Talking with . . . Melechesh
Interviewed 5/7/2003 by Brett VanPut
Interview with guitarist Moloch
Melechesh is a nomadic black thrash band which transcends the genre's usual limitations and the band captures a deeper, more sophisticated sounds than their peers while still remaining true to their roots. They first debuted back in 1996 with As Jerusalem Burns. With members relocating and the usual problems, Melechesh went on hiatus until 2001's Djinn, their label debut for Osmose Productions. Now comes Sphynx, easily their most accomplished work to date. It's more of a classic thrash album than Djinn. Here is guitarist Moloch to allow to discover more about Melechesh.
How did you approach recording Sphynx?
Soundwise we wanted something heavy with a thrash production. It is important for our style not to fall in cliche sound, even if our extreme metal is close to black metal; we don't want a typical black metal with thin guitars. No, fat guitars that are still very clear and not drowned in too much lows, pounding drums and warm bass sound supporting the whole monumentum. We chose Andy LaRoque with this perspective in mind.
How do you like working with Andy LaRocque? Do you think he understands what Melechesh is all about?
Yeah I think he does. Andy, because he is also a great musicien, understood where we're coming from, and if we weren't happy with a couple of things, he would insist till things satisfied us. He's a very nice a professional person to work with, with a lot of patience and a good ear to listen to your style and try to find a sound that fits it. Musically, I think he understood and really appreciated what Melechesh is all about.
Sphynx appears to be more direct, and even more in a thrash direction, is this accurate? If so, why the change?
Very true, if you compare it to Djinn it is a more in your face album. Sphynx was written with a thrash drive behind it, but all this without loosing the Mesopotamian magick and mysticism that is everpresent in our style. It's a change yes, but that's normal, because with time we progress as musicians, and we write new albums because we can always bring something new to our style. If it was only to write a Djinn part 2, then no need to record an new album. There is change, but our Mesopotamian Metal is still there, so it's more about maturity than a sudden change.
What is your definition of respect?
Self esteem. Respecting yourself is the only way you can respect others.
If you could change anything about our society today, what would it be?
I don't ask myself such questions, so I don't have an answer.
What are some messages you would like to get across with Melechesh?
There no message, if it was only a message that we wanted to vehiculate, then we won't do music. What we do in Melechesh is to express something that we feel deep in us, it's a way for us to transcend our lives and society as we live it in a daily basis. Music is for us a mean to to our Mesopotamian history, thousands of years ago. A way for us to recreate that magick and
wisdom that was behind that civilisation, it's gods, spirits, mysticism and magick. No false and dramatic nostalgia, but a personal way for us to understand here and now on a intellectual, ethically and spiritual level what we know of the Mesopotamian Culture.
Your band is one that I always equate with quality, how much time and care do you put into your band? How do you ensure that people will get their money's worth when they purchase a Melechesh product?
We put 100% of our effort in quality and professionality. If we do such music, it's only to do it seriously. It doesn't bring food to our tables, but our attitude is dictated by such imperatives. Lots of care, and lots of time, but there is a limit, because you also need to make a living. People will get their money's worth if they like the music, I'm not a consumer advisor to tell people to prefer my music to others because I, personally, don't see it as a product. That is the labels interest. But for this album we recorded (Los Angered) and mastered (Bauhaus Studios) in very good studios, very good artwork (Ron Woodall, Industrial Light and Magic), and
included a multimedia section in the c.d., with a video clip of our second album, articles about our music (with guitar tabs), lyrical overviews, and explanations, photos.
What has been your biggest obstacle thus far?
As a band, it's a pain to be separated in different countries, but it's an obstacle that we overcame with Sphynx, personally I think that it has been an obstacle, even if we didn't see it that way, because the last four years of Melechesh have been more active than the five years we were in the same country. The geographical separation hasn't harmed the spiritual and musical bond that we have.
Do you feel your personal beliefs are shown in your writing for the band?
Yes and no. Because our connection with mesopotamian mythology and the occult in general is important for us and our music. But as I stated earlier, the reason we do music, transcends the will to pass a message. Music has the advantage to go beyond the message, it portrays more an attitude than a message, something deeper that a message cannot say.
What are your tour plans for this year?
Hopefully we will do a European tour this Autumn. But nothing is sure for now, so I can't add anything concerning this subject. But we must and we will tour.
What type of live show do you offer fans? Do you feel your ideas and music are effective in a live setting?
Yes, if we had the means and the budget, I think we would do crazy things on stage, but that's another problem. But we're an extreme metal band, and such music needs to be played live, where people can see a different perspective of the band, which is very important. We haven't played live since 1998, so waht we offered then and what we can offer now is pretty different, but we'll see that on stage.
Any final comments?
Thanks for the interview and support. Beware of the SPHYNX, 'IA UTU, 'IA
ENLIL, 'IA ASHUR.
Discography:
2003... Sphynx (Osmose)
2001... Djinn (Osmose)
1996... As Jerusalem Burns (Breath Of Night)
Current line-up:
Melechesh Ashmedi... vocals and guitars
Moloch... guitars
Al Hazred... bass
Proscriptor... drums
Melechesh
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