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| This interview was made in collaboration with Last Cathedral Records |
Peter Svensson, guitarist and songwriter for Void Moon and Anchorite, explores two different sides of Doom Metal through these two bands. In this interview, he discusses their musical identities, influences, songwriting and lyrical themes, as well as their contributions to The Last Cathedral Records compilations The Silent Remains and The Final Witness.
Asmoth: You are involved in both Anchorite and Void Moon, two bands that approach Doom Metal from somewhat different angles. How would you describe the musical identity of each band, and what do you think separates them from one another?
Peter: Void Moon I would say reflects my personality a bit more and the music there varies a bit more, maybe we are pushing the boundaries of doom metal slightly in some songs. And on the earlier stuff there was definitely a progressive touch in terms of arrangements. Anchorite is more classic doom with a massive epic feel to it, mainly from Leo’s vocals.
Asmoth: Anchorite has a strong Epic Doom character, with an emphasis on grand riffs, melodies and a sense of scale. What elements are essential for you when creating an Anchorite song, and what do you want the listener to feel when the music unfolds?
Peter: Like you say we strive to create that epic character in the songs. Well, there are a couple ingredients that should be in the songs. Firstly, we need some grand riffs and preferably a strong guitar melody (which sometimes is accompanied by massive choirs on behalf of Leo). Then we need lyrics that paint a picture that fits the music. In line with our name, a lot of lyrics revolve around different ways of viewing solitude and spirituality.
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| Anchorite |
Asmoth: Void Moon has a much more traditional Doom Metal foundation, drawing from the early masters of the genre. How important are bands such as Black Sabbath, Candlemass and Solitude Aeturnus to your approach, and how do you keep those influences from becoming simply nostalgic?
Peter: I think the key to not just rehashing nostalgic music is to not try to copy anything. Trying to copy any Black Sabbath riff might create something good but it will never surpass the original. I believe as long as I have the intent on creating something original it turns out pretty ok, with that being said I can never escape the musical imprint in my soul of Sabbath, Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus. So sometimes I might write something that I realize later is pretty much “stolen”, then I discard it or try to re-write it to make it my own. Trying to create something completely unique is impossible in metal, and I don’t have a need to create something difficult for the sake of being different, I want to create good music.
Asmoth: The lyrical worlds of Void Moon have explored subjects such as death, philosophy, occultism and heathen rituals. How do these themes influence the music, and is there a particular subject or idea that you find yourself returning to again and again?
Peter: On those themes, the only ones that I tend to keep coming back to are philosophy (there is always an interesting thought or idea to explore in lyrics) and death (despite being a cliché theme, death is always a part of our lives). Regarding heathen rituals, I am fascinated by those but more in the same way as I enjoy any fictional work. There is a lot of mythology intertwined in our lyrics.
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| Void Moon |
Asmoth: Anchorite and Void Moon also have very different histories: Void Moon has been active since 2009, while Anchorite was formed in 2018. Has your experience with Void Moon influenced the way you approach songwriting, recording or performing with Anchorite?
Peter: Yes, I have learned a lot about composing over the years. Obviously, that carries over to Anchorite when I compose songs. The biggest difference is that in Anchorite we share composition duties and sometimes we have riffs from Leo, Martin and myself in the same song! With Void Moon I am more in the driver seat, but in the new music we are writing, guitarist Fredrik Theander is adding a lot of things and riffs.
We are currently rehearsing our Anchorite live show for our debut show in two months. Obviously, Anchorite rehearsals are a lot more complicated than Void Moon due to the fact that we are living in three different countries.
Asmoth: Anchorite contributed The Apostate’s Prayer to The Silent Remains. What made this particular song the right choice for the compilation, and what did you hope listeners would discover about Anchorite through this contribution?
Peter: To be honest, it was Last Cathedral Records who chose that track. But I am very happy about the choice, it is easily one of my favourite Anchorite songs, but it would have been difficult to choose exactly which song to represent us. It features all the essential Anchorite ingredients.
Asmoth: A few weeks later, Void Moon appeared on The Final Witness with The Wolf (at the End of the World) How did the collaboration with The Last Cathedral develop for this second compilation, and was your approach to participating different this time around?
Peter: After the successful collaboration on the first compilation album, I actually suggested Void Moon to Last Cathedral and was immediately accepted. Again, the song choice was theirs but I think they made a very good choice. “The Wolf (at the End of the World)” is one of our most celebrated songs and a great live song. The only other song that might have been used instead would be “The Autumn Throne”, but that is a very different and more atmospheric song.
Asmoth: You have now experienced The Last Cathedral's compilation concept from two different perspectives. What do you think these releases bring to the Doom Metal underground, and how important do you believe it is for bands from different countries to be connected through projects like The Silent Remains and The Final Witness?
Peter: I think it is great initiative from Last Cathedral. I found some new cool bands on these compilations, so it is a great tool for both bands and fans!