Doomed Confessionary: Kat Shevil Gillham (Thronehammer)
Photo by Roland Moeck / Arkana Photography
Thronehammer is an international epic doom metal band based in Southern Germany. Featuring current and former members of Lucifer’s Chalice, Enshroudment, Obelyskkh, Seamount, Swath, Worship, Nine Altars, Winds Of Genocide, Absent/Minded, Carpe Noctum & more.
Unconcealed doom metal ethos meets destruction and impetuous devastation, reminiscent of Paradise Lost, Bathory, Slayer, Katatonia, Bolt Thrower, Amorphis, Candlemass, Celtic Frost to sprinkles of post-rock. All this can be discovered in Thronehammer’s new crushingly epic album »Kingslayer«, out on November 3rd, 2023 via Supreme Chaos Records.
Thronehammer are Kat Shevil Gillham (vocals), Stuart West (guitar), Markus Ströhlein (drums) and Uwe Void (bass).
Can you say a few words about your band?
We are a 5 piece band based in Southern Germany (Fürth/Nürnberg area) with mostly German members except myself who is English and who lives in Durham, North East England.
I guess our music could be best described as being heavy epic doomed metal or doomed epic heavy metal there’s influences from epic doom metal/heavy doom, heavy metal, death doom, viking era Bathory, Celtic Frost, Slayer etc.
What was the biggest challenge for the band last year?
I guess Tim our guitarist deciding he wanted to take a step back from playing live last year shocked us abit but we found an awesome live replacement guitarist in the form of Tobias Utz who plays in some Nürnberg based heavy bands. He’s doing a super awesome job filling in for Tim om stages! Very talented guitarist/musician.
What can you be most proud of last year?
Well in recent times I am proud of our new 3rd album »Kingslayer«, I think it is our strongest album so far in every aspect and we have got an overall amazing response to it so far, getting #1 in the soundcheck of Deaf Forever Magazine in Germany a few months ago was definitely something else I am very proud of!
Photo by Daniel Kilgus
What was your biggest regret?
I don’t dwell on regrets, you can’t chat the past, if you make a mistake or don’t do something as you planned then learn from it, move on and do things differently in future.
What was the best concert/tour last year and why?
We played some awesome festivals and club shows last year some highlights in 2023 were Stoned From The Underground Festival in Germany, Up In Smoke Festival in Switzerland, Keep It Low festival in Munich, Germany, Stygian Pilgrims Festival in Braunschweig, a Club show with Eremit in Jena, Germany, a packed out album release show in Nürnberg in November 2023, a sold out headline show in Stuttgart, Germany with Naevus and Sauros in October 2023, they all really stood out as highlights. We shared stages and gig/festival bills with some awesome bands last year like the ones already mentioned plus Zeal & Ardor, Mantar, EyeHateGod, The Obsessed, Flame, Dear Flame, Praise The Plague, Spancer, Rană, Thron, Orange Goblin, Iron Walrus, The Atomic Bitchwax, The Moth etc.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Michael from Volbeat releasing my favourite death metal album of 2023 with Asinhell »Impii Hora«! That definitely surprised me! Great album with Marc Grewe (ex-Morgoth) on vocals definitely one for fans of the old school 90’s death metal and bands like Autopsy, Entombed, Bolt Thrower, Death and of course old Morgoth!
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
This year in 2024 we are so far already announced to play SkullCrusher festival in Frieburg, Germany Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany, Desertfest Berlin, Alcatraz Fest in Kortrijk, Belgium (playing the same day as bands such as Europe, Testament, Watain, Benediction, Massacre, Hatebreed, D.R.I. etc.) and Storm Crusher Festival in Southern Germany with more announcements to come.
What are your plans for this year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
Plans for 2024: promote the new album that was released a couple months ago with some cool live shows
How can people best support your band?
Buy merch from our Bandcamp or the label Supreme Chaos Records.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
We Come To Slay! Buy our new album!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well