Our fantastic interviewer got to have a chat with Norwegian Progressive metal / Goth metal band Madder Mortem ahead of their anticipated new album release which is due next week on the 26th.
The band have already released a number of single taken from the album which we featured on here.
Read below what the band had to say.
Abby – Could you tell us a little bit about yourself for those who don’t know you ?
Madder Mortem – We’re a Norwegian band that plays quite heavy music that is sometimes very soft too, in a somewhat progressive way, I guess. We’ve been going since the early 90s, and we’re just about to release our 8th album “Old Eyes, New Heart” on Jan 26th. If you want to know who we are, I suggest you check out our documentary, “Howl of the Underdogs” – that’ll give you an idea of what we’ve been up to for the last 30 years. 😊
Abby – How would you convince people to listen to your music ?
Madder Mortem – I’d say that it is emotional music made with honest hearts, that does require listeners to invest something of themselves, but that gives back more than it takes. And that we do make very varied albums, so there’s a good chance for anyone to find something they like.
Abby – What can people expect from your shows ?
Madder Mortem – Haha, an emotional rollercoaster, most of all! And some really good grooves and tight playing. I think it gets quite intense, but there’s room for humour and softness, too. I think the audience can tell how much we’re enjoying ourselves playing, and that is quite infectious, I think.
Abby – Your latest album is to be released on January 26th – after a good few years – could you share with us how you feel about it ?
Madder Mortem – Very happy that it’s finally out, and excited to hear people’s response to it. It’s been a long process getting this album out, and it’s a huge relief to finally see the end product of that long journey.
Abby – When you began writing your album, what were your goals and what message or emotions were you hoping to convey through your music ?
Madder Mortem – The only goal we ever really have, is to write good songs. We rarely set out with a mission statement of any kind, we just start working with the ideas that are on the table, or ideas that have been lying around that we really want to make into a song, and then we start thinking about what should go on the album only when we’re getting to where we have rough drafts of songs. As for what we want to convey, that’s a different story for each and every song, and depends entirely on the music. I guess it’s more trying to convey what we feel the music is trying to tell us, rather than trying to bend the music to a pre-conceived idea.
Abby – What challenges did you face during the creative process of this album ?
Madder Mortem – You name it, we’ve probably been there! Personal troubles for several of us, dog bites, illness, a global pandemic … But to be honest, we’re fortunate in the sense that we haven’t had any real creative challenges. The song writing is always a time-consuming and demanding process, but we have never wanted for ideas or material. Actually, our main challenge is often to let some ideas go.
Abby – What do you hope the audience will take away from this album ?
Madder Mortem – Hopefully, that it made them feel something. I think the best compliment I’ve had about this album from anyone this far, was that it felt universal to that person, that it addressed topics, situations and feelings that would be recognizable for everyone.
Abby – What was your worst moment on stage, ever ? (We’d love to hear all the funny – and not so funny – stories !)
Madder Mortem – Haha, for my part, most definitely when I fell on my arse during the first song of our first ever set at the Brutal Assault festival. 10 000 people, cameras filming … and I get so excited I start jumping, lose my balance and fall flat on my back. I’ve seen the film later, and by some strange fortune, I was able to just roll back up on my feet again very quickly, but I did feel quite stupid.
Abby – Are there any questions you wish journalists would ask you but never or rarely do ? (Please feel free to answer any questions you might come up with)
Madder Mortem – I often wish they would ask more about production details. We spend quite a lot of time doing for instance vocal arrangements, and I like talking about them – it’s often the most fun part of the whole recording process. On this album, there is especially a chord change in the second half of the third verse on “Coming from the Dark” that I think is so clever and beautiful, but it happens very quickly, so I think it will pass a lot of listeners by for a long time unless they know to listen for it.
Abby – What is the most useless talent you have ?
Madder Mortem – Hmm … I’m pretty good at improvising stupid lyrics in Norwegian to kind of subtitle whatever I’m doing at the moment, does that count? And I can drink an impressive number of cups of coffee in one day.
Abby – What are the earliest memories that you can remember ? (As a person)
Madder Mortem – This will sound soppy, but one of my first clear memories is from when my brother was born, and we visited the hospital. I got to hold him on a pillow in my lap, and that was such a huge moment.
Connect with Madder Mortem:
www.maddermortem.com
www.facebook.com/Madder-Mortem-10035071567
www.instagram.com/maddermortemofficial
www.twitter.com/MadderMOfficial
www.youtube.com/channel/UCLLOBPu8Kr25bWceExl_YXA
www.maddermortem.bandcamp.com
Interviewer – Abigael Paquet
Photo credit – Camilla NessetKnut J. Berget
Album artwork – Jakob Kirkevaag & Costin Chioreanu