Live-Metal.Net - Interviews: Martriden

If extreme metal fans are wondering what the newest band to look out for is, the answer is Montana's Martriden. Montana, you say? Yeah, that's a new one for extreme metal. Their debut full-length album, The Unsettling Dark, is a near masterpiece. The disc is brutal and extreme but also features beauitful passages and melody. The band's name is derived from "Mara," a female wraith that appeared in Scandinavian folklore, bestowing nightmares upon her victims. Martriden already has opened for the legendary black metal band Emperor and The Unsettling Dark is receiving rave reviews. The album's packaging is one of the best in recent memory (see below). In a recent chat with Live-Metal.net, the band talks about making their debut album and their long list of influences. Enter the nightmarish sound that is Martriden and discover a new heir to the extreme metal throne.

How's it going, guys? This is Jeff of Live-Metal.net. I can honestly say I was blown away by the band's debut full-length new album, The Unsettling Dark (review here). To quote my review, “Martriden is furious yet beautiful, extreme yet dynamic, and The Unsettling Dark is a phenomenal album. Above all, they have a sense of purpose, unlike the droves of bands we are seeing today making incomprehensible noise.” Do you think this accurately describes the sound of Martriden?

That is a very generous statement. We don’t really listen to a whole lot of the other bands that are coming out nowadays, save for a few, so I can’t really comment too much about them being “incomprehensible noise,” but as far as our music goes we do put a lot of emphasis on being dynamic and giving our music a sense of direction, so there are some peaks and valleys that hopefully will reflect life in general.

And now the obvious question: How does a band come out of Montana and play blackened death metal? Is there a healthy metal scene going on there right now or is Martriden an exception?

No, there are metal fans and a few bands in the state, but the population is so low and so rural that it makes establishing a “local scene” next to impossible.

There are literally hundreds of bands that have influenced us, but I’ll stick with the obvious ones; Metallica, Megadeth, Hypocrisy, Iced Earth, Emperor, Soilwork, In Flames, At the Gates, Behemoth, Enslaved, Opeth, Death, Morbid Angel, Meshuggah, Nevermore, Amon Amarth, Decapitated, Dimmu Borgir, Bloodbath, Entombed ... etc. We also listen to a lot of progressive and experimental music; Van Der Graaf Generator, Gentle Giant, Genesis, and newer prog-bands like Anekdoten and Ulver.

We spent about six months while we were all at school writing the songs, sending the music back and forth between us. We spend about three days on lyrics right before we traveled to Denver where Shane and Chad rehearsed with the session drummer Jeremy for three days before we recorded the drum tracks and guitar scratches. Drums took about seven days. Guitars took three weeks and we spent about seven more days on bass, keyboards and vocals combined. And Dave spent about two weeks mastering the album after taking a couple weeks off from listening and hearing it just so we could have a clear head.

Is The Unsettling Dark a concept album, because all of the songs seem to tie together in some way or form?

It was not recorded with the intent on being a concept album, but the lyrical themes and overall flow from song to song makes it feel that way.

Martriden doesn't seem to be a satanic band, though I could be wrong. Either way, what are the band's overall views on religion?

As far as religion goes, we are pretty much indifferent; we really don’t care about it.

Tell us all about the artwork and packaging of the album, as I feel it really stands out.

Pär and Erik Oloffson did a great job on the main artwork and the overall layout. It really encompasses the overall feel of the music.

Tracklisting:
Intro
The Enigma of Fate
The Calling (streaming on myspace)
Ascension Pt. 1
Ascension Pt. 2
Processional for the Hellfire Chariot (streaming on myspace)
The Unsettling Dark
Prelude
A Season in Hell
Immaculate Perception

I saw a poll on the band's official message board regarding cover songs for Martriden to do. Did you ever pick one out for release?

No, we haven’t. We always think about what cover songs would be fun, but it's mainly for possible live shows. We really have no intent on recording a cover--too much hassle getting the copyrights and all that mumbo jumbo.

What are upcoming touring plans for the band? What would the band do for a stage show, given the resources? Would it be on a grand scale to match your sound or be performance based?

We’ll be touring for about 10 weeks in June through August. The rest is a mystery. If we had the resources, we would probably use some very specific lighting techniques and effects to aid the feel of the music, but overall we intend our stage show to be quite minimalistic and don’t really want theatrics to get in the way of the sound.

Where do you see Martriden five years from now? What do you hope to accomplish as a band?

We’ll be celebrating the fifth anniversary of you asking us this question! Hopefully we’ll still be going strong and our music will continue to evolve and progress.

Thanks, guys. Like I said, the album is phenomenal and I hope to see the band on the road really soon!

Thank you very much, and I’m really glad you enjoy the album enough to call it phenomenal. It’s very flattering to hear that.

Band:
Michael Cook - Vocals
Kyle Howard - Keyboard,Guitars
Shane Howard - Guitars
Will Thackeray - Guitars
Chad Baumgardner - Bass