Doomed Confessionary: Jan Trygg (Slowenya)
Slowenya is an alt. doom trio from the city of Turku, located in the west coast of Finland. Founded in the spring of 2020 the band’s sound consists of lof low-pitched string instruments, ambient sound worlds and echoed vocals.
Slowenya’s sound has influences from bands like Deftones, Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and Thou and it has been said to represent the genres of doomgaze and post-rock.
The band released their third album »The Wild Inevitable« on April 17th, 2024 through Karhuvaltio Records.
Slowenya are Jan Trygg (vocals, guitars, synths), Timo Niskala (drums, ambients, synths) and Tapani Levanto (bass).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Slowenya is founded in Turku, the west coast of Finland in 2021 by ex-members of a death-doom band called Morbid Evils. Our initial goal was to make as heavy and beautiful music as possible.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
We seem to have a really hard time to get any merch made or to get our music on any physical format.
What can you be most proud of so far?
I guess we have kind of created our own unique Slowenya-sound that stands out among many other bands. We are evolving all the time but I think we are on a really good path here and we are very proud of our own sound.
What was your biggest regret?
Hahah, no regrets so far!
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
For such a young band as Slowenya I think that the hometown shows are the best because people/audience have this idea that something has been cooking and they go “let’s see what it’s like live while it’s still fresh”, you know. But generally all the shows where there are many stoner/noise/doom/sludge bands sharing the stage on the same night are great! Great people, great chats, cold drinks and great bands!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Not so much of a surprise anymore but the open mindedness compared to almost any other metal genre/scene. Loving the open mindedness.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
The new Thou singles (so awesome, can’t wait the upcoming album!) and this Houston, Texas based artist called Slow Meadow who creates these really exceptional soundscapes. The songs are not full ambient driven and there are also a lot of instruments involved.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
It’s kind of a cliche but “if you don’t believe in yourself no one will”. it’s full-on true. Hesitating on stage? Well get off the stage then.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Limp Bizkit hahah.
Can you say something more about the music scene in Turku / Finland?
It’s evolving atm. Turku is a quite big university city (population 190 000 and Turku used to be the capital of Finland) but for a couple of years there was no good live music venue for alternative music in the town say like for the capacity of 200 to 400 people. Now there is at least a few venues and some DIY-places for more noisy and hardcore music acts. The scene should definitely be more vivid on my opinion. Turku has also many good bands but there sure is room for more of them!
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We played our brief album-release-tour earlier this year but we have some domestic shows coming up this year. Despite we just realeased a new album we are making new music already and for some reason that is more inspiring right now than playing shows. So kinda focused on the new songs now.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
To evolve our sound and make (more) great songs which are wide, heavy, beautiful, abstract and yet catchy at the same time.
How can people best support your band?
Please check out our Bandcamp and Spotify catalogs! We just want our music to be heard and felt. Probably that’s why we never get any merch done 🙂 It’s just all about the music.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Please check out our Bandcamp and Spotify catalogs hahah 😀
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well