Getting to Know… DarkFlow | Interview

In the 480^th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, we get the inside scoop from the Swiss shock metal band DarkFlow. 

“We make shock metal. We mix theatre and metal music all together, so we give very visual music, and our live shows are theatrical and dramatic.” Sean Horror, the singer and frontman of the Swiss shock metal band DarkFlow, gives an inside scoop on the band’s genesis, goals, musical influences, and current and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know…DarkFlow: Interview No. 480!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes you distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Sean Horror: We make shock metal. We mix theatre and metal music all together, so we give very visual music, and our live shows are theatrical and dramatic. So, we’re not the only ones doing this, of course, but what makes us different is our style and the many different influences we have. All of that together creates the essence of DarkFlow. We propose something on the table that respects how music was done in the 80s, and we give it a very unique visual yet orchestrated composition for people to feel our music and visualize the whole thing in great imagination.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did DarkFlow form, and what were some of your goals or visions early on?

SH: Thank you for this question, the band was formed out of friendship. Flow (lead guitar/composer) is my best friend, and I was out of the music world for a couple of years. So, as always, we were drunk at our favorite bar, which sadly went bankrupt. So, after some whiskies, we started talking about doing music together, and little by little, we created DarkFlow, our shock metal act. We had the idea of making a theatrical metal act, and we did it. [We have released] one EP called 6, and two albums: Insane Circus (2023) and Imminent End. We got the last album produced by Andy LaRocque (King Diamond), who also features in two songs, “Suicidal Headaches” (Insane Circus) and “The Last Symphony” (Imminent End). We also had Snowy Shaw (King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Dimmu Borgir, Therion), who recorded the whole drums for Insane Circus. We didn’t know where we were going, but we had some great milestones, and now the plan is to go internationally.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since you first started? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

SH: The most important thing is to know where your limits are, and the musical business has made it clear that even the most talented people can’t get anywhere if it is not about money. The money we spent to produce our first two albums – marketing, getting a manager, an agent, doing tours – all that is very expensive. Now you have to be wise and lucky. So, we achieved the goals of making high-quality music, but we don’t have the resources to go further; we need a 360-degree label or someone who would love us to produce more and more music. We’re humble and simple people, but when we do music, it comes from the heart, and we do our best. If you like metal music, DarkFlow is a band that has many reasons you should listen to. Now my goal is to create enough fans and supporters to bring our world alive. Make it all for the people, giving our best because I love people, and each person who supports us will always have a show to see.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences, and how are they influential?

SH: Clearly, my influences are King Diamond for the theatrical and show aspects. But we have other influences. Musically, there’s Megadeth, some Metallica, Blue Öyster Cult, Dimmu Borgir. All of those you can hear in our music. Open your ears wide and you will feel even more good influences. Maybe some are not ‘wanted,’ but nothing is created with some inspiration [in mind].  With DarkFlow, we really want to do something that’s very original. We’re no copycats,  hahahaha.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

SH: The craziest thing that happened in our shows, I signed the breast of a woman who wanted my autograph over her breast, and I’m not talking about the upper part, she wanted it just below the tit. It was confusing, and I didn’t want to cross any boundaries. But she came and asked me for it. I did it because it’s rock and roll! Another time, which wasn’t fun, was when a woman came onstage and she started touching me all over while I was singing. It was disturbing, but I just kept singing, I didn’t give her a look or nothing, until security took her away. Another thing was when we played a song and I didn’t understand how, so many people were singing along, and really, we’re not a famous band, we’re very poorly known (that’s gonna change).

To this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

SH: Wow! What a difficult question. I have two: a ballad song called “Let Me See You”, and really, my favorite song to play live is “A Colossal End”. Those would be live songs that I love doing, then the recorded songs, my favorite from Imminent End is “Draining All Hope”, once you understand the concept, this song strikes hard! HEAR IT!

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left-of-center we should know about DarkFlow? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

SH: We are DarkFlow from Switzerland, the most elaborated shock metal band in the country. The center of our world is to give a scary reality to people and tell them we’re strongly advising them that our music is the darkest they will hear, even if it’s not death metal or black metal. We give a message, a true stone-cold message that gives chills to the people. Do you like horror? DarkFlow is your band. We’re humble, and this message could seem a little pretentious, but it’s just reality. Follow us, we’re on every kind of streaming site, so you can find us.  You can contact me personally at [email protected] (we have a DarkFlow official email, but it’s under construction with our website darkflow.ch).

What is DarkFlow currently working on or promoting that you can share? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

SH: I love sharing secrets of my band, we’re promoting our last album, Imminent End. Also, Flow and I are composing new songs together that are going to be available soon. We did a tribute to our hero, Ozzy Osbourne, a song that will meet the day soon, very soon. Ozzy will be in us FOREVER! Thank you very much for this interview!

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions. Best of luck moving forward.