Hierophant Nox | Interview

	Mendacity
	It’s a rarity for a band to reform after any significant period of down-time and make more of an impact than they did first time around, but Floridian melodic death metallers Mendacity seem to have done just that. The summer of 2008 saw the release of a self-titled album, their first in nine years, which impressed critics and fans with its creativity and coherency of vision. I caught up with Charlie ‘Axel’ Ekendahl, the band’s guitarist, who formerly found fame in Aghora, to see how the mood was in the Mendacity camp following their glorious rebirth.
	Hierophant Nox: Hi Mendacity, how’s it going? Charlie: I was sick for almost a whole week and I’m finally feeling good again, so I’m happy. Hierophant Nox: It’s now been 4 months since the release of your third full-length album; how are you feeling about it? Have the responses from the press and fans been positive? Charlie: The response has been very positive thus far, from both the press and radio stations, as well as the fans. I feel really good about it. Hierophant Nox: This release has marked your return from a number of years pursuing your own different directions; what brought you back together in the past couple of years? Charlie: I guess the timing was just right. We were all once again in Miami and not involved with any other bands. Hierophant Nox: Is Mendacity the priority focus for all of the band members now? Is there a constructive atmosphere in the band? Charlie: Absolutely. We are more focused now than before. Our free time for creativity isn’t what it used to be since we’re now all professionals in different fields, but the free time we have to spare for the band is used to great effect. We are older and wiser. Hierophant Nox: A number of critics have struggled to pin down your style- how would you describe your musical approach? Was there a particular sound you were attempting to create on this new album? Charlie: Originally when we rejoined we knew we wanted to create something different than we had in the past. We had been involved in other projects and our musical taste had also increased. It took a long time to find our new style. We recorded several demos trying to find a creative original sound that we were happy with. I think we were very close to finding a suitable style and it’s not a surprise that it’s hard to classify it since we were pretty confused ourselves at certain points. I think the new material we are writing is a little more straightforward but I don’t think we could have gotten there without releasing this album. I often am unsure what to say myself when asked so I usually just say "a melodic progressive death metal band." Hierophant Nox: How does song-writing work within the band? Does one person construct a song alone, or do you all bring ideas to the table? Charlie: Usually Omar or I will have a "riff" that we all build upon. Other times we have whole sections or close to finished songs. But regardless of how close to completion the songs are, we all tend to add something of our own – whether it’s a creative bass fill, a guitar melody, or a catchy drum beat or vocal line. Hierophant Nox: Is lyric-writing the responsibility of one person or a group effort? What concepts or expressions does "Mendacity" explore? Do you believe in the power of music as a conveyer of ideas? Charlie: I wrote all the lyrics for "Mendacity". In the past the lyrics were mostly handled by me or Carlos. I absolutely believe that music can convey ideas as well as feelings. It’s interesting because I have been told by people after live performances or upon hearing the CD that they really feel it. A friend of mine was even so moved that she almost cried after our last concert. Not exactly what you would expect in a "metal" concert, but since the lyrics are pretty personal in the new album and it deals with a lot of pains and emotions it is not surprising that certain emotions are triggered and I’m very flattered by that. Hierophant Nox: In terms of writing and production, was the creation of "Mendacity" a smooth process? Did you encounter any creative block or practical problems along the way? Charlie: Most of the hurdles along the way dealt with time constraints. We are very busy with work outside the band as well as post-graduate study, so it was sometimes hard to find the time to record or work on the mixes. We did also encounter some hardware problems that ultimately were fixed by upgrading computer. I didn’t expect the recording process to take so long, but I don’t think it would have worked any other way. We did learn a lot however and I’m very anxious to record our new material with this past experience behind us. I think the craziest thing to happen was almost not finishing the album in time for our mastering date. I was practically finishing mixing the record while packing before my flight to Sweden!

	Hierophant Nox: The gap of years between "Mendacity" and its predecessor "For Dear Life" must have seen you develop in a number of ways; what have been the main changes? Have they been reliant on the improvement of your skills as musicians, or do they reflect a different mood and focus? Charlie: I think the main change is that we are simply older and more aware of mistakes and needs for improvement. We had a lot of energy when we were younger and we practiced more often and you could argue that we were better musicians then but I don’t think we had true control of our skills. Now we are smarter and understand what we are doing better and communicate better and can play along as a band with a metronome, which is something we probably would have failed at in our younger years. We were too impatient. Hierophant Nox: Have you found a difference in the scene in general since your last outing as a band? Has it been harder to promote an album this time around? Are people more or less receptive to new music these days? Charlie: The scene seems to have different shifts. Things have changed a lot. Some metal fans have moved on from metal and new ones are emerging but with different influences and perspectives on music. I think they are pretty receptive to new music. In the past you were either a death metal head or a straight edge hardcore fan. There is more acceptance of liking different styles now I think. Maybe not completely as there will always be the elitists, but I think in general things are pretty good. Promotion is a challenge but I think we are handling everything pretty good so far. We have met a lot of the new up and coming bands that emerged in our absence and have created strong bonds already. I’m pleased with how things are going. My only concern is the lack of opportunities for local talent to open up for bigger metal acts. It seems to be a trend for booking agents to crunch in as many bands together as possible not allowing for local acts to open the show either due to time constraints or because they simply don’t want them to. I’m also concerned with new trends of festivals being put together by promoters who lure in new bands with a fee and promise of great things happening to them due to being on the festival. In reality they are just using the small bands to pay the bill of the headliners. Bands needing to sell tickets for their shows is another thing that leaves a poor taste in my mouth. It does however encourage bands to work hard, so there are some positive aspects to it but in general I am not happy about some of these trends and I hope they get fizzled out soon. Hierophant Nox: "Mendacity" was released on your own label, but your presentation overall is of a very high standard- how did you achieve this? Who was your artist for the album? Charlie: Joe Gonzalez of Real Band TV took care of 95% of the artwork and layout. It was great working with him. He’s a friend who actually used to manage my previous band Aghora, so it was nice to work with someone who I already knew personally. He was very receptive to my ideas and had an easy time seeing my vision. Hierophant Nox: Do you intend to keep releasing your own music in the future? Is there a plan to expand the label side of your endeavours? Charlie: Initially I thought we would, but since we’ve decided to demo our new material thoroughly before recording it as an album, it can’t hurt to send some of the demo tracks around to see if there is any interest. I’m currently in negotiations with a band that I’d be happy to have on Vinland Records. We will see in due time how things pan out.

	Hierophant Nox: You are putting some serious work into promoting the album in the live arena as well; is performance a central part of your existence as a band? Do you prefer intimate gigs or large events? Charlie: I prefer intimate gigs. They usually have more energy and it’s easier to feed off the crowd’s energy when they are standing only a few feet away from you and thrashing away. We love performing so I believe it will always be an integral part of us. Hierophant Nox: Is there a strong scene in your local area? Do you think this is important for the development of a band? Charlie: I think it helps, but I don’t think it’s a necessity. It can help a band’s morale if they are popular locally but on the other hand it’s good to be prepared for the worst. Our local scene is pretty good. I’m pretty sure there are a lot of bands that are received better elsewhere than locally though. We had a great response when we played in Costa Rica for example so if a band does not have a strong local following I don’t think they should panic. Certain music is received better in different places. Hierophant Nox: In terms of your own musical journeys, which bands drew you into extreme metal in the early days? Which bands have influenced you most, and do you think modern metal can live up to its forebears? Charlie: Carcass was the band that got me into death metal. I thought all the other death metal bands at the time were pretty good also - bands like Obituary, Malevolent Creation, Death, etc but none had the same effect that Carcass had on me until I heard At the Gates. They quickly got me into all the great Swedish bands like In Flames, Soilwork, Arch Enemy etc. I think the modern metal bands are pretty good but none of them really grab me the way Carcass and At the Gates did. I find myself listening to old bands like Edge of Sanity and Samael much more than I listen to the new bands. It’s great that a lot of the old bands are still around however. The new Opeth album for example is incredible and Novembre are also still around and creating great music. Hierophant Nox: What does 2009 hold for Mendacity? Have you begun new material or are you taking a well-deserved break? Charlie: We have written new material and are getting ready to record a demo. We hope to follow suit with a new album shortly after. It may come out as early as Summer of 2009. I don’t think we deserve a break since our new album took so long to complete haha. Hierophant Nox: What about the long-run; are there any specific ambitions that you have yet to achieve? Charlie: I think a European tour and a West Coast tour is something we’re looking forward to accomplishing. The West Coast tour may come as early as this Summer so stay tuned! Hierophant Nox: Many thanks for taking the time to talk with us; we wish you all the best with your future plans! If you have any final messages for the world, please go ahead: Charlie: Thanks so much! Thanks also to the readers. Cheers!