Sunday, January 18, 2015

Morti Viventi Interview

1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?

Mörti Viventi is a one-man thrash metal project. I'm from Stamford in Lincolnshire and I write and record all the music myself. If you like thrash metal and horror, have a listen!

2.A few months back you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?

It's fast, hard and heavy... Listen to it loud! The music is definitely old school at heart. When I'm writing songs I look to write music that grabs the listeners attention and keeps it for the duration. The album starts out fast and ends fast but in the middle there's a lot more depth than that. Particularly on the instrumental track which goes from slow and heavy, to really fast, then there's a solo trade-off between bass guitar and lead guitar, then there's the really heavy riffs with the harmony guitars at the end! I like to add an eerie sound to the music as much as I can as well.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects you explore with your music?

A lot of the lyrics are horror inspired as I'm a big fan of horror in general. Sometimes I like to use horror as a commentary or metaphor for a deeper meaning. For example on the opening track 'Hell On Earth' I'm exploring the bad side of humanity, people giving up hope, the end of civilization and people not looking out for those in need. Other horror topics you'll find on the album are zombies, vampires, maniacs, aliens and... Metal.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Morti Viventi'?

'Morti Viventi' is Italian for living dead. I came across the phrase a lot when I first became interested in Italian horror movies as a teenager. Being an absolute zombie fanatic I wanted to have a band name relating to the living dead as that's what I'm into, there were a few on the short list, living dead, zombie... But I went with Mörti Viventi in the end. I added the umlaut not to change the pronunciation, but just because it looks cool!

5.With this project you record everything by yourself but have experience working with other bands and doing live shows, are you open to working with a full band again in the future or do you prefer the solo route?

When the time is right I'll take the band route again and gig the hell out of Mörti Viventi!

6. UKEM Records recently put out your album, do you feel they have done a good job on getting your music out there heard?

UKEM have done an excellent job so far and I'm proud to be part of the UKEM roster. They have great contacts and have certainly helped share the music to a larger audience. Having your own shirts and CDs available is excellent too.

7.You play a musical style that has its roots going back to the 80's, do you feel a lot of the younger thrash bands have made this musical style more aggressive again over the years?

I think thrash has always been aggressive and it's great that thrash bands these days are still as aggressive as ever! What I really like is that thrash has grabbed the attention of the metal audience once again in recent years. The internet has really helped music fans as a whole find the style of music that they're into. No longer do you have to suffer the crap that's fills your TV screen or floods certain boring music magazines. You can search the web and find music that you enjoy!

8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of thrash metal?

I've had really positive feedback so far - outside of the UK I've had contact with people from Argentina, Slovenia, Cyprus, Greece, USA and more! One guy went as far as saying it was the best album they had heard in years which is very flattering. It's awesome to hear that people are enjoying the music.

9.Where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?

I'd like to see my playing and singing improve! Hahaha! I'll definitely continue to write and play the style of music that I love the most, hopefully the audience will continue to grow and I can keep releasing albums for as long as possible after this one.

10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

I could list loads and loads of bands that have had some kind of influence on the music but Slayer, Mercyful Fate, Vio-Lence, Sepultura and Metallica I think would be the main ones. In recent years I've become a big fan of Thin Lizzy. Their Greatest Hits DVD is on heavy rotation in my house at the moment! I listen to rock as well as metal, stuff from the 70's, 80's, even big hair stuff that I remember from when I as really young, Whitesnake etc. Thrash-wise, the album 'State of Insurgency' by Hexen really caught my attention when it was released in 2008. Nowadays I have my iPod set to shuffle... About 10,000 tracks I think. Awesome stuff all round!

11.What are some of your non musical interests?

I like watching movies, 3D stuff, brewing beer, trying different real ales, eating out, exercising. I like a bit of gaming now and again too.

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Always be yourself and make time to do what you enjoy doing. All the best to you and thanks for listening to Mörti Viventi!

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