Romania Rocks: DinUmbră

DinUmbră played in 2022 at Winter Night in Fabrica – part VI, where I had the opportunity to see them live for the first time. They are a doom death metal band, active since 1998, which combines a wider range of musical influences.

For this interview, we discussed with Sebastian, who plays solo guitar, and I invite you to see what he had to share with us about the band and their plans for the future, the impact of the pandemic on the band and Winter Night.

How did you choose the name of the band?

Sebastian: At that time, the band consisted of only two people: me and Zareh Arachelian. We were desperately looking for a name that would motivate us to continue this project which was recently established at the time. I saw, in a bookstore, a book called: “The man who comes from behind”. I called Zareh and read him the title, with the modification in mind, and he guessed my thoughts: “The man who comes from the shadow”. From here we extracted “from the shadow” which later became “Dinumbră”(“Fromtheshadow”), a compound word invented with a totally different meaning, and then we chose to write the name DinUmbră ( FromtheShadow) to emphasize the concept of “shadow”, but keeping the compound word.

How did you meet?

Sebastian: I met most of my current bandmates through mutual friend circles. I met Ioan Preda during the pre-selection for the position of vocalist in 2019.

What does the creative process consist of?

Sebastian: We don’t necessarily follow a certain pattern. If one of us has an interesting idea, we meet at the rehearsal room and start working on it.

What goals do you have for the next 5-10 years?

Sebastian: There are certain things we want: to perform outside the country, to make our first “lyrics video”, and to have a promotional tour for the new album.

At which festival/festivals do you want to play most? Why?

Sebastian: We are open to any kind of concert, whether it’s a club or a festival one, in Bucharest or outside it.

What was the hardest thing for you and what did you miss/do you miss during the pandemic?

Sebastian: There was quite a long period in which we didn’t see each other and we didn’t rehearse. We’re glad we’re past that period.

Were there also any advantages in this pandemic?

Sebastian: One of the advantages would be the fact that people have turned their attention more to the online environment, so news published on websites and social media platforms have a much greater impact.

How is it to be able to have concerts again?

Sebastian: We are very happy to be able to have contact with the audience again and we hope for more to follow in the future.

What message do you have for the artists who had big problems during this pandemic, but for those who ignored the cultural sector throughout this period?

Sebastian: Dear colleagues, life must go on. Nothing should stand in the way of music! Stay metal \m/.

How did you choose the songs you performed at Winter Night?

Sebastian: The playlist is thought out before each event based on the time we have available. Other important factors are the preferences of those who we know regularly come to the event, as well as the styles approached by the bands we perform with.

What is your favorite song from the Winter Night set and why?

Sebastian: We don’t have only one favorite song. We like all the songs that we include in the playlist. We are aware of the fact that the public reacts better to some songs such as “Tower of Hopes” or “Sântandrei”.

What was the most beautiful moment of that evening?

Sebastian: The whole evening was downright magical. I wouldn’t necessarily call it an event. Apart from the small technical problems I had with the pedalboard, everything was excellent!

What message do you have for those who have been to the concert?

Sebastian: We thank them for being with us and we can’t wait to meet again. Stay metal! \m/

What message do you have for the band’s fans?

Sebastian: The simple fact that they exist and support us at every appearance means a lot to us and motivates us to try to do what we do better and better.

What message do you have for those who read this interview and hear about the band for the first time?

Sebastian: Thank you for your time and we look forward to seeing you at future concerts! We also invite you to visit our pages.

Interview by Andreea Ionescu and Radu Mihai

Intro by Andreea Ionescu

Translation by Laura Lucaci