| After
having received and listened to LOWDOWN’s
first CD, the blistering Unknown, my preconceptions
about Norway and Norwegian bands had changed considerably. Being
first and foremost known for its many Black Metal bands and their
somewhat dubious background, Norway wasn’t exactly the country
I imagined a band like LOWDOWN could originate
from. Not that it matters. But just the fact that such good music
could come out of a country us Swedes mostly joke about makes
you think. What drives such a band? Luckily, guitarist Tom A.
Furenes gladly provided me with some answers.
Alex:
Tell me about your background. When and how was the band formed?
Tom: Well, LOWDOWN was originally conceived
of by me and the other guitarist, Kenneth, in 1998, in Stavanger.
The other members joined in shortly after that, all coming from
different bands, and the last two years have been very intense
[no pun intended].
Alex:
What kind of response have you got in your home country?
Tom: Mostly, we have received very good reviews from
many different papers in Norway, including the big ones, like
Dagbladet and Dagsavisen, as well as some more in depth coverage,
like articles and stuff.
Alex:
What about abroad? Have you got any following in other countries?
Tom: The thing is, Unknown
is yet to be released abroad, so we haven’t really got much
attention from other countries yet. [That’s about to
change, though. Check the major metal webzines, and read their
reviews of Unknown].
Alex:
Have you done many gigs in Norway?
Tom: Yeah, quite a few. About 30+, and we’ve been
playing Norwegian festivals too, like the Quartfestival, Øjafestivalen,
and Norwegian Wood, so we’ve managed to make ourselves heard
that way.
Alex:
Any plans on touring abroad, like in Sweden?
Tom: The problem is that our record company [Black Balloon
Records] is pretty small. It has only four bands, us included,
and it is driven by a guy who is really passionate about this
type of music. The problem is always money. If we would go on
tour, it would be with other bands, but as it looks right now,
there are no plans, sadly.
Alex:
What are your influences?
Tom: Mostly bands like Slipknot, Meshuggah, System of
a Down, Pantera, Faith No More, and Korn. As far as vocals go,
FNM is quite a big influence, as well as more aggressive bands
like Slipknot and Meshuggah.
Alex:
How does the songwriting process work? Is it the same person writing
all the music and the lyrics?
Tom: No. When it comes to writing and composing music,
we are a quite democratic band. Everyone contributes his own part,
whether it is about the music or the vocals, even though Leo (Moracchioli,
singer), writes most of the lyrics.
Alex:
Yeah, the singer, Leo, has an awesome voice. Is he the one doing
all the vocals? I have a hard time thinking it could be the same
guy screaming his lungs out, and then switching to that paranoid
chanting style so effortlessly.
Tom: It’s true. It’s Leo doing all the vocals.
He’s really gifted that way.
[Leo earlier sung in a band called Dispainted for eight years
before joining LOWDOWN. He’s now 24 years
old. As stated, he does all the vocals on Unknown, except for
the last track Struggling, where he shares the microphone with
producer Ram-Zet].
Alex:
I have to ask you about the producer. Who is this guy? It’s
unbelievable how he has managed to create such a phat clear sound!
Tom: The album was recorded in Stavanger, produced by
ourselves, and mixed by a guy called Zet, and we’re pretty
satisfied the way it came out too.
Alex:
So that’s about all the questions I had for you. Good luck
in the future, and I hope I’ll manage to see you sometime!
Tom: Thank you, we hope we’ll be able to tour abroad
soon!
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