A doom band from Croatia – that sounds quite special. I’m not sure but I think that I’ve never bought a record released by an artist from this – wonderful! – country. Well, Elusive God‘s debut EP The Darkest Flame has to be included in every decent (doom) metal collection because it’s undoubtedly one of the best releases of 2020. You know, we don’t give rates on this blog, but in this case I’d like to point out that this record would deserve the highest rating in all regards. Please check them out and buy their stuff on Bandcamp – after reading the following interview, of course.

Hi, thanks a lot for your time. How are you doing?

Hey, thanks for presenting Elusive God on your blog. We’re really good and focused on writing new material and of course listening to some good METAL. Our EP has been out for a while now, we’re getting some good reactions and reviews so we’re steadily introducing ourselves to metal fans.

How are you dealing with the current situation? Did the pandemic destroy a lot of your plans with Elusive God?

Fortunately, we did everything we intended to do with Elusive God in 2020. We were focused on finishing our EP and making a new video. Besides that, most of the last year we spent composing material for our first full length. So, none of the plans were actually destroyed, but it sure took us some extra effort to get everything done despite the unfortunate circumstances.

I suppose that many readers don’t know Elusive God yet. Please tell us something about your founding history and your musical vision.

Elusive God is a doom metal band from Croatia founded in 2018. We want to express ourselves through dark, heavy and atmospheric music rooted in traditional metal. Metal as we see it should be layered and mysterious, demanding full focus and attention of listeners and fans in order to get the message that music conveys. Also, we believe that visual imagery gives music another dimension, so we put a lot of effort in music video creation. So far we made two videos – first one for the song «Silence is Our Doom», and second one for the song «Dream Within a Dream» which will be released on January 22nd. From the beginning we kept identities of band members a secret in order to completely shift the focus of our fans and listeners to our musical creations.

How would you describe the feedback you received after releasing your debut EP?

So far, overall feedback and reactions were amazing. It really means a lot when someone truly likes your material and understands it in a right way. EP’s been out for six months now and only recently CD release was made, so we are still promoting it and trying to spread the music to the right people. There were some really good reviews as well. We have to thank Solitude Productions for giving us a chance and putting their trust in our music.

What do you think about The Darkest Flame? What’s your favourite track on your it?

We like it very much. Our intention was to create music we would normally like to listen to as fans and we succeeded. Production is great, everything sounds punchy and big, emphasizing the overall atmosphere of the songs. It’s impossible to pick only one track as a favorite, we like them all and every song is special in its own way.

Who is responsible for the songwriting?

Can’t answer that since we can’t reveal the names of the band members (laughs).

I had to try it… On our blog, we focus on epic metal and (epic) doom metal. How would you define the term «epic»? We received a lot of different answers regarding this topic in the last few weeks.

Interesting question. Epic represents a certain kind of atmosphere in music that can sound contemporary and ancient at the same time. For example, if we listen to Manilla Road, we can visualise some old sorcerer sitting on his throne in a cave and singing the words of victory or impending doom. This music can sound both glorious or sad, but it’s important to mention that this sadness is not definite. There is always a certain element of reconciliation with one’s suffering and continuing with your struggles even when everything seems hopeless and lost. So for we, this «ancient» atmospheric element is really important. Another example could be Candlemass. Their music sounds both majestic and as a soundtrack to some dark fairytale which you as a listener are a part of. Messiah‘s voice also paints a picture of impending doom, but with a clear sense of victory and deliverance in the end. The important elements are also the choruses that sound big and memorable, almost instantly making your fist clench while you sing along. Third (and final, laughs) example could be Conan the Barbarian movie. If you find some song suitable to be a soundtrack for this movie, then we’re talking about somewhat epic music for sure.

If you find some song suitable to be a soundtrack for this movie, then we’re talking about somewhat epic music for sure.

Elusive God on «Conan the Barbarian»

What do you generally think of the Croatian metal scene? Are there any young Croatian metal bands that you would like to recommend to our readers?

Croatia has always had young and prospective bands, but in retrospect, it seems almost as if the whole thing with having an actual, a national scene never happened. Bands were mostly praised locally and throughout local metal communities, but unfortunately some kind of unification of micro-scenes on national scale never happened. However, there always were and always will be enthusiasts ready to give their focus and energy in making good music, and that’s what matters most. Generally, it’s tricky to give recommendations because you always leave somebody out. But anyway, here are a few bands and their albums worthy of your attention in our opinion:

• Frozen Forest – Ancient Ritual – excellent black metal, great atmosphere and melodies.

• Stimulans – Dust – heavy metal veterans celebrating their 20th anniversary this year.

• Narednik Lobanja i Vod Smrti – Trupa Trupala – old school thrash metal with nuclear and war themes.

• Seven That Spells – The Death and Resurrection of Krautrock Trilogy – even though this is not a metal band, their latest trilogy is a pinnacle of Croatian underground music.

• Majke – Razum i Bezumlje – one of the wildest and dirtiest rock ‘n’ roll albums ever recorded..

Awesome, I’ll check them out, for sure! What was the last record you listened to before answering my questions?

Cathedral – Ethereal Mirror \m/.

What was your favourite album released in 2020?

We have to mention two magnificent doom metal songs released in 2020 that are constantly being put on repeat ever since they were released:

• Wheel – At Night They Came Upon Us

• Godthrymm – We Are The Dead (And Dreaming)

Regarding albums, the latest Vader and Wino releases were really good. Honestly, this question can be properly answered sometime in 2022 since there were a lot of albums released that still need to be thoroughly checked

That’s definitely right – I discovered your EP far too late for my best of lists, for instance. Otherwise, it would have been on a very high position, maybe number 2 on my EP list and number 3 or 4 on my newcomer list! Another topic: What’s your opinion about social media platforms? I talked with a lot of young musicians and most of them stated that they are very important for them nowadays in order to reach a larger audience.

It surely can be a useful tool if used moderately. Bands have the opportunity to reach quite a large audience while «competing» for the same space and attention with thousands of other bands using the same platforms. So this can be tricky and exhausting, both for bands and listeners. However, it seems that social media platforms somehow encourage musicians to be content creators in order to gain more exposure. In this way, music and art are becoming secondary, and we don’t see how this is good or useful. At the end of the day, musicians should be musicians, not content creators.

Last question: Candlemass or Solitude Aeturnus?

Candlemass. Silence is our DOOM

Again, many thanks for your time – a very interesting interview, in my opinion. I look forward to new material! We’ll definitely review your first album.