Today we speak to German death metal band Darkest Horizon where they discuss their epic orchestral sounds and their tight working relationship and friendships as a band.
Band Name: Darkest Horizon
Members: Enis Lorenz (Vocals), Daniel Baum (Guitar), Jonas Heinzel (Bass & Vocals), Christian Mühlbauer (Keyboard & Orchestration)
Genre: Epic Melodic Death Metal
Founded: 2010
Originated From: Frankfurt, Hessen, Germany
Discography: Shattered Skies (EP, 2011), Shattered Worlds (EP, 2013), The Grand Continuum (Album, 2014), Aenigmata (Album, 2018), Interant Onset (Single, 2019), Ad Nauseum (Single, 2021), Conquer and Command (Single, 2021), The Harbinger (Single, 2021)
How would you describe your music?
Our music resembles a Tolkien adventure with WAY too many Orcs. Our epic orchestrations will take you into fantastical universes only to be steamrolled by a killer death metal track
What is your musical creative process like?
Currently our creative process is very well organized. Chris writes the overall structure for each song. Then each of us elaborates his own instrument.
After that everything is brought together and if any issues remain these get fixed. Everything is then mastered by Matze from “Unleash the sound – Studio”.
How did the band form?
The band formed as a project from our former lead-guitarist Olli Sattler. After time Chris, Daniel, Jonas and Aurelius (the former vocalist) joined.
Because of personal reasons Aurelius left the Band in 2018 and Enis was invited to fill his shoes.
How did you come up with your band name?
Rumour has it that the name emerged after Olli jammed with some friends at that time and he was searching for a description for epic guitar-music.
Who influenced you within the music industry?
Each of us are influenced by different people, but a constant through all of our talks have been Wintersun, Amorphis or Rammstein.
Have you performed live much and what was your favourite gig to play at?
The band Darkest Horizon can look back on many successful concerts, spanning different countries and even continents.
While we cherish our gigs in Finland, my (Enis) very first concert as a vocalist – not just Darkest Horizon, but as a vocalist at all – will always have a special place in my heart.
It was at the Loreley Festival in June 2018. I was extremely nervous at the beginning but ecstatic afterwards. And this concert jumpstarted by initiation as the new vocalist.
What is the best thing about being in a band?
I would say the best thing as a musician is producing something that is your very own take on important issues – or at least something that concerns you – and finding out that there are people out there who love your work.
While the creative process is very personal, the feedback and love of our fans has always been the most important drive to keep us going.
What’s the biggest problem you’ve had to overcome so far as a musician(s)?
The biggest problem probably has been the distinction between the personal and professional relationships within the band.
We’re all good friends outside of the band so it has been very difficult at times to work on issues on a professional level – sometimes reaching as far as not addressing problems at all. Consequently, these issues don’t get resolved and just keep on growing.
But we are finally in a place where we can address band work professionally whilst not having issues affect our personal relationships.
I cannot stress this enough that if you want to start a band as a couple of friends, make sure you can separate your friendships from the work environment.
What plans have you got coming up this year?
We will continue releasing (at least) three more singles and telling our picture-story on Instagram. We are currently working on some very special plans, but nothing is set in stone yet, so you will have to have some patience.
What is your ultimate dream as a band?
Our ultimate dream is to reach a point in life where we can tour the world and have our thoughts heard.
You can find out more about Darkest Horizon and listen to their music by following them on Instagram, BandCamp and YouTube
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