Interviews About Albums: TodoMal - Graveyards Of Joy (2026)

In this new interview, we sat down with the Spanish Atmospheric Doom Metal band TodoMal to ask questions about their album, "Graveyards Of Joy".

1. What is your intention behind Graveyards of Joy?

Well, each album represents a stage along the path. Now, with Season of Mist, a new chapter has just opened for the band, although musically it follows the same line as our previous records. There are no major changes compared to what we had been doing, at least in terms of the core approach. What we do believe, however, is that this album closes a kind of “cycle” that some have already referred to as a “trilogy” together with the two previous releases. The main songwriting is still Christopher and me, so any differences are more the result of our own personal creative process and life experiences rather than any deliberate strategy. Bear in mind that this album was already finished before signing with Season of Mist, so there are no substantial changes for that reason, if that’s what you mean. Ultimately, the goal is always to reach as many people as possible.

2. What is the meaning of the album's title?

“Graveyards of joy” can refer to many things. In our case, since we usually gather in a remote area of Spain to record and compose, it may refer to depopulation and the abandonment of those landscapes, which at the same time are highly evocative. Another way of looking at it, however, could be as a reference to urban centers—oppressive, noisy, and vertical, in opposition to the vast picture of these wide sceneries.

We both enjoy escaping to these places because, in some way, a part of that melancholy seeps into the music. For us, these environments are way more liberating and inspiring than our city homes. That sense of horizontality, the plains, immerses you in a very particular state of mind. In fact, the album cover blends those feelings. It is a romantic painting depicting ruins, a lingering past, but at the same time, there is vegetation—life has grown out of those ruins. It is as if, in the end, death -so to speak- becomes covered by something new that grows and develops. Death is not the end. It is life that ultimately prevails, in one way or another.

3. How did you compose these songs?

The compositional process always begins with a general idea—demos that we accumulate over time. When we are in the right mental and spiritual state, we select in order to shape a cohesive whole. From there, we take those sketches, develop each individual idea, and gradually the songs come to life. We have home studios (and Javi Félez, the guitar player, has his own professional studio, Moontower Studios). He has recorded many bands through the years, from Teitanblood to Destroyer 666. My point is that it’s relatively easy for us to keep working on demos, exchanging them back and forth until we reach a coherent result. Later, once the songs are finished, we discuss arrangements, the direction the production should take, and finally, the small technical decisions, mastering, and little else. The idea is to create a whole that makes sense. Sometimes, the songs are partly inspired by the album artwork, which we usually choose in advance. That also casts a specific light on the selection of tracks, which can be challenging, as we usually have a lot of material accumulated.

4. Which is your favorite song on the album?

Favorite song… It’s difficult to choose. Some tracks hold a very deep meaning for each of us. In that sense, “Deliverance” is Christopher’s favorite, because it describes something very personal and important to him. As for me, I wouldn’t know exactly what to say. I really like “Deliverance” and “Graveyards of Joy” for their solemnity and melancholy, but I also connect strongly with the luminosity of “Mare Ignis” and the restrained tension of “Unholy.” In the end, these preferences also change over time. You tend to grow somewhat tired of a particular track after working on it extensively—the song itself, the music video, if it’s released as a single… all these processes can wear you out. Have in mind that we handle everything ourselves, from recording and editing to production, audiovisual work, video clips, promotional photos… so we don’t have many moments of disconnection from our own work. And that can be exhausting.

5. What is the overall theme or message of Graveyards of Joy?

We always say our music can be emotionally intense because it reflects many of our personal struggles and losses, but we do not aim to be bleak. There is always a light in what we do. We want people to enjoy it and to celebrate life. Sometimes we have to navigate through storms and difficult moments, but in the end, all we have left is the ability to enjoy being surrounded by the people we love and who love us. I believe that is the ultimate message of what we do. This started as a project between a couple of friends who enjoyed going out, traveling, visiting places, and making music. And now, in this new stage, we are fortunate to be able to do it with a wider group of friends and share it with many more people, which is wonderful. And no, we do not focus on sadness—we focus on emotion, which is something entirely different.

6. What's your favorite lyric on the album?

The lyrics? Well, I could say that “Graveyards of Joy” might be one of my favorites, because of what it conveys and its final epiphany. It is a long song, with an interesting development and a closing section that breaks the dark dynamic of the piece. I think it perfectly captures the feeling reflected in the album cover. That said, the lyrics themselves are not generally descriptive, at least not in a literal sense. I believe each person can draw their own impressions from them, beyond what we might say. For us, there are many meanings behind the songs I mentioned earlier, some of which stem directly from our life experiences—in recent times, they have been quite difficult. But as I said before, if they take on a different meaning for someone else, that is perfect. In the end, we form those connections with music and turn it into something deeply personal. What would truly interest us is for people to tell us what our music means to them, what a particular song suggests to them. Once we share a song and release it into the world, it is like a birth. That entity takes on a life of its own and follows its own path.

7. What albums, artists, or other relationships inspired this album?

Inspiration can come from literally any source—the landscape, our circumstances… even the album artwork has placed us in a mental framework where the songs have developed somewhat on their own. It feels as though they have been asking for what they needed. Without getting into technical aspects and such, composition has always been very organic—far more spontaneous than it might seem. Musically, we are quite detached from scenes in general. We listen to a lot of music, but most of it comes from very diverse sources, ranging from 70s progressive music to singer-songwriters. There are some bands we like within what we do—if it can even be categorized—and they’re part of the Season of Mist roster, such as Crippled Black Phoenix, Green Carnation or Ponte del Diavolo, to name a few. We tend to gravitate toward less orthodox bands, so to speak. Then, on a personal level, each band member has a very wide range of influences. So when we are on tour in the van, we end up playing the most absurd things you can imagine. Metal is not the best travel companion in a van—it blends too much with the sound of the engine.

8. Is there anything you'd like to add?

Finally, we would like to thank you very much for your attention. We are at an important moment of growth, and for us—and for any band in our position—the exposure that a platform like yours can provide is vital. We’d just like to add that this summer we will embark on an extensive European tour, through which we hope to expand our circle even further. Thank you very much, and see you soon.

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