Old style Doom Metal in the vein of St. Vitus and Obsessed are not the most fashionable thing these days. There are a few, but good remaining band left from the heydays of Doom Metal in the beginning of this decade. Serpent from Sweden are one of these bands. They released their second album "Autumn Ride" through Heathendoom Music earlier this year. We caught up with Piotr Wawrzeniuk for the latest update on Serpent.



1. When and where was Serpent started ?? Could you give us a brief biography ??

Serpent started in the Autumn of 1993 in Stockholm. Lars Rosenberg (bass) and Andreas Wahl (guitar) were the founders of the band. Patrik Slupsk did the drumming. Piotr Wawrzeniuk (vocals) joined a couple of months later and brought Johan Lundell (guitar) to the band. In the early 1994 we recorded the first demo, meant to be for our own use. That decision was very fortunate, because the demo sucked in many ways. Later that yeat we recorded a porta studio tape which turned out to be much better, well, we were satisfied, anyway. Nothing happened. The band went on. In the Spring of 95 "In the garden of Serpent" was recorded, after Andreas moved up to the polar tracts to become a bear hunter, the drummer got kicked and I took his place, at least for the recording session. The new guitarist, Ulf Samuelsson from Dalia highlands in the middle of the country turned out to be a real doom freak, deeply dedicated by heart to his mission. We payed for the recording ourselves, no contract in our hands. It was a big relief when we signed for Radiation, got the money back and were finally able to return to our diet of spaghetti with tomato sauce. In the Autumn of 1996 Lars was kicked from the band, but fortunately Andreas just returned from the wilderness, so the problem of bassman was solved. The material for next record was written and recorded in the Spring next year. Per Karlsson did the drumming on "Autumn ride" session and became our new drummer. But our luck didn’t last very long; Andreas moved once again to his beloved Laponia. We also had to quit our cooperation with Johan. Nowadays we’re a trio – I’ve made a debut as a bassist and singer.

2. You released a CD on Radiation Records some years ago. Please tell us more about this release.

My theory is that we might have gotten the contract just because the bosses of Nuclear Blast (Radiation was an underlabel to NB back then) wanted to keep me happy (as an important link in Therion) and satisfied. Jochen Fopp, a member of German doom sensation Mirror of Deception worked at the NB office back then. He liked the material and kept asking the bosses to realease it. And released it they did, mostly thanks to Jochen, and probably, which is just a theory (the bosses really despised the material!) thanks to my involvment with Therion. There was not much for them to lose, and they didn’t care too much, signing us for an underlabel where they stored a rich flora of strange bands, from punk rock and industry to extreme death and black metal. The distribution net was very good, but they didn’t care to promote the record. Anyway, the sales (some over three thousand copies) were not high enough and we got fired just half a year after the record was released. By that time we considered it a big joy; we were free from the label that didn’t like, didn’t want us. The record itself was recorded deep down in the cellar in Stockholm, in the private studio of the guitarist of The Church on 24 tracks. We had some really good times when recording, the studio room was stuffed with the strangest things, "find Elvis" sticks and the incredible record collection of the owner, several thousands of records, all vinyl. The songs are from the period late 1993 to the Spring of 95.

3. What happened after this release ?

Nothing happened. Me and Lars kept on with Therion, the other guys drank their beers burping in front of their TV – sets.

4. Why did you choose Heathendoom Music for your new album ?

Per, our drummer, owns the label. It didn’t take long to talk him into the deal.

5. Your album "Autumn Ride" was released a couple of months ago through Heathendoom Music. Please tell us more about this album. For example the recording, the lyrics, the line-up, the writing process and the featured tracks.

Our financial situation wasn’t as good as when recording "In the garden of Serpent", so we had to choose a cheaper studio and accept shorter recording time. The studio was sparsely furnished and equipped, so instead of playing with Elvis sticks and listen to records we did some hard, good, oldfashioned work. The fact that we recorde on 12 tracks gave us a new kind of sound, which we liked. We decided to mix the record at Sunlight studio, just to be sure of the outcome. It took 60 hours to record and mix "Autumn ride", 100 hours to record and mix "In the garden of Serpent", which is somewhat 6 – 7 minutes longer. The music on "Autumn ride" is more into the orthodox, old school doom style, which was a consious choice when material was written in the Winter and Spring 96 – 97. All lyrics on the record are written by me and Ulf, and the music by Ulf (the first song, "Dimension zero", "Chasing the dragon" and "The fog"), Andreas ("Mars’es boogie" and ") and me ("Autumn ride" and "Live through this").

6. How has the response been so far ??

I really don’t know. The album doesn’t sell a lot, that’s for sure. Per, who collects all the reviews says they’re very positive, but haven’t read any yet.

7. How would you compare your two albums ?

Lars wrote a big part of the songs on the first album, six to be exact. He really hoped a lot for the break through for the band, probably wanted us to become a new Cathedral and so on. He tried to make the songs more listener – friendly and catchy. What we did later, when writing material for "Autumn ride", was that we simply abandoned that kind of thinking. We decided to forget any attempts to sell a lot of records and turn into the old school, into what we prefere to call the orthodox old school in the spirit of St.Vitus and Obsessed. What we tried to do on that record and what we still do, is to make music for real doom freaks from real doom freaks.

8. Your music are very much old- style Doom Metal without symphonic keyboards, acoustic instruments and the dreaded female vocals. Why have you kept this sound ??

I had all that when in Therion. I really enjoyed my time in the band, it felt hard I left, but, opposite to Christopher (the brain behind Therion), I’m more into minimalism rather than bombastic (doesn’t mean cheesy) style of music making. There are enough with bands making the kind of music you talk about, and some of them do it much better than we ever would have done it. You see, it’s possible to make atmospheric music only using vocals, guitar, bass and drums. The purer and simpler, the better, at least that’s how what we think right now.

9. What is your political, religious and philosophical views ?

We are not a collective of any kind, gathered by same political or religious ideas. The band contains of three individuals and I prefer not to answer that question, nor for myself, or the other guys. I also consider the question as not relevant for Serpent as the music making band.

10. Members of Serpent has been are still involved in other bands/projects. How much are these bands/projects having an influence on Serpent ?

I’m involved in The Robots, a punk rock band which I’ve been drumming with since 1990. The time when I was into Therion, Lars into Entombed or Therion is gone. The Robots have released three records so far. My involvment in Robots does not harm Serpent in any way. You see, we don’t rehearsal regularly with Serpent, only when we decide to make a record. We don’t do live appearances. Per is involved in a thrash metal band, but it doesn’t seem to take much of his time. When it comes to musical influences from the other bands we had been, or are into, there are none. As a musician you grow when playing with more than one band, I think.

11. What is your view on the Doom Metal scene in Sweden ?

There are not so many bands. I consider both Memento Mori and Memory Garden a very overambitious music making. It’s not that they can’t play, rather contrary – they excellent musicians galaxies away from us, but too many things happen in the songs. The music is not heavy. The music doesn’t rock, it’s sterile and almost dead, it could put a hyperactive child into deep sleep. Candlemass will never be what they used to be, not without Messiah Marcolin, no way – it doesn’t matter how much they try. You only get pissed off on the new singers. To be short and to put it clear; we don’t have much in common, when it comes to music, with the other bands which are described as doom. They sell more records, are better known, have better labels (congratulations to MG for the Metal Blade deal), but still; there’s something missing. It’s my strictly private opinion - I know Per likes MG and MM a lot. I don’t know about Ulf.

12. What are your plans for the coming months and year ?? Any tour plans ??

We’ll start to rehearsal early next year. After our former rehearsal session there are somewhat 5 – 6 songs written, we need some more. What we need most of all is time. I also must work with the bass, the instrument is not new to me, but I’ve never played it in the band. As I’ve already mentioned, we don’t play live (earlier we did; 3 appearances 95 –96).

13. Do you have a merchandise list ??? From what address can the band be contacted ??

No. I don’t know if there’s going to be a one, the people are not exactly screaming after buying. They can send e – mail to Heathendoom Music:
heathendoom.music@swipnet.se

or write to me:

Piotr Wawrzeniuk
Skebokvarnsvägen 312 6TR.
124 50 BANDHAGEN
SWEDEN

My e -mail address should be working at the middle of December this year.

ezf906r@tninet.se

Thanks for the interview and good luck with the magazine!!