[Interview] Exclusive interview with Las Vegas Doom Metallers Psalm

Las Vegas Doom Metallers Psalm have returned with their crushing new EP “In Darkness… Have Mercy,” a four-track journey through spiritual darkness and redemption. Having established themselves in the underground Doom scene since 2020, the band continues to explore the heavier side of existence with this latest offering.

Let’s start at the beginning — can you tell us about the origins of Psalm and how the band came together in Las Vegas back in 2020?

So Psalm was actually formed in the San Fernando Valley in California early 2020. The first line up came originally out of a project I was in that was heavily on a decline, and one day I showed the musicians in the band a doom idea that I had and from that day forth the jams went from the usual jams to Psalm rehearsals.

Your sound draws heavily from classic doom influences like Trouble, Solitude Aeturnus, and Black Sabbath, but also incorporates elements from Pantera and Led Zeppelin. How have these diverse influences shaped your approach to writing Doom Metal?

Honestly they’ve given us this intensity that’s added this thunderous attack sound. Funny also they’re our drummer main influences as well and we could definitely feel/hear the intensity he brings with those influences under his belt.

The name “Psalm” carries obvious religious connotations, and your Bandcamp handle is “psalm666” — there’s an interesting duality there. What’s the significance behind choosing this name, and how does it reflect your musical identity?

I don’t think it would be a surprise if we told you Troubles Debut album was very influential to choosing our name hahaha. But I think it reflects how we could be very influenced by our hero’s and still create our own vision instead of being a copy of them.

Let’s dive deep into your new EP “In Darkness… Have Mercy.” The title itself suggests themes of redemption and spiritual struggle. What was the conceptual framework behind this release?

I could definitely see the relation in those themes, the only one I’d maybe change would be spiritual to inner struggle maybe? Because it does deal with those kinda of topics and emotions that everyone’s gone through once or a couple times in their life. I remember hearing a lyric in a trouble song I forget which exactly but, I remember it going along the lines of “for those who walk in darkness, christ have mercy” and it stood with me and in my interpretation here, you could be the one who’s in the darkness and while you’re there show mercy to others and not take out what you’re going through on the innocent, or vice versa if someone’s going through their own darkness show them mercy and understanding for their struggles. Something along those lines.

The EP features four tracks: “Misery,” “Messiah,” “Value the Suffering,” and “Blessed Are the Cursed.” Can you walk us through the thematic journey from track one to four? Is there a narrative arc connecting these songs?

Yes of course! So starting off the record is Misery, this intense emotional driven force diving into subjects such as grief, loss, and hopelessness with an overall theme of melancholy here and throughout the record. Messiah tackles the similar subjects of abandonment and the struggle for peace trying desperately to search for it. Value the Suffering from the titles perspective is about embracing failure, not steering away or hiding from it. Blessed are the Cursed came from a chapter in the Bible called Deuteronomy 28, talking about these different types of punishments if not following God the exact way he wants it and from there the lyrics fell right into place from their. maybe they aren’t connected like a story book per say, but they do share similar themes and emotions just expressed in its own individual way.

“Value the Suffering” is a particularly provocative title. In a world that often seeks to avoid pain, what message are you trying to convey about the role of suffering in human experience?

I would say to embrace it. Pain could be used to learn important lessons in life rather physical and mental.. the failures or shortcomings in our life could be turned to our advantage, using it as a motivation to keep going. Some of the most important lessons I’ve learned in life have been through rejections and failure, teaching me to keep pushing through that if I stop now i would for sure fail but if as long as I tried, I would truly never fail.

The contrast between darkness and mercy is central to this EP. How do you balance these opposing forces in your music, and what does “mercy in darkness” mean to you personally and as a band?

Yes I would say it is as well, as much as there seems to be mostly just dark themes throughout the record I think by clearly stating the truth in the lyrics is key to what balances out the darkness, it helps to release it by expressing what’s real. With the title “In darkness have mercy” I think it could apply to the person themselves who’s going through the darkness and someone else who you see is going through it, if you’re upset or angry don’t take it out on someone that doesn’t deserve it have mercy on those while you’re battling your own demons, and to those you see going through there own darkness have mercy on them and understand their battle that they might not or can’t speak about.

Musically, how does this EP compare to your previous work, particularly your 2021 release “Blessed Are the Cursed”? Have you evolved your sound or explored new territories?

I would definitely say this new release touched new territory, it has a much more matured sound to it that being in writing, production, and performance. The era of our first EP “Blessed are the Cursed” was our the first time for a lot of things we did together as a band, and since then I think we’ve learned a lot with this new lineup from that time and have had a lot of time to prepare for this follow up. Id say we have for sure evolved our sound with these new songs and with the right production behind it.

The EP was self-released digitally on July 15th, with physical formats (CD, cassette, and vinyl) coming soon. What made you choose the self-release route, and how important are physical formats to you in today’s streaming-dominated landscape?

Honestly in this day in age with music we thought it would seemed the best to self release the EP and promote it as much as we can’t to gain as much attention with it as we can, it’s a little taste of what’s to come and maybe with the coming releases following this one we could possibly have the support of a label or a management behind us.

Las Vegas isn’t typically known as a Doom Metal hotbed. How would you describe the local Metal scene there, and have you found a receptive audience for your brand of Heavy Music?

It’s actually a pretty diverse scene here with metal, going from Black to Death Metal shows that made me wonder what else I missed before moving down here haha. But the Doom scene here is insane! It so active and not only that but so welcome at the same time! We met our now drummer at our first show before he joined the band and that show and the chats afterward is what lead to his initial joining not to long after that!

Speaking of live performances, what can fans expect from a Psalm live show? How do you translate the crushing weight and spiritual themes of your music into a live setting?

Our shows are nothing short of Loud, and Eye grabbing! We take time to master our craft as a band and individuals. And Our trio line up translates very well live we’ve seen a could pits surprisingly haha and with the live setting I think it organically intensifies the music as well and it’s such a well blended heavy mix all together.

Do you have any upcoming shows or tours planned to support “In Darkness… Have Mercy?“ Are there any particular venues or festivals you’re hoping to play?

At the moment the only show we have planned is our EP release show on August 9th at the Grey Witch! But we would love to travel out to hit some festivals up if anyone would like to book us on! Our drummer Ian just performed with his band Sonolith at Maryland Doom fests last go around this year I can’t imagine how much of a blast that must’ve been!

Looking at the broader doom metal scene today, how do you see Psalm fitting in? The genre has experienced something of a renaissance in recent years — what’s your take on the current state of doom, and where do you see it heading?

We definitely see Psalm Touring and ever evolving to grow to more audiences that want to listen to us. Aside from the very recent passing of our beloved Ozzy Osbourne I think Doom is in a very healthy state right now with some pioneers still guiding the wheel along side so many new doom bands keeping the genre alive! We couldn’t be more honored to be in this scene we’ve made countless friends in the short time being active again and we couldn’t be more grateful for them and everyone support!

Thank you so much for your interest and support of the band! We can’t thank you enough for having us this was a great experience and we look forward to chatting with you soon again!

Thanks for taking the time to speak with us about “In Darkness… Have Mercy.” The EP is a powerful statement that shows Psalm continuing to carve out their own path in the Doom Metal underground. We look forward to seeing where this dark journey takes you next, and hope to catch you on the road soon. For readers wanting to experience the crushing weight of “In Darkness… Have Mercy,” the EP is available now on Bandcamp and all digital platforms, with physical formats coming soon. Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming show announcements — this is music that demands to be experienced live and loud.

Stay Heavy, and may you find mercy in your own darkness.

Purchase “In Darkness… Have Mercy” on Bandcamp: https://psalm666.bandcamp.com/album/in-darkness-have-mercy

Stream the full EP on our YouTube channel:

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