Doomed Confessionary: Luka Petrović (Old Night)
Photo by Viktoria Peršić
Old Night is a doom metal band from Rijeka, Croatia. The band was formed in 2015 as a solo project by Luka Petrović of Ashes You Leave. So far, Old Night released three full-length albums: »Pale Cold Irrelevance« (Rain Without End Records, 2017), »A Fracture In The Human Soul« (Rain Without End Records, 2019) and »Ghost Light« (Solitude Productions, 2022).
Featuring current and former members of Czaar, Gorthaur’s Wrath, Castrum, Gate and more, the band consists of Luka Petrović (bass, vocals), Nikola Jovanović (drums), Bojan Frlan (guitar), Ivan Hanžek (guitar, vocals) and Matej Hanžek (vocals, guitar).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Old Night is a doom metal band from Croatia. It’s best described as traditional doom metal. We have three vocalists and three guitars so it’s pretty epic (without being epic metal) and layered.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
We have been a little silent on the socials this year as we have been really busy working on our new record. Last year we released »Ghost Light« that was the ending of the trilogy started with »Pale Cold Irrelevance« back in 2017.
So the biggest challenge was to come up with something fresh that would still be irrefutably Old Night but at the same time different from our first three records.
What can you be most proud of this year?
I’m mostly proud of all the work we’ve done on the new album and that the band still tolerates me ☺️
We have done hours of rehearsals, different versions of songs, riffs and arrangements. I wanted to try new things and sounds and I think it was more than worth it.
What is your biggest regret?
We could’ve maybe played more shows.. but it’s rather difficult organising everything and working on new music.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
I would like to mention the first edition of ZloSTavljanje fest. It’s a metal night event in Split, Croatia and this year they held the first edition of their festival. It was beyond our expectations . Everything was too noch! The bands, the venue, the organisation, the food, you name it. Hopefully they’ll continue with the festival.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
My personal favourite band Cemetary finally won the legal dispute with their old label over masters and copyright. So after years and years of waiting they’ll finally be able to reissue their back catalogue. Major win for the small guys!!
As far as the new releases go one of my favourite bands released a really strong record, Saturnus – The storm within. Also be sure to check out the new Ocean of grief and Cardinals folly, those are among my favourites.
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
We’ll try to be as present as possible and hopefully we’ll be able to announce a couple of shows in the near future.
What are your plans for the next year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
As I mentioned our new record is finished so it will be a hard working year. We need to record the album, shoot one or two videos as well. As we are agin without a label we’ll need to find a new one as well and that’s a priority. Hopefully we’ll get it all done by summer.
How can people best support your band?
You can check our albums on our Bandcamp and get some merch if you like what you hear. We have a couple of great videos, so if you prefer YouTube, be sure to check those too.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Support your local scene! It all comes down to that. Go out and check the new bands, buy their merchandise, support your local clubs and venues, at least in Slovenia there are plenty of great ones, go to your local festivals. It’s all a closed circle.
Hopefully we’ll meet on a concert somewhere and keep the doom flame alive!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well