Morgoth interview

Hello Morgoth crew! First of all – my huge congratulations regarding your latest killing album “Ungod”, which got pretty success all around the world!
Sebastian: Hi Aleksandr! Thank you!

So, album was unleashed almost one month ago, how good feedback you have got with the new album? Are there enough support from the fans wordlwide?
S: It really seems everyone likes the new album. We got almost 100% positive feedbacks and good reviews. Also very good feedbacks from the fans also good feedbacks overall about our new singer Jagger.

Previous album was released back in 1996 (Feel Sorry for the Fanatic), after that the band was sinked into some coma… What’s happened with Morgoth back then? Three musicians left the band… Maybe that was the reason of the hiatus?
S: We just wanted to do something different back in the days. We kinda lost trace of the Death Metal scene, FSTF was not the success we expected and the last tour was very exhausting, only Carsten had left the band at that time. We also did not split, we just stopped continuing.

And to whom came an idea to gather new line-up and continue kick assess again? Also, do you now completely glad and satisfied with the new line-up? Do you think you’ll play for many years with nowadays one?
S: It was Marc and me who called up Harry and asked if he would be in the project again to play some Cursed Anniversary Shows in 2011 and he said yes. Yes the actual line up works pretty well and we still have fun. We plan from year to year so lets see what happens next year.

Band was had hiatus, but what about you? Did you played in some other projects all those years? I’d not believe if you’ll say that you just sitting on the sofa, drink beer, watch movies and visit job:)
S: I did different things. I traveled a lot, had different jobs and a band project with Marc in Berlin. But that was more for the fun and not professional.

How much time you have spent for “Ungod” composing and writing process? What is the main idea of the album? As for me – album title is more than great, hehe! So there should be huge anti-christian thoughts, isn’t it?
S: it took us exactly 2 years until everything was finished. There is nothing anti-christian in it but anti-religion, because religion is the root of all evil.
If we look back in history, for millions of years the whole nature was in harmony and everything was well balanced. But this ended with the appearance of mankind on this planet. We created gods and religions, to distract from our own imperfection – we ourselves are the UNGOD. The two main themes the lyrics on Ungod are about the struggle within yourself, the inner struggle and the conflict each of us has to fight day by day. The other one is struggle which is brought to you from the outside. And the main problem that we are concerned about is that we see a violent rising of the so called religions.

2014 you have released single “God Is Evil”, self-titled song was included into the “Ungod” album, but second one – “Die as Deceiver” – not… What’s wrong with that song? I didn’t heard that single, so I can’t even imagine.
S: There is nothing wrong with that song and it is released as one of two bonus tracks on the digipack version.

“Ungod” have two instrumental tracks, one – self titled song – “Ungod”, and second – “The Dark Sleep”… Why you decided to do these songs like instrumental compositions and not like complete songs? Could you describe what about these compositions?
S: What’s a complete song? To me an Instrumental is as complete as a song with vocals. It’s just a different thing. When Harry and me started composing and writing the Riffs it just turned it that first I came up with The dark sleep and later Harry with Ungod. I like instrumentals and as you remember on Odium the titletrack also is a instrumental and even on Resurrection Absurd and on Cursed are Instrumentals, so this time it’s two:)

Okay, basic conversations around last Ungod album are about Karsten “Jagger” Jäger, the new Morgoth’s vocalist. I know many people who rejected to accept Morgoth with the new vocalist… My personal opinion (you could read it in review) – the vocals are more than good, acceptable and typical for Morgoth, so for me it’s OK, but from your personal point of view, why people able to reject the band just because of a new vocalist, even in spite if he is worth one? Do you think this is just something like childish nostalgy etc?
S: It’s for sure not childish and changing a singer is not so easy but a lot of even much bigger band changed singers so it is nothing impossible. In our case we had very though reasons for it and it was no fun. But as Marc also wasn’t a creative part of the whole thing the gap could be closed easy from the technical side of it. Frontman is a nice thing but at the end he was the face and the voice and there are as many faces and voices as bass-guitarplayers or drummers.

Look, Morgoth playing old school kind of Death metal, but you know, many old bands has been turned into more modern way of music, like those melodic death metal, groove death metal, deathcore, and those ultra-technical death metal etc… What’s your personal point of view about all these changes? Do you think musicians just lost ideas and start playing some new for them music or there are another things like to try to earn some bigger money (though I think old-school death metal is able to bring money to musicians as well, ‘coz it’s the same respected style but only with less market)?
S: I think musicians or artists should have the freedom to do whatever they want. Someone does not have to buy the record or painting ot movie or whatever. I think it is good when things change and we not freeze everything in time because we say 1990 was better than today because today I am an old fart. We are just passing the time and everything should have it’s place when we speak about Art and Music. In our case it’s just that we want to play Death Metal again.

Morgoth confirmed to many gigs and open airs this year. What do you expecting from those shows? Are you enough excited to play all over there and pass your massive energy into the masses? Do you like play live at all? What do you feel when staying on the stage front of thousands army of headbangers?
S: To me the live situation is the whole engine. It’s all about those minutes or hours on stage and it’s getting perfect when the crowd freaks out. I also like it to hang around with the other guys and the crew. We are traveling almost always with the same people since the reunion and it always is I nice get together.

How could you describe nowadays German metal scene? Do you see it growth and stable now then it was about 30 years ago?
S: I don’t know honestly. I focus on Morgoth and what happens with us most of the time.

Do you still dig into new and young bands? If you do – can you name us couple names?
S: No I actually don’t do that very much. We played some shows with Deserted Fear, maybe you know them. They are in their early twenties, very nice guys and play that old school stuff. I liked them.

What do you know about Ukraine, maybe you know even some bands out of here?
S: We played the Metal Heads Mission festival in 2013. Besides the awful beds and food in the hotel everything was very warm, welcoming and good organized. Very kind people and a interesting venue direct at the beach. Perfect weather etc. Of course I know about all the fucked up things that are going on these days and I hope it will get better soon.

Looking to the nowadays situation worldwide, I would like to ask, what do you think about events here in Ukraine, Russian invasion and etc? Do you believe there will not WW3 in near future?
S: I don’t really have an opinion here. I really don’t believe in the information that is spread through official media channels and I think the truth is only known by a handful of people. As long as there are people there will be war, hate and greed, no matter where on this planet and for what idiotic reasons. WW3 sound a bit big but if you look at the world today… we are already in war right? Maybe we should stop numbering the wars. It’s just ONE big war going on since centuries.

Well, that’s all I wanted to ask right now, so, thx for your time and awesome musick! We should be on Obscene Extreme thins year, so we’ll meet there and maybe will continue this chat with the glass of beer! \m/
S: Thank you and greetings to all our fans and fans in the Ukraine. Maybe we come back some day and rock with you guys. BTW, we are not playing Obscene Extreme this year but on the Czech Death Fest on June 12! (editor – oh, sorry, my fault:))

If you have missed Morgoth “Ungod” review written by our magazine, feel free to check it out by clicking HERE.

(c) Aleksandr Maksymov