#1: How did your band get started?
Patrick: Desoluna started as a solo project by me, Patrick Shadowland, here in Malmö, Sweden and Nadia Montes joined on lead vocals in 2013. We played with several different line-ups, making us a band before we found the last and longest-lasting line-up with Olle Andreasson on drums and Michael Levin on bass. Unfortunately, Michael moved to Spain and since then we are on hold. We have recorded the demo The Desolate Years with songs from my old band in 2013, the full-length album Fortitude in 2015 and have just released the new EP Rejection of Rejoice in 2019, the first recording to feature all members.
#2: What inspired you to go into this genre?
Patrick: For me as a songwriter, I have listened a lot to early 90s gothic and doom, and 80s gothic music. It was interesting to incorporate it to my metal influences.
Nadia: Patrick made me do it. That’s my excuse (laughs).
#3: Who are your inspirations that have shaped the sound of the band and how so?
Patrick: Early 90s gothic and doom metal, 80s thrash metal and 80s/90s gothic rock, Shakespeare and PB Shelley.
Nadia: My personal inspirations are singers like Alanis Morrissette, Linda Perry, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Tyler. Skunk Anansie has had a lot of impact on me as well.
#4: What is the creative process your band takes when making an album?
Patrick: Me, Patrick writes the songs, record demos with programmed drums in Cubase and then we rehearse them. Nadia has also written lyrics and song melodies for some newer songs that haven’t been released yet.
#5: Lyrically speaking, what inspires the themes that are written about in your music?
Patrick: The darkness embracing us that we call real life, that’s the main inspiration for lyrics.
#6: Competition in any music scene is high, so how does your band stand out compared to other bands?
Patrick: We are simply better…well, we have our own style and we are one of the few band that still are deeply influenced by the early 90s. For example, we use a lot of chorus and delay on the lead guitars.
#7: What is your dream tour? Name however many bands you want to create the perfect tour.
Patrick: Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Desoluna.
Nadia: Dir en grey, Deftones, My Dying Bride, Desoluna. I´ve only mentioned bands that I haven´t seen live yet so I guess I would like to at some point.
#8: If you went into a completely different style of music, what would it be?
Patrick: Not completely different since we already have elements of that but more aggressive thrash metal or death metal. Or progressive rock.
Nadia: Rock, acoustic music since I´ve already done it in the past and continue to do so. I recorded a couple of songs with another project called Siamese Butterfly that are more in those genres.
#9: If you can collaborate with anyone, who would it be and why?
Patrick: Elvis Presley’s ghost because he is not real.
Nadia: I hope he doesn´t read this because that would be impossible but Steven Wilson because his music is just fantastic, like his live shows. Maybe any band within J-rock/Visual Kei would be fun to deal with because I´ve been a bit into that lately. Would be a great excuse to learn Japanese.
#10: With all of the downtime you get as a musician, how do you kill time?
Patrick: Work with my real job, so that is really not hard (laughs)…and all other hobbies like photography, web design etc.
#11: Where would you like to travel to that you have never been to?
Patrick: Especially South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, and Brazil.
Nadia: Japan would be really nice. And Cuba.
#12: What is a goal that you would like to see happen in your career?
Patrick: To become rich as hell.
Nadia: To dominate the world.
Thank you to Nadia and Patrick for the interview. Be sure to check out Desoluna. Also, thank you to Rogue PR for setting up the interview,
Image via Desoluna
Tristan Zelden 