Womb were formed in 2014 in Spain by Emilio (vocals), Aszeroth (guitars), Alastor (drums), and Phalcor (bass). Within the same year they released the demo ‘Equidistant’. In 2015 they released ‘Deception Through Your Lies’, their full-length album, digitally. The album drew the attention of Solitude Productions and Hypnotic Dirge Records that released the album in physical format.
Tell us a few words about Womb. What did you do before Womb?
We used to be active members of various extreme metal bands in Seville, (Winterstorm, Vikingore, Windblown, Purulent Necropsys, Kraftur, Arrebol…) and we are part of the Barcelona doom scene as Shattered Sigh. Womb had been a non-stop process until its formation, for we had always wanted to form a band together.
Taking into consideration the place you come from (Andalusia, Seville), what drew you as artists to doom/black metal, a very dark and agonizing genre?
Andalusia might seem a very happy place; that’s what is sold. Nonetheless, suffering is something with an indubitable presence here, and that’s something we want our music to reflect. You can see somebody smiling while experiencing a tremendous inner suffering.
The name of the band “Womb” indicates a place of temporary safety. What made you choose this name and what does it symbolize?
The womb is a temporary safe place, yet in the past. We all experience to a greater or smaller extent suffering, frustration, loss, disenchantment and so on in our relationships as we grow older. All in all, things that make us suffer. The name ‘Womb’ is a means of expressing all those feelings. The womb is a place of perpetual peace where we leave all those feelings.
In addition to the previous question, judging from the artwork of ‘Deception Through Your Lies’, does ‘your Womb’ give birth to perhaps inner demons? And which are they?
It obviously does. Our inner demons are each and every one of them that dwell within us and we keep for ourselves. Those we offer to the world. Deception, lovelessness, exclusion, rejection, solitude, frustration and melancholy could be our inner demons. We develop this idea on our next album in a more conceptual way, going through the reactions of people living the scenario of losing everything.
How do you deal with musical experimentations? I think there are samples of them in your debut album.
We are dealing with that, we search for sounds that fit what we want to express, mixing atmospheric elements with post-metal/post-rock ones, without forsaking more orthodox elements of the doom/death scene.
What is the main theme of your lyrics?
I couldn’t pinpoint a main theme, but maybe our personal experiences and their negative side. Rejection, deception, frustration when things don’t go the way we want them to, etc. I like to imprint on the lyrics all that I don’t want to keep for myself, but I am willing to save for the music. It is difficult to explain, so I invite you to listen and read these lyrics. I also like that the public can reach their own conclusions through them.
How is ‘Deception Through Your Lies’ accepted so far? Are you satisfied or skeptical?
We are satisfied and skeptical at the same time. We know how things go, how far the genre reaches and to what extent it is accepted. Nonetheless, that’s what we want: that it reaches whomever it may, even if that means that’s just us. However, we’ve received positive criticism and we were happily surprised by that.
Can you tell us a few words about the Spanish metal scene? Where do you find yourselves in it, considering the fans of the genre you represent?
It is a big scene that is constantly gaining importance, especially regarding extreme metal. We are partaking of it actively within this extreme metal scene.
Have you been active regarding live shows? Are there upcoming live shows and where? &
What are your future plans?
These two questions are closely connected, so we will answer them together. We are releasing our new work in some months with our current lineup: vocals, bass, drums and guitar. We are active and on the lookout for venues, but we can’t reveal dates of future shows as of now.
We are mainly catering for national shows, but we are open-minded about touring Europe. You can contact us via FB or our email.
Photo credits: Womb
Mary Kalaitzidou