Interview With Jotun From Kin Of Ettins

From humble beginnings in 2004 Kin Of Ettins have built themselves up to being one of USA's premier Doom acts.Blending Doom Metal with elements of Folk they have developed a powerful sound that has become a force to be reckoned with.Using slow to more mid-tempo grooves they have enough hooks to their songs to please most if not all Doomheads. They have a album "Tears For Lost Ages" which is one hell of a killer release and they also have a new drummer KC to complete what is already a excellent band.Here is a interview i did with Jotun,guitarist and vocalist for the band.

1.I must say thanks for allowing this interview to happen.Its been a long time coming.Kin Of Ettins had interesting beginnings because it all started with a one man project idea.Want to fill us in on those early days ?

The one-man idea came because at the time I wasn't sure anyone else would want to play traditional doom, and I'd been fans of other single-person bands like Falkenbach & Sisters of Mercy. I wrote the first few songs during that period, but nothing saw the light of day until Donar joined and we recorded the 'Wake' demo.

2.Going from the one man band thing to a full band.How long did that all take and was it hard to find all the right people to bring this to a reality ?

After fumbling around for a year or so on my own, it became clear that real band chemistry would be necessary to get it off the ground. Donar and I had been in a band before and had long talked of working together again, so I brought him a rough recording of 3 songs and he joined almost immediately. Buddaen and I had been in one of the earliest Texas doom bands, Midian. Budd and I had also talked of making music again and the 3 of us had tried to form something prior to Kin of Ettins but the circumstances weren't right at the time. Buddaen still had other very important priorities to sort out when the KoE offer came so it took him a little longer to commit. The drum throne has been more of a revolving door situation, but we're glad to have KC on board. I think we all wish we'd gotten him sooner.

3.Keeping on the subject of the early days,what were the early gigs like ?

The first gig was as a trio with our very first drummer. I handled all the guitar duties that night which was nerve-wracking. Luckily we were opening for a little-known touring band on a Tuesday, so there were only a dozen people or so. Our next show wasn't until 10 months later at the first Dallas Doom Daze with the mark II line-up which survived until Naefi's departure earlier this year.

4.Since the early shows you have progressed to playing on some killer bills including a recent one with Solitude Aeturnus.How was that show ?

Oh man, that show was a blast! One of our best shows yet. Solitude got up there and blew us away, of course! But it gained us some fans for sure. I've got to give a shout out to John Perez for inviting us. We had a lot of fun.

5.Dallas is of course home of the Doom Daze Festival,are you looking forward to that show ?

Very much so. As the organizer, I'll be exhausted by the time it's over though. It's had better promotion this year than last year, so I hope it'll have a great turn-out.

6.Do you have a preference for the larger or smaller shows ?

Dallas/Ft Worth doesn't really get big shows for doom. 50 people is a huge crowd here. That being said, we prefer a larger turn-out for sure.

7.Lets talk influences,how much do they really take a part in the sound and songwriting ?

They are very much a part of what we create, but we've never wanted to emulate any one band or sound too generic. Doom is the style we play and thus the starting point of our influences from Black Sabbath to Solitude Aeturnus, Saint Vitus and so forth, but there are many more styles and genres that play in. We all love other styles of metal like death, thrash, stoner and black metal and we each listen to music outside the metal realm like rock, blues, folk, rockabilly, punk & post-punk, classical, etc. All of these can creep into the creative process although some more than others, obviously.

8.What is your opinion on the current state of Doom Metal.It seems to be that there is more bands than ever before but the quality has fallen a little.What do you think ?

Unfortunately that becomes the case any time a genre approaches its saturation point. Too many people hear it and assume the technique without concentrating on songwriting. Truly good songwriters are very rare though.

9.I was on a forum the other day and people were calling Electric Wizard "generic and mainstream"! Is it possible to be mainstream in a music genre that is so underground anyway ?

I don't know. It's a question of relativity, I suppose. I must say that Electric Wizard broke new ground when they arrived, so whoever called them "mainstream" doesn't know what they're talking about.

10.We have been trying to make Doom Metal a category on Myspace.Do you think it will ever get the acceptance it deserves ?

Maybe. It'll take some time though. So many metal fans still aren't even aware of the existence of doom, while many who do harbor vast misconceptions about it.

11.Back to the band,you have a old school sound and yet you have a almost black metal quality to the production on the album.Is that the blend you were going for ?

I don't know that we were thinking that specifically, but '80s black metal is a personal influence of mine so I guess it shines through.

12.Even though the band is "Pure Doom" you also have some killer hooks.Do you think some bands take the Doom too far and come off sounding boring ?

I think that would be an accurate statement, but it doesn't reflect on doom that much. Any genre can be taken too far in its own context and thus become redundant.

13.What is your opinion on Drone ?

I have much respect for it. It's a brave extreme, and infinitely more difficult to play than most people realize. With that out of the way, I must say it's a bit much for me and doesn't personally appeal to me.

14.The current album,when and where was that recorded ?

That was done late last year in a small jam space in Garland, Tx. which is a suburb just east of Dallas. It was produced by our good friend Louie Shoop.

15.How has been the reaction to the album,have you been getting many reviews ?

The fans have enjoyed it, but no review copies have gone out yet because of a flaw in the replication resulting in some audio glitched in the first batch. We're going to a more reliable company later this week to start a repress which will fix the problem.

16.What is your opinion on the blatant stealing of music that happens on the internet these days and do you think a underground has any chance of making money from selling CD's these days ?

It's a double-edged sword. File-sharing does hinder the sale of hard-copies which forces artists to rethink how they market themselves. The upside is that major labels, being slow on the uptake, are proving themselves too stupid and backward-thinking to cope with it. The majors all went into the red last year. The internet takes away their power to govern the public's tastes, and they're going extinct for lack of adaptability.

17.Have you got a main influence when it comes to vocals and lyrics ?

Not a main one, no. It's a mix. Vocally I cite Ronnie James Dio, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford, Robert Lowe, Peteer Steele, Carl McCoy, Scott Reagers & Jim Morrison. Lyrically I'd have to say Count Lyle, Carl McCoy, Steve Harris & Geezer Butler. There are many more on both fronts, but those fellows are a good starting point.

18.If a new Doom band came up to you looking for advice on getting started in the Doom scene,what advice would you give ?

Write good songs & tighten your live performance. Then ask me to put you on some shows!

19.What is the band's plans for the rest of the year ?

We want to keep writing songs for the next record, play more shows around town and take a road trip or two.

20.Thanks and any last words for the Doomsters out there ?

Thank you Ed, for the interview and all you do for the scene. You're a true doom warrior who deserves much respect.Doomsters, keep dooming. Be strong. Support your underground and local scene & stoner bands. Doom 'till death!jotun.

http://www.myspace.com/kinofettins