MORTUS
Interview with Jay
Q>>
Hello guys! Could you start with giving our readers a brief overview of your
career up till now? You can focus on when you had set your aim straight on the
type of music you were going to make, the process you went through to get a
record deal (was it easy or did it take several independent releases, how is
your relationship with CCP today...), possible pitfalls you encountered along
the way...
A>> Sometime in 1993 Inch and Sharp founded the formation Sadistic Hate.
A year later the original cast has changed and we decided to give the band a
new name. Mortus, with Thomson - vocals, Jay - bass, Inch - guitar, Sharp -
guitar and Crack - drums, was born. In 1995 we contributed 2 songs to a sampler
with a cross-section through the music scene of "Linz". Still in the
same year we signed a contract with CCP-Records and published our mini-cd "Hopeless"
in spring '96. It was a real Old School Death Metal, "Crusher". Two
years after we made our debut, our first longplayer faced earth's light. "The
Beat Of Greed" was positioned close by the predecessor concerning the music,
but it was matured and the velocity had been decreased. A year later, Sharp
has chucked in his guitar to have more time for his other hobbies. We needed
a new string-artist to fill our gap. A real lucky chance was the joint of Dominik,
in '99. He was really a good guy and his playing abilities were great. Since
then, he played all lead- and sologuitars. Originally, we wanted to bring out
a new album at the beginning of the new millennium, but that was delayed for
a while because of some personal things. In July 2001 we entered the studio
of CCP-Records to ban "Exploring New Horizons" on sound-carrier. We
digested a lot of things that had happened during the 4 years before. Unfortunately,
Dominik got out of the band because he had many projects in which he could better
follow his own way to self realization. From this point we carried on with only
4 members. It was surprising, but the songwriting was easier than before. Perhaps
the reason was that we felt like we had dropped all ballast and we are now able
to focus on actual topics. Later, we understood that Dominik didn't match with
us. This month, our new album "Leaving The Swamps" was published and
we believe that we can be proud it. We made a step forward with this album,
again. The relationship with CCP is excellent. If there were any troubles at
times, the reason was mostly (especially when we were younger) that we believed
we knew everything better. Claus (the big boss) helps us improve areas in which
we could need support. Whenever we spend time in the studio we gain a lot of
experience.
Q>> How do
you all work when composing a song? Is there one main composer or does everybody
chip in? Tell me about your "routine"...
A>> For the most part we follow this structure: Inch (guitar) takes his
ideas and riffs to our rehearsal room. Together, we work on the raw material
and change riffs and give them a structure. During that, Thomson and I try to
find some ideas for voice and lyrics in our room and additionally at home with
recordings of the new material. Mostly, after that we have a big rearrangement
phase. When the lyrics are finished the last lead guitars fill the free space
and emphasizes highlights. "The Good Son" has found the way to the
studio in the 4.version and we have changed some small parts in spite of that.
Q>> What's
your main ambition with Mortus in respect to the public? For example: do you
have a particular message you want to convey or special topics you want to cover
for yourself... or is it just about delivering good headbanging times? Please
develop on the role that a band may have in the eyes of the young (and not so
young) listener...
A>> Meynard James Keanen after a Tool concert in Vienna: "And now
go home and do something positive !" If Mortus has a statement then it
is the pattern of life we are following. Believe in yourself and do something
positive instead of just talking about it. And of course the fun parts should
not be missed out on. I think that younger listeners are searching for extreme
things, therefore (and i hope that i am wrong) it will not be easy to respond
to their demands. For the not so young listeners our album is surely attractive
and interesting.
Q>> What
do you enjoy most about composing/playing music? What does your music mean to
you and did your dedication to it start early in life?
A>> I enjoy mostly the blind comprehension when we compose songs and the
surprised faces of visitors who observe our doings. Mostly, they see and hear
our way of communication but they can't understand it. We incorporate our problems
and experiences in our music and lyrics. Sometimes we simply feel the need to
scream something out. The band is additionally constructed on friendship, interests
and common activities beyond music. Mortus is a kind of therapy for us through
which we can find balance. Additionally, the reason to build a band is a yearning
for something different and, of course, the love for music.
Q>> A very
interesting feature of your music is the integration of - so it seems to me
- very variegated influences that don't only stem from pure Metal sounds. What
bands/styles do you guys listen to and is it a conscious or inconscious thing
that you integrate these "alien" sounds in your compositions?
A>> Some of our all time Favorites:
Thomson: Static-X, Crowbar, Soil, Mudvayne, Spectre, Soulfly
Jay: Tool, 16 Horsepower, Queens of the stone Age, Lamb, The Doors
Inch: Soundgarden, Foo Fighters, Metallica, (Inch doesn't listen as much music
as the others)
Crack: The Dillinger Escape Plan, Fantomas, Tool, Helmet, Soulfly, Spectre
We all bring our own part into a new composition. In the course of time we have
become more open minded for this. That means that all proposals are being heard.
Every idea is allowed and will be used for composing. This procedure isn't easy
sometimes, but we are getting better at it every day.
Q>> I liked
the contrasting vocals a lot and wonder if there's any particular scheme of
evolution concerning them. I mean by that: will you opt for a dominating "clean"
sound, go rougher or keep the balance on future releases?
A>> Before we recorded "Leaving The Swamps" we weren't sure
about the arrangement of the different parts of the lyrics. Thomson and I didn't
know if it would work to do some songs together and some on our own. In the
end, we are quite satisfied with the result. For the next album we intend to
keep this style. We are going to develop the vocals. In general we like the
mixture of aggressive and clean vocals.
Q>> How do
you see Mortus evolve on a musical level? Is there a clear-cut direction you're
aiming for when it comes down to soundscaping?
A>> Compared with our origins, there was a lot of action the past couple
of years. The control of our instruments is better and additionally we now tackle
theoretical music topics. We were able to earn a lot of experience with this
album. For example, we saw that the most important factor of a production isn't
a fat sound roaring from the amplifier. Precision was one of our main focuses.
Sometimes the success is hard to reach, but we are going to work on our abilities.
The major goal we aim for when we record stuff, is to make hard, emotional and
authentic music. We don't want to create more boundaries than that.
Q>> Which
do you prefer: touring/playing live gigs, recording or composing? Why?
A>> Everything has its attractions. We enjoy playing concerts a lot. We
also have the good reputation of an excellent live band. We prepare ourselves
well for concerts in order to give our fans a good show. However, we have our
price. Some organizers think that bands don't have costs. We don't ask much
and if anyone believes that something remains after deduction of these costs,
then he's wrong. I prefer to go to the zoo with my daughter instead of playing
more weird gigs without income (of course with the exception of huge concerts
with an enormous audience). If people want to see us, organisers will notice
it. If not, that doesn't matter. We'll take the time to compose new songs. This
mystical adventure is enough compensation for that.
Q>> What
do you think is Mortus' strong point, the one that will keep the band alive
and kicking?
A>> Our friendship. I would do everything for my pals and think this is
mutual. We survived some dark years that would surely have dissolved other bands.
We managed to stay together and now we are hungry because we can see the light
behind the horizon.
Q>> Which
advice would you give to the debutant band with professional ambitions?
A>> Believe in yourself. Even in hard times, try to keep the strong core
together. If you want to write a song that touches a part of people's soul,
work until you can see it, taste it. And the slogan "klick kills funk"
is a very bad excuse for a band in younger days. Anyway, I think we still have
a lot to learn.
Q>> What's
up in the very near future? Some touring, the recording of a new album, release
of a new and improved website?...
A>>We are going to play on a few small festivals and concerts. Sadly there
is no tour in sight at the moment. Our new website will be online until end
of July. I'm very curious for your response, because we put up some new filmlets
of our drummer crack. It will be possible to download them as well. At the moment
we are working on a music clip. I think that one will be ready for download
in 2 or 3 months. The recordings of a new album should start in the summer of
2004, so we think that the new album should come out somewhere near the end
of next year.
Q>> If there's anything else you'd like to share, let's hear it !
A>> Thank you for this very inspiring interview !
Fae