are equally proud to welcome DRÖÖG to the MMR crew as their unique brilliance is undeniable and intensely gripping and as a label, it’s a true pleasure to bring our fans a release solely in our mother tongue.
Their first single, Blodörn’ (translated to English as ‘Blood Eagle’) explores the notion that through revenge you will be set free, but at what cost?
Turn it up and get lost in the deep Swedish forests with ‘Blodörn’ today, thanks to Steve Howe and Outlaws Of The Sun!
Through a dynamically orchestrated amalgamation of melodically mysterious and cinematically framed composition, DRÖÖG tells a soulfully gripping, hook rich and riff driven, bluesy, stoner doom adjacent yet exploratorily progressive story from the darkest parts of history taking you on a journey where magic, revenge and the lusts of the flesh go hand in hand. While exploring truths and tales that have been told for generations, some just as relevant today as they were eons ago, Dröög roams languidly through the eras and ages like chapters in history- sometimes in the light yet equally celebratory in their profound shadow.
Lore and truth intertwine, and fairy tales emerge- ancient allegory both in the man made and the natural that touched every living soul, rich and poor from every walk of life. One thing these stories have common is that they want to be retold and DRÖÖG are the vehicle through which these tales come to life.
As a foundation DRÖÖG started with Magnus as a one-man band. A band to be able to perform chord progressions, rhythms, and lyrics without necessarily following the flow but without becoming progressive. "Write music, completely without reservation". But needs must and DRÖÖG quickly expanded into a duo, now with a singer, just to be able to justify the vocal melodies as an additional and soulful instrument in of itself. The album was then recorded as a duo but today they have a full crew to be able to deliver the music live as well.
As a foundation DRÖÖG started with Magnus as a one-man band. A band to be able to perform chord progressions, rhythms, and lyrics without necessarily following the flow but without becoming progressive. "Write music, completely without reservation". But needs must and DRÖÖG quickly expanded into a duo, now with a singer, just to be able to justify the vocal melodies as an additional and soulful instrument in of itself. The album was then recorded as a duo but today they have a full crew to be able to deliver the music live as well.
DRÖÖG’s self-titled debut album will be available soon on CD Digipak via Majestic Mountain Records with Artwork by Arvid Hällagård.
Anders - Guitar
Christian – Guitar
Jon – Bass
Magnus – Drums
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