1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are Dystersol from Styria (Austria). Our band was founded back in 2013 and over the years we developed our unique style which is best described as modern metal. What’s cool is that we are all from the same small village and know each other very well. Being in a band together can sometimes be quite tough, however, it’s a great pleasure to share all these band moments with some of your best friends.
2.So far you have released 2 albums, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on both of the recordings and also how do they differ from each other?
Since our first homegrown demo album a lot has changed. “Welcome the Dark Sun” was supposed to be an album with two contrary faces. The first part was quite heavy and serious, whereas the second part consisted of rather melodious and folkish songs. Even though the concept was interesting and contained a lot of meaning, the clear line of the musical genre was missing and the result was very diversified. On our new album “The Fifth Age of Man” we tried to create one coherent piece of music. Every single one of us had a huge influence on the songwriting and we took way more time for all the details regarding the songs, but also for everything apart from the music, like album artwork and band image, for example. Soundwise, the new album is much heavier. We got rid of almost all the clean vocals and the guitars are even more riff-based and aggressive than on “Welcome the Dark Sun”. Even though the folk influence is still recognisable in some parts, the synth sounds have become more broad and orchestral. Another big difference is of course the quality of the new album. While the first demo was recorded in our rehearsal room, “The Fifth Age of Man” was recorded professionally at Realsound Studio in Italy. The collaboration with our label Wormholedeath helped us to bring our music to the next level.
3.After 2014 you waited until 2018 to release the next album, can you tell us a little bit more about what was going on during that time frame?
First of all, we took a lot of time to write new material. After releasing our demo album, we felt that in some songs, the overall sound and especially regarding the artwork the love for detail was missing because we did everything under a lot of pressure. So, we wanted to think everything through carefully and take all the time we need for these details. In 2016, we had already started recording our next single on our own, when we first got in touch with Wormholedeath. They offered us a great deal to record a LP the following year, so we had to write a few more songs. We also spent a lot of time to find our identity as a band. It was clear that we had to define our sound and specify our image in order to become more professional. In early 2017 we did all the pre-recordings in our rehearsal room and made the final adjustments on our songs before we hit the studio in July. While we were waiting for the final results of our mixes and masters, we put a lot of effort into all the stuff surrounding the music, like merch, artwork, videos and so on. Of course, we also played a lot of concerts during this time.
4.Your lyrics cover 'Ancient Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
For many topics, it seems that they haven’t changed a lot over the centuries. Many of today’s human thoughts and problems are not vastly different from those hundreds or even thousands of years ago. What makes ancient texts and particularly mythology so interesting in our opinion is that they had a certain perspective on things which would not even be considered these days. They have a rather “free” (at least by today’s standards), ambivalent and variable view on life, moral and mortality. Associating those views with our modern worldview brings up a lot of interesting thoughts and ideas to think about.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Dystersol'?
Dystersol is Swedish and means dark - or rather gloomy sun. This oxymoron leaves room for interpretation in various ways, and can be seen as an allegory for numerous topics, as well. It involves an ambiguity which is part of humanity, and therefore, part of us, too. The dark side of the sun represents our awareness of misery and sorrow in the world, whereas the bright rays of the sun illustrate our positive attitude, as well as our passion for music we want to share with our audience.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
It’s really hard to pick the favourites because a lot of shows were great fun. Opening the amazing Kaltenbach Open Air back in 2015 was definitely one of the highlights of our career. It was our first festival show and the biggest stage we’ve played so far. What’s more, the Volk Metal Jacket tour 2017 has to be mentioned, especially the stop in Graz at the club Explosiv was really nice. We’re lucky that there are many great bands and passionate people who keep the Styrian metal scene alive and support each other.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
We have a couple of upcoming shows in 2018, like the Volk Metal Jacket vol. 4 or the Dead Man Walking festival, for example. Currently, we’re also working on our album release show in early June. All the dates and details will be released on our website and Facebook page. At the moment, we have no upcoming tour, however, we hope that the new album gives us the chance to play more national and international shows and tours.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
The official release date of “The Fifth Age of Man” is on May 4th, so it’s a bit too early to talk about feedback. However, the response to our first single “Down to Nothing” has been very positive so far. Since the press release in March a couple of our songs have been broadcasted in radio stations all around the world, especially in the US. At the moment, we’re really excited about the feedback and we can’t wait to see the reactions.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
As we are just releasing this album, we haven’t talked about our future in detail, yet. Our further plans also depend on the reactions on “The Fifth Age of Man”. We’ve put a lot of time and energy into this album, which was really exciting, but also an enormous amount of work. We already have a couple of ideas for new riffs and lyrics and we’ll start to write new songs after the CD has been released.
10.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?
All of us are really open-minded when it comes to music. We all love heavy stuff, but each of us has slightly different preferences. In the early days, folk metal bands like Finntroll or Korpiklaani, but also heavy metal bands like Accept had a big influence on our first songs. Over the past years, heavier stuff like Kataklysm or InFlames has become more important. The rhythm section probably listens to the most extreme stuff like Dark Funeral, Benighted and The Black Dahlia Murder. One of our guitarists is really into post and atmospheric black metal. The other one is more an old school guy and likes Metallica and Pantera but also bands like Queens of Stone Age. Our singer has listened to almost everything over the years, but at the moment he is really looking forward to see Ex Deo this year.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
We live in a small village where we’re surrounded by nature, so we often play football or basketball together or just spend some time outside and go swimming or hiking. Of course, also partying is an essential part of being a metal band, so we all share a passion for beer.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
We want to thank all the people who supported us and helped to create “The Fifth Age of Man”. If you’re interested in our music or want to get in touch with us, visit our website and Facebook page to stay tuned.
Thanks for the interview
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