Modern death metallers The Morphean have been doing their thing since 2008, they have gone on to release several singles, an EP, and 2 full-lengths including most recent "Mechanical". Frontman vocalist Burns Biermayr talks about the album, shows, and future.
1. Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in The Morphean, and how long the band has been together.
Burns: Hey, my name is Burns and I am the singer/shouter in the band. In the end of 2014 we will have our 10th anniversary.
2. Can I get a backstory on the band/band biography?
Burns: Since our foundation in 2004 we played several gigs in our home country and produced two demos and a video. In 2008 our first successful output hit the music business. Our EP “Divine”. Because of so many positive reactions we decided to enter the studio in 2010 to produce our first full-length record “Enter The Illusion” which was released via “Refused Records”. After some line-up changes and cool live shows with Soilwork, Hatesphere, Born From Pain and so on we hired Uli Meisinger as our new drummer and produced a single called “Crossroad”. This was the first step into a new era. So we hit the studio again in 2013 (Studio Suiseidl, Germany) to record our second album called “Mechanical” which will be released via Noisehead Records this year.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
Burns: We are from Austria and we have a really good underground metal scene here. Of course there is a bigger scene in our neighbor country Germany but we have some awesome bands here. I can recommend THE SORROW, IN SLUMBER, BELPHEGOR, and many more.
4. How did you guys come up with your band name?
Burns: Oh, that is not easy to explain. In our early history we had to change our name and it took us a long time to find the right one. We spoke about our lyrics and what we want to express with them. So it is a synonym for the fact that every person has its good but also bad sides. And when the bad ones (which can slumber deep inside) awake our emotions can overwhelm us.
5. What bands have influenced your band and its sound?
Burns: Here we have to distinguish between our early times and now. But I would say that bands like In Flames, Soilwork (many swedish bands) influenced us the most. But also american bands like As I Lay Dying or Machine Head. Basically we try to mix up as much sounds as we can to create our own style and I think we did this well on “Mechanical”.
6. What lyrical theme do you guys use in your music? What message do you want to send?
Burns: Basically all lyrics deals about humans and their emotions (hate, anger, fear, love, …). I see our music and the lyrics I write as a balance to my/our normal life. I want to write lyrics which hit the people at their hearts. We hate to write violent lyrics, so we didn't.
7. What have you released so far and how were your releases received by the public/media?
Burns:
2008 EP “Divine
2010 LP “Enter The Illusion”
2012 Single “Crossroad”
June 2014 LP “Mechanical”
So far we are very happy with the reactions of the fans and media, especially with our last outputs. With the experience of 10 years we definitely know what we want and how we can set it up. The best prove is the new album deal with Noisehead Records.
8. Do you play live as well? How's your live activity so far?
Burns: Sure, we play as much as we can and we met some awesome musicians like Björn “Speed” Strid so far. Playing live is the best thing of being a musician. We all have normal jobs and on weekends we grab our guitars, drums, mics and play. :)
9. Do you remember your first show and what was it like?
Burns: Oh yes, I remember our first show, but I didn't want to. I was awful. Haha.
10. Has The Morphean ever played in the states or plan to do so in the future?
Burns: No, it's a pity but that is a question of money. So if we had the chance to do this, we would love to play in the states, especially in California.
11. What made you guys decide to form a band?
Burns: The most of us played an instrument and we were all friends. So we began to jam a little bit and at some point it became a more and more professional project.
12. Who produced Mechanical and what was it like working with them?
Burns: We produced Mechanical at Studio Suiseidl in Germany. Philip Seidl was the producer who also did the sound on “Crossroad”. It was very fun and professional to work with Philip. His experience as an producer and also as a well known musician in Germany helped us a lot. We love the sound he created.
13. Is there any story or concept behind the Mechanical title?
Burns: There isn't such a strong central theme behind “Mechanical” as it was on “Enter The Illusion”. The title of the album (and also for the song) stands for a person which hides it's emotion with the intent not to be hurt. If you want, the person is an emotionless machine. And in this emotional state it is hard to be in a good relationship with friends or a girl-/boyfriend.
14. Who did the cover art for Mechanical and how much input did you have on it?
Burns: The cover artwork did Matthias Bäuerle and SeasonZero who did awesome cover artworks on metal bands but also well known pop bands like Sunrise Avenue. We told him about our musical concept and about the lyrics and he made this awesome work.
15. Select two songs from Mechanical and what inspired the lyrics.
Burns: “Light On The Horizon”: The lyrics deal with the fact that every person has it's future in it's own hands. This person has to wake up, to fight and turn the bad times into good ones. It means that you to have to do something in order to reach a goal.
“Shadow Kingdom”: This song deals with a couple of riots in london, caused by a tragedy that happened to a citizen and caused by the fact that the rate of unemployment is very high. In this district the poverty rate is also very high. So I described this situation from two opposite points of view.
16. What's your take on Mechanical as a whole?
Burns: Mechanical is more aggressive, emotional and faster than all we had done before. We put our drum lines and guitar riffs to the next level and adapt the vocals much better to songs. It's also the first time that we had guest vocalists who did a really great job. The whole concept (artwork, production, …) is more professional than ever.
17. What's your favorite song on the album right now?
Burns: Hm, I love them all, haha. But if I had to choose, I personally would say “The Mass Infection”.
18. How did you guys get signed onto Noisehead Records? What's the relationship been like with them?
Burns: We prepared a landing-page with access for some labels and NHR was directly interested to sign us. So we talked to them and we also were very interested in their very fair deal. So the relationship is still fresh but we know that this was absolutely the right decision.
19. What is it you'd like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Burns: For us it is important, that the listener hears that this music comes from five musicians who put all their passion into this album. We tried to combine old school death metal with newer modern elements and melodies, so we hope that the people will like this mixture and will remember, that The Morphean is a really cool band. Haha.
20. What sould labels/zines/promoters know about your band? Why should they be interested in it?
Burns: They should know that we play all our songs live in the same intensity as they are on CD. We do all shows with passion and we bring all our emotions and energy onto the stage. Our new records is just the first step into a new era of The Morphean.
21. What plans do you have for the near future as a band?
Burns: We want to promote “Mechanical” as good as possible live and in the media. So we're planning a lot of shows in the near future. Their will be a new video very soon and more videos are also planed. Of course their will also be a release-show in June.
22. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Burns: You can listen to us on Facebook, YouTube or on our website (links below). You can buy our older stuff on bandcamp or on bigcartel. Our new album will be available over noiseheadrecords and the established online shops.
http://www.themorphean.com
http://www.facebook.com/themorphean
http://themorphean.bigcartel.com
http://themorphean.bandcamp.com
23. Any final words of wisdom?
Burns: Thanks so much for the great interview. Check us and our new album out. Cheers, Burns & TM
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