interviewpage
Mammuth - interview November 2001 |
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Ergonymous: Please, tell us briefly about your band and it's history.
Mammuth is a project that started in the autumn of 2000 by 5 former students at ITM "The Institute of faith and music" in Jönköping. None of us were really in to rapcore music when we started but we saw a potential in the band and we enjoyed playing together. And we also thought that this genre was pretty unexplored in Sweden, even though it is a major hit worldwide. Ergonymous: How would you describe your music to somebody that isn't into the scene? We really don't like the term rapcore, cause we don't want to be categorized as "another Limp Bizkit". We have used a lot of terms to avoid that, including: "max martin hardcore" and simply "Rock" But mainly, our music is for them who aren't happy enough to listen to gospel but not angry enough to listen to death metal ;o) Ergonymous: How is the music born in the band? I write all of the lyrics, and some of the riffs, but I can't play guitar ("...is it possible to play like this: da da dam dam dam da..?") so the music is often formed in the band based on an idea by either me (Daniel) or guitarist "Carl Magnus Palm". But lately all in the band has started to contribute with ideas and that's really great. Ergonymous: About the scene in general, what do you think about it here in Scandinavia? Just look at the charts... rapcore is big, even if many music-wannabe people says it stinks, it is still selling records. It's like Abba, when they came, no one admitted that they liked it but still they were selling millions of records =) Scandinavia hasn't seen the end of the rapcore wave in many years. Ergonymous: What do you think about the possibilities of a Christian rapcore-band to make a international breakthrough (maybe not a huge as POD. for example, but still a breakthrough)? That's an interesting question; a Swedish band is struggling with completely other rules than an American. Sweden is so secular that I doubt that even P.O.D. is going to sell here. Blindside had a hit some years ago but they came when there was a vacuum after hardcore band "Refused". I think it has to be something like that to make a breakthrough in Sweden, which I think is necessary before you start to aim international. Maybe the break up of RATM can make the way for mammuth =). They sure have a lot of fans here... Ergonymous: You have quite hard-hitting lyrics especially about the state of the church in Sweden (and probably the rest of Europe also...). What's the kind of reactions you want to get from that? Our first name on the band was "Isaiah" and that pretty much sums it up. The prophet Isaiah got word from God that His people were on the wrong track. Isaiah saw that it was true and spoke out to the people of God that they have to turn to God again if they wanted to survive. The churches in Sweden are filled with hypocrites who claim to be so Godly, but still the churches are getting more and more empty. Something is definitely wrong. (See Ish. 58:2-9) But Isaiah is also a book that talks a lot about Jesus, and that he is the way to reach the goal. We want to do the same: to point out the problems and to help people to focus on Jesus, our only hope. Ergonymous: What does the word "revival" say to you?? Revival starts with an individual commitment, that's why our main goal not is to reach out to non-Christians with our music. We think that if we are able to wake and inspire the teens in the church to go 100% for Jesus than it would probably be more worth than us playing at the main stage at "Hultsfredsfestivalen" (even though that would be cool to!) Evangelism isn't supposed to be made from a scene, it's supposed to be made by ordinary people to ordinary people. Our goal is to be the spark that lights the fire... Ergonymous: Have you made any recordings? We've made a demo in feb. 2001 and a live recording that we use as promo. Ergonymous: You'll release a demo in early 2002, tell us about it... We have had a lot of positive response when we have been out playing, that's why we now want to make a demo that really makes us justice. To be honest, our demos sucks... =) At least the production, but you know that =) So anyway... we're really expecting to get some record companies interested with this new demo. And maybe our first record will be out summer or fall 2002. That's the plan =) Ergonymous: I've heard you have had some co-operation with the gospelchoir "Joybells". How is that possible and how did it turn out? Yeah... That's so cool! Joybells invited us as guests at their monthly concert "Ung Ton" in Örebro. And the same morning as the concert we got this wild idea about letting them join us on our final song "Praise", which is an reggae influenced song with an hard hitting chorus. So very fast we made a gospel arrangement and practised it with the choir at the soundcheck. It was a complete success. We had fun, the choir had fun and the audience had fun, and in fact it really lifted the song! So when we're going to make a full length... it will surprise me if Joybells isn't featured =) Ergonymous: Do you know anything about the future of the band (touring, full-lengths...)? As for recordings, see question above... We'll be playin' in Sweden this spring and rumours say we're going to Finland next summer =) (sounds great! Ergo's comment) Ergonymous: Our standard question: Name your top five CD's... Ok. This is my personal list right now: Björk: everything she has made. RATM: "ratm" (ok we admit, it's our main influence... but that's not to bad, is it??) Jamiroquai: "Travelling without moving" Portishead: "Dummy" Michael Jackson: "Invincible" (Don't try to figure out our sound by that list =) Ergonymous: Any other comments for our readers? Focus on Christ and we'll rock this world together!!! Mammuth's in tha house!!! ;o) Ergonymous |