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With the release of their
latest album 'Cut From Stone' less than a month away, we catch up with
bass guitarist Memnock to find out more about what the band have been up
to.
MM - Firstly would you like to introduce the band to our readers?
Memnock - Hi, well
we are Athera on vocals, the drummer Tjodalv, our two guitarists Cyrus
and Elvorn and myself Memnock, I'm the bass guitarist.
MM - The band's new album 'Cut From Stone' has been described as ...
"A Melodic Thrash" ... album, is this how the band see it?
Memnock - I guess that is a
fairly accurate way of describing it. It's very melodic but with a
lot of aggression. We're always looking for something different
when we write our songs. This time round we were influenced by the
classic old sounds, which I think can be heard on the album. We
have found our own way to play metal but we still like variation and we
don't like going down the same old route for each album. With this
recording we experimented a lot with different guitar and bass sounds.
It definitely has that old thrash vibe going, we just added the Susperia
touch.
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MM - The album itself is
both powerful and melodic, how hard was it to combine the two
elements?
Memnock - We find
it quiet easy, we've been doing it for a few years now.
Susperia are five different people, all with different tastes
and different opinions on music. This plays a big part in
being able to combine power and melody in the album. It is
the way we are and brings variety to our recordings. Ok we
may have some disagreements along the way but we always sort it
out in the end.
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MM - The band have hooked up
with the rock gods WASP for their European tour, how did this alliance
come about?
Memnock - Hehehe, it was a
joint effort from Susperia's agent and management. They were in
touch with WASP's booking agent and convinced them that it would be a
good touring package. The idea was put forward to Blackie
(Lawless) for his approval and he said yes. So here we are.
We are really looking forward to this tour; it's a great opportunity for
us to play to a different audience.
MM - How does the new album stand against your debut release for 'TABU'?
Are there any similarities between the two?
Memnock - This new album
stands out as our best album so far. Yes I know every band always
says this but it definitely is the best of our 4 albums. The whole
band is so happy with the way it turned out. I don't think there
is a bad song on this album. Whilst our TABU debut 'Unlimited' was
a good album and well received by the fans and the critics, I personally
didn't like all of the songs on it, I wasn't totally satisfied with the
production. But with 'Cut From Stone' the production is a great
improvement. It has a warmer organic feel to it, it's more human.
I think it will be a hard job to better it on our next album.
hehehe.
MM - One of my favourite tracks off the new album has to be 'Distant
Memory', what are your particular favourites off the album and why?
Memnock - I'm not right
sure what song is my favourite. But if I have to pick one then it
must be 'Brother'. It is a powerful song with lyrics and music
that is very east to understand. It's a groovy song - can I use
the word groovy for a metal song? hehehe.
MM - The European metal scene is far more vibrant that that of either
the UK or the US, why do you think that this is so?
Memnock - Because
Europeans are more open minded. They are not bothered by musical
fashions. If a band is good they respect them and like them, it
doesn't matter what genre they are or how old they are. Europeans
have the approach that good music is good music. Sometimes in the
UK or the US you get the feeling that it's not about the music, which is
why most bands are forgotten about after one album.
MM - How long did the album take to
complete and did you hit any problems on the way?
Memnock - The album itself
didn't take more than 3 months to record but the writing took us almost
3 years. We were breaking off from writing to go on tour and then
when we got back we would have to get back in the right frame of mind
for writing again. Every band works differently and for us it can
take some time to get in the right frame of mind for writing again.
Every band works differently and for us it can take some time to get in
the right frame of mind. We don't ever want to release something
that we aren't totally satisfied with, so it is a very labour intensive
process. We were writing songs ripping them to pieces and then
starting again in order to get it right. It is a tiring process
but we have to do it if we want to make a better album that the last
one. It's too easy to fall into a routine of repeating what you
have already done.
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MM - Are the band satisfied
with the final product?
Memnock - Yes
definitely, I personally think that it couldn't be any better.
But that doesn't mean we won't try to improve on the next album.
As I said earlier, this is the best album so far and it will be
damn hard to make a better one. But we'll give it a go!!
MM - Do the band hang out together as a
group, or are you all individuals outside the band?
Memnock - Yes we
do. The band is very much like a family, so we hang out
together a lot. Susperia is not only a band for me, but
it's a way of life. This is what I have always wanted to
do. We have been together for 8 years with the same line
up, there's a strong bond within us.
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MM - Who or what are the
bands main influences?
Memnock - Too many
to mention. We have our own tastes in music and Athera has his own
inspiration for lyrics. He's a big horror film fan so that's where
some of his ideas come from. Musically we like messing about with
different styles and see where it take us. We never focus on a
particular style - though it's all metal. I think Susperia is just
a mix of what's best in music.
MM - Who
writes the songs for the band, is it an individual or a joint effort?
Memnock - In many ways
it’s a joint effort. Cyrus writes the music, he presents a song to us
and we have our input. We all have different opinions and usually rip
his ideas to pieces. He never gets an easy ride. Hehehe, Athera
writes the lyrics – but he doesn’t get as much hassle. It’s a
system that works for us.
MM - What do you feel has been your biggest accomplishment so far as a
band?
Memnock - There are
actually two that stand out; one is getting the WASP tour. To actually
be touring with one of the first bands we discovered when we were first
getting into metal is awesome. The other one is our ‘Devil May Care’
EP reaching number 19 in the Norwegian singles charts. We were the first
Norwegian metal band to have a Top 20 hit. I think some people thought
that it may have lacked credibility, but it was funny to all of a sudden
see other Norwegian metal bands releasing singles!! It’s as if we
opened the gates for them.
MM - How has the media responded to the band as a whole?
Memnock - Very well! In general we get a good response. Usually
people have preconceived ideas about us and think that we are a black
metal band. That’s because of the other bands that some of us have
played in. But we are not a black metal band and when the media actually
gets to hear our music they are surprised and we get positive feedback.
I’m satisfied with the responses. We’ve had great reviews and
support. There have been some bad ones but all in all we are happy.
MM - How has the internet influenced the way the band project their
songs and their image?
Memnock - Hmmm That’s a hard one to answer. It’s something
that I have strong opinions on. It is way easier to promote your band on
the net, but it is also makes it easier for IDIOTS to download albums
without paying, sometimes even before they’re mastered or even mixed.
It’s so damn stupid when things like this are done. The bands suffer,
the image might suffer but ultimately if it gets out of control the art
of making music will just go down the drain. If no income is generated
then how else will recording an album happen? Music is in danger of
becoming devalued.
MM - On the tour with WASP and your own headline tour in May, will there
be merchandise available for fans to buy?
Memnock - Yes we will have
a range of merchandise available. So bring lots of money to spend hehe.
MM - Are there any cities in particular you’re looking forward to
playing/visiting?
Memnock - It’s always
nice to see different places around the world, but I always look forward
to playing my hometown - Oslo !! There’s always an extra buzz as
well as extra nerves when you play your home territory.
MM - Just how far you would you go to sell your soul in the name of Rock
N' Roll?
Memnock - As far as it takes.
MM - What are
your views on the current metal scene are there any bands that grabbed
your attention?
Memnock - I’m still a
very big fan and like to check out what’s going on. It’s a pity that
a lot of new bands never get beyond one or two albums. A new one I’ve
discovered is Spastic Ink - killer band if you ask me.
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MM - What
the most important thing to the band right now and what does the
future hold for Susperia?
Memnock - Touring and more touring is what the future holds
at the moment. We need to build on what we achieved with our
last album and touring is a major part of getting our music out
to people.
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MM - Finally
do you have any words of wisdom for you fans out there?
Memnock - I admire anyone who dares to challenge themselves. So aim
high and don’t think! - feel!! Thanks for the interview it’s
been a pleasure to have the chance to speak to a wider audience.
All the best - Memnock.
MM - We'd
like to thank Memnock for taking the time to chat with us today and look
forward to catching the band on tour with WASP next month. |