Interview with death metal band from Poland - DORMANT ORDEAL.
Recenze/review - DORMANT ORDEAL - Tooth and Nail (2025):
Ave DORMANT ORDEAL, greetings to beautiful Krakow! Just last week my friend and I were in a pub reminiscing about your concert in 2023 in Pilsen with SONUM and HEAVING EARTH. I remember standing under the stage the whole time and devouring literally every tune, every note. I forgot to thank you then, so belatedly - thank you very much for the excellent concert! Have you played live somewhere the songs from the new album "Tooth and Nail"? What was the response like? What did the fans actually say about the new album?
Hello, thanks for having us. I remember this gig, solid performances from all the bands and good reception despite rather humble attendance. Pilsen’s a charming city, by the way, we managed to sightsee a bit before the show. And no, we haven’t had the chance to play songs from the new album live yet, that will have to wait. From what we can see and hear online, listeners seem to appreciate the new one, it performs pretty well on streaming platforms and the reviews are mostly positive.
The new album got into my blood immediately. You continue your journey on it. You play death metal, but you don't shy away from technical, black metal and progressive elements. Where did you want to go from the last record? Did you have a vision? And how long did it take to write?
The worst we could do is paint ourselves into a corner and be afraid of change. This album is definitely less technical than previous ones, but still pretty hard to nail performance-wise. All these traits of black, prog, post, dissonant metal are just flavors, we never wanted to call ourselves anything more than a death metal band - and even that is kind of restrictive, although it’s probably the closest to the aesthetics we’re after. At some point after the release of the third album I sat down and said to myself “how do we top The Grand Scheme of Things” and it turned out we only needed to write an album that would be good on its own. And so I wrote Tooth and Nail without ever thinking about the previous one. The “difference” came naturally. It took me about two years to write this one, including all breaks and pauses.
Speaking of creating new songs... How do they actually come about? I'm talking about the process now. When does it come, the idea for a new riff, melody? How does a new song come about with DORMANT ORDEAL?
It starts with the guitar, always has. I just sit and play and while most of the time what I play sucks, sometimes something hits the spot. Then I start to play around it to find out the best root note and at least an approximate place in the song. That’s probably the hardest part. Once I get it, it’s easier to think about the rest, it just has to follow. I was never a riff bank guy, I don’t assemble songs from randomly selected riffs and I hope people can hear it.
When I heard the new song for the first time, I thought it had a "nicer" cleaner sound. Was that the purpose? After some time, I realized that the new one was more powerful, more airy. Was that the intention? I think all the instruments and the atmosphere come out better. Where did you record and who is responsible for the mixing and mastering?
This is our fourth album and except for the debut which was recorded in our rehearsal basement, everything else was recorded/mixed in Warsaw in the same JNS Studio under the watchful eye of Paweł Grabowski. When we went there to record Tooth and Nail we spoke about the sound we’re after and since we also worked together on The Grand Scheme, it was our starting point. I’ve listed what I thought could have been done better and we took it from there. For instance, I wanted a fuller sounding drums, more pumped up and also heavily distorted bass to accompany them. Glad to hear you like the results.
The cover artwork by Morgan Sorensen is also interesting. The first thing I thought when I saw it was that it was loosely inspired by ancient Egyptian or Greek paintings. Or am I wrong? How did you choose the cover and how does it relate to the music on this year's album?
Artwork was something I gave a lot of thought to. I wanted violence, but not gory violence. I can call myself a fan of standard death metal art, I grew up on Cannibal Corpse albums after all, I never wanted that for us. Regarding the Greek paintings remark, I never noticed it until someone asked me the same question. That was never my intention, but I can see where it comes from. It is actually inspired by Zofia Stryjeńska’s painting, but we added some details to underline the message. I think Morgan nailed it, it’s an eye-striking piece and if it sparks any interest then our job is done.
When you performed at the aforementioned concert in Pilsen a few years ago, you were a four-piece band. But in the new promo photos you are always just two. Why the personnel changes? For example, a change of drummer is always very crucial for death metal.
People whom we played this tour with were never a part of the band, they’re just touring musicians we asked for help. They have their own bands where they can realize their potential: Lucass has G.N.I.D.A. and Łukasz plays bass in Cursebinder. The latter also has Dormant’s vocalist in their ranks, if you haven’t heard about them yet. The classic lineup played on the first two albums and since then we lost our longtime drummer and bass player. That’s why there’s only two of us in the photos - that’s the whole band at the moment. Change of any member might be crucial, I agree, but it may end up being pretty liberating and refreshing when it comes to new material.
You play death metal, which is demanding in terms of playing technique. But you're not afraid to experiment and put other influences into your music. When you started out, you must have been inspired by someone. Can you please reminisce for us about your musical beginnings? Did you go to any music schools? Do you have a formal education or are you self-taught? And who was your role model?
I was just ten years old when my older brother brought home a cassette with some Sepultura songs, showed me some of their pictures and in no time I basically wanted to become a Max Cavalera. Pretty quickly my interests expanded onto death metal, mainly classic American bands from the 90’s. And so I borrowed a guitar from someone and started learning how to play it. I’m a self-taught guitarist and never took a lesson. As for the experiments, this style gives me means of expression and some kind of aesthetics that are closest to my heart, but there’s plenty of stuff outside of it that fascinates me and that’s why it might seem like we’re reaching outside the genre, I suppose.
I like Poland, among other things, because we have a common history. I also like watching your movies, TV shows, but especially the whole metal music scene. I think it's very strong. But that's my view from the outside. How do you perceive your death metal scene? I mean now as a fan but also as a musician (what about your labels, promoters)?
I pretty much stopped paying attention to the Polish metal scene some time ago. There’s obviously a vast metal scene in Poland, but mostly due to the post-black genre that appeared a few years ago and, in my humble opinion, has already overstayed its welcome. I’m sure there are many awesome Polish death metal bands out there, I just don’t actively seek them out. If I were to pick one less known death metal band that people should be aware of, that would be Obsidian Mantra, I enjoyed their last record. As for the labels, there are big players like Agonia or Pagan, but we never grabbed their attention. In those circumstances, signing a deal with Willowtip was really a no-brainer.
When you played at our place in Pilsen, the attendance was decent. But it's clear that death metal concerts (unless a really big name is playing) are not part of the mainstream. If you organize an event in beautiful Krakow (I really like your city a lot, even my ancestors lived there), how many people will come? And do you enjoy live concerts? Do you prefer small clubs or big festivals?
Live shows are a complicated matter. First and foremost, we don’t have a drummer and since there’s not many drummers out there interested in playing with us, we need to hire one if we wish to play live and that’s expensive. Second, I don’t like it that much. It’s a sum of small parts like long distance traveling in a small bus, poor sleeping hours, poor food quality or the feeling of losing money every day. 20 years ago I wouldn’t mind, these days I simply prefer writing songs at home. However, the other Maciej, the vocalist, absolutely loves playing live, so I usually agree because of that. I honestly have no idea how many people would come if we played in Kraków these days, the last time we played here was with Decapitated in 2022 and the majority of people came to see them. As for the last question - most of all I prefer playing in the dark and our status doesn’t allow us to do that at festivals. So even the least crowded club show would be better than a festival for me.
You're both experienced musicians. You have your fourth full-length album out this year. You're on a very good label, Willowtip Records. Do you have any more dreams? Where do you want to go with the band in the future? Are you tempted to do some bigger tours?
Bigger tours for a band like ours would only come in the form of a support slot for a much bigger band. I wouldn’t mind joining Decapitated for another run across Poland, for example. There’s no agenda, though. This band is our creative outlet and we take it day by day. Right now we have a nice deal with Willowtip which is a significant step forward from being unsigned for so many years. Personally, the only thing that matters to me right now is the fifth album.
How would you define your relationship with music? What does death metal, black metal mean to you? Can you look at it from a philosophical point of view? Is music a lifestyle for you or more of a hobby?
As an artist, metal genres provide me with the tools necessary to visualize the creative intent. As a fan, death metal is energy, an outlet for darker emotions, sometimes even a confidence boost. At this point it is a lifestyle, I’ve been breathing this music for over 30 years now, but these days I no longer feel the need to limit myself within it.
What are DORMANT ORDEAL planning in the next few months? If you have something to say to fans, labels, promoters, here is the space…
As I said earlier, there’s no plan. Maybe we’ll book some live shows, I don’t know, we’ll see. The new album’s out and, contrary to what the internet is trying to tell me, it’s not a beginning, but rather an end to a chapter. To all our fans and listeners - we see you and we appreciate you. Thank you for the interview, Jakub.
I have all your albums in my collection. I would really like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your music. And of course for the interview. I really appreciate it. I wish you as much inspiration as possible, packed clubs with fans, the best possible CD and merchandise sales and may you do well in your private life!
about DORMANT ORDEAL on DEADLY STORM ZINE:
Recenze/review - DORMANT ORDEAL - Tooth and Nail (2025):
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