Thursday, September 21, 2017

Monolord Interview

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

​As soon as we were done with the recording (including mix and mastering) we went out on a tour ​in Europe. During the summer months, we have been fooling around with some new material and rehearsed the songs just recorded.

2.You have a new album coming out in October, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

​We are recording everything ourselves in our rehearsal room and we did it the same way as we always have been doing. The process itself are no different from the other albums. But of course, it sounds different because the songs are different & we have evolved probably. Hopefully. The equipment we use are still the same, for me a bunch of Orange amps and flying V with Lace Pickups.

3.Your lyrics cover evil, horror and supernatural themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
On the first album, the theme was more about the supernatural and inspired by old Scandinavian folk tales. On the second album, I mixed that with a disgust for world leaders, greed & religion. Now on Rust, the focus lies on destruction in many ways, the need for mankind to find something to believe in and also what the church used to scare the less educated. These things still happen today, but today it is not demons or monsters they warn us about. Trust no one.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Monolord'?
“The Monolord” is a guy named Christer. He is incredibly huge and lost his hearing on one ear during the first ever Monolord rehearsal. So since he can´t hear in stereo and covers a huge amount of physical space, he is “the Monolord.”

5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
This is a hard question. But a few of the memorable ones are Hellfest, Roadburn, our first ever show in the US at the Gramercy Theatre, Desertfest London at the Koko, both times at St Vitus Bar in Brooklyn to mention a few.

6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
We have an upcoming tour in Europe with Conan that starts the 7th October. We are soon announcing a gig in Norway this winter. And next year we have a lot going on that I cannot tell you about now.

7.The new album is coming out on RidingEasy Records, can you tell us a little bit more about this label?
Daniel at RidingEasy records are not just a good friend; he is also running this label in a way that suits us. We understand each other and he knows that hard work pays off. We would get a 98% match on a dating app.

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of stoner and doom metal?
The response has been incredible. And we can see that our popularity is rising even in the countries where we haven’t played yet. I guess we can thank social media and the accessibility that comes with internet, for that.

9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
I have another project called “Ont Blod” that plays some d-beat/metal -ish stuff with a bunch of friends from Draconian, Mammoth Storm and Haddock. I also have been starting to do a more dark acoustic solo thing that I still don’t know what I am gonna do with. I have also a long time project going with Kalle from Långfinger that leans more towards old school rock and roll.

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
That is almost impossible to tell. But we won’t be playing Nu Metal.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
It is a mix of country, black metal, death metal and doom metal. For me it needs to have something that hooks me. A good melody is important. Like Bloodbath – Outnumbering the day, bonehard riffs but still catchy as fudge.

12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Me and my girlfriend has a bunch of animals from rescue shelters. That takes some of our spare time. When I am home, free from the daily pain, I play videogames, guitar and make more songs in my home studio.

13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Throw away your cellphone, take a walk out into the woods and just sit there for 1 hour and listen to what the woods have to say. It will do you good.

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