Big love and massive thanks to Wilhelm from Resumption for taking time out of the chaos to chat with us here at The Riff Report Blog 🤘🔥
Absolute legend behaviour, mun. Between crushing riffs and dragging doom through the depths, he still found time to talk shop with us — proper sound. It’s always class when bands connect with the scene like this, and Resumption are clearly flying the flag high for the underground 🖤
We’ll be blasting their tracks loud and proud — and if you’re not already on them… what’s occurring?! Go fix that immediately.
Cheers again, Wilhelm — pint’s waiting if we ever cross paths at a gig 🍻🤘
🌑 Origins, Atmosphere & Crushing Beginning
Death doom isn’t just music — it’s a mood, a weight, a slow-burning storm. What pulled you into this sound in the first place?
My first introduction to the world of doom and gloom was Black Sabbath through Ozzy Osbourne’s 97 best of complication album, The Ozzman Cometh. I saw and interview with Ozzy on TV and where they played some songs. I was instantly hooked. After that I just kept digging after harder and heavier stuff. One big moment came when I heard the first Katatonia album Dance Of December Souls for the first time. That was pure musical perfection to a 16 year old me. And I still hold that album as one of the best pieces of music ever created.
How did the band form, and was it always destined to be this heavy, this bleak, this gloriously slow?
This band or I should say this sound or idea has been bouncing around in my head for a long time. But as I have been busy playing in blues band, being a father and working. I never felt I had the time to do it. But after attending an amazing Primordial show last year I just felt the time has come to get nasty with it. So I started taking the ideas I had in my head and started writing and recording songs. And yes I wanted it to be slow, soul crushingly heavy and simple. Nothing fancy or epic, just pure darkness and doom.
Portugal isn’t the first place people think of for death doom — how has your environment shaped your sound?
Well I would say that Portugal has not shaped the sound at all as I am not Portuguese. I’m Swedish, but I have lived in Portugal for many years. I still carry the Swedish doom and gloom with me. So this band is more an expression of my Swedish side I would say. I moved to Portugal for the sunshine. And Resumption aint exactly rainbows and sunshine.
⚰️ Riffs, Tempo & The Art of Going Slow
In a world obsessed with speed, you choose to slow everything down and make it hit harder — what’s the power of that approach?
I love fast music, I have been listening to a lot of Brodequin lately for example. I love the blast beat. But when it comes to playing and writing music myself. It just feel more natural to play slow and groovy. It what makes me get that tingling inside my stomach when I play. And for this band I wanted it as slow and heavy as I can make it. Sure there are some songs that are a bit faster. With the last two we almost break the speed barrier, at a shocking 110 bpm. Crazy fast I know!!
What makes a riff feel heavy to you — is it tone, space, or just pure emotional weight?
I would say tone, note choices and rhythm.
For me the dirtier the better, when an album is to polished it just removes any feeling for me. Many of the riffs on The Respite was written using the Gypsy Jazz scale (It has a fancy name that I can’t remember, but I’m not a fancy person so that is ok), and I think that scale has such a a beautifuly evil sound to it. I don’t care how low you tune your guitar or how many strings it has, if the riffs does not have an evil sound it falls flat for me. Metal for me should be evil and dirty. When I feel anything pop related in the chord structure in a metal song, that’s a no for me. At the same time I love certain pop music. But metal should be evil or sad. I cant stand happy and bouncy metal, thats not for me.
Do you ever fight the urge to speed things up, or is the slow burn sacred?
I have started writing songs for album Nr 2 and most will be similar paced or slower than the ones on The Respite. Besides one song that startes off slow became fast as I thought what would the most expected thing I can do here? So I morphed the doom riff into a black metal riff with a Slayer beat on top. (Shhhh don’t tell anyone).
So for the most time it’s just slow.
🌫 Atmosphere, Emotion & Existential Weight
Your music carries a deep emotional weight — where does that come from when you’re writing?
I used this album as sort of a therapy session, getting a lot of things off my mind. Things that I have been thinking about for a long time. Things I don’t understand about my fellow human beings and thinking’s that just want me to facepalm on a daily basis.
Why do people care so much about what other people think? Why spend time bitching about shit you dont like? WHy not celebrate and promote what you love instead.
Do you see your songs as personal reflections, or something more universal and existential?
They are all deeply personal and I would say a reflection of myself and how I want my life to be. Simple, uncomplicated and drama free. Lyrically it’s very personal as most songs are about ways I have been dealing with anxiety. And then of course some obligatory religion bashing. Because that shit should have been religated too the back room of a museum a long time ago in my humble opinion.
Is there a track that still gives you chills when you play it live?
As the band is still very young we have not played live yet. Hell as a full band we have only done one rehearsal. But it was super nice after a few a few hours of rehearsing when we started to lock in with each other and the groove and gloom strated to come.
🔥 Live Shows, Darkness & Connection
Death doom live is a different beast — less chaos, more immersion. What do you want people to feel when they see you on stage?
Pure dirty gutter sludge, I’m not interested on putting on a spectacle. I want the music to speak for it self. I feel that so many bands rely on gimics and the music comes second. Sure a good stage production is cool and all, but if you need that to sell the muisc. It is not for me.
Do audiences react differently compared to faster metal genres?
From what I have experienced is that at doom shows people are more stationary and just take in the music rather than the throwback to PE class that shows with faster bands have a tendency to be. But each to their own. For me as a concert goer, it really depends on what mood I’m in. Sometimes I just wanna stand at the back and take it all in. Sometimes I wanna be in the pit. I guess that also depends on what I have to do the following day. If I have to be a productive member of society, then I take it easy.
What’s the most intense or memorable moment you’ve experienced during a live set?
From a spectators perspective it was seeing Bolt Thrower live in 2005(I think). That was just pure bliss, they played so well and the sound was top notch oth.
As a musician I would have to say there has been some moments with some of my blues bands where every one just have looked in so tight that it’s like I forgot I was playing I felt one with the music.
Then the most memorable moments was when a pretty lady complemented my bass playing (I was playing bass for the metal band Allamedah) after a show. So I did the only reasonable thing wish was to marry that woman. So even a bassplayer can find love. Who would have thought.
🏴 Scene, Identity & Carrying the Doom Torch
What’s the Portuguese metal scene like right now — is there a growing underground for heavier, darker sounds?
Yes! It’s growing, there a lot of cool bands and a lot of smaller and bigger festivals. Check out Ruttenskalle (old school death metal) and Bleeding Display (brutal death metal). There are a lot more bands but those two are the once that comes to mind. The only negative is that Portugal is a bit on the periphery off Europe. So many tours skip Portugal. But there are many local shows and they generally draw a decent crowd.
Which bands (local or global) helped shape your sound or gave you that “this is what we want to do” moment?
Katatonia (pre logo change), Broken Hope, Acheron, Bolt Thrower, old Nile and Pyrexia. I have had moments with all these bands that I felt this is exactly what I want from music and how I want to do music.
Like time just slowed down and I went wow can music be this heavy. First time I heard Broken Hope for example, the song Internal Infernos opening riff changed something inside me.
This being said I have never wanted to copy any one band, instead I have been trying to take a bit from here and there and make my own glorious sludge. I guess for transparency, there are some riffs that are very similar to Bolt Thrower. The song Worship is named that as it is total Bolt Thrower worship.
Do you feel part of a wider doom/death movement, or are you carving your own path through the fog?
I don’t really feel a part of a movement as I don’t really keep track on many new death/doom bands as I feel most sound the same. I mainly listen to the same stuff in that style that I have been listening to for ever. When listening to new music in the metal realm it’s more faster stuff. Been on a big Brodequin kick as I mention and a lot of Vomitory. Started listening to Unleashed quit recently. When it comes to newer bands I really dig Fossilization and Sanguisugabogg.
🧠 Behind the Darkness (Human Side)
Writing this kind of music can get emotionally heavy — how do you balance that with everyday life?
For me doing this kind of music brings me a lot of joy as I get out a lot of negative emotions through the lyrics. And writing and recording is like laying a puzzle or building Legos if you will. The only issue I have had is that I have to record certain things when I’m home alone as I don’t want to make people in my life deaf. Or annoy the people I live with, as listening to me barking the same line over and over until I get it right, can’t be a to pleasant thing to experience.
Has being in this band changed how you see the world?
Not really, it has more reinforced it. It has however been a good teaching moment as I have learned loads of things as I did everything myself besides the mastering.
What keeps you grounded when everything you create leans into darkness?
For me , what I create is beautiful and it makes me happy to do it. I have played almost every style under the sun and they all made me happy.
As long as I got to do it with people I enjoy being around. Which has not always been the case. And that was one of the reasons why I decided to do everything on this record myself. With some help and feedback from my dear friend Niclas Ankarbranth and another dear friend Tiago Silva who mastered the album. I just wanted to do exactly what I had in my head with out having to wait for other people. Or deal with other people’s drama.
🔮 What Lurks Ahead
What’s next for the band — new material, releases, tours, or something unexpected?
Well first off our debut album will be released on the 17th of April on every streaming platform under he sun and Bandcamp. Then we will see where this slab of dirty music takes us. I have a full line up that started rehearsing last weekend and we are gonna take it slow and take our time to build up a solid set and eventually take to the stage when the time is right. We are all older guys who has been around the block more times than we care to admit. So no need to rush or prove anything.
I have a new album written so that will see the light of day at some point.
Are there elements or sounds you’re itching to explore further?
As I have already written the next album Im fully explored for the time being. Some songs are pure funeral doom with my beautiful voice on top and some are more groove oriented.
Where do you see yourselves in five years — still crushing stages, or evolving into something even darker?
I hope I’m still out there playing in some form. As I love playing all kinds of music I have no idea what it will be. As long as the music moves me and the people I play with are friendly ,I’m open to anything. During the last six years I have been playing in blues bands and I’m still in one. But regarding Resumption I will keep going as long as I feel that I have anything to say in the death doom realm. For many years I felt I had said everything I wanted to say In my previous death doom band The Gardnerz.
Resumption is a slower and darker version of that band. Regarding darkness, the next album will have a song dealing about what I want to happen with my body after I die. Funeral arrangements set to funeral doom.
⚡ FINAL RIFF REPORT QUESTION
If your music was the soundtrack to the end of the world… what’s the final image people see?
A world falling apart and humanity dying off due to our own stupidity. I’m guessing we will end nuking ourself out of existence or polluting th eplanet to a point where it kills us. And then the world will slowly and eventualy heal, free of the human pest. I’m sure that’s how it eventually will end for us. And the world will keep on spinning with us just as a side note. Only the pollution we left as a reminder.
