Doomed Confessionary: Max Malmer (Cavern Deep)
Here’s the second interview for this Sunday…
Cavern Deep is a slow, heavy three-piece band hailing from Umeå, Sweden. Founded in 2019 by members of Zonaria, Folkmord, Karmanjaka and retro riffsters Gudars Skymning. The band released its first self-titled concept album in 2021 through Interstellar Smoke Records to critical aclaim topping on #7 on the Doom Charts.
Followed by »Part II – Breach« in July 2023 via their own imprint Bonebag Records, the second full-length features guest appearances from Susie McMullan (Brume), Johannes Behndig (Sarcophagus Now) and Thomas V Jäger (Monolord).
Can you say a few words about your band?
Cavern Deep is a doomy band that plays conceptual music that is very slow and psychedelic. The band consists of Dennis Sjödin (drums), Max Malmer (vocals and bass) and Kenny-Oswald Dufvenberg(vocals and guitar). We started the band in 2020 and have released 2 albums, »Cavern Deep« and »Part II – Breach« that both follow the same story ark about an archeologist that finds a lost underground civilization.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
We released our second album, which we decided to release on our newly started record label Bonebag Records. Our previous album was released on Interstellar Smoke Records, which of course was a lighter workload all in all. So releasing that album was a lot of work, there were a lot of things that were new to us all the time.
What can you be most proud of this year?
Probably the fact that we were able to sell a lot of vinyls and get a lot of good reviews on our new album. We were initially a bit worried that starting our own record label would mean that the album would get much less recognition, but that turned out not to be the case which we are very happy with.
What was your biggest regret?
That would be that we didn’t release the new album on cassette. We thought it would be much more expensive than it actually was, so in the future this is for sure something that we will do.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
Our last show a couple of weeks ago together with Concealed Elephant in Luleå was awesome. People had traveled far and wide to come see us, which was really cool and the crowd was wild!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
I can only speak for myself here(Max), but I personally think that the new Acid King record was a big surprise. The way they’ve reinvented themselves in such a successful way is really impressive and quite a curve ball. It is probably my favourite album of the year.
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
The plan is to play here in Sweden a lot as we have got a lot of fans here. There’s plans for: Luleå, Sundsvall, Stockholm, Göteborg and Malmö. Among others, so if you live anywhere near those places and want to see us, keep your eyes on our social media!
What are your plans for the next year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
We are gonna release a new single in start of the year that is a one off. We all feel that it is the best song we’ve done so far. The plan is also to release our 3rd album, there’s no date set in stone for that yet. But it will happen sooner or later during the year. As previously mentioned we’ve also got a lot of shows planned.
Do you already know what are you doing on New Year’s Eve?
Not yet. But I’ll probably be drinking some beers and listening to some good music with some friends.
How can people best support your band?
The best way would be to buy our vinyl or merch on Bandcamp: caverndeep.bandcamp.com. Following us here will also give you notifications as soon as we have something new happening.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Keep tuned for our 3rd album, it is by far our most ambitious project yet, and if we’re playing live in your area, come and see us!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well