Doomed Confessionary: J’andrömeda, Teröid & Kristös (DÖ)
Photos by Hannu Nieminen
Helsinki, Finland based trio DÖ channels dark astral energy into fierce riffs – a mix of stoner, doom, sludge, psychedelia, with hints of death/black metal – and has been gaining global recognition over the past decade. Inspired by the Astral Death Cult ideology, they promise »Unversum« is more seismic, versatile, and nuanced than ever before.
»Unversum« will be available on September 18th, 2024 on vinyl through the Dutch label Lay Bare Recordings, as well as on CD and digital platforms.
The cult leaders are J’andrömeda (vocals, bass), Teröid (guitar) and Kristös (drums).
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are DÖ from Finland. We compress cosmic forces into hard-hitting riffs and crushing tunes. Our music can be described as “döömer,” a mix of stoner, doom, sludge, and psychedelic elements with harsh, blackened vocals. We call ourselves the “Astral Death Cult” because our lyrical and visual themes are heavily inspired by a nihilistic ideology, combined with respect for the forces that rule our insignificant existence.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
We’ve had a couple of lineup changes over the years. First, our original drummer, Peat Rex, left, and then Big Dog, our guitarist from day one. Removing one-third of the equation, of course, shakes the entire foundation of the band. Since DÖ is first and foremost about having fun with music in the best possible company, it’s not just chemistry – it’s alchemy. Luckily, Kristös and Teröid enabled DÖ to overcome the obstacles on its path. They were already familiar with each other, having played together in another band years ago, so their playing was really harmonious from the start. And since DÖ’s kind of music was familiar to both of them, in the end, it was fairly easy for the new trio to achieve the right hard-hitting groove and the core of the döömer.
What can you be most proud of so far?
J’andrömeda: I’d say finding an exquisite label like Lay Bare Recordings, which believed in us so much that they wanted to release two of our albums, is something I truly cherish.
Teröid: “I want to believe” that we have managed to conjure up a somewhat unique vibe, feel, and ambience for our music.
Kristös: I think the chemistry and brotherhood mean the most to me. Of course, killer tunes do as well.
What was your biggest regret?
J’andrömeda: I have no ragrets.
Teröid: I haven’t had much time or energy to work through my piled-up riffs and song ideas. Now they’re haunting me.
Kristös: For me, it’s that we didn’t have the energy to pull through the new album sooner. I regret that we didn’t push harder to get it done earlier. But as they say, better late than never.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
J’andrömeda: I can name two that are totally different from each other. One is the gig at Soulcrusher festival in 2019 after we released Astral Death Cult. The room was packed, the stage and the whole venue were awesome. The other is Aavikko festival, a small DIY event in Finland. The sandy stage was built in an old quarry, and the whole event had this cool communal atmosphere combined to a Mad Max vibe.
Teröid: In my time with DÖ, Desert Hellsinki fest in 2022 was particularly memorable.
Kristös: I always remember the first gig with DÖ in 2015 at Jack the Rooster in Tampere because it was the first time I ever filled in for another drummer in a band I hadn’t been with from the start. I was nervous as hell, but it went alright and was fun. Also, the first time we toured the Baltics with our dear friends from Black Royal, especially the gig in Lithuania – it was crazy fun!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
J’andrömeda: A positive surprise has been the camaraderie – how many cool and friendly people you get to meet, both from other bands and from the audience.
Teröid: I’ve been joking that a somewhat peculiar thing in our genre is that there seem to be more bands than audience, or they’re the same folks.
Kristös: I’m still overwhelmed and a little positively confused by the fact that we have hardcore fans all over the world. It amazes me that our little band can mean so much to someone. I’ve even seen people with our logo, or in döömernaut language, lögö, tattooed on their bodies. How cool and crazy is that?!
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
J’andrömeda: Mostly thrashy, “riffy”, violent stuff like Power Trip and Nails, and also all kinds of classic hardcore like Pro-Pain, Madball, Biohazard… and Brat, which is one of the few newer bands I’ve been interested in lately.
Teröid: I’ve been listening to the almighty Electric Wizard and some older Opeth recently. I also listen a lot to some weird and psychedelic electronic stuff like Boards of Canada and some Finnish UG rap. Also, Kingston Wall, Kadavar, Kvelertak, Ulver, Soundgarden, Danzig, Domovoyd, Goat, Dungen, Mastodon… and Terveet Kädet!
Kristös: Rotten Sound, Martyrdöd (been in rotation since 2016), and the newest is Knocked Loose.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
J’andrömeda: “We owe you nothing,” which I actually read on a Housecore Records T-shirt. I’m not even sure what they mean by it, but for me, it’s a good reminder that we can create music primarily for ourselves and are not responsible for pleasing anyone else.
Teröid: Fun first, then theory, if at all. Playing with different kinds of musicians has taught me a lot. Pay no attention to gatekeepers, but a lack of a sense of style usually leads to nonsense.
Kristös: I haven’t had any advice, and it shows because I actually can’t play drums—I just destroy them.
What are your guilty pleasures?
J’andrömeda: I don’t know if it counts, but when I need to concentrate on work, I tend to listen to deep house and electronic beats.
Teröid: Compared to what a “doomer” is expected to listen to, maybe Finnish UG rap, then. And I tend to cuddle our cats and talk to them in stupid blabbering.
Kristös: I like trendy metalcore and romantic comedies.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Helsinki / Finland?
J’andrömeda: Finland is known to be a metal country, but doom and stoner are pretty niche genres here and are not much represented at larger metal events. Luckily, there are some organizers for bigger events in our genre. And what’s really cool is that there are active sub-culture groups in many cities like Lappeenranta and Oulu.
Teröid: I haven’t followed the scene closely recently, but it seems like getting gigs is more difficult nowadays in the Helsinki area, and some of the smaller venues have shut down.
Kristös: I think being in a band isn’t what it used to be when I started 30 years ago. Then it was cool and something to brag about, but nowadays it’s just normal and nothing special. I think today’s kids don’t want to start a band as eagerly. It’s more trendy to just release some music on YouTube by yourself.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We have shows in Seinäjoki, where we’ll have the album release party at one of our favorite venues, Bar15, and also in Pori, Tampere, Lappeenranta, and Oulu. More might still be announced, and we’re already planning things for 2025. Hopefully, we’ll conquer new territories then.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
J’andrömeda: For now, we’ll just enjoy playing the new songs live. We left two recorded songs off the album, so maybe we’ll release an EP at some point, but we won’t hurry with that. There’s also a hefty bunch of riffs in Teröid’s back pocket just waiting to be molded into songs.
Teröid: Yeah, and considering the upcoming future stuff, we have to warm our hands in the afterglow of »Unversum« for what we’re going to do next. I’m still not sure what we’ve created – haha. But it is what it is. I think »Unversum« is one or two steps toward the unknown and more progressive territory compared to what we, and especially J and K, have done before with DÖ. But I still love playing older, more pure and raw doom stuff written by my predecessor Big Dog and a dude called Deaf Hank (guess who he is?). We are not forgetting our roots.
Kristös: I know we haven’t yet gotten started with the new era. There’s still a lot to come. Teröid has been in the band for five years, but the Covid pandemic briefly killed some motivation and put some things on hold, so the album took so long to produce. But now we’re on the move and getting warmed up. So beware, there are definitely super killer tunes coming up in the future.
How can people best support your band?
Join the ceremönies, buy the merch, spread the word – the usual stuff.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Stay Döömed!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well