Carsten: I think there never was something in our way, because if the chemistry inside the band is right, there can't be a difficulty between you and the goal "just making some metal". We never intended to get "rockstars" or to tour our asses off through the world, and still don't. It is really all about making metal, doing gigs, drinking beer, having fun, meeting cool people. And it works out fine...

Was your choice to walk the path of soulful, epic fed doom metal accidentally or each member of DOOMSHINE had the same influences and taste as well?

Carsten: The influences and favorite bands of us are really different from person to person, and are not only based in the doom section. Actually some of us didn't know much more than Candlemass, While Heaven Wept and Solitude Aeturnus before we got a deeper look in the scene through our contacts with other doom bands.
For example I really like prog metal like Dream Theater, Fates Warning, Tim is a great fan of older Stuff like Thin Lizzy, Sven likes Helstar and Schlaps is a Stratovarius Fan. What we all have in common i think is the love for melodic metal, and the great legends of doom of course, so it really came naturally that we make "melodic doomed metal"!

You entered the world of discography with the release of the 7'' and judging by the reviews I've read so far and the reactions of the fans, it was meant to be a recording with huge impact in the scene. Do you feel vindicated by this particular choice and the support your label has offered you so far?

Tim: I wouldn't call it "vindicated" but rather "surprised" by all those great reactions. Surely we believe in our music, this is what we want and this is what we like to play. But we never thought that we could reach so many people with these two songs of the single. We walk carefree and without any pressure, maybe that's our little secret recipe…

Which are the main topics that you mention through the lyrics of your songs? Are you sharing many people's view that the majority of doom metal bands follow by purpose a depressive profile?

Tim: When I write the lyrics for Doomshine I try to adapt them to the songs. You can't sing about fast cars and high heels in a song like "Sad Angel". The music comes first and then I strive for the matching mood. I don't think that doom bands are limited to write only about depression and I can't see that any doom musician confines himself in that way. There are a lot of lyrics that seem to come with a depressive profile but if you take time to dive into the words you may see that there are many pictures to explore. Or just like the title of a Memento Mori album says: "Life, death & other morbid tales".

The more I'm listening the 2 tracks of the 7'', the less I believe that you're lacking individuality and personality. With a sound so close to the glorious epical approach of SORCERER, MEMORY GARDEN and CANDLEMASS, I consider you along with Italy's premiere doom gods THUNDERSTORM, as the most sensational outfits of the genre the last 5 years, continuing the saga of the aforementioned groups… I'd like your opinion…

Tim: Thank you very much! It's more than a pleasurable feeling to get compared with these fantastic bands. Nevertheless I think that we can put our own character next to those comparisons. It isn't all said and done in the world of doom and there is more interesting stuff to come.

Which is the procedure that you're following when you're writing a song and which one of you is responsible for the composing of it?

Carsten: A new song always starts with a basic idea from Sven or Tim. On this basis the whole band works on the material until the whole song is finished. Tim is writing all the lyrics, sometimes while we make the song, sometimes when the song is already finished.

How is the current situation concerning the scene of doom in your country. Personally speaking, I think that is one of the most healthy and uprising in the entire world…

Carsten: The doom scene is really something special in the whole metal scene. I never sensed any envy or disfavor as you receive in other scenes sometimes. If someone likes what another band is doing, he is just telling it, and everyone is really helpful, obtaining gigs for example. I wouldn't reduce it to the German metal scene, but there seems to be a great "ammount" of doom here. One of the great guys I have to mention here for example is Jochen Fopp from Mirror of Deception.. He really helped us a lot in the beginning... but there are so many out there! Thank you all!

In conversations that I have with many friends of mine, I find out that it's very difficult for the most of them to accept a newcomer doom band when at the same time it seems that Europower and death acts are dominating the entire scene?

Carsten: There never seems to be a problem for us being accepted somewhere, or noone ever told us ;o). I think it's because there is not many doom metal out there like ours, there are so few epic melodic doom bands comparing to the number of death doom bands for example.

Do you have any live experience, with which bands have you shared the stage with and can you pick up at least 5 bands that they'll consist the ideal doom metal festival for you?

Carsten: Actually we didn't had many live gigs so far, around 4-6 live gigs per year, this year we will do some more, The "Dutch Doom Day 3" for example, one with "Mirror of Deception" and "Count Raven" on their tour or one with "Sacred Steel" and "Tankard" in October. The most impressing one so far surely was the gig on the "Doom Shall Rise 1". It was kind of the "birth" for us, the first opportunity to present our music to a great number of doom fans. The bands there were really great. If we ever share one stage with "Solitude Aeturnus" it would be a dream of course, Thunderstorm would be a candidate, While Heaven Wept, Forsaken from Malta. Candlemass unfortunately seems to remain a unfulfilled dream...

Obviously, the services that the internet offers especially for the Underground artists to reach even more is unquestionable. On the other hand, it somehow can't catch the spirit and the magic of the past when we had to search really hard to find information or we had to pay much money for correspondence and postage as well. Did it help you to spread worldwide the musical message of DOOMSHINE?

Tim: Yes, definitely! The advantage is that everything goes faster than 15 years ago. We reached so many people with our download section on our website for example. I can´t say that it´s "colder" or even impersonal today but I really know what you mean when you talk about the spirit of the past. Everybody has to make his own decision how much time you like to spend for the internet.

If you had the opportunity to change some basic things in the music industry which would be your first priority?

Tim: It depends on what you are aiming for as a band! But that´s no answer for your question… there are so many things you hate as a consumer. Prices for new CDs, prices for tickets, band X is so bad but hits the charts, band Y is great but doesn´t hit the charts. There are so many complex subjects and who really knows what´s the right way to keep the metal scene alive? I think that our small metal empire is more healthy than a lot of fans talk about it. The really sick bastards are those who are too blind to carry talented bands but pushing forward the ones who may fill their accounts.

Do you get any response from the Greek doom metal fans and do you have any knowledge for the local metal scene?

Carsten: Actually we received some mails from Greek doom fans when we released the 7", who told us they really like our music and that there is a scene there. But we only heard about the listeners, I think noone of us ever heard some Greek doom metal so far. ;o)

I know that you've released your debut full length album… Can you give us some details concerning the song's structure, by which label it's been released and which are your expectations by it?

Tim: The record was released on Iron Glory Records who also released albums from Dark at Dawn, Attacker, Destillery, Manilla Road etc.
I try to give you a short introduction to each song: No. 1 is "Where nothing hurts but Solitude" which you know from the 7". A powerful doom song, I think one of our strongest tracks and worth to be released on CD. The second is called "Venus Day" and comes with a lightly gothic metal touch. I really love Sven's guitar solo in that song! "Light a Candle for me" is very stamping in the verse followed by an impelling refrain. A simple but intensive song. One of my favourite tracks is called "Creation". Slow and mighty somehow and the only song without a "classical" guitar solo. The most invidious one is "Sleep with the Devil" and comes with an unusual fast part in the middle. "Shine on Sad Angel" knows everybody on this planet, our hit single, this song will make us rich, haha. After this relative slow song you come to "A Room without View" which is rather in the vein of "Solitude". "The Cross" sounds very painful and is the longest one next to "Sad Angel". Finally "Valiant Child of War", a powerful ballad closes the album. I think that we've created a strong record and if we touch some souls out there we're happy.

Thank you so much for your time and I wish you from the depths of my heart all the best. May our high expectations that you have set from the very beginning will be fulfilled by the forthcoming album! The last words belongs to you…

Tim: Be true to yourself, open up your minds and cross the boundaries. Music is an endless universe! Of course one of your stations should be www.doomshine.de! Thank you so much for support. Take care! Peace!!!!!!!!!!!