1. To kick things off Tell our audience about your new release?
We are releasing our debut album “LAZARVS” on November 13th. It is an album that delves on some of life’s most difficult struggles and we how we survive and overcome them understanding who we were and who we became in the process – hence the reference to LAZARVS who was brought from the dead.
2. Do you feel the pressure to release standalone singles instead of full length concept albums?
Kind of… There’s a very evident shortage of attention span that bands and artists need to work their way around. Releasing singles is definitely a law to abide on this day and age. The thing for us is that the music was written under the context of creating an experience of enjoying the album as a whole. Even though we are aware of the signs of the times we also like to keep a more old school view to how music can still be enjoyed. As much as it may be going against modern trends we still feel like our songs sit better while listening to the full record and enjoying the ride.
3. If you had to describe the sound of your Band to someone who hasn’t heard you yet: What would you say?
Dark, melodic, melancholic and atmospheric with an uplifting twist.
4. How has the songwriting evolved with the band over the years? What does that process look like for you lately?
By working together we got to find the pocket of the sound we wanted to pursue and the whole process became easier over time. As we shelved the writing sessions for LAZARVS there were so many ideas left out that we can’t wait to start working on these (and new ideas) to whatever might be our next iteration of Maledictus music. At this point we know of all of the possible options we have yet to cover because we like to approach the songwriting sessions without fully knowing where that might lead us to which is a very freeing mindset to discover new music.
5. What was the hardest track on your latest release to record, and why?
Madam Death probably or Maledictus – one because of how tight every instrument needed to be and the other because it’s a longer and more diverse song with a lot of changes.
6. What are some of the recurring themes or messages you find yourself exploring in your lyrics?
Rez has done an incredible work with the lyrics for these songs. A lot of them focus on human condition at its darkest — grief, mortality, fear, guilt and the demons within — while searching for fragments of love, meaning and redemption amidst the darkness.
7. What is one song you’ve written that you feel captures the absolute core identity of the band?
Crypt of Dreams
8. Do you find your energy translates better in an intimate club style venue or a massive festival setting?
A massive festival setting because the music has a certain epicness that is better suited for larger arenas and venues.
9. Who are the unsung heroes of your musical development? Who inspired you to pick up your instrument in the first place?
James Hetfield for sure. If I play guitar today is because I just wanted to play those Metallica riffs in the beginning. Then came Alexi Laiho from Children of Bodom who made me understand guitar beyond the riff with the licks, solos and sense of melody. Mikael Akerfeldt as well with how genius his songwriting is with out of the box ideas that sounded so different from everything else.
10. If you could sit down and collaborate with any Artist or Band right now, who would be at the top of your list and Why?
Opeth/Mikael Akerfeldt
11. How would you describe the evolution of your sound from your early demos to this current release ?
They were a lot longer and a lot less concise. Now they are actually shorter believe it or not…! I think the evolution from pre-production to what these songs became was understanding the pocket of each song and how they could grow in terms of the overall production to create certain atmospheres.
12. Are there any endorsements or gear brands you’re currently working with that you’d like to shout out?
My axes of choice are Schecter guitars. Very happy with them
13. What does your tour calendar look like? Any big shows or festivals we should be made aware of?
We are still in the embrionic stages of album promotion so let’s see where the roads lead us to.
14. With the digital streaming landscape making it harder for artists, what do you feel is the best way for fans to truly support bands right now?
Streaming is important because it helps people discover us, but buying the album, a shirt or some other piece of physical merchandise makes a much more direct difference to any band. And, of course, even more importantly, come to the shows. Our live debut will be on December 5th in Lisbon.
15.Who came up with the name for the band ?
The name came from the album Maledictus which most of us had released with our previous band – from which we decided to leave. We wanted to continue working together and for a lot of different reasons we felt like we should keep a certain sense of continuity because we wanted to pursue some of the same sound.
16. What is your YouTube and LinkTree or Online Link ?
