
Dear readers, we are pleased to offer you in this article an interview with a German duo with a Stoner/Doom sound with forays into Sludge. We welcome Epic Down.
Hi, a real pleasure to be able to interview you in our pages, how are you?
ED: “Hi, the pleasure is all ours. We’ve started the new year well and with a lot of vigor, so it’s safe to say we’re doing well.“
You play a Stoner/Doom genre with Sludge contaminations, how did your passion for music and these sounds start?
ED: “So the passion for music and making music in particular has accompanied us both, independently of each other, since our early youth. We also both started playing in bands at an early age, the urge to rebel played a certain role relatively quickly. The devotion to the rather deeper and heavier sounds has its origins to a certain extent in the musical influences we have been exposed to since those days. There is probably no main reason or ultimate key experience. Time and place certainly play a part.
In the end, expressing ourselves in this way seems to suit us both very well and feels very natural.
What are your sources of inspiration in this regard?
ED: “From a musical point of view, our songs are certainly strongly influenced by the mood and motion at the time they were written. The darker the days, the darker the thematic development. Everyday life and it’s struggle also plays a role, but it’s not that we stiffen or restrict ourselves, we rather let it flow and approach things with an open mind.
Our texts often deal with phenomena and events shaped by or caused by people, related problems or conflicts and their effects on nature, the environment and society. Basically a constant source of thematic inspiration.“
The band formed in 2021, how did the project and the band name Epic Down come about?
ED: “We’ve known each other for a very long time and have made music together before. Back then, we were still in a band with a more classic distribution of roles, but on the same instruments. Even back then we had an incredibly strong passion for intense doom instrumentals while the others took a break. Somehow, life caused us to lose sight of each other in the meantime and a few years passed before we got back together. It was in 2021 when we arranged to meet up again for a few informal sessions and since then we haven’t stopped devoting ourselves to what we both like and what connects us. And that’s what you hear.
The band name somehow just came about. After a few months of making music together, we had collected a few ideas for possible band names on an old piece of paper and sometimes, during breaks, played around with them, modified them and wrote them down again. The whole thing would probably have gone on for quite a while if Mitzschi hadn’t created a SoundCloud for the first demos one day. At the time, we hadn’t yet agreed on a name, but we didn’t pursue it much further, Epic Down was on the aforementioned piece of paper and was now also the name on SoundCloud. In the end, we decided to leave it at that. The name is the program for us, fits the music and we have come to terms with it well.“
The new album ‘Days of Oblivion’ was released in September 2024. how would you describe this work?
ED: “It’s always a bit difficult as an artist to describe your own work without giving too much away. It is not a pure concept album and each of the 7 songs is a narrative in its own right. The overall picture, however, is a small epic journey through the abysses of our civilization, accompanied by an examination of current events and embedded in a soundtrack of downfall. Steve Howe (outlaws of the sun) wrote: „Overall, EPIC DOWN have crafted a subversively different style of Doom Metal which blends the legendary mythos of BLACK SABBATH with the emotionally charged destructive energy of TYPE O NEGATIVE whilst exploring and building their own creative dominance within the whole album.“
Which is also a good way to describe it.”
A granitic sound and sophisticated lyrics, what themes does this new album deal with?
ED: “It is quite a ramble through world events. Opinion-forming, dealing with information and existential topics are dealt with in the same way as the wind as a natural element or everyday situations that challenge you. The messages are well embedded in the songs and some interpretations are permissible.“
The line-up consists of your multi-instrumentalists, how does the creative process of your music take place?
ED: “Basically, it works pretty much natively. Mitzschi is the guitarist who provides the melodic impetus and usually works quietly on riffs, which he then brings to a session. From then on, the magic part begins. Working out the rough versions is an intensive collaboration in which we limit ourselves to drums and guitar. This is how we shape the idea and at a certain point we start recording to look at arrangements, tempo and suchlike. When everything has come together, a rough version is recorded again, which is then used for the lyrical editing. In the end, the best that comes out is a song.“
You released two EPs before this debut album, how has your sound evolved over time?
ED: “The Equinox EPs are very different from the album in terms of sound. The instrumentation is even more minimalist, the approaches more experimental. Pt.1 is dominated by doom elements, while drone and sludge elements set the tone on Pt.2. With the album, we then devoted ourselves to further aspects and broadened our horizons.“
Many of our readers and your fans wonder if there will be a chance to hear your music live, do you have any plans in this regard for the near future?
ED: “Live gigs are definitely on our 2 do list for this year. Unfortunately, we can’t announce any fixed dates yet, but we are working on it and will inform via our social media channels in due course.“
The Underground scene is full of festivals and concerts, how important is it to keep these kinds of events alive?
ED: “Extremely important, because these are precisely the occasions when the scene can come together, both listeners and fans as well as musicians and bands. Even if it is easier in the digital age to keep in touch and actively exchange ideas with musicians from the other side of the world, a concert evening or weekend with a number of bands live is something else entirely. In addition, the underground is still affordable in contrast to the price models of various giant acts and offers a closeness that you won’t find in the stadium.“
Germany has always been at the forefront of music, how do you see the modern scene in your country?
ED: “Lively, diverse and somehow always changing. The death of clubs has also shaken up the cultural world in this country. In addition, many projects are confronted with difficult financial situations. In addition, there has recently been a kind of expectation, shaped by political discourse, to take a stand or position oneself, which then meets with approval or rejection, depending on where you ask.“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music in a genre like yours?
ED: “Go your own way, stay true to yourselves, stick to your guns, support each other and don’t eat yellow snow!“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside of music?
ED: “Music takes up a lot of space and, in addition to the actual making of music, also includes things like building my own equipment and various other things. But in addition to the daily cycle of sleep, work and music, there is still some time for gardening or excursions into nature, which is a welcome balance.“
I thank the band for the interview and wish them all the best for the continuation of their artistic career.
ED: “Thank you for the interview, it means a lot to us. Stay tuned!“
Purchase the new album on Bandcamp: https://epicdown.bandcamp.com/album/days-of-oblivion
Lineup:
Mitzschi / Guitars, Bass
Fabian / Drums, Vocals