Doomed Confessionary: Weno Winter (Damask)
Photo credits: Paula Golemo
Damask is a folk/doom metal project founded in 2025 in Tri-City area (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot), Poland by Weno Winter (Sautrus) and joined by bassist Adrian Jegorow (Hellvoid, Sautrus). The project’s music pairs the weight of doom metal with the intimacy of acoustic compositions and elements of folk. The band moves between dense low-tuned sound and simple song forms.
Damask’s debut album »Three Times Ten«, released in May 2026, is based on ideas gathered over the last 20 years. Each of the eight tracks contained within is a separate story. They include reflections on fascination with and blindness to religion, the fear of death and coming to terms with its inevitability, lies and self-deception, or the madness that accompanies us when trying to understand the world.
Together, the eight compositions on »Three Times Ten« constitute a thirty-five-minute journey, which despite its diversity, has its own subtle common denominator – reflections on the world around us.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Damask is a project which has been growing in my mind for a few years. I had some ideas for songs which could not fit the Sautrus band, so I started to work on them separately.
The goal of the project was to complete the songs into one album, which I did with my friends from Sautrus and Jakub Modrzejewski from the Soma band – he put his solo parts on this album, really changing its core. Some of the songs on the debut »Three Times Ten« album were composed many years ago, one of them is even 20 years old, composed when I was sixteen.
The first album was meant to be a kind of journey through moments of my life, the changes I’ve gone through, and to put them into songs. The goal was to record this album, but everything is growing quite nicely and I think we’re gonna show this material live.
The project is two people for now, Adrian Jegorow and me, with Michał Nowak, Paweł Łach and Jakub Modrzejewski as guests, but I think there is a great chance that we will create a proper band from that squad!
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Undoubtedly, the time. Every one of us has his own job, projects and life beside Damask. Most of the parts were produced remotely, it was not easy to meet; additionally, we live in three different cities. But we’ve managed.
For me personally, the most challenging part was to produce it, since I work mostly alone on this project. Including production and recording, it was really hard to organise everything and put it all together into one cohesive thing.
At this point I’d love to thank my beloved brother, who helped me with the graphic project and logo design. I wouldn’t be able to do this without him.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Finishing the debut album. The last years were quite challenging and it was not easy to combine work, passion and love for music together to finish it. I am proud that such talented guys joined this project and gave so much heart to it. They changed it completely, adding an essence through their great artistic work and understanding of my vision.
For me, making a music album is a very deep and personal thing since I really involve myself in it, maybe even a little bit too much. Sometimes it is hard to get out of the labyrinth of imagination and find a balance between reality and the outside world.
What was your biggest regret?
Missing a chance to improve more. Procrastination is a part of our existence, that’s for sure, but sometimes it takes over for too long. That’s my biggest regret, I think, but who knows? Maybe everything is in a good place, and procrastination is a process, like wine getting tastier and deeper with time? Who knows.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
I think the best tour was our first tour with the Sautrus band. It was over 15 years ago when I was about 21. It was wild, it was hard and it was absolutely crazy. I lost my voice after the first concert in Berlin, our boss from the new label was totally upset with us for being drunk and reckless, but the concerts were good, and the energy was pure.
The first experience of touring through Poland, Germany and the Netherlands was magical. New places, beautiful people… ah, OK boomer!
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Belzebong being absolutely stoned, without losing a single note and killing the audience, I thought it was impossible!
But seriously, many things have changed since we started playing concerts. My biggest surprise was how nice and helpful people can be to each other. We were always kindly welcomed wherever we went, and it was quite surprising to see people being so open-hearted.
I think a lot of people are aware of it, but the place where I was raised was quite different sometimes.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Lately I am listening to Death, especially »The Sound Of Perseverance« album, which totally got me. Besides that, Satyricon, mostly »Now, Diabolical«, and our Polish band Furia.
But I am still coming back to some classics. ELP’s »Trilogy« album came back to me lately, as well as my beloved Kate Bush. Her voice and music have a special place deep in my heart!
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Not to drink as much cold beer between the concerts! If you’re a vocalist try warm, red wine after the concert on tired throat instead of a cold beer, that will keep your voice working fine the next day.
What are your guilty pleasures?
God damn beer, I love Czech beer for life!
Besides that, I am an absolute lover of retrogaming, but not only retro games. For me, a good game has to contain a wonderful story and, what is most important to me, a great soundtrack and great sound design overall!
Talking about guilty pleasures, I have one manifesto – all people should at least once try magic mushrooms. It would change our world forever and ever. Love is the Law!
Can you say something more about current music scene in Poland?
The Polish metal scene is quite developed and interesting. Not to mention Behemoth, Vader or KAT, which I assume everybody knows, but bands like Furia, Mgła and Soma (with Jakub Modrzejewski on guitars) are definitely worth checking out for anyone interested in metal.
A friend of mine, Michał Mezger, started a very original project as well – Elektrytuał – which I highly recommend!
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Firstly, I had not been planning to play live before we’ve get our first invitation, but we’ve got our first invitation to play at Radio Centrum Lublin on 18.06. It will be broadcast live and maybe we’ll record some live video from it. We’ll see about future concerts.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We’ll see how it grows and how our first concert will go. I love working with these guys, so maybe something will happen!
How can people best support your band?
Listening to our music, of course! And if you like it, get the album (you can do it on Bandcamp), share it and spread the good word. Love to you all!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well