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pondělí 29. května 2017

Home » » Interview - MORDBRAND - We play death metal. No boundaries but also no unnecessary experimentation.

Interview - MORDBRAND - We play death metal. No boundaries but also no unnecessary experimentation.


Interview with death metal band from Sweden - MORDBRAND.
Answered Björn Larsson.

Translated by Duzl, thank you!

Recenze/review - MORDBRAND - Wilt (2017)
Recenze/review - MORDBRAND – Imago (2014)

Ave MORDBRAND! You have recently published a new album “Wilt”. I love it. Do you have positive feedbacks? How fans and critics feel about your new album? 

Hello! The response has been so and so to be honest. Most reviews are very positive but I think it’s peculiar that so many reviewers can’t see past the OSDM or ”swedeath” labels. We play death metal. No boundaries but also no unnecessary experimentation. This is not a tribute band.  We aim for relevance through well structured songwriting. 

How do MORDBRAND compose new songs? How is the whole process of composing new material? Who is the author of your music?

I write most of the music and Per does the lyrics and comes up with his own vocal arrangements. We, as a band, share our opinions about the details and re-write whenever we need to. The process of recording ”Wilt” was smooth and the inspiration was there from the beginning to the end. The recording process was difficult though. All technical fuck ups that could occur did, and there was plenty of them. The end result is a milestone for us, and hopefully for many listeners as well, much thanks to the amazing mixing by Lawrence Mackrory. 



I really like the sound of your album. It is dark, cold and sharp at the same time. Which studio did you chose for recording? Were you able to have any comments about the final sound and mastering?

We recorded everything ourselves, but Lawrence mixed it in Studio Maskinrummet and we had a lot of correspondence with him throughout the process so that he could have a fair chance of doing a good job with all the files. I love how it came out. Thicker, meatier and punchier than our previous work - but still filthy. Much due to the unorthodox guitar sound, which on it’s own sound quite dry and busted. But together with everything else it creates a huge wall (of death). 

Who is the author of your lyrics and what are your lyrics about? Where do you find inspiration?

Per writes all lyrics. It’s basically about life withering, dying and the transformation to something new on it’s own. Everything comes from and return to soil in the end. This could also be a metaphor for spirituality, if you’re into that shit. 



You have always have a great covers for your albums. Is it important for you to have a great cover? Who is the author of the cover for “Wilt”?

Yes, we are fans of records and therefor fans of cover art. This particular piece was painted by Nathalie Ziegler. Per found it somewhere and it spoke to us immediately and fit our concepts perfectly. 

The new album was released on CD by Carnal Records. This label has quite famous name in the underground and they do great job. But have you thought about releasing the album by some bigger company? Did you speak to any other?

We chose to work with Carnal Records because he is a great and trustworthy guy, friend and a real underground trooper, just like us. We don’t have a policy of not working with bigger labels but at the moment we’re content with how things are. 

I think that “Wilt” would look great on vinyl. Have you thought about that? How do you feel about vinyl records and their sound? Are you a collector? 

We prefer vinyl and a vinyl version of Wilt should be out in June through Carnal Records. 



Nowadays, many people download music online and they only use its digital form. How do you feel about this issue? I would like to know your opinion as a musician. 

I have no problem with that whatsoever. There are of course pros and cons with this and I’m not familiar with all the arguments and stats, but to me and to Mordbrand it’s no issue. But somehow I feel that if money isn’t a key factor perhaps the people who are fighting for relevance do it for the right reasons. I take a lot of joy from the fact that the ”rockstar” phenomenon is indeed dead and gone. 

Let´s look back to your beginnings…What was the first impulse to find a band? Why did you choose death metal? That is no the musical style which would bring someone “fame”. 

We’ve all been in bands playing other sorts of (extreme) music but death metal is such a diverse and exciting form of music. That’s our roots and what we’re made of. There’s nothing intellectual about it for us, it’s just what comes out of us. I’ve always had bands and music in my head in need to get out and we do it very well. Therefor there really isn’t an option for me.



There is a lot of young bands who play “old school death metal”. Most of them are not very successful but there are some which are good and they understand what is this music about. Do you have any favourite band which is promising to “make the good old days live again”?

I’m not a huge fan of nostalgia. When I see Repulsion or Terroriser live, it’s because their music is relevant to this day. But of course there are bands that are very inspired by the old scene, but I don’t pay attention to them in the long run if they don’t bring anything fresh to the table. Other than that it’s just a cute phenomenon. I’m interested in songwriting, not just finding a ”fitting sound” that is popular at the moment. 

What about MORDBRAND and concerts? Have you had any Europe tour yet? Do you want to? I would like to see you in Prague! You do not have a lot of concerts, at least it looks like so when I looked online. 

We’ve only played one gig actually (with Bombs of Hades and Terrorama) but we now have a great lineup for live gigs. So, if anybody’s interested we’ll show up! No longer tours though due to family reasons etc. 

Are there any albums which have caught your attention recently?

Oh, so many! Dead Congregation, Teitanblood, Fides Inversa, Obnoxious Youth, Medico Peste, Antichrist all have fairly recent outings that I enjoy a lot. 




Do you know and listen any Czech bands?

Cult of Fire and Death Karma comes to mind. Of course I pop on Master’s Hammer every now and then too.   

What are MORDBRAND´s plans for the next few months?

Nothing actually. For the first time we’re taking a break from songwriting and instead focusing on this live situation. 

Thank you so much for the interview and I wish you a lot of sold albums, hundreds of crazy fans and tons of good ideas. 

Thanks for the interview Jakub! Cheers!



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