GRIEVING

LOMM: Can you give a little biographical and historical info; who is involved in the band, and how did you guys meet up? 

The artist:
At the moment Grieving is Artur (guitar/bass/synths), Bartosz (drums) and Wojciech (vocals). We’ve actually been playing together for a few years in a band called Mentor, which musically is more leaning towards hardcore/black metal/thrash. On our second album, “Cults , Crypts and Corpses”, we’ve recorded a song called “Gather by the Grave” which was our first real venture into doom metal. The songs came out surprisingly well and Artur suggested we should start a side project that would focus entirely on that style. And here we are now with our debut album “Songs for the Weary”.

LOMM: Pandemic has taken an emotional toll on everyone yet the arts have been hit especially hard. The musicians are vulnerable to financial upheaval. How have you guys have been holding up?

The artist:

I think we’re doing pretty well considering the circumstances. Some of us changed jobs but all in all we made it without a scratch. Actually, the pandemic even”helped” a bit, giving us more free time to focus on other projects such as Grieving. I think that in some extent we managed to find a way to use this gnarly situation to our advantage.

LOMM: On the other hand you seem to have had a productive time. Is that right?

The artist: Definitely – if life throws obstacles at you, you have no choice but to adapt and make the best of them.

LOMM: Modern sounds are my thing  How about you? What does your genre means to you, why did you choose this genre?

The artist:

I think that with Grieving the word “modern” wouldn’t be exactly a perfect fit. We’re very much influenced by classic doom bands and we owe a lot of our musical tastes to Black Sabbath. But that doesn’t mean we don’t want to bring anything new to the table – very much so, we hope we can add something of our own into the mix.

LOMM: How did the initial musical and thematic elements evolve?
The artist:

I’ve always tried to keep my lyrical themes close to the music they’re for. And with Grieving it was always about old horror movies and the Occult. When it comes to the music itself, as I mentioned before – it’s all coming from our love to classic doom.

LOMM: Are you happy with your product? I mean, what aspects of it do you think you guys nailed, and what parts do you think you could improve
upon?
The artist:
I must admit we’re really pleased with our debut album, I think we managed to tick all the boxes we wanted with this one. It might have been a bit longer perhaps but then again in this day and age I think it’s better to leave people wanting more than otherwise.

LOMM: How has the overall reception been?
The artist: So far, so good. I think people really got what we were trying to achieve with “Songs for the Weary”.

LOMM: Have you ever been on a tour? Given live performances? Is it tough for you not to be able to do so now?
The artist:

We haven’t actually played any live shows with Grieving yet. It’s a fairly new project and we are actually still in the middle of completing a live line-up right now. We hope to hit the stage in early 2022 and really bring “Songs for the Weary” to life by then. Personally, I’ve been playing shows with various projects for the last 18 years or so and I’m not a stranger to live music. Eager to get back on the road, that’s for sure.

LOMM: What do you see for your future? How is it looking?
The artist:

We don’t have any unrealistic expectations – we’ll be happy knowing that our music reaches new places and we can’t wait to start working on our next release. We’re also looking forward to things getting back to normal when it comes to live shows.

LOMM: Could you tell us about the lyrics / themes /concepts you focus on or plan to focus on? How did the ideas come about, and how do they influence the writing process? Who is writing the lyrics?
The artist:

I’m responsible for all the lyrics, fortunately the guys trust me completely in this department. I feel that lyrics should always match the atmosphere of the music and for Grieving the things that influence me the most would be old horror movies – classic Universal monster films, Roger Corman flicks, the Hammer series… Anything with enough gloom in it can serve as an inspiration.

LOMM: Which is more exciting? Being on the road or studio?
The artist:
While I do enjoy working in the studio, I believe it’s the live shows that give music its full shape. And the sense of adventure that goes along with it is just fantastic. Of course touring has its downsides as well, especially when it comes to long travels, but all in all the outcome is almost always worth the effort.

LOMM: Who is composing the songs?
The artist: Artur (guitars/bass/synths) handles the composing and while we all work together on the final shape of each song, he’s definitely the brain of the whole operation. Which suits us just fine, because that’s one hell of a brain.

LOMM: What bands do you draw your inspiration from?
The artist: We definitely can’t deny that Black Sabbath, particularly their first six albums with Ozzy, remains our greatest inspiration. We’re also heavily influenced by such bands as Candlemass, Trouble and Catherdal, along with more contemporary acts like Dread Sovereign, Hangman’s Chair or Pallbearer.

LOMM: What’s more important to you? Catering to the audience or music for its own sake?
The artist:

I honestly believe that music is a much more sincere vehicle when it’s coming from the heart and not being intended to serve any particular purposes. I’s great if other people want to go along for the ride but in the end it’s the artist who should be fulfilled, not the audience.

LOMM: When you look back your music career, what do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
The artist:

I think it’s the fact that I’ve been doing this for a while and I’m still very passionate about it. The moment when that flame dies out, I would consider it my greatest failure in life.

LOMM: Anything else you think your fans should know?

The artist:

We’re Grieving and we’ve just released our debut album, of which we are exceptionally proud. Come along for the ride, you won’t regret it.