MOURNING BELOVETH (EN)

– Hello, thanks for taking the time. How is everything going right now with MOURNING BELOVETH? What’s going on right now into the band’s camp?
Hey Tania! Things are good right now. We just finished touring with Hooded Menace and Shores of Null a few weeks ago, doing 10 dates around Europe. We’re still winding down a bit since then. Soon we will return to the practice room to prepare for upcoming shows, and hopefully start writing some new material in the very near future.

 

– Later this month you will be releasing your newest album, entitled «Rust & Bone», what are your feelings about it? And, as it has been available for preorder and at some of your shows, considering the feedback you have been getting so far, what are your expectations on it?
We are happy with it. Officially it will be released on January 22nd, but we had a tour edition to sell at shows. Feedback has been positive so far. I for one, don’t really care for reviews so much, but what I have seen and heard, have all been good. We have recieved plenty of emails and messages from listeners who seem to like it, so it’s all good. As for expectations? I expect nothing from anything or anyone.

 
– Talking about shows, you recently finished your tour with HOODED MENACE. How did everything go? How was the reaction from the crowd to the new songs you played?
The tour was fantastic. The Hooded Menace guys, and Shore of Null guys are gentlemen. It was a pleasure to hit the road with these fine people and musicians. The only real problem we encountered was in Slovenia. The police came and shut down the show because of noise pollution. Lucky for us, we had just finished our set, but Hooded Menace only got to play three songs.
We played 2 new songs on this tour, Godether and The Mantle Tomb. The crowds seemed to enjoy them. Plenty of headbanging and clenched fists are always a good sign. A few people came up to me and said the new material is their from the MB back catalogue, so I guess we’re on to something.

– «Rust & Bone» is your first release with Ván Records. How did you end up cooperating with them? They are notorious for presenting really well cared packages.
We had met with Sven from Ván a few times in the past, while on some of his trips to Ireland. I believe we started getting in contact with each other soon after Formless was released. It was a matter of us showing him new music, which, as always, we took our time in doing. When we finally had something to show, Ván were interested, and the rest is history. Some of our favourite bands have been released on Ván. It’s exciting to be part of a label that actually gives a fuck.

 
– In fact the regular edition is a beautiful digipack with golden embossing, and there’s also a limited edition. Would you mind to elaborate a little bit on what does each version contain and how does the artwork and layout look like?
Both the official album and the tour edition are exactly the same, except the tour edition has silver print, instead of gold. It was limited to only 100 copies. We needed something to promote on tour, so we got them printed up.
The layout is quite simple this time around. We were going for a sense of elegance. The front cover has a big MB logo, with Rust & Bone written beneath it. The sleeve contains lyrics and credits, and the back has the titles of each movement. Currently it is available only on CD. Hopefully when we get around to creating the vinyl edition, we can add some extra art work or photos perhaps.

 
– I must admit I didn’t preorder the album, for considering the prelistening on Samhain and the clip on Youtube, it seems like this album will be wider. Am I wrong? Are you embracing more and new influences?
We are trying new things, for sure. Embracing any influence we can. At the end of the day, if it sounds good, it is good. We used alot of acoustic guitars on this album. Sometimes overdubbing entire songs with them. It give the whole thing a very different feel, but it still stays true to the Mourning Beloveth style.
R&B is a logical step forward musically and thematically. We are enjoying this approach to writing very much so, and I can see us exploring these avenues further in the future. I feel like we have merely scratched the surface.

– It seems to have some Black Metal influences and fuzzier guitars too but, how could you introduce/sell the album to those that have listened to it yet?
It’s true, there are some black metal influences here and there. R&B contains our fastest ever riffs, i,e; the last riff in Godether. We tried to create a feeling of increasing desperation with the music on Godether. That final riff is the pinnacle of madness, containing many voices and screams.
To introduce somebody to this album, I would say that it is a representation of the entire journey of Mourning Beloveth over the last twenty odd years, and indeed a sign of things to come. We are constantly exploring new ideas and sounds, and we will continue to do so, all the while creating honest music, from our very souls. This album encaptures that perfectly.

– «Formless» included one instrumental track, and 2 of the 5 songs on «Rust & Bone» are instrumentals. How do you think this will be welcomed by your listeners?
Formless contained no instrumental tracks. The last track on the first album, Dust, was an instrumental (Sinistra.) Between then and now, there have been no instrumental tracks.
I’m sure the listeners won’t have a problem with the instrumentals. They add to the entire piece of music that is Rust & Bone. They help create the atmosphere that we were trying to capture.
If some of the listeners don’t like it, that’s fine too. I don’t care. We write music for nobody. This is a snapshot of where we are. A representation of ourselves, and beyond.

– On the closing track, «A Terrible Beauty is Born» (where by the way vocals sound just brutal), there’s a Yeats’ part. What authors have been an inspiration for the release and for MOURNING BELOVETH?
Indeed, the lyrics are borrowed from W.B. Yeats. I hold that song close to my heart. That song was written about the 1916 Rising, where Ireland fought for independance from Britain on the streets of Dublin city. Easter 2016 will be the 100th anniversary of said battle. We figured it would be suiting to write a song about it. It comes from more of an observational stand point, than a nationalistic one.
Aside from Yeats, other authors who have influenced us would be Philip K. Dick, William Gibson, Hunter S Thompson, Naom Chomsky, Beckett…

– As I said, it feels like this is going to be a really diverse album but, did it end up as you expected? Did you start the writing process with a clear idea of how you wanted the record to sound like?
It did, and it didn’t. Songs will always become morphed and molded into different things, even from the first moment of bringing a riff to the practice room, it becomes something else. We let the music flow where it wants to flow. We try and explore every possible way a song could sound, moving sections, swapping riffs…

– All songs seem to have their own sound, their own personality. Still within the sound of the band, all of them are different. Is diversity something important for MOURNING BELOVETH?
Sure it is. There is no point recreating the same thing, time and time again. Not only does diversity keep things interesting for the listener, but also for ourselves. I imagine it would get extremely boring constantly treading the same waters. Formless gave us the confidence to dive deeper stylistically and musically, and deeper we go. There is no telling what the next Mourning Beloveth record will sound like, and that is very exciting to me.

 
– As for the production, I have read you recrded the album in just 6 days, this usually leads to a more spontaneous, organic-feeling outcome but, what oculd you say is the effect has this had on «Rust & Bone»?
Recording in such a short period of time has definitely added some spontaneity to the whole thing. There are parts that were… I don’t want to say created, more like finalised, in the studio. Personally I wish we had more time in the studio, but that is always the feeling I get when we finish a new record. A few pieces could have been ironed out better, maybe a few parts excluded from the final mix. Most of the vocal harmonies in A Terrible Beauty were created in the studio.

– All in all it seems like you have evolved a lot since «Formless» was released but, how do you think has the band evolved musically throughout these 3 years?
Yeah, I definitely think so. We have reached a stage where we said “fuck it,” we’re just going to write what sounds good to our ears. Like I said, it’s an exciting time to write music with MB. We have but scratched the surface. By trying new things, you find new ways of expressing yourself. I intend to delve deeper into these potential musical paths.

– All this about «Rust & Bone» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Mere space dust.

 
– And finally, what are now your near-future plans?
We are playing at Doom Over London this March with In The Woods… and North of the Wall fest in Glasgow the day after that. We just confirmed 2 shows in Romania for April, and Acherontic Arts (Ván festival) festival in May. After these few gigs, I imagine we will spark a joint and begin the writing process all over again, which is my favourite part. Of course we will be playing plenty of gigs in the process.

 
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
Cheers. P

Tania Giménez
tania@queensofsteel.com