Cologne psych-fueled doom trio Purple Dawn brings upon Peace & Doom Session Vol. II, their second record released via Electric Valley Records, a follow-up to their 2021’s Peace & Doom Session Vol.I. The success of the first Peace & Doom Session stimulated Purple Dawn to keep the torch lit and continue writing songs, even though there was no chance for a live show due to the lockdown. The doom-power-trio hit a great studio in Oberhausen and recorded the second chapter of their live sessions: Peace & Doom Session Vol. II.
The band’s sound has been compared to Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Orange Goblin. If you fancy any of these bands, pay attention to Purple Dawn and get to know them better in this interview.
M.I. - First off, many thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.
Why have you chosen the name Purple Dawn? Is the name and logo a tribute to the stoner rock doom genre?
Thank you, Sónia! It’s a pleasure!
Well, it’s just such a cool name, haha. In the first place, we had another name, but since we’re in this three-piece constellation, we decided that we needed something new and something that fits our heavy-psych/doom site more. Purple Dawn was just perfect because it had that mystic and cosmic depth to it, and there are some parallels in the way we write. It just felt right. And obviously, we love purple. The color is definitely a tribute to the doom genre and Black Sabbath in particular. Praise Iommi.
M.I. - Tell us more about Purple Dawn’s objective and the musicians that are part of the project. How experienced are you?
Purple Dawn’s objective is at least three guys playing the music they really want to play and feel good about it! Besides that dominant riff worship, we like creating atmospheres and putting emotions into music and, of course, reaching out to other people who feel the same way. And the best all over the world. Now we got stone rolling.
We all toured with and played in numbers of bands for many years and all come from a different directions musically, but we share important cornerstones.
M.I. - The band was formed right before the pandemic stopped the world. Has it been a nice way to escape all the insanity the world was going through? Would you say it would have been harder to cope with all of it if Purple Dawn didn’t exist?
Well, you know we always try to escape from the insanity of the world. That is a clear message throughout many of our songs, though. But yes, it would have been a lot harder, I believe. The band and the music gave us so much motivation and strength in these rough times.
M.I. - Many have mentioned that Purple Dawn’s sound reminds of Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Orange Goblin. How do you feel when your hear these comparisons? Do you agree?
That is huge! It feels absolutely awesome, and we think it’s damn right haha! These bands are gigantic influences to us in sound, feel and the way you throw around riffs.
M.I. - Being such a new band, how do you deal with all the positive attention and great reviews? Did you expect it to be like this?
It is soo cool that so many people appreciate what we are doing! It feels just right! And yes, everything has happened very fast so far, and we’re still at the beginning. Looking forward to what comes next!
M.I. - The band’s first album was a live album. How did that happen? Did the sales go as expected considering that people might not be interested in buying a live album from a band they didn’t know much about?
We just began and had the first 4-5 shows planned when the pandemic hit us and canceled them all. We just wanted to do at least something to share what we worked on with the outside world of our rehearsal room. It all started with the release of our first single, “Atlantis,” which got recognized and pushed by the great heavy music promoters from Void – Stoner Doom Worship. They told us many times that this song became their absolute favorite and that they would like to have a short 2-3 minute video of us playing live in the rehearsal room filmed with a phone. We thought, why not play a small set filmed with a little something better than a phone. And it turned out to be the best thing we could have done in that situation because everybody was longing for some live music. At this point, again, a very special thanks to Ygor for starting the motor in that.
After it was published, my friend Claas from the doom metal band Earthbong, who also owns a small label named Ogorekords, called me up and told me about his band doing tapes and that people go crazy about it. No question was needed, so we did a tape release. On one side of the tape, we put the PEACE & DOOM SESSION VOL I, and on the other side, three tracks recorded in the studio. And in the end, Claas was damn right – it was sold out pretty fast!
M.I. - The band’s second record was recently released. How are people reacting to it?
Best way possible. We get a lot of messages, reviews and comments that fill our hearts! Some people really dive into the music, the sound and the lyrics and tell us how happy our music stuff makes them. Stunning! Isn’t this the biggest compliment you can earn?
All in all, we’re more than happy with the feedback we got so far!
M.I. - “Peace & Doom Session Vol. II” has been released by Electric Valley Records. How did this deal come up?
After the PDS VOL 1, we decided to go to the studio for another session – but again, we wanted to do it LIVE! That captures the magic we feel while playing the best way possible. Then the first single we released was The Moon Song. It only took like two days, and we had three offers for a label deal – absolutely CRAZY!
Electric Valley Records put the trust in us without any doubt from minute one, and we appreciate this a lot! Also, it is the label we can identify ourselves with the most. EVR has a lot of great bands and extremely cool merchandise, haha! We’re very happy with that decision!
M.I. - There is a wide variety of styles in your songs. How does that come up: naturally or intentionally?
As I said, we all have different backgrounds and meet somewhere in the middle. That’s why every song goes in another direction which is important to us. We jam a lot and pick up bits and pieces which turn into a song later. The Moon Song, for example, was a jam for quite the whole thing in one rehearsal night.
M.I. - How did you manage to write two albums in such a short period of time?
I had a lot of material written before starting the band. And there is still plenty left, we didn't have time to rehearse so far, and I keep on writing songs and riffs all the time.
Also, we write constantly new stuff together. So there are different sources to take from. I think ideas and riffs won’t be a rare commodity in the near future!
M.I. - First the world faced the pandemic that isn’t completely gone yet, now there is a war going on... have any of these events influenced or will eventually influence your song writing?
We don’t have any political motives in our songs if that is what you’re aiming at. I think we all are influenced somehow personally by all that shit going on in the world. Possible that we transport that feeling into our songs, but it’s not about those things in particular.
M.I. - What is the main message that Purple Dawn is trying to portray?
Peace & Doom! Everything is the balance between things. We love music, we love riffs, we love fuzz! And everybody who feels the same should join the SuperFuzzClub! The answer to the KISS Army or Turbojugend for all the cool cats and fuzz lovers out there!
M.I. - You call your music as Peace and Doom. Do you think music is capable to bring peace to someone’s heart and soul during harsh times?
Absolutely! For many people, including us, music is the most important source of happiness! Music never lets you down.
M.I. - The band has a track titled “Power to the People”. Do you think the people’s voice should be more heard and respected by politicians?
YES, who would say it the other way round?
M.I. - Is music your favourite form of expression?
The one and only!
M.I. - Are you planning on touring to promote both albums considering tours and festivals seem to be returning finally?
Definitely! We already played a bunch of shows this year, and the calendar fills up pretty fast with small festivals and club shows. We hope for the best that everything can be played as planned, and it gets more and more!
M.I. - What can we expect of Purple Dawn in the near future?
RIFFS! (laughts) We’re working on a concept split album these days. And we’re also planning to hit the studio somewhere in the second half of the year.
M.I. - Could you please share a final message with Metal Imperium’s readers and your fans? All the best for Purple Dawn! Hope you manage to play live here in Portugal in the near future.
Thank you for having us! We really appreciate your support! We’d love to play Portugal very soon!
Keep up with live music, go to concerts, support bands, enjoy your time, power to the people and join the SuperFuzzClub!
Peace & Doom - Purple Dawn
The band’s sound has been compared to Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Orange Goblin. If you fancy any of these bands, pay attention to Purple Dawn and get to know them better in this interview.
M.I. - First off, many thanks for taking the time to answer our questions.
Why have you chosen the name Purple Dawn? Is the name and logo a tribute to the stoner rock doom genre?
Thank you, Sónia! It’s a pleasure!
Well, it’s just such a cool name, haha. In the first place, we had another name, but since we’re in this three-piece constellation, we decided that we needed something new and something that fits our heavy-psych/doom site more. Purple Dawn was just perfect because it had that mystic and cosmic depth to it, and there are some parallels in the way we write. It just felt right. And obviously, we love purple. The color is definitely a tribute to the doom genre and Black Sabbath in particular. Praise Iommi.
M.I. - Tell us more about Purple Dawn’s objective and the musicians that are part of the project. How experienced are you?
Purple Dawn’s objective is at least three guys playing the music they really want to play and feel good about it! Besides that dominant riff worship, we like creating atmospheres and putting emotions into music and, of course, reaching out to other people who feel the same way. And the best all over the world. Now we got stone rolling.
We all toured with and played in numbers of bands for many years and all come from a different directions musically, but we share important cornerstones.
M.I. - The band was formed right before the pandemic stopped the world. Has it been a nice way to escape all the insanity the world was going through? Would you say it would have been harder to cope with all of it if Purple Dawn didn’t exist?
Well, you know we always try to escape from the insanity of the world. That is a clear message throughout many of our songs, though. But yes, it would have been a lot harder, I believe. The band and the music gave us so much motivation and strength in these rough times.
M.I. - Many have mentioned that Purple Dawn’s sound reminds of Black Sabbath, Pentagram and Orange Goblin. How do you feel when your hear these comparisons? Do you agree?
That is huge! It feels absolutely awesome, and we think it’s damn right haha! These bands are gigantic influences to us in sound, feel and the way you throw around riffs.
M.I. - Being such a new band, how do you deal with all the positive attention and great reviews? Did you expect it to be like this?
It is soo cool that so many people appreciate what we are doing! It feels just right! And yes, everything has happened very fast so far, and we’re still at the beginning. Looking forward to what comes next!
M.I. - The band’s first album was a live album. How did that happen? Did the sales go as expected considering that people might not be interested in buying a live album from a band they didn’t know much about?
We just began and had the first 4-5 shows planned when the pandemic hit us and canceled them all. We just wanted to do at least something to share what we worked on with the outside world of our rehearsal room. It all started with the release of our first single, “Atlantis,” which got recognized and pushed by the great heavy music promoters from Void – Stoner Doom Worship. They told us many times that this song became their absolute favorite and that they would like to have a short 2-3 minute video of us playing live in the rehearsal room filmed with a phone. We thought, why not play a small set filmed with a little something better than a phone. And it turned out to be the best thing we could have done in that situation because everybody was longing for some live music. At this point, again, a very special thanks to Ygor for starting the motor in that.
After it was published, my friend Claas from the doom metal band Earthbong, who also owns a small label named Ogorekords, called me up and told me about his band doing tapes and that people go crazy about it. No question was needed, so we did a tape release. On one side of the tape, we put the PEACE & DOOM SESSION VOL I, and on the other side, three tracks recorded in the studio. And in the end, Claas was damn right – it was sold out pretty fast!
M.I. - The band’s second record was recently released. How are people reacting to it?
Best way possible. We get a lot of messages, reviews and comments that fill our hearts! Some people really dive into the music, the sound and the lyrics and tell us how happy our music stuff makes them. Stunning! Isn’t this the biggest compliment you can earn?
All in all, we’re more than happy with the feedback we got so far!
M.I. - “Peace & Doom Session Vol. II” has been released by Electric Valley Records. How did this deal come up?
After the PDS VOL 1, we decided to go to the studio for another session – but again, we wanted to do it LIVE! That captures the magic we feel while playing the best way possible. Then the first single we released was The Moon Song. It only took like two days, and we had three offers for a label deal – absolutely CRAZY!
Electric Valley Records put the trust in us without any doubt from minute one, and we appreciate this a lot! Also, it is the label we can identify ourselves with the most. EVR has a lot of great bands and extremely cool merchandise, haha! We’re very happy with that decision!
M.I. - There is a wide variety of styles in your songs. How does that come up: naturally or intentionally?
As I said, we all have different backgrounds and meet somewhere in the middle. That’s why every song goes in another direction which is important to us. We jam a lot and pick up bits and pieces which turn into a song later. The Moon Song, for example, was a jam for quite the whole thing in one rehearsal night.
M.I. - How did you manage to write two albums in such a short period of time?
I had a lot of material written before starting the band. And there is still plenty left, we didn't have time to rehearse so far, and I keep on writing songs and riffs all the time.
Also, we write constantly new stuff together. So there are different sources to take from. I think ideas and riffs won’t be a rare commodity in the near future!
M.I. - First the world faced the pandemic that isn’t completely gone yet, now there is a war going on... have any of these events influenced or will eventually influence your song writing?
We don’t have any political motives in our songs if that is what you’re aiming at. I think we all are influenced somehow personally by all that shit going on in the world. Possible that we transport that feeling into our songs, but it’s not about those things in particular.
M.I. - What is the main message that Purple Dawn is trying to portray?
Peace & Doom! Everything is the balance between things. We love music, we love riffs, we love fuzz! And everybody who feels the same should join the SuperFuzzClub! The answer to the KISS Army or Turbojugend for all the cool cats and fuzz lovers out there!
M.I. - You call your music as Peace and Doom. Do you think music is capable to bring peace to someone’s heart and soul during harsh times?
Absolutely! For many people, including us, music is the most important source of happiness! Music never lets you down.
M.I. - The band has a track titled “Power to the People”. Do you think the people’s voice should be more heard and respected by politicians?
YES, who would say it the other way round?
M.I. - Is music your favourite form of expression?
The one and only!
M.I. - Are you planning on touring to promote both albums considering tours and festivals seem to be returning finally?
Definitely! We already played a bunch of shows this year, and the calendar fills up pretty fast with small festivals and club shows. We hope for the best that everything can be played as planned, and it gets more and more!
M.I. - What can we expect of Purple Dawn in the near future?
RIFFS! (laughts) We’re working on a concept split album these days. And we’re also planning to hit the studio somewhere in the second half of the year.
M.I. - Could you please share a final message with Metal Imperium’s readers and your fans? All the best for Purple Dawn! Hope you manage to play live here in Portugal in the near future.
Thank you for having us! We really appreciate your support! We’d love to play Portugal very soon!
Keep up with live music, go to concerts, support bands, enjoy your time, power to the people and join the SuperFuzzClub!
Peace & Doom - Purple Dawn
For Portuguese version, click here
Listen Purple Dawn, on Spotify
Questions by Sónia Fonseca
