Hello! And thanks for accepting my request. Can you tell us a little bit about your band for the readers which are not familiar with your music?
Perversifier : Merrimack is a Black Metal band which has been existing since 1994. You can guess how many thousands of times I’ve been asked this question. I think that nowadays, every body can find this information easily by making a simple internet research.
In April you will come to Romania, I think it is for the first time (if I am not wrong). What expectations do you have?
P. : It’s not the first time we’re going to Romania. We have played in Timisoara in 2003 with Krieg, Negura Bunget, and Vokodlok. It’s a great memory, the room was totally packed, I think there were at least 400 people. On the best dates of this small east-european tour. This is why we wanted to return to Romania, even though 14 years later, things must have been changed quite a lot. I remember, when walking the streets of Timisoara back then, everybody was stopping us in the street, asking if we were bands playing a gig, people were not used to see a herd of 20 metalheads walking the street. It looked like they almost never saw foreign bands.
What is the main thing behind Merrimack, both in inspiration and desire to make music?
P. : Merrimack is the medium to express our ideological, philosophical, metaphysical and religious views. It’s the outlet of the frustration of this existence, living among brainwashed people, and the channel to our real nature expression. Inspiration comes from strictly everything, everywhere. Our daily life, our readings, our interactions with this world.
I will ask you a question that I ask many other band members as well..what are you listening to nowadays and what is your opinion towards modern black metal?
P. : To be honest, I don’t listen that much to modern Black Metal. Every year, there are few releases here and there that are worth a listen, but most of was is proposed is boring, useless, and futile. I listen to many different kings of music, which happen to be sometimes much darker than Black Metal. I enjoy listening to some rock n’roll (Guns N’Roses, Queens of the Stone Age, Led Zeppelin, etc…), to Depeche Mode, to Erik Satie, to Pink Floyd, to french singers, etc… All others members also listen to a wide variety of music.
Are you planning to record a new album now that you signed with Season of Mist?
P. : We have just finished recording the new album. The master has been sent to the label, and it will be released in June. I can’t reveal too much details right now. All I can say, is that we tried to make an album closer to the sources of the 90es Black Metal. Less complex structures, epic riffs, with a cold sound with a soul. It still sounds a lot like Merrimack, but it’s probably easier to digest than the previous release. It contains 7 tracks for a totally time of 43 minutes.
Big thanks for your time and for the interview and I wish you many years of quality music from now on. Anything to add in the end for your Romanian fans?
Thanks for the interview, and see you in Cluj Napoca in April.