Saturnus - Interview

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Published on Friday, 24 February 2023 19:32

Denmark-based Saturnus has been one of the best doom bands ever since it appeared in 1993, or 1991 if counting playing under the name Asesino. Quantity-wise, in its 30-year existence, it hasn't produced a comprehensive opus, four full-lengths and two EPs, but what is quantity versus quality? And quality-wise, there is no debate - its first class music. The kind of music you don't only hear; you can feel it, in a way, even see and smell it; while listening to it, you get to live in it. And listening to it live was an even better experience. It happened to us in November in Channel Zero (Ljubljana, Slovenia), right after the interview with the founding member and vocalist Thomas A.G. Jensen and guitarist Julio Fernandez, a more recent Saturnus acquisition. If you've missed out on the gig report, you can still catch up with it HERE, and if you are curious about what we talked about, read the interview. Now, only a little something to intrigue you: something great is coming from Saturnus again, and soon, very soon.

Interview with: Thomas A.G. Jensen, Julio Fernandez
Conducted by: Tomaz, Jerneja
Edited by: Jerneja

Jerneja: Hello Thomas and Julio, and thank you for accepting our interview proposal. So, how do you like the city where Veronika decides to die?
Thomas: Ljubljana, you mean, yeah? I think it's a really romantic and beautiful city. I've been here on vacation for an extended weekend. I've been lucky enough to have a closer look at the city and not just hang around for five or six hours. I really love it, and I will, for sure, come back as a tourist. Actually, my wife and I talked about buying a house here in the mountains. The weather is very similar to the Danish one because you have snow here as well, and in the summer, it's hot. Let's see what the future brings, but, in general, I find Slovenia as one very lovely country.

Tomaz: That's nice to hear. How is the tour going so far?
Thomas: Really good. There has not been a bad day at all. Of course, everybody is lacking some sleep; we are getting more and more tired, but in general, we are all good and happy about it. This tour brought us to some places we had never visited before. For example, Serbia yesterday and now Ljubljana. We've played at the MetalDays festival, but that's a festival. So, this is our first real live show here in Slovenia. I don't compare such shows with festivals because, for the festival, it doesn't matter in which country it is; it's always the same.

Tomaz: We watched your performance at the Prophecy Fest on YouTube. That cave seems like a fantastic venue for an atmospheric metal show. How does it feel being there, not to mention playing live?
Julio: If someone told me years ago that we would play inside a cave, I wouldn't believe it. But it happened, and it's amazing. It's an amazing venue, and I think it's the biggest cave for cultural purposes in Europe. It's very good that once a year a festival happens there with bands like ours. I was super proud of being there. I had a very good time, and I believe all of us had.

Jerneja: And what about the sound there?
Thomas: It was great. We were around, listening to music, and the sound inside the cave was amazing. It's like this cave is made for music.

Tomaz: We would love to attend this festival one day. Not only for the special place but also because Prophecy Productions has many very good bands on its roster and many play at this festival. Saturnus recently signed with them, and I wonder how you feel being part of this label?
Thomas: It - kind of - feels natural to be there. We are good friends with many bands at the label, for example, The Vision Bleak, Empyrium, and Novembers Doom. We toured with them many times. Prophecy Productions is, for us, kind of a natural place to be. Also business-wise, I think it's a good label for us and like you said, it's a label that has many interesting names. The main thing that comes to mind when I think of this label is the atmosphere. Atmospheric music in general; it doesn't matter if it is metal, rock or even acoustic stuff - the atmosphere is all that matters. It is a good trademark for us, and I'm very happy we signed with it.

Tomaz: Ten years have passed since you released your last full-length, Saturn In Ascension. What are you guys doing?
Thomas: Yeah,... Ok, right after the album's release, we played many shows. Then we should have begun to write new music, but it didn't go with the tempo we would like it to go. Guitar players are always the most productive in the band, and of course, our former guitar player Rune was not that productive. We had to do something about it, and we finished playing with him and brought in some new blood which resulted in more than one and a half of a new album already. That's the main reason for taking us that long, but also because some got children, one of the guys got the education, growing up stuff, "adult" stuff and all that things you need to do in life, haha.

Jerneja: You released a special EP named The Lighthouse Session this year, though...
Thomas: You are right. It's an EP with acoustic versions of the two new and two old tracks. And, of course, a new album is coming in spring. We don't know the actual date yet because it's in Prophecy Productions' hands. So, the one-and-a-half album is almost out now.

Jerneja: Can you give us some more details about the new album? Maybe a title or something?
Julio: We are not allowed to say anything at the moment because it would - kind of - destroy the promotional campaign that will run shortly. We are silenced for now.

Jerneja: At least, when can we expect the first single?
Thomas: It depends on many things. I don't know when the factory is done with the vinyl. When the vinyl arrives at the storehouse, the promotion of the new album will start, and only then the first tracks will be revealed. We will release some singles before the album's release. I guess that the promotion will start in February, around three months before the release.

Tomaz: Style-wise, will you follow the direction from Saturn In Ascension and Veronica Decides To Die, or will there be some new stylistic and compositional elements?
Julio: Well, since new blood arrived, we brought new ideas and approaches. At the end of the day, there's still this essence that Saturnus has and the sound that made the band famous. We are still on the dark side of everything, and that is in correspondence with more powerful and intense sound. What you should expect is still Saturnus. There will be a lot of typical melodies, deep voices, brutal sounds, and long songs as well.

Tomaz: And where did you record the new album?
Thomas: We recorded it in the Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, Denmark, with Flemming Rasmussen again. Julio recorded his parts in Spain, and Indee recorded his and then mixed their parts in Cymatic Studios in London. In the end, everything was mixed and mastered in Sweet Silence Studios. Flemming did a very good job. He's a good friend of the band, and for us, it's normal to work with him. We know him and his family also privately; we go to football games together as well.

Tomaz: It's hard to find a song of Saturnus to spin on the radio because all of them are so long, but the best ones are the longest ones... The band's line-up has changed drastically, two members are brand new, and I wonder if this is a solid line-up?
Thomas: I would say so. The whole atmosphere within the band is really good; we get really good along, and we are very productive together. We - kind of - speak the same "music" language. We knew each other before they joined the band. We've been touring with Julio's band Autumnal. Indee was in Clouds and Eye Of Solitude, and we also toured with both bands. They are - kind of - friends from the road. Julio was the first one that came to mind. Brian called him, and he instantly said yes. I called Daniel from Clouds because, in that period, he knew what was going on in the doom scene. I thought of Indee because I know what he can do on guitar; he's also a very nice guy, and that's very important for the band. We can't walk around and argue all the time; a band needs to be a unit. So, I actually called Daniel and asked him who he would suggest being a guitar player. He was playing with Indee at that time, and he said I should call him. That made my thoughts clear; I didn't hesitate and called him. These were the first thoughts we had, and they became a reality. That's it.

Jerneja: Is now anything different with the music composing process?
Thomas: The way that we have written the new album the most starts with guitar players who present some riffs. Julio had many riffs in his drawer at home, and he sent them around so we could listen to them. We said which was good and fitting and which one didn't. We ended up with some usable riffs. Indee also had quite some ideas, and then we had those weekly meetings on Zoom where we talked about them. We tried to play with two riffs from Julio and tried to build up something.
Julio: The very first step comes from guitar players, and then everyone gets asked to participate. You know, Thomas is the godfather on his own, and he perfectly knows how things should be developing in the song. To sum it up: guitars first, and melodies, that's the basis. Then building the house up is the part that comes from everybody. Sometimes it also happens that we have the lyrics first and try to build something around that. Sometimes it can depend on a certain mood of the song. It depends; there are quite some factors.

Jerneja: Mentioning lyrics - where do they find the inspiration?
Thomas: Actually, our drummer Henrik has written most of them. It deals a lot with his mood, but in general, those are around the reflections of the past, some personal daily stuff and struggles. They are written in a poetic way and not that direct. The meaning often lies hidden. Also, a lot of the band's history is put into the new album.

Tomaz: Is there also something about the recent things that were/are going on in the world, like the pandemic and now war,...
Thomas: Yes, it's part of normal daily life. The feelings about the war in Ukraine could be written in an artistic way and not that direct. But there's nothing about the war in the upcoming album's lyrics since they were finished before the war started.

Tomaz: Thomas, you were also a guest vocalist several times. If I'm not mistaken, the last time was on the Shores Of Null album Beyond The Shores (On Death And Dying). What does being a guest vocalist mean to you, and do you always accept such invitations?
Thomas: It doesn't matter to me, what kind of music it is; it can be any kind. I also did vocals for a black metal band. To me, it matters that I need to have myself into it. So, if I can see myself in a certain kind of music, then for me, it's acceptable because, in the end, it's my voice that is coming out. I need to approve it - and I don't just say yes to everything. I think it's really fun to do such things because it's always something different from what I'm used to doing. When I'm singing something, like for Shores Of Null, I try to put in my own trademark, my vocal style in Saturnus. Those who know me and my vocal style can hear my typical vocal lines, a special expression that I like to use in their music. I'm also very proud of the Shores Of Null album; I think it's an amazing one. They are good friends of ours as well.

Jerneja: In your case, there's a big difference between your gentle clean and deep growling voice. I find it amazing and wonder how hard it is to switch between them.
Thomas: Yeah, I know what you mean. That's my trademark vocal style, and I'm quite used to doing it.

Tomaz: Saturnus is definitely one of the most influential doom metal bands; how do you perceive it?
Thomas: I never think about it like that. You know, I'm just a bus driver at home. I have a "normal" family life and a "normal" day job, and I pay my bills just like everybody else. If somebody says that they are inspired by me, or the band, I get goosebumps because I never think of Saturnus that way. Of course, I'm very proud if people get inspired by what we do since that also means they appreciate it. I'm happy about it; it'll live forever, and our music will. At the end of the day, if I think about it, it's - kind of - weird to comprehend.

Jerneja: The music scene has radically changed since your beginnings in 1991. Any comment?
Thomas: There are a lot of really good bands coming up today, but there will always be those bands from the past that are strong, and you can never get around. It's very interesting to watch what is going on right now, and we were just recently talking about a band named Brutus from Belgium, which is simply amazing. It's a three-piece band with a female drummer who also sings. They have just released their new album, and I recommend checking them out. It's not a typical doom, it's doomy, and it has the atmosphere.

Tomaz: We will check on Brutus for sure. But now, tell me more about your latest monumental full-length, Saturn In Ascension, although it's been 11 years since it was released. How do you feel about it after all these years, and what does Saturn In Ascension mean to you?
Thomas: Every album has its history, and each one means a lot to me. Saturn In Ascension was an album where I really wanted to show fans and past members that the band was not dead. It was difficult to get an album out after Veronica Decides To Die since it was so well accepted, and I'm really proud of it. With Saturn In Ascension, we tried to return to the Paradise Belongs To You era and add some new things. I think it's a good mix, and in that way, I'm proud of it; its mission, which was to release an album as good as Veronica Decides To Die, was accomplished.

Jerneja: Speaking of Veronica Decides To Die, what was so special about this novel written by Paulo Coelho that you decided to name an album after it?
Thomas: It was Peter, the rhythm guitar player at that moment, who was in love with that book, and he kept pushing us to read it. Some of us read it, some didn't, and we wanted to tribute to that book by naming the album after it. Many of the lyrics have, kind of, the same atmosphere as the things that are going on with Veronica, but the only thing you can really compare between the book and the album is the title. You can use it as a soundtrack for the book but nothing else because there's nothing in the lyrics that you can find in the book. It's like two separate things; you can use music as a soundtrack and the title as a tribute.

Tomaz: Since you've performed a lot through all these years, you've probably experienced many special adventures also...
Thomas: Every place is special, but there are always some places you remember more than others. I remember once when we played at the Brutal Assault festival. We played an aftershow close to the park, together with Hatebreed, the American hardcore band, and we thought it would be cool and all that. There was a huge stage outside, and we thought we would play there, but then the promoter came to us and said that we were supposed to play inside because we'd play last and close everything up. That was the smallest and tiniest venue you can imagine. We couldn't even have Mika with keyboards on the stage, so he had to stand out of it, close to the football table. We thought the concert wouldn't be any fun, that it would be a living hell, but in the end, it turned out to be one of the greatest shows we played. We played for almost three hours! That is one of those things that you keep in your mind. Also, this year's Prophecy Fest was very good. The Roskilde Festival was in its beginning also very good. Back then, they brought really good bands, but now not that much anymore. There's no one special country that we like more than another. To us, it is just about spreading our music, joy, happiness, emotions or whatever you feel when you hear our music.

Tomaz: Which bands or artists inspired you to write such music in your beginnings?
Thomas: Definitely Anathema with the Crestfallen EP and Serenades, and Turn Loose The Swans of My Dying Bride. Those are the albums that kickstarted it all.
Julio: If I think of bands that made me play the guitar, it's very easy. It was Queen, Metallica and Pearl Jam. What got me to do metal was Anathema, My Dying Bride, and what Autumnal - at that time without me in the line-up - was doing and what caught my attention.

Tomaz: The music you guys do is melancholic, sometimes depressive, but also visceral. On the other hand, I don't find you as people being any kind of that. What do you do, and what do you enjoy the most besides the music?
Thomas: Besides music, I enjoy going to watch football, nature, of course, and being together with friends and family. I also like good meals and travel. As I did with my wife - travelled to Ljubljana - to experience different cultures, čevapčiči haha, whatever. I actually ate them here in the restaurant called Sarajevo 84, and it was amazing. You should try it.
Julio: When people see us performing, they say we do happy doom because we are enjoying and smiling a lot on the stage, even if our lyrics are dark and the music is heavy. We get literally embraced and cuddled by darkness. That's how we feel on stage, and it feels good. In our daily lives, we are fine most of the time.

Jerneja: Here we are at the end of the interview; thank you again, and welcome to conclude it...
Thomas: I always say that you should support your local metal scene because, without it, there's no international scene. If people do not create music and go to local shows, there won't be any people coming to international shows either.

Live photos by: Tomaz

Saturnus links: Official Website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Bandcamp

 

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