Interviews: Dread Witch
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1. How did Dread Witch come together in 2023, and what brought members of Scamp, Horned Almighty, Stone Cadaver, and The World State together?
Dread Witch started as a side project when Andreas played in Stone Cadaver. It was never meant to be a "real" band in the gigging sense, just a studio project. Andreas needed a drummer, though, and he knew of Dennis via a local doom band called Olm. One day, Andreas bumped into Dennis in the mall and asked him if he wanted to play drums on the songs that would eventually turn into Tower of the Severed Serpent. Luckily for Andreas, Dennis was more than ready!
Andreas and Mikael went to high school together and played in a high school band. In the 00s, Mikael performed vocal duties in a seriously cool groove metal band called Nil by Mouth, and Andreas was a kind of hangaround (one of the guitarists in Nil by Mouth, Anders, was actually one of the founding members of Stone Cadaver). Mikael had the perfect voice for Dread Witch, and having just parted ways with Scamp, Mikael was without a band and therefore happy to join.
Leifur and Andreas worked together for a number of years at a music store, and Mikael was dating one of Leifur's wife's friends in the 00s, so Mikael also knew Leifur prior to becoming a member of Dread Witch. Leifur immediately volunteered to play the bass upon hearing the final mix of Tower of the Severed Serpent, which Andreas had conveniently timed to start playing on the stereo the minute Leifur walked in in order to impress him, when he dropped by Andreas' place to watch movies one day.
Jesper joined in 2025 when our first lead guitarist, Pelle, was forced to quit due to personal stuff. Jesper and Leifur have played together for many years in other bands such as Oziris and The World State, and Leifur recommended Jesper, who, luckily for the rest of the guys, was more than happy to join even though he had never really played metal before.
2. Where did the name Dread Witch originate, and what does it represent to the band?
"Dread Witch" was just one possible name on a long list Dennis and Andreas compiled in the very early beginnings when it was just the two of them. A thousand names were thrown around, Acid Altar and Evil Druid to name a few. Before settling on Dread Witch, the guys had actually agreed on, first, Crypt Slug and then Crypt Stench, which actually wasn't very cool, to be honest, so Dread Witch was chosen instead. A wise choice, although there are quite a few Witch bands out there.
Fun fact! Dread Witch was originally intended to be sung in Danish, so before even considering an English name, the band was called Pesthærger, which means something like "Plaguewrecker".
3. Looking back at your 2023 debut, Tower of the Severed Serpent, how do you feel Dread Witch has evolved leading up to CULT?
Dread Witch has always been about trying to be as heavy, dark, and menacing as we're able to. About creating a thick, miasmatic atmosphere of occult dread and a huge wall of sound. While Tower and CULT are all those things, CULT is much more so compared to Tower. CULT has way more guitar, ambient, and vocal layers, which make for a far more dense and "messy", in the good sense of the word, listening experience.
Also, the songwriting and arrangements on CULT are, perhaps, a bit more sophisticated. That being said, we are all immensely proud of both albums. We like to think of Tower as a sort of brutish barbarian type of medieval soldier, whereas CULT is more like an evil wizard army general pulling the strings and sending the brutish soldier to war, if that makes sense.
4. What inspired the title CULT, and what does it represent within the overall concept of the album?
The title was decided on very, very early in the songwriting process. Because of this, it kind of acted as a frame within which the concept of the album grew and evolved.
5. The album is described as a cinematic descent into an occult nightmare. Was CULT conceived as a complete story from the beginning, or did that narrative develop naturally during the songwriting process?
Actually, it kind of was conceived as a more or less complete story from the beginning. On Tower, there's a song called "Serpent God", which is about a fictitious evil cult that worships Satan in the guise of a snake. Real sword-and-sandal stuff, and if this immediately conjures up images of the Cult of Set from Conan the Barbarian (1981), then that's alright, because, while it is not about that particular group of misfits or even that movie, it is very much a cult in the same vein in a similar universe.
CULT explores what this snake cult is all about. More specifically, it follows a child that's initiated into the cult as an infant via hypnotic spells and hallucinogenic drugs to become a brainwashed, warmongering, witch-worshipping acolyte.
6. Your music draws heavily from horror literature, cult cinema, mythology, and dark psychedelic imagery. What are some of the biggest influences behind the atmosphere of CULT?
Definitely Italian cult cinema of the 70s and 80s, all the classic Hammer horror flicks as well as the soundtracks by Goblin and horror soundtracks in general. We also have a soft spot for Panos Cosmatos' Mandy and its amazing soundtrack by the late Jóhann Jóhannsson. If you ever want to watch a movie that really captures the essence of doom and dark psychedelic imagery, then do yourself and watch Mandy. It's absolutely phenomenal!
7. The album opens with the unsettling instrumental "Born Again," featuring the cries of a baby alongside dissonant guitars. Where did that idea come from?
As previously mentioned, CULT follows a child who's stolen from its parents during a violent sacking of a village by the titular cult. The idea with the bawling child, which is actually a recording of the daughter of a guy we know, was just to sort of let people know that we're dealing with a child and give the album some horror vibes. Crying infants always sound creepy when accompanied by dissonant guitars and copious amounts of distorted bass.
The track is called "Born Again" because said child becomes a member of the cult and so is "born again" into it. Kind of like a Christian baptism, only in a satanic setting.
8. Which song on CULT best represents the current identity of Dread Witch, and why?
It's really hard to pick just one, as all of them represent Dread Witch. Still, if we had to choose just one, then maybe "Omen of Oblivion," as it's both epic, aggressive, menacing, and dynamic, which is really what we, as a band, strive to be.
9. "Altar" features Sofia Schmidt of Ethereal Kingdoms portraying the Dread Witch herself. How did that collaboration come about, and what did Sofia bring to the track?
"Altar" features a lyrical section spoken in a very maniacal and diabolic manner by the Dread Witch. The Dread Witch is a manifestation of the serpent that's worshipped by the cult, the serpent itself being a sort of cosmological manifestation of ultimate evil. Leifur knows Sofia and dropped her an email asking if she'd be interested in doing the part. Fortunately, she was game! She did a fantastic job recording all kinds of insane vocal tracks in her home studio for us.
Tue then layered the tracks on top of each other, and the final result ended up sounding really fucking crazy. Sofia's guest appearance has definitely turned "Altar" into one of the standout tracks on the album, we think. If you read this, Sofia, thank you again!
10. "Marrow" combines up-tempo death metal phrasing and staccato riffs with the unexpected sound of a didgeridoo. What inspired you to incorporate that instrument?
Mikael is an adept didgeridoo player and used it in his former band Scamp to great effect on a song like "Pros and Cons" and others. The ending of "Marrow" is sort of drony, and we thought that a bit of didgeridoo would enhance the droniness in an interesting way. Also, people love it when Mikael whips it out (the didgeridoo, that is) on stage and starts huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf.
11. The album closes with the eight-minute "Omen of Oblivion." Why was this the right song to conclude the journey, and what does the ending represent?
That song was actually written last, and it was evident to us that it would serve well as the perfect closing track. Both because it's the most epic track on the album, and because of the outro, which features acoustic guitars. The acoustic outro definitely provides a stark contrast to the murky heaviness that characterizes the album as a whole. Having an acoustic outro on a heavy album like ours is like serving an espresso after a nice meal. It's the right thing to do.
12. Dread Witch uses three low-tuned guitars, distorted bass, crushing drums, ritualistic vocals, and ambient textures to create an enormous wall of sound. How did you approach building such a massive sonic landscape while keeping the music dynamic?
There's not a lot to it, really. We just keep piling stuff on until we feel "it's there" and it's "messy" enough, and then we let Tue Madsen do the mixing, etc. We have no idea how he manages to balance everything, but he does.
13. What was it like working with legendary producer Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studios, and what did he bring to the final sound of CULT?
Tue is a through-and-through nice guy and a true master of his craft. His main objective is always to help a band realize their vision, and because of this, he prefers to let the band call the shots. He's not the kind of producer who participates in the songwriting by saying stuff like "that chorus doesn't work, you should try this instead", "try these chords", "lose that section", or something to that effect.
He knows his Pro Tools, amps, and cabinets and will help and guide you to create the perfect guitar, drum, and bass sounds. He's also really good at making people perform to the best of their ability, but when it comes to the material itself, he mostly keeps his thoughts to himself unless asked for an opinion. Of course, if he thinks you're trying to do something that will work against you in some way, he'll let you know, but not because he wants to have a say in anything. He just wants you to be happy with the final product.
So, to answer the question, in compositional terms, Tue didn't bring anything, but in terms of audio, he's definitely the reason CULT sounds so incredibly massive and heavy. He somehow managed to make room for everything in the mix: the many guitar, ambient, and vocal tracks. It's a very well-balanced mix. You feel very safe in Tue's hands, and he's an incredibly pleasant guy to be around. He's chill like Jeff Lebowski, and he sometimes wears a sweater a bit similar to his. We cannot recommend him enough.
14. What was the most challenging song to write or record on the album, and what made it particularly difficult?
This is a really difficult question to answer. The chorus in "Cult" features some, for us at least, quite exotic guitar picking, which was a bit tricky to nail, so maybe that was the most difficult song to record. Or maybe "Marrow" because it's pretty fast compared to the other songs (except for "Cyclops").
That being said, our music is not difficult, to be honest. That's the cool thing about doom metal. It's slow, and if, like us, you steer clear of sweep arpeggios, John Petrucci solos, and stuff like that, it's not the most demanding of genres in terms of requisite technical prowess. We like to keep it simple. The master of simplicity is Max Cavalera, and we've always been enamored with his approach to composing. He's a huge inspiration in many ways.
15. Tell us about the artwork by Deliriavision. What was the concept behind the cover, and how does it connect with the music and themes of CULT?
Andreas has a synthwave side project called Andrea Cadaveri, which has released two EPs, Sette Occhi in un Labirinto di Paura and Battaglia Oltre il Vortice Nero, for which Deliriavision did the artwork. Andreas really wanted to use Deliria for CULT, so he contacted him, told him a bit about the concept of the album, and Deliria made the design that's on the cover. Andreas did the final layout and added some textures to the design, all with Deliria's blessing.
Deliria actually made two designs for CULT, but we ended up rejecting the first after having first decided to use it, which was kind of lame on our part, but that's how it goes sometimes. The first design will be used on the test pressings that DHU Records are having made, though. DHU always makes a bunch of test pressings that are sold as a very limited edition, and these always feature different artwork than the real vinyl. So, in the end, both designs have ended up being used, and we're happy that that's how it turned out.
16. Dread Witch has specifically stated that no generative AI was used in the making of CULT. Why was maintaining a completely human-created artistic process important to the band?
Yes, it was important to us to signal that ours is music that's made entirely by humans. Writing music can be extremely frustrating at times, but that's just part of the creative process. No one ever said it's supposed to be easy, and we actually often find that the journey is more rewarding than the destination itself, if that makes sense.
Using generative AI as "inspiration" or whatever people say they use it for is bypassing the creative journey towards a finished song. To us, that's like having the taste and feeling of a meal in your mouth and stomach but without having actually eaten any food. It's not for us.
17. Your sound draws from doom, death metal, psychedelic music, and classic rock influences such as Pink Floyd and Triptykon. How do you balance those seemingly different influences without losing the band's identity?
It's not something we think about, to be honest. We just make music that we think is awesome. When, for example, we say that Pink Floyd is an inspiration, it's more in the sense of how they approached music back in the day than us trying to make something that sounds like Pink Floyd.
18. What do you hope listeners experience when they sit down and listen to CULT from beginning to end rather than treating it as a collection of individual songs?
We are all fans of the album as an art form. Consider classic albums like Sabotage and Vol. 4 by Black Sabbath, Atom Heart Mother and Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, and A Passion Play by Jethro Tull. Hell, even an album like Strange Days by The Doors. All those albums are journeys in sound and have to be enjoyed in their entirety from beginning to end in order to fully appreciate the musical landscapes- the valleys, mountains, oceans, caves, forests- they carry the listener through.
A song like "Breathe" from Dark Side of the Moon is an exceptional listening experience on its own, but it works so much better when bookended by "Speak to Me" and "On the Run" and in the context of the album in its entirety. Songs on a good album have a symbiotic relationship. It's this symbiosis that sets a good album apart from "collections of songs" that have no real inherent relationship with each other.
We are by no means saying, or even vaguely hinting, that our music is on par with the aforementioned masterpieces by Pink Floyd, Sabbath, etc. The point is merely that all these classic albums are greater than the sum of their individual parts, and that these kinds of albums have always acted as a sort of guiding star for Dread Witch.
Our modest hope is that those who don't mind spending 36 minutes in a darkened room listening to CULT from start to finish will feel like they've been swept away on an exciting journey through dark, medieval landscapes beset by evil warrior monks, wicked witches, and all kinds of weird occult shit.
19. With CULT arriving October 31st, what are the band's plans for touring, festivals, and taking this new material to the stage?
We are trying to land as many good gigs as possible and have a few lined up, although nothing major at the time of writing. We really hope to be able to reel in some good festival gigs next year. Currently, Leifur handles booking for us, but it's so incredibly boring. We are in talks with a booking company, though, so hopefully we'll be able to strike a deal with them, which should make things a bit easier for us (and Leifur!) in the future.
20. Bonus Question: If CULT were a horror film, what would the final scene look like when "Omen of Oblivion" reaches its final note?
Maybe something like the ending of Lucio Fulci's The Beyond (1981), where Catriona Maccoll and David Warbeck find themselves blinded and trapped in the titular "beyond" - a barren, desolate wasteland littered with dust-covered bodies. That's a nice, bleak image that fits the tone and mood of CULT well.
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