Death thrashing madness is what the Danish force Mordax is all about. They are soon ready with their debut full length “Violence Fraud Treachery”, which we are looking forward to! Here is what the guys had to say when I threw a few questions their way!
Hails, please start off by introducing yourself and tell us all there is to know about the abomination Mordax?
Jeff: Mordax is a five-piece forceful death/thrash band hailing from Copenhagen. The band formed in late 2008, when Ejnar (drums), Lord Insane (guitar) and Asbjørn (vocals) began working on the debut demo ‘Slaughter’, which was released spring 2010. Mads (guitar) and I (bass) then joined and Mordax began focusing on live shows and writing new face-crushing metal.
What is up with the band name Mordax – how did you come up with that and what does it mean/symbolize?
Jeff: Lord Insane and Ejnar came up with the name, which simply means murderous in Latin.
You have been slated as the new Danish thrash/death metal hope – what do you think about that title – do you feel the pressure?
Jeff: Of course we’re very proud of that title and after a bounce of great reviews of our debut-EP ‘Slaughter’, we feel kind of obligated to deliver an even stronger and more hard-hitting full length album.
Ejnar: Yeah… We landed a deal with the great Dan Swanö for the mix/master part of the new record so hopefully he’ll be able shine up our crappy tracks!
Mordax is delievering a crushing mix of thrash, death and speed metal with a stunning old school feel – how did the band end up playing that exact blend of metal?
Jeff: The diversity in our music definitely comes from the different musical inspiration each band-member has. For example Lord Insane and Ejnar have played genres far away from death metal such as hip hop, pop, etc., and I really think this is a key strength when it comes to songwriting. Basically we all just share a common interest in playing and listening to all kinds of metal – both new and old school.
What bands have inspired you to play what you do in Mordax?
Jeff: The list of inspiring bands is long, but to name a few favorites: Metallica, Entombed, Hatesphere, At The Gates…
Who is writing the music in the band and how do you work when you write the music?
Jeff: ‘Slaughter’ was written by Lord Insane, Ejnar and Asbjørn, but right now we’re busy writing new material for our upcoming debut full-length. Usually Lord Insane, Asbjørn or Mads brings a few riffs and then we just jam until we have a result that skullfucks the listener.
Where do you find inspiration for the music, what bands do you turn to or can an everyday situation kick off a riff or rhythm pattern?
Jeff: Mostly I think everyday situations kick off riffs for our guitarists. For example a new song called ‘Monarch Of All’ was created in an everyday situation, where Lord Insane and Asbjørn were celebrating the large amount of beer they are able to drink by drinking even more.
What is the purpose of your music?
Ejnar: The purpose of our music… Hmm… I guess, even though it’s a poor cliché, that the main purpose of the band is just to have a great time! It really does become an addiction to network, book gigs, record, get out there and see the project grow. It’s great fun and a huge privilege being able to do this with some of your closest friends. Bla bla bla…
How much do you weigh ripping solos and leads when you write the music, as you do shred quite a bit on ‘Slaughter’?
Ejnar: Uhh! Actually we had a concept while writing songs for ‘Slaughter’: each and every track should contain at least one solo, the faster the better… I hope that the highest authority in the band -being Asbjørn – will allow us to carry that concept through to the forthcoming full length. So far I actually think that the first six tracks we’ve finished all contain some smashing lead parts.
You released ‘Slaughter’ last year, how was it received and did it live up to your expectations?
Ejnar: I think we all agree that it was very well received. The band had only really existed for a few months at the time and with no live shows in the catalogue. The material was all written within a very short period of time (actually ‘Flense The Forsaken’ was written in two hours in the studio as a displacement activity since I was too poor a drummer to track the verse for ‘A Slaughter In The Dark’). So all in all I’d say that we are more than satisfied with the way things went for this little self-financed project.
Who is the man/men behind the lyrics and what topics do they touch?
Ejnar: Lord Insane and Asbjørn are the partners in crime when it comes to the lyrics. The only one I could come up with was for ‘Flense The Forsaken’. On ‘Slaughter’ I wouldn’t say that there’s a red line throughout the lyrics. They span from drinking beer to slaughtering people. And maybe sometimes the two things combined…
How important do you find the lyrics and do you have something to tell, or perhaps someone to touch, with the lyrics?
Ejnar: I think we take the lyrics quite seriously in the sense that we want them to make an impression and to be well written. Not that we want to send some religious, murderous postulate or whatever.
You in the band are rather young and is part of the Internet generation, so how do you look upon filesharing and music spreading around the net? Do you use it as a channel of getting more people to know your music and do you think it’ll affect your record sales in the future?
Ejnar: We definitely take a huge advantage of all these fantastic possibilities that comes with Internet. So far we just want to spread the music and cash all the great experiences that this might bring. As I said earlier: it really all comes down to having a great time! So regarding the record sale I’d say we’d have to get a record deal to begin with.
How does it seem with news from the band, are you working on new material and have you been approached by some labels and is there one you are considering signing with?
Ejnar: Yeah… As mentioned earlier there’s a full length just around the corner. Our plan is to release the monster in Summer 2011 so hopefully some label will make the project a lot easier for us! So far we’re only out on the underground label Satanica Productions from New Zealand.
If you could pick your own label to get signed to, what label would you pick and why?
Ejnar: We aim for Roadrunner Records and then we’ll take it from there…
When will we see you tear Aalborg a new ***hole?
Ejnar: As soon as possible! We keep spamming the bookers from Aalborg Metal Festival to give us a chance to tear apart this lovely city.
How do you look upon the future of the band and what do you hope it’ll bring?
Ejnar: A lot of international touring! That should do it!
What are your your 3 alltime favorite metal albums?
Ejnar: I can only speak for myself:
Hatesphere –Â Ballet Of The Brute
Metallica-Â Ride The Lightning
Slayer -Â God Hates Us All.