Mercenary

Interview date

28 Février 2011

Interviewer

Blaster of Muppets

I N T E R V I E W

Interview Jakob Mølbjerg (face to face)


After a significant change in the band, Mercenary finally returns. How do you feel? Was it tough to start all over again after three members left the band?

It was tough several years before they left. And of course, it was a challenge when we split up to make things work and to write an album that didn't sound smaller than before... But in the years before the split, we had had problems that were not really funny to go through and this process was like a creative process. The fun in the process of writing music came back, we had kind of lost it.

What things did you want in your music that the previous members of the band didn't?

Basically we just wanted to make the material a bit faster and heavier, and to get back to the balance between aggressive and melodic vocals like we had on "11 Dreams".

Is it strange to become a four member band when you were six not that long ago?

Yeah, it’s weird sometimes. Like, we sit in a bus and go ‘Hey, where’s the rest?’ and it’s like ‘Oh, everybody is here ...’ But I like it. Everything is easier. It’s easier to write music and easier to make decisions on just about everything.

When the band split, did you think about ending Mercenary for good?

Quite the opposite. I had been thinking about whether or not it really was worth continuing the band on the album cycle for "Architect of Lies’, but I knew that with the three old members leaving, we would be able to go on for many years to come.

Your new album's title is "Metamorphosis". Does it mean that the music is different or is it just to illustrate the changing in terms of line-up?

The title thematizes both of course, but also the concept of change on a more overall level. There’s a lot of personal history from René’s past in some of the songs, where he draws on some difficult times in his life. He managed to get past them and work things out, so there’s also the concept of change and growth on a more personal or existential level too.

According to you, what are the main differences between "Metamorphosis" and your previous work?

It’s just the easiest album we ever wrote, and I think that shows. We were very much in agreement about the direction of the music, so I think that for the first time, we all pulled in the same direction. Some people might disagree of course, but this is without any comparison the album of ours that I am most happy about. I think it’s much more focused and direct that any of the previous ones.

René does an impressive job taking care of all the vocals on the new album. Would you like to keep things this way or would you prefer going back to having two singers like before?

We don’t have any plans of getting any additional members. We felt that in the end, the old 6-person lineup became a limitation, because we had to use both singers in all of our songs and had to give the keyboards a significant role too. Now we are free to let each song have the expression that fits it the most. And René’s vocals are by far diverse enough for the whole range that we want to cover. So for now we’re taking a less is more approach. But Martin has begun to do a bit of backup vocals live just to add the vocals harmonies to the central places, and I might do that too, if I ever work up the courage to do that, haha!

Who wrote the lyrics for Metamorphosis, and what inspired them?

René wrote them all. And I guess the biggest inspiration was probably the process we were all going through with the whole lineup change. There was a lot frustrations, a lot of relief, a sense that we had to stand together to prove all the doubters wrong and so on. So there was a very big emotional range in that process itself, and you know, that is not just a “cool idea” to thematize change and evolution in the album title and artwork – it’s been a very big part of all of our lives for the last couple of years, so it’s really honest and real.

Could you introduce your new drummer?

Yeah, his name is Morten Løwe and he’s a really skilled drummer. He’s played for tons of bands live and in the studio, so he’s really experienced. He joined the band when we were writing the new songs and he was a big part of the dynamics of that process. We’re really happy to have him aboard.

What are your favourite songs on the new record?

I would say "In a River of Madness" and "Velvet Lies" because both are emotional journeys full of dynamics, contrasts and transitions that makes them really interesting, I think.

Is there going to be a video to promote the new album? Do you think that videos really help in terms of promotion in the metal music business?

We might do a kind of “life on the road” video for one of the tracks but we are not going to spend a fortune of our own money on a video that will only end on youtube anyway. I still think videos are a good way of letting the music reach new ears, but that only really works on the net nowadays, as there’s not a lot of potential for exposure on tv.

"Metamorphosis" left apart, what is your favourite Mercenary album?

I would have to say "11 Dreams". We took a big leap forward with that album and covered a lot of new ground. I think the new album is the first real and true follow up on that album.

It seems that "Architect of Lies" is not as loved as "The Hours That Remain" (or "11 Dreams"). Are there things on this album you wish were different?

Yeah, I think we had painted ourselves into a corner on that album.  I think “The Hours that Remain” was an album where the band came together and put our differences aside after the old singer Kral left. But on "Architect" those differences became very clear in the songwriting and in the studio process. It was a nightmare to complete that record and it nearly broke the band up. We managed to bury some of the problems, but only for a while. So even though I like a lot of the material on that album still, I would have been so sorry if that album had been our last, whereas I would be immensely proud of what I had been a part of if the band were for some hypothetical reason to disband now after our new album.

How is it to tour with bands such as Symphony X, Nevermore etc. on this tour?

It’s absolutely great. Everybody’s super cool on this tour. The bands and crew are great, and we’re sharing a bus with Psychotic Waltz, and they’re really nice guys. Apart from that it’s a great chance to get out and promote the new lineup and the new album for tons of people. We feel very lucky to be a part of this tour and we’re enjoying ourselves fully every day and every night.

So you're doing this tour but, not being the headliner, you're not playing a very long set so, is there more touring to come?

We’ll do some festivals of course, like Metalfest and Metalcamp, and there are also plans for another support tour in Europe in the fall. We’d love to do some more headliner shows at some point but the timing and build up has to be right, so we’ll have to wait and see if it fits in with the overall dynamics later on.

Six studio albums, a lot of touring and still no live album... Is this something you'd like (and plan) to do?

I don’t think so, honestly. It’s very expensive to record something properly and you know, sales are down. I don’t really see that happening any time soon.

What are the plans for the band in the near future?

We’ll do some festivals over the summer, do some more touring, probably a Danish headliner tour in the early fall. We’ve got some more plans up our sleeve but we’ll have to keep them under wraps for now.

Apart from Metal, what music do you enjoy?

Well, I work at home by my computer so I listen to a lot of different music. If I listen to metal all day long, I get distracted and get a headache too, haha, so I listen to a lot of straight rock, ambient, electronic, music scores and so on. Whatever is interesting and grabs me. I pay for one of these flat rate streaming services so I constantly download new music legally and check stuff out.

What are the last CDs you purchased?

Shit, I don’t know. I think that was the new Soilwork, which I downloaded illegally because I was impatient and of course I bought the cd too. And it ended up just gathering dust, as I already had the music on all my devices, haha.

What would you like to say to conclude this interview? Any message for your French fans?

Yeah, check out our new album. It’s really diverse and there’s even a bit of inspiration from the big French kings of metal, Gojira here and there. I honestly and truly believe that every metalhead with an open mind will be able to find something to love on the new album. If not, I’ll personally buy them a beer if they come to one of our concerts, haha!


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