Konvent: Trudging Through The Blackest Mire
It speaks volumes when a major label acquires a band to their roster with only but a demo to their name but such is the story of KONVENT. With nothing but a four track demo under the Danish quartet’s collective belts, inking a deal with the prestigious Napalm Records in 2018 not only signified a statement of faith into the band’s planned trajectory but indicates that Napalm are onto something special. And indeed they are.
“It was so surreal. We didn’t expect getting signed, with just our demo, and definitely not by Napalm Records,” drummer Julie Simonsen tells Distorted Sound of their signing to Napalm. “So when our now booker Thorsten came up to us after our show and wanted to give us a booking and record deal, we couldn’t really believe it. It does give us the confidence, that some people out there actually believe in us and can see our music out there in the world. And it has really made us think we can take it further than what we thought to begin with.”
Indeed, with Napalm acquiring KONVENT to their roster is, the rewards are beginning to reap as the band hit 2020 with their explosive debut offering, Puritan Masochism. Three years of work and toil has been poured into their first full-length, with the band looking to expand and capitalise on the promise shown on their debut demo. “I think we have allowed ourselves to be more creative with playing with different riffs and rhythms this time. When we recorded the demo we weren’t as relaxed with our instruments, as we are now. It comes more naturally and we’re only getting better at experimenting with new stuff. I don’t think there’s a particular element on the new album,” Julie explains. “But our producer Lasse Ballade used a lot of time on finding the right sound for the guitar and bass and it was his idea to record some of the drums in his basement, to give it a more deep and kinda creepy basement sound. So he was definitely the one who really helped us finding our sound, and we couldn’t be happier!”
A defiant, unsettling and cohesive body of work, Puritan Masochism is a bold opening statement from KONVENT, one in which displays a huge amount of talent and potential for this promising outfit. Channelling the death-doom style of old, their debut not only sits comfortably within the style, but it stands on its own legs with a strong sense of its own individual identity. Although KONVENT stick to the death-doom playbook, Julie insists that a collective influence from each member of the band has had a direct impact on how they forged their killer sound. “We all actually listen to different stuff in the band. Rikke [Emilie List, vocals] loves technical death metal, Heidi [Withington Brink, bass] listen to a lot of old school 70s rock, Sara [Helena Nørregaard, guitar] likes stuff like DEFTONES and MANTAR and I listen to a lot of black metal and hardcore/crust punk. So I think we all take some of that with us, and get inspired by different things,” she says. “We like to incorporate different metal sub-genres, to make it more unique. Black metal, death metal and even hardcore is some of the genres, that we like to not directly put in our songs, but get inspired by whether it’s a riff or a fill or rhythm on the drums.”
With a diverse pool of influences seeping into their sound, KOVENT have made a outrageously heavy and enticing listen with Puritan Masochism, one in which will appeal to anyone who has the remotest of interest in extreme music. But what of the subject matter that the record explores? Well, Julie and her bandmates have never intended to be too literal. “When we first started writing the album, we talked about setting an overall theme of losing control of your life. But we don’t like to go too much into details about the lyrics because we greatly appreciate it when the listener can make up their own stories and images in their heads. It has always been important for us not to be too literal with both lyrics and our artwork. We want people to create their own stories on what they think our music is about. We like music like that ourselves, because you feel like you’re almost apart of the song writing, in some way.”
You get the sense that KONVENT are looking beyond just producing killer death-doom, there’s a feeling that the band are really striving to make an impact, not just for themselves as a band but for anyone who gives them the time of day to listen to their work. It’s an admirable trait and one in which will certainly shine a light to the Danish metal scene. Although a much smaller scene compared to their neighbours, it is one in which has allowed KONVENT to thrive. “It definitely benefits our growth,” Julie says of the Danish metal scene. “We’re the only metal band in Denmark with only females, so it didn’t take long before concert offers started coming in, because it was different and people kinda thought it was a gimmick. We just hope people aren’t listening to us just because we’re females and rather because they actually like the music. But in general there’s a lot of help as a young band in Denmark. You can easily apply for funding whether you’re going on tour or if you’re recording an album and that is really helpful when you’re just starting out, but also if you are trying to take your music to a new level.”
Puritan Masochism arrives three years after your debut demo in 2017. How have you expanded and developed your sound since that demo? Was there anything you particular musical element or characteristic you wanted to incorporate into the debut full-length?
Julie: I think we have allowed ourselves to be more creative with playing with different riffs and rhythms this time. When we recorded the demo we weren’t as relaxed with our instruments, as we are now. It comes more naturally and we’re only getting better at experimenting with new stuff. I don’t think there’s a particular element on the new album. But our producer Lasse Ballade used a lot of time on finding the right sound for the guitar and bass and it was his idea to record some of the drums in his basement, to give it a more deep and kinda creepy basement sound. So he was definitely the one who really helped us finding our sound, and we couldn’t be happier!
Can you elaborate on the lyrical themes and messages you are looking to explore with Puritan Masochism?
Julie: When we first started writing the album, we talked about setting an overall theme of losing control of your life. But we don’t like to go too much into details about the lyrics because we greatly appreciate it when the listener can make up their own stories and images in their heads. Our album isn’t a concept album, but if you were to put a theme on it, or around the lyrics of the songs it would basically be losing control over your life in one way or another. The song Puritan Masochism (which is also the title of the album) is about how people has a tendency to do things that actually hurt us, but we keep thinking/doing those things because we feel we have to – in order to fit into something or to live up to some imagined expectations. And sometimes we keep doing these things without even realising it because you just go on autopilot. It’s sort of our way to say that we don’t have to live like that.
In particular, with Ropes Pt 1 & 2, I really enjoyed reading about what you are looking to address with those two songs; particularly in that ropes in the title refer to a means of helping to climb out of the darkness or as a means of suicide. With that in mind, was it important for you to leave the lyrical concepts and themes up to the listener’s imagination for interpretation?
Julie: Yes, it has always been important for us not to be too literal with both lyrics and our artwork. We want people to create their own stories on what -they- think our music is about. We like music like that our selves, because you feel like you’re almost apart of the song writing, in some way.
Musically, the sound of Puritan Masochism comes straight out of the playbook for death doom and it is done wonderfully well. Are there any particular bands or albums that had a direct influence on the sound of your band?
Julie: We all actually listen to different stuff in the band. Rikke [Emilie List, vocals] loves technical death metal, Heidi [Withington Brink, bass] listens to a lot of old school 70s rock, Sara [Helena Nørregaard, guitars] likes stuff like DETONES and MANTAR and I listen to a lot of black metal and hardcore/crust punk. So I think we all take some of that with us, and get inspired by different things.
Whilst Denmark boasts some quality metal bands, the scene is comparatively small compared to other European countries. How is the Danish metal scene and does having a smaller scene actually benefit the growth of your band and other emerging talent?
Julie: It definitely benefit our growth. We’re the only metal band in Denmark with only females, so it didn’t take long before concert offers started coming in, because it was different and people kinda thought it was a gimmick. We just hope people isn’t listening to us just because we’re females and rather because they actually like the music. But in general there’s a lot of help as a young band in Denmark. You can easily apply for funding whether you’e going on tour or if you’re recording an album and that is really helpful when you’re just starting out, but also if you are trying to take your music to a new level.
Puritan Masochism is out now via Napalm Records.
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