1. Congratulations on Ars Vitae. The reviews have been very positive thus far. Do you have any expectations to how the world accepts this album?
I think most reviews have been as expected. Overall good but we’ve had some criticism regarding the low amount of new material. Although the whole CD is actually packed with stuff, more than your usual studio release.
2. How did the decision to mix new tracks, old tracks, and a live concert together come about?
We started out just wanting to take a couple of tracks into pre-production in our studio, Necromorbus. Those tracks were a bit experimental so we initially just wanted to record them for evaluating purposes. But we soon felt really confident about them and came up with the idea to put them together with the live tracks and eventually the first EP as well and make an entire compilation-CD out of it. We had had the live tracks for some time but we hadn’t found a good way to present them. We figured this would be a nice way.
3. How did you capture the atmosphere of a live show on the album? That can’t be an easy thing to do.
Live shows can’t be captured on tape. Obviously there is a difference between a live recording and a live show. The recording is just a hint of what the atmosphere was at the actual show. But the recording has it’s own life and can be viewed as a separate entity with it’s own atmosphere. It’s a different thing but not necessarily a lesser thing than a live show.
More after the warp:
4. Ars Vitae translates to “Art of Life.” Life consists of the past, the present, and the future. The album does as well. Was this the intention?
Nice interpretation! I can buy into that, but my original thought was the idea of having many of the “Gallery of Bleeding Art” songs coming to life on a live album. But I actually like your idea better. I’ll keep that explanation for future interviews.
5. Has modern technology helped or hindered the production of music? It seems too easy to over produce an album or pass yourself off as a producer these days.
I can honestly say that I like the possibilities of modern technology. Many people claim that old analog technology is superior, but I think that the advantages of digital studio technology outweighs the analog technology. Everything is easier with digital: recording, editing, processing, mixing and just about anything you can do in a studio. I think potential over production is a cheap price to pay for this convenience.
6. Many people told me during my research that Diabolical was one of the most underrated bands in Death Metal. Why do you think that is?
We never had a major label backing us up and we’ve had periods of not being active enough. It sure would be nice to get some more recognition, but I’m sure we will convince the majority eventually. We’ve been stubborn enough to do our thing for 15 years and we still have fresh and creative ideas that we want to bring to forth to the masses.
7. Do you feel Death Metal has to be technical to be good?
No. Actually I think instrumental virtuosis can be an obstacle when making good songs. There are so many awesome musicians refraining from keeping riffs and songs simple and catchy and instead makes them overly complex which in the end just makes things tedious. Just look at some of our own stuff that we’ve done in the past with rather complex riffs and measures and put that against for example the opening riff of “Eye” from Ars Vitae which is a really straight forward rock riff really. In the end you’ll probably find “Eye” being the song stuck in your head that you really want to go back to and listen to again. With that said I sure do enjoy complexity in death metal, but there is a thin line between enjoyable complexity and plain tediousness.
8. Does the Metalcore scene posing as Death Metal upset you as it does others?
There are things that makes me far more upset. Narrow minded and streamlined music consumers for instance. People should be required to get a license for music consumption.
9. How has the music of Diabolical changed in the last 15 years?
Wow. A lot I would say. We now only have one original member left in the band so obviously the contributors to the sound have changed over time and naturally our music has changed with it. We will continue to change as well. Expect some surprises from our next album!
10. Do you have any non-metal influences you rely on?
Absolutely. I try to pick up influences and inspiration everywhere. Of course the energy you can receive from a fat old death metal riff cant’t be denied, but there are many other sources to get inspiration from: anything from classical music to the sound of the wind through trees. Do you remember a long time ago when you were walking in the forest…
11. Living or dead, past or present. If you could share the stage with anyone, who would it be and why?
My bandmates in Diabolical. Even if there are many musicians I admire and would probably enjoy to share a stage with, they cannot compete with what we have created together with Diabolical. For me the ultimate stage experience is to stand on stage with your brothers performing the art that you have conceived together.
Martell
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