Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Mausoleum Of Death Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?

Untermensch: There's probably alot of folks that have not heard of us.
Essentially MoD is made up of 3 guys heavily into black/thrash and death metal.
As I've been involved already in a black/death n roll and black-ish kind of band. I really wanted to pursue something closer to the death metal genre as that's where my vocal capabillities are the strongest.
That and the fact that the horror/gore style stories and the morbidity present in the genres lyrics have always fascinated me.
The time had also come to step up and really try to deliver something worthwhile.
When I felt the time was right I asked Snarl if he wanted to do something with me, he did some kick-ass demo riffs. We played them for Bonecrusher who(if memory serves right) instantly agreed to join us.
Both Snarl and Bonecrusher are perfectionists, wich further fuels me and makes me strive for the best possible. The constant throwing around of ideas, tweaks and re-edits of things has shaped our EP in the most astonishing way.
I could not be any prouder working alongside these 2 very talented musicians.

2.So far you have only released an ep, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

Untermensch: Dark, hopeless, angry, cathartic, lost, driven by rage.
Are probably some of the words that best describes the sound.
What we set out to do was create  something in the vein of old-school death metal, wich in my mind we have done rather well. You can obviously here the thrash influences from our guitar player, and the love of black metal in our drummers beats.
But we did not set out to reinvent the wheel or anything like that, the initial objective was to create some fucking great music and have a good time doing so!

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects that the band explores with the music?

Untermensch: Obviously we touch in on some of the more typical DM related topics as murder, gore & necrophilia. There are some personal touches also in the mix, including alot of rage and hatred.
I might potentially be the biggest misanthrope within the fold, happier without people around me...
Keep in mind I do have some manners of sorts, so I can socialize when I must.
And basically just a desire to see the world burn, we are most likely not gonna keep going in the traditional lyrical direction for the genre further on.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Mausoleum Of Death'?

Untermensch: At first I went through a bunch of different ideas, why I ended up with this I can't really say.
To me it just sounds good, and resonates that, well...we are all eventually gonna die and be left  to rot in a tomb. And it has a kinda grim ring to it, right? ;)


5.The band members live in both Italy and Norway, how does this work out in the recording process?

Untermensch: This process is potentially something that can break the camels back for some.
Snarl goes ahead and creates his riffs, then asks around for any potential changes we might want to make to them. Then he discusses with Bonecrusher the basic ideas he has for BPM, the what goes where talk. And when Bonecrusher has delivered his final pieces, Snarl goes back to record the final guitar/basslines.
And after the drums are done, I usually come in and complete my lyrics and add titles to the tracks.This process might change a little for the next EP

Snarl: With me being the only strings player, clearly the composition must start by me. For this Ep the aim was just a little more than kickstarting it all and have a bunch of songs that could be a starting point to create our own sound, so I basically sent the guitar lines of 4 tracks done in different times and inspiration to Untermensch and Bonecrusher. They liked it, we recorded them. The composition of our next material will be much more organic. I will write down songs and at the same time will leave my buddies more involved in the composition. Stuff like thinking about the perfect drum beat, speeding or slowing it up... stuff like that. Surely they won't be mere players, but rather creators alongside me.

6.If the opportunity came would the band be open to live shows?

Untermensch: Currently, no . As we have Snarl filling the role of 2 gutarplayers and doing bass. In due time, who knows. Never say never is a good motto in that regard.

7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

Untermensch: For this EP we have not actively tried find a label. At the moment I rather enjoy having complete and total control, should however someone approach us with an offer. It would have to be discussed and agreed upon by all 3 of us. Kind of like the Musketeers, all for one or none at all!

Snarl: Finding a label is like finding a girlfriend: Having one is great but we don't want no half-assed one. We are no megalomaniacs, we just don't want to go around with a release that nobody knows about or saw around just because it was released in 33 copies or thereabout with no promotion at all. I've seen good records go totally unseen because of that. Which is a shame.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?

Untermensch: So far we have only gotten in 2 reviews, yours of 8/10 and we got a 10/10 from Keep The Metal Flowing. The EP isn't officially released until january 15th, I am considering doing the digital launch via bandcamp soon tho.
But the general feedback from those who have heard the whole EP has been very damn good.
Some jaws have been left hanging, some don't care and others seem to really dig the sounds we have offered them.

9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

Untermensch: The most important thing will probably be finding that defining sound, that will give it away as a Mausoleum Of Death song. We need to fine tune all of our inspirations and make them converge into a entity that really makes people go: what the fuck was that?
Work has already begun on chapter 2, and we will eventually get there .

Snarl: In many things you don't want to look at the final destination: you want to enjoy the trip and have constructive time. So we are doing.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Untermensch: As of late, I have been getting into Cattle Decapitation  for inspiration vocalwise. Travis is a beast on vocals. Cannibal Corpse, Death  and Grave must be mentioned also, probably my all time fave death bands.
But the inflience really goes back to when i got my first Maiden tape (Killers) and Nirvana - In Utero (the biggest fuck you ever delivered to a label?).
And as i've gotten older I've learned to appreciate more genres. Currently there's usually always Tom Waits, Frank  Zappa or Tusmørke spinning at my house.
I keep going back and forth between the 70's rock and 90's/00's metal scene. Bak then when stuff was good, there really is not that many brand new bands that can keep my interest too long.
2 of my latest discovered bands tho are Death Worship and Autokrator!
Higly recommended!

Snarl: Basically I tend to like everything that ends with "Metal" and to dislike everything that ends with "Core", but I'm very open minded too. I still listen to a lot of Black Metal, but I am a deep lover of 80s Speed/Thrash Metal, and I also adore every form of Gothic Metal and every form of the so called Dark music, from the softest Synth Pop to the heaviest Harsh/EBM music. Outside Metal, I grew up with the best Rock band from Italy, Litfiba, but also with Tazenda, Angelo Branduardi, Carmen Consoli, Matia Bazar and some more. With me, you can talk about early Slayer, Clan of Xymox, Agent Steel, After Forever, Angel Witch and Hocico and I'd always know what you mean.

11.How would you describe your views on Satanism?

Untermensch: Most people dabble with it, but with no real clue as to what it's about. Me included.
I consider myself more of an atheist with LaVeyan tendencies. Wich in itself is kinda hypocritical as I despise all kinds of organized religion, be it Islam, christianity or even satanism.....
If you want something real to worship, look out your window and behold mother nature. Now THAT'S a force to be reckoned with!

Snarl: Satanism early view is like an emetic medicine that allows us to throw up Christianity and all its indoctrination stuck in our brains for years. You can't just refuse christianity like an atheist: you gotta hate its damage done to you. I was a Satanist. I am no more like that since some years, but I'm not here to talk about myself so I'll end it here.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Untermensch: To those interested, you can follow us at: https://www.facebook.com/MausoleumOfDeath/
We may not post alot, but we try and keep it somewhat updated. Other than that, make sure to pour yourself a Lemmy tonight and spin some great records!


No comments:

Post a Comment