With the upcoming release of their 3-CD Boxset "Anti Diluvian Chronicles" (celebrating nearly 15 years of music) and also the new DVD "Sinamorata" which is due late summer - we took the opportunity to chat to Hamish of British Doom legends MY DYING BRIDE about upcoming releases, recording the new album, and his own label "Blackdoom Records".
[RK] As reported on your website, the Sinamorata DVD is on schedule for a summer release this year. Are things still on target with the DVD? How much input do the members of the band have with regards to what goes into the content?
I think the DVD is to be released in the early summer. The promo video for The Blue Lotus has just been finished by Dave Palser and it looks amazing; we are all very pleased with it. Of course something like this gets sent through to the band first to see, and we are all very pleased with it. The concert looks and sounds amazing and I am looking forward to its release.
[RK] Your website says you are already writing new material - how is this shaping up? Are you just playing around with ideas at the moment or are any songs taking shape? Can we expect any sort of radical departure from "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light" ?
Andy and myself have a lot of guitar riffs and musical ideas that we have been playing around with - a lot of which have quickly formed into near complete song structures, and are waiting for lyrics that could influence their development further. Aaron has started writing lyrics and I look forward to seeing what develops next. It is too early to say what direction the album will take, as that is determined by the songs constituting it - but the music so far is deeply sorrowful with a very strong melodic sense tinged with sadness.
[RK] How do you go about writing new material. Does the band get together and share ideas in a democratic fashion, or are there any particularly strong song writing forces in the band?
Everyone can bring in ideas when we are writing new material, but most frequently the songs begin with the guitar lines written by me and Andy. There have been a couple of times when a song has begun with lyrics written Aaron and he has an idea of what he imagines the song to sound like, or either Andy or myself have written guitar lines directly influenced by some text Aaron has written.
[RK] Would you ever consider creating another experimental record, in vein of 34.788% Complete?
If it was the natural direction our writing was going at the time. We would never sit down and say to ourselves we are going to write an album that will sound like something else - the songs develop in their own fashion, but we are certainly not afraid of experimentation!
[RK] What is the general feeling about 34.788% Complete within the band - are you glad it was done?
It's a great album and an important part of MDB's history. There are some great songs on it, such as The Whore, The Cook and The Mother.
[RK] I notice that the artwork has been updated for the re-release of "For Darkest Eyes". Is the artwork on your releases something that - as a band - you consider important, to convey a particular mood or message, or is it just one of those things you have to get out of the way?
Artwork has always been very important for MDB and I feel that MDB has always had great artwork, a lot of it of course having been done by Aaron. The visual dimension is always important. I have just been checking out the artwork for the new box set and it looks great!
[RK] Aside from being in the band, what music is floating your boat at the moment? What sort of influences do you find creeping in these days when writing your own music?'
I am listening to a lot of music as always, but I don't think any of it would particularly influence what we are writing at the moment. I am listening to a lot of Megadeth as always (old and new, apart from the Risk album) and would probably say they are my all-time favourite metal act (apart from the Risk album). The Neurosis and Jarboe album was amazing. And as far as other new music goes... seriously, you have to check out InDread Cold from Poland.
[RK] Metal fans can be pretty elitist when they want to be. Does it annoy you at all if people bang on about new stuff "never being on par" with older material? Especially when you yourself joined the band at a later time ?
Not at all - everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I know that listening to old albums brings back old memories as well, which influences how you view an album. We constantly get people telling us how much they love The Dreadful Hours album, Songs of Darkness featured in critics and fans' best albums of the year lists, and She Is The Dark is a staple of our live set because it is regarded by many as a classic. We love and respect our past and present, and look forward to the future.
[RK] MDB have spent their career on the Peaceville label. With bands hopping labels left, right and centre these days, they must be doing something right. What's your relationship like with them?
It's a good relationship with a long history. Their locality helps too; if needs be, meetings can be very easily arranged - much more so than say if we were on a German label.
[RK] I understand you are often busy with "Blackdoom records", can you tell me a little bit about your involvement with the label, and bands such as "The Prophecy"?
BlackDoom Records was founded by Andy and myself from MDB, and Debora Moretti. On tour, we are often given demos from bands, and sometimes there are some really good ones and we thought it would be good to share what we found with our fanbase.
The Prophecy were the first band that made us want to release an album by them - they play sophisticated Doom/Death metal steeped in grand tradition, and recorded an excellent debut album called Ashes. We have had a lot of direct involvement with them; we have taken them out on tour supporting us in 2003, and I filmed and directed their first promo video (seen on the Bloodstock dvd and shown on Scuzz tv). Since starting the label we have recieved a lot of cds, and some really good ones amongst them. Our second signing is InDread Cold from Poland. We have released their debut album called Underaba, and they play a darkly unique industrial metal - they are very special. Both these albums are available now from www.blackdoom.com and we are planning on securing further distribution at the moment.
[RK] Although the variety of bands at Bloodstock is becoming a little more diverse these days, it has - in the past - been heavily weighted towards Power Metal acts. How well do you think The Prophecy were received at last year's festival?
I was there and they did great. The Prophecy sold a lot of cds and merchandise by winning over a lot of the audience. I was very impressed with their performance that day, and obviously others were too.
[RK] A lot of Doom bands have been influenced by MDB over the years - is imitation a sincere form of flattery, or the thin line between copyright infringement?
As long as the songs are good and original in their musical composition, then influence is fine. Plagiarism is a different matter. Sometimes we see some obviously MDB-influenced song titles and lyrics, and if they are too close, it just makes the imitators look bad, not us.
[RK] The all important question - As you are currently rehearsing, are there any plans to tour the UK in support of the new CD/DVD releases?
I certainly hope to play a couple of shows in the UK in the not-too-distant future. It is something we have certainly discussed. Keep an eye on the concert section of www.mydyingbride.org for details.
[RK] It is common knowledge that Aaron isn't particularly comfortable in the live environment, do any of the other band members (including yourself) share this sort of sentiment or do the rest of you enjoy the thrill of playing to an audience?
Aaron does find the live situation quite hard work, but he is fronting the band and has no instrument in front of him - it is just him and his voice with his emotions laid bare. The rest of us love live shows, myself especially.
[RK] My Dying Bride have a very intriguing stage presence. How much preparation goes into creating the atmosphere of your live shows - or is it just one of those things that happens naturally?
Aaron totally immerses himself into the songs - onstage he is in the same mindset as when he wrote the lyrics for whatever song we are playing; it is a perfectly natural transition into the headspace he was in at the point of inspiration, which invariably would be an emotionally powerful and pained situation. He re-lives this every time we play live, and that contributes to his performance. The rest of us just throw ourselves into the music and do what feels natural. We do give some consideration to the visual presence also in that our lighting engineer knows our songs inside out, and he brings an extra dimension to the stage show.
[RK] MDB rarely venture into the realm of cover versions. Is this a conscious decision from the band - as covers are often considered to be a gimmick - or just something you've never really gotten into? If you were (or HAD) to choose a song to cover, what would it be, and why?
MDB did 2 cover versions - "Roads" by Portishead and "Some Velvet Morning" by Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood. You can check them out on the Meisterwerk 2 cd. They were originally recorded for the Peaceville X compilation. I don't expect us to record any more cover versions in the future - we would rather concentrate on our own new material. Cover versions can be cool when they are a complete reinterpretation rather than a carbon copy, and so if I was to choose a cover version for us to do, it would probably be "Woods of Darney" by Richard Thompson - for me, that song is the pinnacle of sorrow and tragedy.
[RK] Just on a personal note, I notice you have listed "The Eye"as one of your favourite films. I'm also into a lot of the Japanese/Asian horror, and Dark Water is one of my favourites films of recent years. So out of curiosity - Cheesy Hollywood Remakes - Yes or No? :)
I actually thought the American remake of The Ring wasn't too bad, but I was expecting it to be a total disaster. I suppose remakes can serve a purpose in that it shares the story and ideas to a wider audience, and hopefully when people then enjoy what they find, they might then proceed to check out more diverse films with an open mind. It's the same with pop-metal bands - I don't mind kids liking the very mainstream so called "metal" acts, because it can then lead them onto bands of more substance when they tire of the 3 minute Kerrang-friendly formula.
Cheers for interview - Demand quality in your art and intelligence in your music.
All the best,
Hamish.
Many thanks to Hamish for taking the time to answer our questions!
