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Answers by Michael “RISTRIDI” Woess
1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Sure! We are Dark Solstice from Munich, Germany, and we play Dark Metal!
This band pretty much evolved out of my Solo Project “RISTRIDI”, with which I’ve released one Prog/Power Metal EP. There was one release gig in 2023, and we had no real lasting “Live-Lineup”. We were short a Bassist at the time and after our one and only gig, Guitarist Daniel moved to another city far away and Drummer Felix said he couldn’t do more live gigs, as he already was member of 4 bands at the time and also had a full-time-job. So Johnny and me are basically what’s left of that Live-Lineup.
Johnny and I were looking for new musicians to join us - we found Jakob Burde (Ex-Hailstone), Maurice Gerczuk and Alex Meyer (Ex-Engera) who were eager to make music with us. And after I’ve left Agathodaimon I felt the need to write and release more “dark music”, so I proposed that we - instead of continuing as a Solo Project - take the step and form a new band. As our name, we decided to take the name of the RISTRIDI EP - “Dark Solstice”.
2.You have a new ep coming out later in May, can you tell us a little bit more about he musical style that you went for on the recording?
Oh it’s a pretty diverse mixture actually. Basically we make Dark Metal with influences of Symphonic Black Metal and also Melodic Death Metal. The three songs on the EP are all examples of facettes which are to be expected in our coming work.
“Pathways” has a lot of “Melo-Death” Vibes, “Open” opens with a Groove-Metal / Doomy kinda Main Riff and develops into some thrashy passages, leading into a Black Metal Ending - and the title track “Where Black Stars Beckon” is the one that mostly goes in to the direction of traditional “Dark Metal” - it has a recurring Synth-Melody with a Breakdown-ish kind of Main Part, which also goes into a Black-Metal-ish kinda Verse Part and then into a more melodic Chorus.
So there are a lot of influences which lead to these songs and I can’t pinpoint exactly where all of that comes from, as it’s not an all conscious process.
3.Some of the band members are veterans from other bands, what is it that you bring into the music of 'Dark Solstice', that you have not been able to do with your previous groups?
I was deeply involved in the songwriting for the latest “Agathodaimon” record “The Seven” - and I can definitely be creative more freely without that big “Back Catalogue” of what the band has already done in the past. I think that a lot of the material that is about to come is going to be more on the melodic side, not necessarily abiding to the “cliché” of Dark Metal.
4.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
The topics we tried to cover in our EP range from political topics like in “Where Black Stars Beckon” - which is inspired by the abhorrent Trump-led MAGA movement in the USA - to personal topics like the loss of love and also to deeply personal problems like Depression and losing the will to live.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dark Solstice'?
Solstice, by definition, means the time when the sun reaches its maximum or minimum declination, twice a year. Dark Solstice we see as a metaphor for the times of crisis, in which we live - personally or also politically. So the question is: Have we already reached the maximum point of devastation? Are we on a tipping point of negative things to happen? Or will things become even worse? When will life and international crises start to shift into something positive again? That’s the question I ask myself regularly, so it seemed like a nice name for a band.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
Sure. On the cover artwork we can see a devastated person who scourges himself in a city of ruins, with a lit hearth in front of him. This reflects pictures which are invoked through the lyrics of the songs on the EP. A person which has gone through severe stress because of his living conditions - a destroyed city which he lives in. It’s a kind of apocalyptic vision of where we might end up in on the verge of (nuclear) war and international crises
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Our gigs in Freising and Munich were really something! In Freising we met a lot of old friends and the room was packed! And in Munich, despite the bad weather, the people were on fire!
Our stage performance is rather “classic” I would say. We don’t have any stage props or stuff like that yet. But it is always quite energetic!
8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?
We have some gigs lined up. After the EP Release we now had three gigs. In July we’re again playing in Munich - on 19th of July at Szenerie Drehleier - and then our next gigs are on 15th November in Nuremberg and on 13th December in Dorfen.
9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
For our debut album we’re on the lookout for a label, we were already in contact with a label that was interested in releasing this EP. But we decided to release this EP on our own now and go join a label for our debut album.
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of dark metal?
I think it was received quite well, our videos and socials got quite some views. But we’re of course still at the very beginning of our journey.
11.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We have already written quite some new material, but we can’t say yet when our first full length will be ready. The new music goes a bit more into the melodic and melancholic direction. I’m curious how that material will turn out - it’s still in a rather early state.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
I am a big fan of old-school metal, reaching way back to the origins of metal. I was always a big Megadeth fan for example. Nowadays, I like listening to all kinds of subgenres of Metal. Music I listened to a lot lately are Brymir’s “Voices in the Sky”, Assemble the Chariot’s “Unyielding Night” and Ghost’s “Skeletá”. So not stuff that is close to what we do actually, genre-wise.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
First of all thank you for the interview! To everybody reading this, we’re looking forward to write and release new music for you. Also, if you’re attending one of our gigs, make sure to say hello!
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