Interview with Mr Fog (all instruments and vocals)
Q>>
First of all, I'd like to know some more details on all that Neat Records shit
that happened to you... What was it all about? Is there any "bad blood"
or do you consider it as history and think about the future only?
A>> What happened was I recorded the album which they had said they were
going to release on Neat Records (instead of the failed imprint label Eldethorn).
Although their promotion and, it has to be said, enthusiasm for real heavy music
was virtually none - it was still a reputable label. After planning the artwork
and finalizing the mix of the album, they then decided to put everything on
hold due to the fact that they were in negotiations with Rock Conglomerate label
Sanctuary (who had been going around buying up the back catalogue of many independent
yet successful rock labels) - this led to me being kept waiting for about 1
year.
When the deal went through, Sanctuary decided they were only interested in the
back catalogue and subsequently dropped all the new signings on Neat Records
and Eldethorn respectively. That's the story. With Metal Age Productions, I
was contacted by them because they wanted to know what had happened about Ewigkeit,
and when I told them - they immediately offered to release the album (which
I had been given the rights back to). To finally have a label which were actually
real fans of what I do was really positive, and the future bodes well!
Q>> I'd like you to tell me if there's some kind of special mood you have
to be in to create songs like the ones I heard on "Land Of Fog"..
A>> With that album, well, to be honest a lot was changing in my life.
Musically, by that time I had given up on hearing anything interesting in extreme
music, and was mainly listening to classic rock/metal. This (compounded with
the fact I was smoking quite a lot of weed) adds a kind of psychedelic quality
to the album. It has a depth, which I would find hard to recreate now. But,
I keep progressing, so new material would never sound quite like anything I
have previously done. I think this has been true of all 3 Ewigkeit albums. There
is a definite progression.
Q>> OK, so
let us talk further about the way you progress... You said it would be impossible
for you to sound like you've sounded before. So what can we expect next and
why (I mean, did something - again - change in your life that would make your
music sound different?)
A>>I don't actually try to make a point of progressing; it's just that
everything retrospectively is different. Many things can add to this - it can
be anything from new technology through to current musical trends in the media.
I am not sure what to expect from the new Ewigkeit stuff, so you probably have
as much an idea as me - but it will always be heavy and rock/metal oriented
- just maybe not as rigid as before. I mean, I listened to the first album (Battle
Furies) the other day for the first time in about 3 years, and I personally
didn't like the way it was done. It's just the way things are, I guess. Sure,
my life's changes are reflected in the music's progression - if it didn't, then
it would have no artistic merit at all. I'm not pretentious and I don't lie.
Q>> What exact classic Rock/Metal bands did influence your writing on
"Land Of Fog"?
A>> Well, apart from every sound I have ever heard (sound effects, dialogue,
incidental music all included) I guess that some really big inspiration (not
influence) was taken from bands like Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Hawkwind, Deep
Purple, Led Zepplin, The Doors - but imagine trying to express those sentiments
through heavier music - it's not an easily achievable thing, and I'm not even
sure if it is detectable or not.
Q>> Did weed really help you as much as other "things"?
A>> No. It's just a stimulant/depressant. It can help you with the finer
details of something you're working on - or even give you the impetus to create
something new. With this said, it can also lead you to create really shit boring
stuff if you smoke too much or too often. The main thing that helps me is having
an active mind - the stuff I see and experience are really the important things.
I mean, I couldn't write music about goblins and vampires - it's just totally
immature and shallow. Saying that, I'm not actually sure what the songs on 'Land
Of Fog' are about. But maybe that's a good thing.
Q>> So you
don't know exactly what the songs on "Land Of Fog" are about... Do
you think that could be because we - humans - all have some kind of dark side
in our minds and hearts that we don't know? Or is it just because the stuff
is "old" to you now?
A>>When I wrote the lyrics for L.O.F, I just let the songs develop by
themselves into their own stories. They all have a kind of ethereal edge to
them rather than something tangible and definite. They are products of a vacant
mind I guess! No, the stuff isn't old to me yet. I am still trying to understand
it all.
Q>> Can we
consider your work as an introspective one for yourself? Maybe there's a part
of you that wanted to tell you something that you still have to understand?
Do you think it could be possible? Or do you believe more in fate, coincidences
& stuff?
A>>You can consider all and any of my work to be however you wish! There
really is nothing in particular that any of the more recent material is about.
There's no theme in particular I'm trying to express. It really is a case of
how it turned out. I have ideas for the music and then give it all up to chaos
to sort out. Whatever comes back to me in a listenable form is used. Maybe this
is where the ethereal sound of Ewigkeit comes from, as I believe that whatever
I produce is merely plucked from the ether that surrounds us all. I guess it's
a case of not taking anything too seriously. It seems that in the small underground
music scene, the artists (who, due to the very nature of their music) never
sell hundreds of thousands of units, seem to feel that they must take very intellectualized
positions over their work to compensate. I don't really want to adhere to that.
If you want philosophical debate, then rock/metal music really isn't a suitable
platform.
Q>> What mood are you in right now? How would a new song sound if you
were "forced" to write one today? (Maybe you ARE writing new songs
now? let me know...)
A>>I guess I am in a situation now where I could write some of the best
material yet for Ewigkeit - merely because there are no boundaries set by myself
about what is / is not feasible to include into the music. Since the recording
of L.O.F, I have become more aware of the artistic nature of symbolism, visuals
and sounds - yet at the same time, I have begun to feel that a high level of
seriousness in the music can often be detrimental to the final outcome. It is
a fine art to have just enough of these two opposing, yet vital components (which
I still feel I have yet to master). As for new material, I have begun to plan
another album, but that will have to be fitted around my time, which is also
being put to good use in other important musical/art projects.
Q>> I totally
agree about the fact that there must be a good balance between keeping your
integrity and playing music... Are there any well-known musicians or bands that
you admire because they can keep that balance very stable in spite of the fact
that they are big sellers?
A>> In terms of metal bands - I don't think many bands now are that interesting.
It just sounds like treading water, rather than sinking. I'll just do whatever
I want with this project, because I have nothing to loose and everything to
gain. Some bands that I respect for previous work (but they don't really sell
big amounts in the general scheme of things) are : Opeth, In The Woods, 3rd
and the mortal, Amorphis and some less known bands like Black Sabbath, Iron
Maiden, Hawkwind... (real underground stuff - I'll trade if you like!)
Q>> Is there something you wanna add? About your other projects maybe?
A>> Well, I am now talking with a friend who wrote a few riffs with me
for L.O.F about writing a new Ewigkeit album - but he is studying and I am doing
lots of things also. It will happen - just not right away. Other projects are
in the pipeline, but nothing confirmed - I am still working on some paintings
(which is where the image on the cover of Land Of Fog comes from). I just wait
for the ideas to come to me. Thanks for the interest in my work; I hope you
all get the chance to hear the new album. Over and out ooo---ooo (transmition
ends...)
RNO