Interviews: RAUM KINGDOM

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Post-Metal/Sludge Metal/Doom Metal band, RAUM KINGDOM from Ireland. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it, or come out just like that?

We did have an overview feel and something that wanted to be stated, a concept of such, but it took a good few months after we started out to finally settle on it, The name implies an inversion of the current world culture on how things operate, That instead of wealth and nepotism guiding society, it the bleak and hopeless. It is my belief and general ruling that wealth comes from conditioning the working class into submission. Nothing groundbreaking in that view I'm sure. Wealth begets wealth and you want to know what side your bread is buttered on, well, you are three bad months away from being homeless and never three good months away from being a millionaire.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

There is a massive array of musical tastes that we all like and some have different tastes than others, so it was this baseline that we drew up to and choose this genre, also very familiar, It gives a much wider spectrum to work with, but keeping it between the ditches as the saying goes, so sculpting something from a foundation, so as not to get too abstract and avantgarde or copy and paste genres, This genre resonates a lot with all of us, so it made making decisions about song creation a lot easier as a collective.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Oh 100%, Some of us had been friends from our teenage years, some later in life. We all had one thing in common and that was our love for music and our love of creating and the experiences that come with that, It's also a great outlet for a lot of us, something to focus on and develop. Playing music is therapeutic to be in the moment, so we enjoy that side of it too, Its kinda addictive in that way. playing and creating music to us is just as important as eating and drinking. If we don't do it in some form, we start getting a craving for it.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

That's too big of a question to answer, it varies over the years for all of us, between bands and Genres.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

I think it comes from deep down, an unconscious part of our creative psyche. The need or desire to express using frequencies and how one sculpts and manipulates that into audio form. It's what we choose to do with that skill set that makes Raum Kingdom, Raum Kingdom. But we dig deep into despair and hope a lot as a form of self retribution and if the listener can hear that and get into it, all the better. But a lot of the time we can get sidetracked and veer off on a different stream and hope to steer it back on track. That's the challenging part.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last gig was in Drogheda in Mar 2021. We put on a night in memory of losing Ronan 'Bones' Connor, it was his passing year memorial So the night entailed a lot of musicians who had played and created music with Ronan throughout his life. Starting with his earliest band right up to Raum Kingdom. It was an amazing night and he would have been proud of how it all went down. After that, we decided not to play until we released 'Monarch'.

7. Where would you like to act?

A small European tour would be great, we looked at it a few years back and it nearly came to fruition, so the main larger countries in Europe, Germany, France, Poland, and amazing places like that, Getting onto some small stages on the festival circuit would also be on our radar, but as we have a lot of personal commitments here at home were not confident that we can say yes to everything, so we have to pick what we can when we can. Hopefully, 2023 will be kind and the stars can align, so we can get to showcase a bit more.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

We were billed to support 'Amen Ra' in October of 2020, in a relatively large venue here in Ireland, But unfortunately, the event was postponed and then ultimately canceled altogether. That was a bit of a knock, as it was such a nice nod to be given, we would love to see the same setup again. Highly unlikely tho as the promoters who put the gig on stopped doing shows this year due to many reasons. But maybe abroad supporting 'Amen Ra' would be good, to have that feeling back. If not them, any bands along that vein would be great, at home or abroad.

9. Whom not?

I think if Taylor Swift asked us to support her we would say yes, ah no I'm only joking, it's a difficult one to answer, as we haven't crossed that bridge yet. I'd say most definitely if the was a clash of artistic merits or if the other artists were supporters of certain points of view that didn't align, that would definitely be a deal breaker. But luckily enough we haven't had to deal with that sorta thing just yet. Ireland can be a tight circuit, so we all know each other to a degree in one shape or form.

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

I think we all suffer a small bit of stage fright at different levels, and different times and Id imagine we suffer it for different reasons. But more often than not, we are excited to play the gigs and that's probably a key, is turning the anxiety into excitement and getting up and getting the job done and everything that goes with it. As for beginners that's a tough one, Id says practice and rehearse as much as possible, so that when and if the stage fright kicks in, muscle memory takes over, as anxiety can make you think strange things. Having confidence in everyone else also helps, because it reduces triggers. Diminish as many negative mental knocks as possible, if possible.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

All of us are into esoteric music, but definitely, the foundation of Metal, Punk, and Prog is there from all our early years. As we get older our ears get wider.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

As my mother is Raum Kingdom's biggest fan, the strangest thing she asked was for us to stop playing noise ( Music).

13. What do you think of your fans?

The fact that we have any fans is amazing and we want to say thanks so much for believing in and supporting the music, if the music just manages to reach out just to one person, we feel accomplished, as we do this for ourselves and the experience and do our best just to make the music available, the bigger the demand, the more we will try and supply.

14. What do you think of our site?

The level of dedication and love of the genre is phenomenal, and all the effort that goes into maintaining it and keeping it together is top-class. There is an amazing list of bands there and to be featured along with that is great. Keep up the good work and thanks.

15. Something to add?

"Behind the wall of noise, is an infinite world of harmony."