Doomed Confessionary: S & TFV (Drowned In Silver)
Photo credits: Arek Alvein
Drowned In Silver is an occult/doom rock band from Krakow, Poland.
Founded in 2023, Drowned In Silver is a new project by seasoned musicians from the black metal and experimental music scenes. Their music finds a unique balance between occult rock and trance-like expression, drawing inspiration from the spiritual intensity of artists like The Devil’s Blood, Dead Can Dance and Wardruna.
Drowned In Silver began exploring the gloomy corners of sound and as the initial idea of dark, spiritual music evolved, the line-up developed as well. Now, as a quintet – TFV (vocals), S (guitar), MŁ (drums), RG (saxophone) and L (bass) – the band seeks beauty in the void, meaning in chaos, and rays between shadows.
Drowned In Silver have unleashed their debut album »Mothers« on November 7th, 2025 via Pagan Records. The band previously released a music video for »Waves Of Sorrow«, which is a powerful testament to the band’s signature sound, blending the dark atmospheres of occult and doom rock with a distinct gothic touch.
Can you please say a few words about your band?
S: Well, the band came into existence in Krakow, Poland, in December 2023 as a trio: TFV, MŁ and myself. Origin idea was a minimalistic doom-lofi-ambient-whatever music created only on single guitar and drums with the leading role of vocals. As we started to jam together , the idea developed so did the line-up, which we enriched with two beautiful souls: RG (saxophone) and L (bass). Our previous music experience and urge of creativity led us to compose full debut album »Mothers« in 2024, which we recorded and realeased via Pagan Records in 2025. If you ask me about music we created, I could describe it as a mixture of doom/occult rock with neofolk and ambient. Imagine something cooked from influences of The Devil’s Blood, Wardruna, Dool, Urfaust and Menace Ruine.
TFV: We first met with S while working on another shared project of ours, BaarRa. After finishing work on our first album together, S suggested that we can create something new as a joint effort, but in a different musical style. I agreed without hesitation, as I truly enjoy collaborating with him, especially because of his strong work ethic. All current members of the band are exceptional musicians with very open minds, which makes working on new material a genuine pleasure and an incredibly rewarding experience.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
S: Nothing, to be honest. Composing process of »Mothers« was the easiest I’ve ever been part of. Signing a contract was also a piece of cake. I just sent recorded album to Tomasz/Pagan Records, who I know for years as we cooperate continuously since 2013 with my other band, Mord’A’Stigmata. I was not in the process of searching a label yet, just sent an album with asking about opinion, as to a friend and a person with fine music taste. Tomasz replied few days later with will to release. As I mentioned, we know each other for years, so it was a short story. As a band, we are quite young, so the biggest challenge will come, I suppose.
TFV: I believe that the greatest challenges are still ahead of us, particularly when it comes to reaching listeners who will truly connect with our music – people who can find something personal in it, something that resonates with the right strings of their hearts. At this point, the main challenge is no longer the creation and recording of music itself, but rather promoting it in the face of an overwhelming flood of new releases and the growing role of AI among major industry players.
What can you be most proud of so far?
S: Our debut album »Mothers«, hands down. I perceive it as a top of albums in which I’ve been involved. And there were few, during over 20 years of activity as a musician.
TFV: I am extremely satisfied with and proud of the creative process this band has developed. Eliminating unnecessary deliberations and pointless discussions significantly accelerated our work. It is rare to find a situation in which all musicians involved are so deeply committed, well-organized, and focused on a shared goal that everyone clearly understands their role and what is expected of them. Another reason for my great satisfaction is the atmosphere we have managed to create – one that allows for the creative processing of personal reflections, which, in my view, is a clear sign of the artistic maturity of the work we are creating.
What was your biggest regret?
S: No regrets.
TFV: My greatest regret, that I wasn’t present.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
S: As a Drowned In Silver we didn’t play live yet, however we are ready to. There are some plans for 2026 in this aspect.
TFV: I hope I will be able to give you a more comprehensive answer to this question in some time.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
S: I am present on the music scene for over 20 years, as I mentioned. Did a lot of albums, played hundreds of shows, met really big names beyond the stage. I’m pretty sure there is nothing that could really surprise me now. But I remember that I was a bit surprised how little musician really means in this business.
TFV: For me, the biggest surprise has been how drastically the rules of the game can change when it comes to promotion and the ecosystem surrounding the release of new material – even within such a small and insular scene as the Polish extreme underground, and within the span of just a few years. Strategies that were effective not long ago are now completely obsolete; even at this scale, the market has become almost unrecognizable. I can only imagine how different it must be when the stakes are truly high
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
S: My all-time classics like Neurosis or Swans are always present on my playlist. Also, I often listen to Portishead, Rome, The Devil’s Blood, Mayhem, Bohren & The Club Of Gore, Wolvennest, Chelsea Wolfe, Celtic Frost, David Bowie and many, many more. Music is such a wide and amazing phenomenon, that I will never get bored with discover it’s new, fascinating faces.
TFV: Recently, I have been trying to step away from streaming platforms altogether and embrace a fully old-school approach. I mostly listen to music on cassette tapes, using a Walkman, which naturally leads me to explore a lot of underground extreme music – both from Poland and abroad. Lately, I’ve been spending a lot of time with releases such as the Virus 2000 demo, Vemod’s latest album »The Deepening«, and some slightly older material by Mortiis.
I also listen to a great deal of music from the Polish underground, including bands like Cultes des Ghoules, Thy Killing Hand, and Terrestrial Hospice. In addition, I often turn to compilations of sacred music, as well as various alternative discoveries such as Milkweed, Dobri Isak, and Natural Snow Buildings.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
S: “Practice more” – I need to finally listen to and upgrade my skills.
TFV: Trust the process.
What are your guilty pleasures?
S: Again – no regrets. Whatever works for me, I’m not gonna shame of it.
TFV: I’m a fan of Manowar, especially their older albums.
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Poland?
S: Well, Polish music scene is trully amazing. I think the biggest part of that opinion is effect of my participation in black metal scene. I had a chance to met really talented and dedicated people, for whom playing this type of music is a real deal. I had a chance to support Mgła on tour and I can tell you – this guys are more than musicians. I also need to bring up names like Blaze Of Perdition, Furia, Terrestrial Hospice, Totenmesse, Kly, Deus Mortem and so on. On the other hand we’ve got amazing independent and experimental bands like Cisnienie, Niechec, Sunnata, Obscure Sphinx, Entropia to name a few. I’m pretty sure when after this interview many other names will come to my mind.
TFV: Personally, I try to act as a promoter of Polish independent culture as a whole. This goes far beyond music alone and includes films, TV series, and theatre productions. I do my best to support these scenes whenever possible and to build connections between different creative communities.
When it comes specifically to music, Poland has an exceptionally powerful scene. This is not limited to extreme metal, which at present is one of the strongest scenes in the world – setting new trends and constantly pushing boundaries – with Kraków undeniably being one of the most important, if not the most important, hubs in the country today.
It is also worth highlighting the remarkable Polish young jazz scene, which has shed its inferiority complexes, moved away from excessive reverence and martyrdom toward the classics, and begun to follow its own modern path. Drawing freely from a wide range of musical traditions and influences, it does so without being ashamed of its own identity. Artists such as Omasta, Kosmonauci, Red Fog, Błoto, as well as – from a slightly different angle – the excellent album Pory by Piotr Komosiński, are all strong examples of this movement.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
S: We have some plans for Polish tour April 26, but I’m not allowed to give you more details at the moment. I hope more shows will come in the future, this music definitely spreads it’s true energy when we are playing together and loud.
TFV: The answers are still shrouded in chaos.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
S: Do as many good shows as possible and make another album. At this stage of band develop we couldn’t expect more.
How can people best support your band?
S: Every way of support is welcome. If you go to the Pagan Records webstore and buy our album or merch, offer us a good show opportunity or recommend our band, or even leave a comment under our video on YouTube – I will be gratefull. I’m in my 40s and for me personally to play music I love is a great pleasue and privilege, other things are just amazing bonuses.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
S: Thank you!
TFV: Try not to lose your minds, and worship Satan.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well