London’s Lowen will be in Athens - Greece on Friday, April 4th at the Gazarte Ground Stage, for a unique show full of their haunting melodies and thunderous doom riffs that create captivating atmospheres.
Singer Nina Saeidi, was kind enough to answer our questions making us more clear their colourful pot of sounds that combine doom/prog metal with traditional eastern music.
Read below our nice chat and get ready for a dynamic live performance!
RockOverdose: When did Lowen form and how did you end up building this middle eastern influenced sound?
Nina (LOWEN): Lowen formed in the front row of an Akercocke concert in London in 2016 when Shem, now our guitarist and bassist, tapped me on the shoulder and we started talking about our shared love of heavy music. During that conversation I mentioned that I had always wanted to be in a metal band that used Middle Eastern music as the main focus of their sound. A few weeks later Shem sent me a demo and after I sang over it Lowen was born.
RockOverdose: It’s obvious Lowen are focused on Middle Eastern themes. Your latest album is called “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran”. Can you elaborate on the album’s concept?
Nina (LOWEN): The album is inspired by one of the many fables of the Shahnameh, also known as the Persian book of Kings. There is a chapter that concerns the folly of a ruler who jealously extends the boundaries of their empire despite the warnings of their own people. It is during this tale that he is warned not to go to war with the demons of Mazandaran, a land filled with demons, wizards, beautiful women and bounteous treasure. His invasion goes terribly wrong and we find out what happens when people use power to try and cheat death.
RockOverdose: “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran” is light years ahead of its predecessor as far as composition goes. Was it a conscious decision to make a “grander” record or just the natural outcome of evolving as musicians in these six years between the two?
Nina (LOWEN): A big part of our growth is that we improved as musicians over the years since the first album came out and found our drummer Cal Constantine. We are much better at being able to express ourselves musically now, and we are able to give Cal complex Middle Eastern rhythms to work with and develop. This album is in many ways a second debut album, as it aligns much more closely with what we set out to do when me and Shem formed the band.
RockOverdose: The cover for “Do Not Go To War With The Demons Of Mazandaran” is excellent. There are all these little details that make it extra special, and I also get this weird sci-fi meets psychedelic vibe out of it. Who is responsible for the art? Did you give him any guidance as to what you wanted it to look like?
Nina (LOWEN): The artist who painted the art is called Hervé Scott Flament. He is a master of oil paints and also a musician in the band Ici Paris. We have had his paintings on all of our releases and we hope to continue working with him for all of our future ones too. The cover art already existed before we chose it as have all of the previous ones. All of Hervé’s work captures the sound of Lowen without us having to ask. We are so lucky to have found him.
RockOverdose: You just came off a UK/Euro tour with Zak Sabbath. How was it sharing the stage with esteemed musicians such as Zakk, Jeff and J.D?
Nina (LOWEN): Zakk, Jeff, J.D and all of the Zakk Sabbath crew were exceptionally kind and welcoming to us on the tour. It was a bucketlist experience that we will never forget and we learned a lot from watching them play every night.
RockOverdose: If I’m not mistaken this was your first major tour outside the UK. Was it difficult to adjust to the demands of the touring lifestyle?
Nina (LOWEN): You are correct! This was our second tour ever and it was a trial by fire in many ways but we quickly adapted to the rhythm of touring life and enjoyed being on the road a lot. It’s amazing to see a different city and country every day and meet so many different people in a small period of time. I can’t wait for the next one.
RockOverdose: Athens is next on your schedule. Did you ever think you would get to play the southernmost part of Europe? What should the crowd expect from a Lowen concert?
Nina (LOWEN): We never expected to play outside of the UK, let alone Athens. We can’t wait to experience Greece and meet everyone who comes to see us. You can expect a very intense show with a lot of emotion, sorrow and heaviness.
RockOverdose: Thank you very much for your time. Last words are yours.
Nina (LOWEN): Thank you so much for your wonderful questions, and to anyone who reads this!
On behalf of RockOverdose,
Dimitris Soursos
Lowen (UK) live in Athens
Friday, April 4th | Gazarte Ground Stage | Athens
Online tickets: https://www.more.com/gr-el/tickets/music/lowen
Hard copy tickets: Metal Era
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