„Esoteric Oppression“ by the Band THE MOTH GATHERER is one of the Post-Metal-Highlights in 2019 so far: an interesting blend of atmospheric, soundtrack-like parts and heaviness, metallic wall of sounds combined with electronic elements. We’ve talked with drummer Svante Karlsson about the new line-up, the production of the new album and the use of music as a kind of therapy.
Thank you very much for answering my questions. How are you?
Pretty good! We are rehearsing for the upcoming shows at the moment.
For the readers who haven’t heard from you before: please explain the bands name THE MOTH GATHERER and the story behind it.
The band’s name is about finding light in darkness. When you’re feeling down and depressed it’s a nice thought that there might be light at the end of the tunnel. Like a moth drawn to a flame.
You started THE MOTH GATHERER as a kind of therapy to deal with some losses in the past. Did it work and is there a change in the way you see your band now?
I think the focus has shifted from a form of therapy to being like, a more regular band. But for all of us, music will always be a form of therapy.
THE MOTH GATHERER changed to a band with a full line-up (drums, second guitar) and founding member Alex left the band. Please explain in a few words what happened the last years.
When „A Bright Celestial Light“ was released we weren’t really planning on playing live. That idea sort of grew as time went by. I joined the band and Ronny came on as a live guitarist at first. Then he became a fulltime member as well later on when we got some more gigs. It seemed fitting to be a full band instead of a two piece.
Why did Alex leave the band?
We came to a crossroad where we didn’t see the same future regarding the kind of music we wanted to create. The period between the last album and this one really crystalized that sense and Alex decided that he he needs move on. We’re still really tight and that might be because we don’t play together anymore.
What are your influences? Are there certain bands or other stuff which inspires you?We all have different influences across the members. There’s the hard stuff like Meshuggah and death metal to more pop, EDM and movie scores. We put all that stuff in a blender and see what comes out.
Please explain the songwriting process to our readers.
We record demos and send them to each other. We’re a firm democracy and if it doesn’t please all of us we most likely scrap it. And we keep the stuff that sounds good and interesting. Then we apply our different flavours and tweak it back and forth until we’re satisfied. There’s a big chunk of perfectionalism in that process and it has to feel good. We’ve never been a traditional band so we’ve never written anything while rehearsing.
It seems like electronic elements are an important part of your arrangements. Do you use analogue gear like hardware synths or are the synth lines on the new album emulated plugin sounds generated by computers?
All electronic sounds are made by Victor on software synths. Mainly Massive from Native Instruments. Though it would be cool to use more analogue synths. Let’s see what happens with the next album…
Is there a concept behind „Esoteric Oppression“ and if there is, can you explain it to our readers?
Not really a concept but it’s our most socially aware album so far. There are a lot of things we just accept and don’t really question. So it’s a contemplation on how we act and just fall in line.
The Opener „The Drone Kingdom“ features singer Messy Mathi on vocals, performing some vocal lines with almost middle eastern-like harmonies. Where did you meet Messy and what was the idea behind that collaboration?
We we’re looking for a finishing touch on that song and thought that we would need something special. We reached out to a friend of ours that knows Messy and we asked her if she wants to do something with us. She sings in and band called Barst that we really like. Messy luckily said yes and we basically only referred to which part of the song we wanted her to sing on. She came up with this and our minds were blown.
Please name an old album (before 2000) and a new album (after 2000) you still love and you are influenced by.
„Close To The Edge” by Yes and ”White Pony” by Deftones.
What are your plans for 2019 so far?
We’re doing our best to promote the new album and want to play as much shows and festivals as possible. We’ll probably start writing the next album later this year. And we should also get a place to rehearse.
Now I’d like to go through our traditional Metal1.info-Brainstorming with you. What comes to your mind while reading the following terms?
Classical Soundtrack Scores:
I love soundtracks! They are the glue that holds a good movie together
Kim Jong-un:
The best golfer the world has ever known. He once scored 18 hole in ones in one round.
Karma:
Is a bitch
Lemmy:
Jack Daniels keeps certain people alive longer than others
Massive Attack:
Teardrop
Some final words for our readers?
We’re extremely thankful for all the positive feedback we have gotten over the years. It’s very humbling experience to know that people actually enjoy listening to our music. A great big Thank You is in order.
24. April 2019 Stephan Gossen
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