Interview with DRAALS

Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.

Tell us a few things about DRAALS (Members, Starting Year etc).
Everyone: Hello everyone, and thank you to FILTHY DOGS for the great invitation! It’s an honor for us to take part in this! We are an international speed metal/black ’n’ roll band formed by musicians and friends from Switzerland and Brazil who, despite the distance, wanted to record something together. The project was born in 2025 from a shared passion for old-school metal and RPG games, especially the universe of The Elder Scrolls. The band consists of Movarth (bass and vocals), Daedroth (guitars) and Paarthurnax (drums and organ).

Movarth: The idea for the band came when I met Daedroth through a Reddit group dedicated to The Elder Scrolls. After some time talking, we realized we also shared a strong passion for heavy metal and started discussing the possibility of creating something that would combine the classic 80s sound with The Elder Scrolls mythology. Both Daedroth and I already had several riffs stored, so the idea quickly took shape. After exchanging riffs and ideas, we began composing several songs. Since Daedroth is also the guitarist of the stoner/doom band Dumblegore, he suggested adding organ to our speed metal, which eventually became a defining feature of our sound. Soon after, the lineup was completed with Paarthurnax, a friend of Daedroth and also from Brazil, and Dräals could finally begin working on its debut album. Since we live in different countries, the entire process was done remotely, which became part of the band’s identity from the very beginning. In the end, Dräals is a meeting point between RPG fantasy and old-school metal, guided by diverse influences and a genuine love for both worlds.

You have recently released your debut album ''Endless Winter''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Everyone: Since Endless Winter was released very recently, we are still receiving the first reactions from listeners and the press. So far, the response has been very positive. People seem to appreciate the combination of old-school metal influences with themes inspired by The Elder Scrolls, which is exactly what we wanted to create. We’ve received positive comments about the energy of the riffs, the melodies and the overall atmosphere of the album. It is especially rewarding to hear that people can recognize our influences while still finding a distinct identity in our music. As for the press, we are very grateful for the interest and support so far. Since the album was released only a few days ago, everything is still very new, but we are already happy with the initial reception. Unfortunately, we are not very active on social media, so the release happened quite quietly, mainly through Bandcamp. Still, it’s great to see that the album is already starting to find its audience.

And what about the lyrics?
Everyone: Our lyrics are heavily inspired by the mythology and lore of The Elder Scrolls. We basically write about things from that universe. We also share a common interest in philosophers such as Nietzsche and Camus, whose ideas often influence our writing. Because of that, many of our songs mix the fantasy universe of The Elder Scrolls with themes of nihilism, absurdism, mortality, madness, the passage of time and the human search for meaning in an indifferent universe.

Are you in searching for a record label? What do you prefer, Label or DIY and why?
Everyone: Yes, we are open to working with a record label, and honestly, we would like to find one. Personally, I prefer both paths. A good label would make it much easier to release physical material such as CDs, shirts and other merchandise, while also greatly expanding our reach. Nowadays, recording an album at home is relatively easy. The difficult part is finding an audience and having the resources to properly promote the music. At the same time, the DIY approach gives us full creative freedom and allows us to maintain complete control over the project. For us, the ideal situation would be having label support without losing the independence and creative spirit that comes from doing things ourselves.

Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Movarth: Well, we haven’t played live together yet, but we do have a funny recording story. Since we record everything remotely, Endless Winter was actually supposed to be released around November 2025. We had almost everything finished and only vocals were left. Unfortunately, after a night of heavy drinking, I got home and accidentally deleted the entire Dräals folder while organizing files on my PC. We lost everything: recordings, project files and even the band logo. The only thing that survived was the album artwork created by Daedroth. After that disaster, we only returned to recording in May 2026, when we decided to rebuild the entire album. Looking back, it was probably for the best. The extra time allowed us to improve the arrangements, create a better logo and make the final version of the album much stronger than the original.

Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Everyone: We came to the conclusion that, although we appreciate all formats, we prefer CDs and digital releases. We are all close to our 30s, so we grew up in a time when CDs and digital music were the most common formats. Because of that, we feel more connected to them.

Daedroth: I grew up surrounded by CDs. We also had vinyl records at home, but CDs were much more practical. I remember listening to my father’s albums while looking at the artwork, reading the booklet and following the lyrics. That nostalgia is one of the reasons I still prefer CDs. I also like the sound quality and the amount of detail the format allows. For me, a CD is more than just music; it’s part of the whole experience.

Paarthurnax: I also prefer CDs because I like having something physical with artwork and lyrics. At the same time, I really like digital formats for their convenience. Nowadays I use both almost equally.

Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Everyone: The main influences behind Endless Winter were bands like Mercyful Fate, Scorpions (believe it or not), Witchfinder General, Motörhead, Darkthrone, Venom, Celtic Frost and even Metallica. Although we each have slightly different tastes, these were the artists that had the biggest impact on the album’s sound and atmosphere.

Daedroth: That’s true. I also listen a lot to stoner rock, doom metal, occult rock and psychedelic rock. Bands like The Doors, Pink Floyd (with Syd Barrett) and The Zombies were especially important to me because of their use of keyboards and organs. That influence played a key role in bringing church organ textures into our speed metal, giving the music a darker atmosphere.

Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Everyone: We believe every band has to sacrifice time, comfort, family time and often money if they want to achieve something meaningful. Writing, recording, promoting releases and keeping a band active requires dedication, especially in the underground, where almost everything is done by the musicians themselves.

Daedroth: Personally, I have sacrificed more than I would like to admit for music, especially metal. Like many underground musicians, I’ve invested money in instruments, recording gear and releases with no guarantee of return. But I don’t see it as a negative sacrifice. When you truly love making music, it just becomes part of your life. Success is important, but what matters most to me is making music I’m proud of. I also feel like I constantly sacrifice things that society considers important. I’m from Brazil, and if the underground is hard in North America and Europe, here it’s even worse. It’s very common to play shows without getting paid at all. Once I played a gig where I was paid with three beers, hahaha. Unfortunately, being an artist is a kind of curse, but one we willingly embrace.

Paarthurnax: I completely agree. I don’t have much to add.

Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
Everyone: For us, the ideal show is one where we are extremely well rehearsed, don’t miss a note, have good equipment and amplifiers, and most importantly, an audience already familiar with our sound. We don’t think about big stage theatrics or elaborate setups, just a focus on the music and performance. Unfortunately, as a remote band, we won’t be playing live anytime soon. For now, we are focused entirely on studio recordings.

What do you think about the rise of AI in music production?
Everyone: An inevitable cancer.

What attributes do you think that a new Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
Everyone: We believe any original artist should, above all, be honest about what they want to express. A band’s identity naturally emerges when it stops imitating others and starts focusing on its own sound, even if it comes from many influences. In metal, especially today, it’s easy to fall into repetition: sometimes a band tries to play black metal inspired by Mayhem and ends up sounding almost like a copy, or tries thrash metal and ends up just reproducing Metallica. The question is where influence becomes imitation. The important thing is to absorb references and transform them into something personal, not just repeat what already exists.

Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Movarth & Daedroth: We believe digital platforms can help new metal bands reach a wider audience, but at the same time they can become an extra burden, especially for bands like ours that are more focused on writing music than creating social media content. We still haven’t decided whether we will expand beyond platforms like Bandcamp, where we mainly release our music.

Paarthurnax: Recently, I submitted my band (which I prefer to keep anonymous) to a local event, and the organizer said they would only book it if it had over 1,000 Instagram followers. Honestly, I find that ridiculous. A band doesn’t need many followers to be good, and at the same time, how can it grow if it is only selected based on numbers? I think things are becoming increasingly superficial.

From your experience in the music industry, what would you tell to a new Metal band to avoid or what to do?
Everyone: From our experience, there is no secret formula if you want to stay true to yourself. It’s a process of trial and error, of success and failure. And sometimes you’re not even trying to succeed at anything, and that’s exactly where the best things come from.

Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Switzerland (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
The new Swiss underground metal scene is small but very active, especially in cities like Zurich, Basel, Lucerne and Geneva, and is driven mainly by a strong DIY spirit. A new generation of bands is emerging, blending black, death, doom and experimental influences while still being inspired by the legacy of groups like Celtic Frost, Hellhammer and Bölzer. The scene relies on small clubs, DIY venues and independent promoters to keep shows happening, along with a few dedicated webzines like Metalinside that support and document it. Overall, it is a compact but creative and tightly connected community built on passion rather than size.

What does Metal means to you? And give us 10 metal albums that run in your veins.
Everyone: Metal means a lot to us. Our adolescence revolved around shows and metal events, where we had a lot of fun. Today we listen to metal daily, we play metal, we spend money on gear to play metal. We breathe it.

De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas – Mayhem (Movarth)
Panzerfaust – Darkthrone (Movarth)
To Mega Therion – Celtic Frost (Movarth)
INRI – Sarcófago (Movarth)
Dopethrone – Electric Wizard (Daedroth)
Vol. 4 – Black Sabbath (Daedroth)
Wild Beyond Belief! – Satan’s Satyrs (Daedroth)
Kill 'Em All – Metallica (Paarthurnax)
Burn – Deep Purple (Paarthurnax)
Reign in Blood – Slayer (Paarthurnax)

Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
Everyone: Yes, a bit. We know bands like Rotting Christ, Varathron, Necromantia and one of our favorites, Nightstalker!

What are your future plans?
Everyone: Well, we want to keep producing more music and releasing it on Bandcamp in a fully remote way. Since we don’t live in the same country, playing live together isn’t possible at the moment. We will keep composing and may experiment with different themes and genres over time. We don’t want to be trapped in a single creative bubble. We’ll just do whatever feels right.

Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Everyone: We would like to thank FILTHY DOGS for the invitation and initiative. Metal needs projects like this, and we wish you all the best and success.

By Steve the Filthy Dog.