Durkmoose, a darker and mopier sound

Durkmoose is a hard rock duo based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, combining the brooding sounds of 90s grunge rock with an edge of contemporary metal, the duo shares the latest release “Neurilemma”.

Between post-rock and post-metal, this pair of guys have composed pieces that are as titanic as they are cinematic, and they also build sequences that take us to the edge of an abyss near the end of the world.

The entire work is instrumental, but it has the potential to transmit so many things to us, so many emotions… There is no better way than to enter the trance of this galvanic energy than with your eyes closed and your mind wide open to the possibilities. The rest, leave it to them.

In this interview, we talked with Durkmmoose about their musical influences, future plans, trajectory, among other curiosities. Check it out!

Musicwebzine – What can you say about this new release?
Durkmoose – It was difficult for us both to find time to write and record during the year, due to our full time jobs and obligations. But we were determined to make it work, so we dug in and finished at the end of the year. We wanted to explore a heavier and more aggressive sound on Deuces compared to our previous release, Hill Controlled. The drums are more heavy metal than rock, the guitars have more intense distortion, and the bass is deeper and fuller (say something about your custom luthiered bass here? shit is tight). We also brought in a little more distorted keyboard and synthesizers on this release, although they are mostly in the background.

Musicwebzine – How was the recording process of the single?
Durkmoose – We worked on these songs throughout the year, trading guitar and bass parts online to nail down how we wanted them to sound. It’s not as satisfying as jamming live and recording as a band. But one advantage is that we have time to practice our parts intensely before we commit them to the record.

Musicwebzine – Can you shortly describe the track for us?
Durkmoose – Neurilemma began as a song over 20 years ago when we were teenagers. We’ve revisited it a few times over the years, since the fundamental riff is so solid. We decided this song deserved another shot with our modern skills and studio equipment. It’s cool to get closure on it after so long, like we fulfilled a dream with it that started decades ago. Year of Tiger began with some bass riffs. Aaron played some chords and diads on the bass that sounded thick and heavy, so this song took its shape around that. It started slowly, but as the pieces came together, they seemed to naturally build to a faster pace and more intense texture. So we got to explore more of a post-rock sound with layering tracks and working the dynamics.

Musicwebzine – What’s your favourite band?
Durkmoose – Favorite bands right now include Russian Circles, Tool, Yob, Meshuggah, Behold the Arctopus…

Musicwebzine – Who or what inspires you to write songs?
Durkmoose – Music is where I channel frustration and stress from work, but also hope and determination to prevail. It’s one way we remain connected as friends, even though we can’t jam together very often because of the distance between us.

Musicwebzine – Whom would you like to feature with? Like your dream collaboration?
Durkmoose – Our music feels pretty full to me as it is, so a collaboration would probably have to be with a singer or unusual instrument performer. I’ve always admired Mike Patton. Colin Stetson, Tanya Tagaq and Danny Carey would be fun to work with. We would love to tour or perform with just about any heavy band that puts some thought into their composition and their whole heart into performance.

Musicwebzine – How is the independent and underground scene in your country?
Durkmoose – I live in a small town, so there isn’t much of a scene here, but it’s thriving in just about every big city I’ve lived in or visited. Fans of metal and hard rock seem especially devoted to live performance and local bands. That’s encouraging.

Musicwebzine – What are your plans for the future?
Durkmoose – Are new music coming soon? We plan to continue writing and recording. We have a cover song in the works. We are also putting together our next EP which will hopefully come out in 2024.