1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
Greetings, happy to be here! Let me see, if I squint my eyes in my drunken stupor, what do I see... is that the casks of one of the oldest German breweries? Or maybe it’s the tavern of some long-forgotten fantasy realm. Perhaps the hull of a pirate ship, with how frequently we are referred to as pirate metal! Most likely it’s simply my home bar. Haha
2. Let’s start with the boring basics. Care to explain to the unknowing precisely where in the world you emanate such an aura of drunkenness from?
The Pacific Northwest in the United States, or more precisely Portland Oregon, is known for our abundance of craft breweries! We in Drunkelweizen do things a bit differently, however, with our fermented heavy metal aging in oak barrels before stumbling forth for consumption.
3. Being from Portland, Oregon, is there is a good music culture out there? Has that culture influenced you all in any way and if so, how has it influenced you all?
I think the music culture has suffered everywhere, to some extent, from the black plague that is Covid. That is, however, what allowed for the spontaneous fermentation of this project. Portland I would say has a better culture than some, and definitely worse than others. Our style of music isn’t necessarily the most common within the states, so I guess you could say that it is both encouraging and discouraging, depending on how many drinks in we are.
4. What prompted you to explore “Folk Metal” musical direction, and how do you feel it enhances the overall listening experience?
Ages back our founding members were in a generic black metal band, corpse paint and all, and had the opportunity to open for Korpiklaani their first times through Portland. Wanting to do something to vaguely fit with the overall show, we created one song in honor of the occasion. It planted the initial seed that, many years later, sprouted into a full-blown project. Much of metal is so serious all the time, that we really want to provide a more lighthearted and joyous escape.
5. Could you describe the vision/hallucination that inspired the name "Drunkelweizen" (English word for “drunkel wheat” and how it relates to the band's identity and music?
The name started as an inside joke between lifelong friends ages ago when we were first beginning our discovery of beer. One member, we’ll call him Tominic for the sake of anonymity, became excited over this new style of beer we had yet tried, called a “Drunkelweizen”. It was a few beers in before it was identified that there was no “R” within the name and was in fact a dark wheat beer. Even then we knew it would eventually become a band name, but it wasn’t until our debut album Pioneers of Alcohol before it truly found a fitting home.
6. Your debut album, “Pioneers Of Alcohol” delivers a powerful, massive, and melodic sound. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the album and how it felt to release your music to the world?
We really wanted to incorporate big orchestral compositions along with our black/death metal roots, in something we hope is similar to some of the pioneers of folk metal while also standing apart ourselves. Lyrically, I really wanted to tell a story within each track while also connecting the album together with a shared concept. The first portion of the album tells the (mostly) true tales of individuals throughout history that had a strong tie to alcohol, and by the end of the album we are telling a few drunken tales of our own. We are very excited to have it available on all streaming platforms for people to join in the drunken debauchery!
7. Were there any elements of the recording that proved particularly troublesome? What were the main challenges you faced in learning to mix music and how did you overcome them?
The fine line of how many beers becomes slightly too many beers! Haha. This project started during the heart of covid when many of the members weren’t meeting face to face to work on the tracks. While that did mean no one else took the last beer in the fridge, it did provide some additional communication complications when there were opposing views. As for overcoming them, hell, crack open another beer!
8. Can you give us a glimpse into the creative process behind your music? How do you typically approach songwriting and arranging?
Many of the tracks start with the initial composition, with lyrics/vocals being created to accompany. Other tracks, however, have started with lyrics or a general vocal concept that then brews the music. As there are many different styles of beer, there are ways in which we will potentially approach bringing the tracks together.
9. Are there any kind of particular points of inspiration for these 8 tracks that you would like to discuss?
Lyrically telling tales of people throughout history was really fun in the aspects of gaining a little glimpse that ties to alcohol, and then digging into more background of the individual. It requires a completely different approach than telling a strictly fictional tale, and I hope listeners can learn a fun fact or two along the way. If they are sober enough to remember them, that is.
10. How has the reception been for your music so far? Have there been any standout moments or memorable experiences you'd like to share?
As a completely unknown band and debut album, the reception has been pretty positive! We are digging into our sophomore album now, and just hope to get the music in front of more people.
11. I´ve noticed the band has been featured on all major Metal magazines from around the world. Do you have a PR agencya working on promote the band?
We have worked with a few in smaller capacities, with a shoutout to Zach Moonshine from Metal Devastation PR, but nothing specifically dedicated solely to us. Maybe that is to come on the next album!
12. Between recording music and performing live shows, which would you say is more in your favor or do you think both have their own significant ways?
In previous projects, we almost exclusively focused on playing live. We love performing and connecting with a live audience! However, since recordings suffered (in those former projects) we were then left with a bunch of cool flyers, but nothing to truly be proud of. These days we are looking to go the opposite route with more focus on the next album and recording, and limiting shows to a few select opportunities.
13. That's all the questions I have for you man. I'll let you have the final words by saying whatever you'd like to our readers and your fans out there.
We would like to thank you for inviting us for this interview, and of course to all the readers for taking the time! Pioneers of Alcohol is out now wherever you stream music. As always, we invite you to lift your drinking apparatus of choice (be it stein, wine glass, or skull of thine fallen enemy) and join us in a toast to all that is to come. Cheers!
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