Blending Epic & Doom with traditional music from northern parts of Croatia and beyond, the band are in driving towards being distinctive and keeping in touch with their culture! We wanted to find out more about Elusive God and how Croatian heavy metal is doing these days!

TheNwothm: Hey there Elusive God thanks for the interview! Can you start by introducing your band members and where you are from?

E.G: Hello and thanks for giving us a chance to promote on your page!
Even though we are introduced as the Croatian Epic Doom metal band, we have band members in Croatia and Czechia. 

TheNwothm: You formed in back in 2018 so how did Elusive God come together? Did you all know each other before hand?

E.G: Everything started with the “Silence is Our Doom” single/video. At this point of our career, Elusive God acted as an art collective. We suggest you watch our videos for “Silence is Our Doom” and “Dream Within a Dream”. This is the perfect description of where we were as a band at the very beginning.

TheNwothm: And had you all been in different bands or projects before?

E.G: Yes. Elusive God was not our first band, we all had experience in various METAL bands before. Some of them are Flamethrower, Flesh and of course our drummer was (and still is) included in some legendary Czech bands such as Master’s Hammer and Bohemyst (ex Avenger).

TheNwothm: And why did you choose the name Elusive God?

E.G: First of all it sounds strong and good 🙂

From the more philosophical viewpoint – it raises some questions about the nature of gods, organised religion and spirituality in general. This is the name that can take either literal meaning or everybody can forge its meaning for themselves. 

TheNwothm: From what I understand you mix epic and doom metal to create your sound. So where do your main influences come from both within and outside of music?

E.G: Our major musical influences are traditional/classic/old school METAL bands. The list is too long. Basically, everything that we listen to is our influence in some way. At one point you can be influenced by chaotic Morbid Angel riffing and a few days later your soul can be melted with The Devil’s Blood brilliance inspiring you to make some hauntingly beautiful melody. 

In order to make decent METAL music, first of all you need to be a fan and listener of good METAL (and metal-related) music. 

The influence that makes Elusive God’s sound distinctive comes from the traditional music from northern parts of Croatia along with traditional music from the vast areas that range from Carpathian mountains up to Pannonian plain. 

Regarding non-musical influences – nature, introspection and art. Everything can be an influence in some way or another. 

TheNwothm: You are guys are from Croatia and I think one of the first bands we have interviewed from that part of the world! What can you tell us about Croatia, its culture and history?

E.G: Well, the pleasure and honour is all ours. 

Croatia became an independent state very recently (30+ years ago). Up until that point, we were always either occupied by larger empires (Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman) or in union with other southern Slavic countries (Yugoslavia). 

Because of that, we have a really diverse cultural and historical background. Basically, every 100-200 km in Croatia you have a different dialect (language), customs, cuisine and traditional music. The same applies for nature – we basically have everything – mountains, hills, beautiful seaside, lakes, islands and rivers and neverending plains. 

Unfortunately, Croatian history has been really bloody in the last 100 years (WW1, WW2 and War for Independence). This ultimately left its mark collectively on people here. Wounds and memories of the latest armed conflict are still fresh. In modern day, we have a problem with a lot of young people leaving the country because of poverty, unemployment and general dissatisfaction with current political events. 

TheNwothm: And how has it influenced the bands sound? Does it have a big metal scene?

E.G: As mentioned earlier – traditional music characteristic for northern parts of Croatia definitely influenced our sound. 

Also, most of our new songs are in Croatian language which is really unexplored territory when it comes to METAL music. 

Regarding the Croatian METAL scene – the situation is not great, not terrible.

Croatia always had a lot of bands and METAL enthusiasts that kept things in motion.  Also, lately every region in Croatia has its own festival which is really nice. 

However, my impression is that Croatian METAL is simply not that important to the majority of Croatian metalheads. There’s a group of die hard fans and supporters everywhere, but this is not enough to keep a healthy scene growing and going. I am not saying that people should listen/support the bands they don’t like, but discrediting local bands solely based on their place of origin is definitely not constructive. 

Also, I’d like to see the development of signature Croatian METAL sound. You know, Greek bands have their signature sound. Czech bands have their signature sound, Swedish bands their own…etc etc…There’s no Croatian signature sound because sadly most of the bands are trying to emulate current metal trends. They’re still producing good music, but without any authenticity. 

In conclusion, the scene is OK, but there’s definitely room for improvement in terms of local support and musical authenticity. 

TheNwothm: So throughout 2019 and 2020 you released a number of singles! What can you tell us about each of the songs and specifically the lyrical themes you were exploring?

E.G: To be more precise, we released two singles prior to our EP “The Darkest Flame”. We also released two ambient miniatures exclusively on Bandcamp as an experiment. 

As stated before, the whole Elusive God vibe and atmosphere during “The Darkest Flame” EP period is best portrayed in “Silence is Our Doom” and “Dream Within a Dream” videos. Our goal was to bring back darkness and mysticism back into METAL music. Also, it was important to make a statement – We are Elusive God and we’re here to play some doom fucking METAL the way we think it’s supposed to be played.

Lyrical themes were introspective, occult and mythological. 

TheNwothm: You are in partnership with Rafchild Records which is amazing! How did thatcome about and how has it helped you evolve as a band?

E.G: Our first label Solitude Productions had to stop their activities as a consequence of the war in Ukraine. We were without a label at the time and Rafchild Records agreed to give us a chance. 

Unfortunately, our album “Trapped in a Future Unknown ” remains as the last release Rafchild Records did. The current label status is unknown. Basically, we are left without a label to release our new music again.

However, Rafchild did a great job promoting us and we’re thankful for the given opportunity and cooperation. 

TheNwothm: You put out your EP “The Darkest Flame” in 2020 which consists of 4 tracks. Did you find there to be any challenges taking the pandemic into consideration and did that influence the writing?

E.G: Not at all. The EP was written and recorded prior to the pandemic. The only reason it was released during the pandemic is because we had to wait for a release slot on Solitude Productions for a few months. 

Pandemic and lockdowns probably had some influence on our later material. 

TheNwothm: And what does the artwork for the EP represent exactly?

E.G: It’s also somehow a part of the overall visual aesthetic we had in that period.

“Silence is our Doom” video overall had three colours – black, red and white. So this artwork was black/white/grey and it perfectly embodied the mood of the album and in the band at the time. 

TheNwothm: When your kicking back and relaxing what do each of you like to do in your spare time?

E.G: Working on a day job so that we can have money to invest in METAL haha.

TheNwothm: Fun fact that one of the recent Star Wars films was filmed in Croatia! Any of you sci-fi fantasy fans geeks at heart?

E.G: I had no idea about it. Personally, I’m not into sci-fi at all. We’re generally more into Conan the Barbarian movie as we consider it the epitome of epic heavy metal. 

TheNwothm: “Trapped in a Future Unknown” was your first full release album in 2022! What is the album all about and can you tell our readers some of your favourite tracks of the
record?

E.G: Our first full length is our most epic release so far. First EP had a much darker atmosphere and the album we’re preparing right now is darker and heavier than anything we have released before. 

Lyrical themes vary from introspection, occultism, mythology and general questioning and seeking answers about our very existence in this world. Even though it’s really melancholic, there’s always some sort of epic grandiosity we offer to the listener in our songs. 

It’s difficult to pick a favourite track, but I suggest you take a closer listen to the track “Dreaming of Reality”. It’s a really special song, combining various genres and atmospheres. The beginning is dark and somewhat hopeless, but the second part offers a great resolution and deliverance.  

TheNwothm: How long did it take to write and record the album and how had the music evolved since what you had written previously?

E.G: We’re always working on new ideas and new material, so it’s hard to point out how long it took to write the album. As mentioned before, Trapped in a Future Unknown was more epic and more in vain of traditional metal than its predecessor. It was a totally natural transition in musical direction, but we still kept our distinctive Elusive God sound. 

TheNwothm: What bands are you currently listening to and are there any that you are particular fond of?

E.G: I’ll give you a sneak peak of the bands/albums I’ve been listening to lately.

I won’t mention metal classics because the list would be simply too long.

TheNwothm: Why is your opinion on the state of the music scene especially with nwothm/doom metal etc?

E.G: The impression is that there are more bands and releases than ever before. This is good up to a certain point, but it’s also problematic because it’s difficult to keep track of all releases and bands. There’s simply not enough time or mental energy to listen to everything you would like to. 

I follow all (real) METAL genres constantly and all I can say is this – good METAL music is still being made. There are great riffs, great songs and great bands out there. The tricky part is actually discovering all the good bands and finding a time/focus to thoroughly listen to their material. 

TheNwothm: “Doom in Bohemia” was put out last year and was a live album! What made you decide to go down that route rather than another album and was it hard choosing tracks for the release?

E.G: “Doom in Bohemia” wasn’t a planned release. We simply recorded our first concert ever at Satan Klaus Fest in Volyne. Since we were very pleased with how it turned out, we decided to release it. It’s a perfect overview of what Elusive God’s live show is all about. 

TheNwothm: And now we are in 2024 “Ples Demona” is your latest single! Is this a hint at a new album? And if so what can you tell us about any upcoming musical release?

Any hints for some of the track titles or themes of the new album?

E.G: Yes, “Ples Demona” is a single from our new album. Actually, Elusive God just got back from Hellsound studio in Czechia where we recorded our new album. This album will be sung in our native language offering our heaviest and darkest music release so far. 

At this point we have only working titles of the songs, so there’s no point sharing it. Even though every song stands on its own lyrically, there’s an underlying story that connects all the lyrics together. It talks about a seriously dark aspect of personal transformation offering a great sense of grandiosity and epicness towards the end. 

That’s the thing with epic and melancholic music. Yes, you go to the deepest and darkest depths of sorrow, your consciousness and being. But, there’s always a sense of salvation and deliverance in the end. 

Earlier you asked about how Covid impacted our creative process. Our new album was completely written during some seriously fucked up Covid situations and the general state of the world these days surely had an impact on the overall sound. 

So stay tuned, we have prepared some seriously heavy, dark and evil doom fucking metal.

TheNwothm: Looking at the rest of the year what live plans do you have? Any festival appearances or tours planned?

E.G: We have two shows confirmed. One is in Zagreb (our first show ever in Croatia) and the second one will be announced in a few days.There are some plans to do more shows, but nothing is confirmed at the moment.

If there are any promoters interested in organizing Elusive God show, please don’t hesitate to contact us on elusive.god.doom@gmail.com

TheNwothm: Where can fans buy your music and merch?

E.G: On our Bandcamp Page:

Bandcamp: https://elusivegod.bandcamp.com/

TheNwothm: Anything else you would like to mention?

E.G: Thank you for giving us the opportunity to promote our band on your page. Also, we want to thank everybody that supported Elusive God in any way possible. It means a lot!

We just finished recording our new album in Hellsound studio in Czechia. Hopefully, it will come out before the end of the year – 7 new songs of DOOM. 

Keep up the good work with your page!