MISERATION (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What’s currently MISERATION up to?
Jani: We just finished up with our third album called Tragedy has spoken. It will be released during early summer and hopefully we´ll get some touring arranged.
– You will soon release your third full-length album, “Tragedy has Spoken”. What are your expectations with it?
Jani: We hope that it will be well received of course. We feel very pleased with the result and as a band we have taken a huge step forward I think. The sound and direction is all what we have done before but then added some new and interesting stuff. We are excited about this album and hopefully the world joins us in that.
– I think the album’s name has a strong link or depicts quite good what lyrics on this album deal with so, could you please shed some light on what are some of the lyrical ideas covered on your new effort?
Jani: Lyrically the theme of the album can be described as sum of the major tragedies of mankind’s history. Lyrics have been written by Pär Johansson (Satariel, Torchbearer, The Few Against Many) and Christian Älvestam and addresses the diversity of tragedies. Some of which have taken the guise of accidents or natural disasters, while others were carried out by human hands and intent. Behind all this there is to find an imaginary architect, a fictive entity – something powerful, aware, far above the manmade concepts of good or evil: the nature of tragedy itself.
– You have changed almost your whole line-up, joining now to MISERATION 3 new members. What prompted those changes and what has this new blood brought to the band?
Jani: There are only 2 new members at the moment but at some extent you´re right. I left the band quite soon after TMS (2009) was released because of personal reasons, no harm feelings within the band what so ever. At that time a new guitarist replaced me, Tobias Alpadie. Long story short after a year or so things hadn´t really moved anywhere with the new line-up without me and we always stayed in touch with Christian and somehow ended up discussing Miseration and how I longed back to Miseration but realized that I was the one that left, so a bit tricky situation. But since they hadn´t done anything official with the new line-up they decided to go over it thoroughly within the band and decided that they would bring me back in again. Quite soon after that Johan our bass player became a dad and he made the decision of leaving Miseration due to very understandable reasons. He wanted to focus on his new born boy and his family. Now Rolf was next in line and the reason for that was completely mutual. Rolf is a very talented drummer who is very busy being a professional drummer in Finland doing all sorts of session drummer thing, since that is his daily work so it was really difficult to get our schedules to fit. That made us mutually agree on that it would be better that we found ourselves a new drummer less occupied. New drummer boy being Oscar Nilsson (Saint Demon, Despite) and our bass player Christian Lundgren (Quest of Aidance).
These new additions always affect a band that is inevitable I think for good or worse in this case for the better. Oscar is an extremely talented drummer and we are very pleased with his drumming obviously otherwise he would not be in the band, hehe.
– Due to this, has the song writing process changed?
Jani: The song writing has changed in that sense that if you look at the first album where I did everything both music and lyrics. We have come a long way from that. On this album we are definitely a band where the parts are shared. Now the song writing has been done by the 3 of us that being I, Marcus and Christian Älvestam which instantly makes it different from the previous albums.
– In fact this new opus sounds more melodic; what are your thoughts on this?
Jani: Really? Hmm I don’t know. More melodic than the first one, I think not actually. But more melodic than the second one. This is a combination of the first two albums but not staying there but you can hear a lot of new things what we haven´t done before so. A band that evolves is always good I think.
– Anyway, the mix between heaviness/brutality and melody’s still one of the most important things in the record (I’d dare say). How important those are contrasts for your music? How do you manage to keep a good balance between both opposite elements?
Jani: I think that´s just a natural thing for us. We don’t plan on writing any certain type of stuff and I think that I speak for the three of us that we write what comes out naturally and this happens to be what comes out. Heavy/ brutal with a touch of nice melodic stuff. I personally don’t like pure raw death metal that much where it´s all about fast grinding/blasts without any contrast so I think that explains a lot of the thinking behind our writing. It is so much more fun to listen to it when there are contrasts and dynamics.
– You have also created a nice blend between traditional Death Metal and a more modern sound with a clear production. That’s why I would like to know what have been the most influential bands for MISERATION.
Jani: Hehe no idea. If you would ask all in the band I think you would hear very different answers. But if you ask what I listen to. Well not much death I tell you. I love writing it but I rarely listen to similar bands. The listener always makes comparisons to different bands. We have been compared to Hate Eternal on the last album and so…maybe we did sound like that but I never sit down and think I want to sound like that or that band. So I am not consciously influenced by any particular band but probably unconsciously.
– I could say it’s also more technical. Was this something you strived for?
Jani: Definitely not. Same thing here, we write what comes natural and not for the sake of it. “No no this is too simple, we got to put a twist on it, hehe.” That is boring and not creative if you ask me. That is fake and forced. Not that I don’t like technical bands or anything but I do hope they write the stuff because it comes naturally and not because they think we have to write difficult music otherwise it´s not good.
– Anyway you have never released the same album twice. Is this something planned or just something spontaneous? Anyway, though you always manage to surprise your listeners, I think you have always kept your essence. I mean, despite the subtle musical changes I don’t think you have ever disappointed your fans at all.
Jani: Well thank you and very nice to hear, hehe. Again nothing done on purpose. It all happens spontaneously which is very important for me as a writer. Freedom in what comes out and not forced.
– On “Tragedy has Spoken” you have even tried new things, as using 8-string guitars, which gives a new depth to the band’s distortion. How did you come up with this idea?
Jani: Well both I and Marcus have been playing 8 strings in other bands like The Weakening where both I and Marcus are a part of and Marcus uses his 8 string in Inevitable-End as well. The previous bands are different to Miseration and we thought about it that what if we add the 8th string into Miseration would it be good or bad. Musical nerd stuff but for those who are interested in these kind of details. On the TMS (2009) most of the tuning was 7 string in drop A. On tragedy we added the use of the 8th string being dropped to E and afterwards I’m happy that we did this cause it broadened our sound….And it´s not that we played on the lowest strings throughout the whole album but instead trying to use the whole spectrum which gives it a wider range of sounds. There are actually a lot of new methods on this album…you can hear a fuzz being used on one song and just a bit of a different approach sound wise than what is common when it comes to death and I’d say very different but exciting with all the ethnic instruments added.
– You have also incorporated several Folk instruments. Would you mind to tell us which are they and why did you think they had a place on your new record?
Marcus: It’s about a wider range of expression. It comes from a lot of years of musical exploration. I’ve been interested in ethnic musical styles since I saw a documentary when I was 11, about the Beatles, where they met Ravi Shankar and it blew me away and since then I’ve had a big crush on middle eastern music The last couple of years I’ve felt more and more that I would like to use actual instruments instead of just using scales from the middle east on the guitar.
So 2 years ago I bought the Indian instrument Esraj for the recording of the latest album with my other band Inevitable End. It looks like a small Sitar but is played with a bow and held upright in the knee, a little bit like a Cello. This instrument is the one instrument that has been used the most on Tragedy has Spoken. It holds a very crying heart full yarning sound and its name, Esraj, actually means heart sorrow.
The same thing it is with the Mongolian throat singing thing. I heard it and understood what it was for maybe three or four years ago and where paralyzed by the sound of it. Been trying to learn it ever since and now I start to get a hold it I liked the idea of using it.
Then there is Mandolin on a couple of tracks to. It’s a really under estimated instrument when it comes to harsh music like ours but very useful.
I also borrowed a Santur from a friend. It’s a hammered dulcimer from Persia that you play with small drumsticks.
– With a partially new line-up, a slightly different musical approach… Could you say you have found on “Tragedy has Spoken” your actual sound or you will always be trying out new things with your music?
Jani: Partially I think you could say that. This is our third album and we have grown closer in understanding what we want out of Miseration and the sound of this band. But I hope that we can sort of evolve in a positive way on the next ones as well.
– The cover artwork was crafted by seasoned Pär Olofsson, who has worked with several well-known Metal acts. What did you want to express with it and how did you work on the art?
Jani: Well Christian had some ideas in mind, threw the ideas at Pär and he basically nailed it. What you see on the cover is a city in ruins inside of a human heart. So the cave like thing is supposed to be the chambers of a heart. It´s just a brilliant death album cover, which we totally loved.
– All this being said about the album; how could you describe “Tragedy has Spoken” in just 3 words?
Jani: Exciting, Epic, Brutal
– And finally, what are the near-future plans for MISERATION?
Jani: Waiting for the album to be released and hoping that we´ll nail some of the tour plans we have under negotiation.
– That has been everything from my side, thanks once more for your time. If you want to add some final words, feel free to do it.
Jani: Just a thank you for the shown interest and hopefully we´ll see you out there. Stay brutal. Cheers.
Jani.
