Irish metallers The Grief have recently released their debut EP, Ascent. We ask guitarist Paul Quinn the BIG questions...
Tell us three things about yourselves?
We are from Cork, we have all played in various bands for years and we miss playing live gigs!
How would you describe your music?
Our music is a melodic combination of different styles of Doom metal. We have cleanly-sung vocals, twin guitar riffs and leads, together with song structures that try to portray an emotional narrative - sometimes uplifting, sometimes introspective.
Who are your musical inspirations?
We like a lot of different music, from rock and metal to classical and folk. The concept of The Grief came about when a few of us were doing a tribute band to a 90s Doom act called Katatonia. We really enjoyed playing that style and we are all Doom-heads, so it made sense to continue on into an original project. So, our main influences are all the classic melodic Doom bands of the 90s, including Anathema, Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, Katatonia, Godsend etc.
How did you occupy yourselves during the coronavirus lockdown?
Like every musician on earth, we occupied ourselves with playing, writing and recording new music! I think there will be an explosion of new material in every genre and style over the next while. We all have other projects and each of these has new material on the way or already out, so we were getting that stuff ready. John (guitars) has his own project, For Ruin, which is in the process of releasing new music, whereas myself and Steve (vocals) are both in Corr Mhóna and have a new album on the way. Other than that, we work in different jobs, but most of us worked from home during lockdown.
What's your favourite song right now?
Leaves of Yesteryear by Green Carnation. Not the heaviest song or band, but I really like the overall sound and feel of this one at the moment. The members of Green Carnation are from classic 90s band In the Woods, though this band are more mainstream in style. Leaves of Yesteryear sounds like a combination of Doom and 80s rock in the style of War of the Worlds.
Favourite lyric of all time?
I'm more of a melodies man, so I don't tend to get into the lyrics that much!
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life what would it be?
I think I would probably go insane with just one song, as I would normally change what I listen to fairly regularly! If I had to, it would be something long with a lot of detail, so maybe Mirror Reaper from Bell Witch - 83 minutes long.
Where can people find your music/more information?
People can find our music online on all the popular streaming sites, including on Spotify. We also have several lyric and play-through videos up on YouTube. Our EP, Ascent, is available on Bandcamp. You can also get in contact with the band via Facebook - facebook.com/griefdoommetal - or by emailing us at: thegriefireland@gmail.com.
