Join us as Codex Mortis delves into the haunting realms of demonic possession and mind control, weaving tales of woe and torment through intense musical evolution.
1. Can you elaborate on the
inspiration behind your latest album, "Tales of Woe," and the
thematic elements of demonic possession and mind control that run throughout
it?
Arjan: Our new album draws
inspiration from actual historic events, folklore and the macabre,
intertwining themes of demonic possession and mind control. We were fascinated
by the idea of an evil spirit traversing through space and time, connecting
with hosts across different settings and eras. This concept allowed us to
explore various tales of darkness and despair, weaving them into a cohesive
narrative of woe and torment.
2. How did the collaboration with Björnström Ljud & Produktion
for mixing and mastering the album impact the final sound and atmosphere you
aimed to achieve?
Arjan: Ronnie’s expertise helped us capture the raw intensity and
live feeling we aimed for, while still retaining the sparkly, unpolished
essence that we wanted to define.
Mathieu: Also, we had a certain sound in mind, not the over-
produced modern bright sound you hear a lot these days, but something that
complements the ‘90s-inspired songwriting style, without sounding like a swarm
of vacuum cleaners in a church.
3. Vladimir 'Smerdulak' Chebakov created the artwork for "Tales
of Woe." How did the artwork contribute to conveying the album's narrative
and mood?
Arjan: Vladimir's artwork played a crucial role in conveying the
album's narrative and mood. His visuals brought our concept to life, evoking a
sense of dread and foreboding that perfectly complements the music.
Mathieu: Drawing inspiration from historic tales and sages, we were
searching for an artist that could visually complete the sonic picture we try
to scape, preferably like those old paintings, from the Dutch Masters. We were
in search of an artist that could capture the dark mood of, for instance,
Jheronimus Bosch. We found in Vladimir a very skilled artist for the artworks
of this concept album
4."Tales of Woe" delves into themes of revenge and perpetual
grief. How did you approach translating these complex emotions into your music
and lyrics?
Mathieu: We try to bring context and contrast to them, some pieces
will sound like a spark of hope, a small light in the darkness, or like a way
out of the endless misery, only to be blasted to pieces a few seconds later. We
tried to put his suffering and struggling with his hopelessness into the songs.
We arranged the songs with this concept, this idea in mind. After the
arrangements were finished we decided on the order of the songs in relation to
the tale we wished to tell. For instance: All tracks are from the viewpoint of
this possessed man, except for the opening track ‘Forsaken’. This is the
prologue, how the possessive spirit that haunts him came into being. Therefore
this song has another mood to it, where we tried to capture the aggressive
emotions of a man who sees his family slaughtered and swore to avenge them,
which twisted his soul into a restless disembodied villain.
5. Your band has been described as crafting "hypnotic skull-crushing music." Can you walk us through your creative process when composing tracks like "Fire Screams and Death" or "Capricious Disembodied Villain"?
Arjan: We start with guitar riffs that serve as the foundation, building upon them with layers of melodies and rhythms and sometimes a final touch with a solo. Even though, with Fire Screams and Death the solo manifested very early on in the process.
Mathieu: For most songs on this album we had a few riffs and a concept idea of how the song structure should be, then everybody put in their ideas and we shaped them till what they are. During the recording process some small parts had changed or added. When writing Fire, Screams and Death, Arjan wished to play the solo in the ending part of the track. At first there was a idea for a strummed chord part, but in the end we skipped most of it to create more space for the solo and to give it a more desolate feel, since it fitted the story better. Also we rewrote the strummed chords into a piano part which is a thematic adaptation of riffs from ‘It dies with me’ to serve as an outro/intro for the album finale.
6. With your previous album, "What Befalls of Tainted Souls," being released in 2021, how do you feel your sound and style have evolved leading up to "Tales of Woe"?
Arjan: "Tales of Woe" has a more direct and intense approach, with shorter, more compressed songs that grab the listener more by the throat, atleast that we had in mind.
Mathieu: In songwriting, the structures of the songs on ‘Tales of Woe’ were far more a collaboration of the band, in comparison to its predecessor, where only the solos were written by others. So I agree with Arjan that the style matured in that way. As for the sound, when we completed the arrangements, Covid happened and our drummer left. With only yet the writing process finished, we contacted Michiel to record the drums, who brought his own ideas to the table. Also, we wished to make it sound better than our debut, so we teamed up with Ronnie Björnström, who did an excellent job.
7. Can you share any anecdotes or challenges faced during the production or recording of "Tales of Woe" that left a lasting impact on the album's creation?
Arjan: The recording process had a couple of challenges because our drummer at that time decided to focus on other things, so we needed to find another drummer for the recording. Luckily we found Michiel van der Plicht (Pestilence) available to record the drums we had in mind at his ‘On Duty Studio’.
Mathieu: Michiel is a true professional and a great guy, within just a few weeks he had learned and recorded his parts. Also one of the founding guitarists got severe health issues during the recording process so wasn’t able to fulfill his parts. Since the world was struck by the pandemic we weren’t able to get together for rehearsals. The songs had been written, the drums were recorded, but we still had to practice those tracks which we hadn’t played as a band yet, due to covid and lack of a drummer and guitar player. We’ve seen less challenging times, and if all were different we would have completed it a lot sooner, but we managed nevertheless to finish this piece exactly how we had it in mind.
8. The album's tracklist progresses through a narrative arc. How did you structure the songs to best tell the story of demonic possession and the protagonist's struggle?
Arjan: Each song serves as a chapter in their harrowing tale, with escalating intensity and emotional resonance. From the opening salvo of "Forsaken" to the finale of "It Dies with Me," the album unfolds like a descent into madness.
Mathieu: …with death as the only way out. As said before, the first song ‘Forsaken’ has an other perspective as it is seen through the eyes of the possessive spirit while he was still a man of flesh and blood. Also the pace of the tracks intensify as the story unfolds. On ‘Capricious Disembodied Villain’, the protagonist is aware that something is amiss, but can not yet comprehend what is going on. In the third and fourth track the tempo intensifies, as the horrific visions unfold. The fifth track has a lot of tempo-changes to emphasize the twist of thoughts, the inner struggle of our protagonist. The realization of what he has become and his moment of clarity amidst a murdering frenzy and the accompanying feelings of guilt, regret and self-loathing are translated in the slow ending of ‘Fire, Screams and Death’
9. The upcoming release of your second full-length album under Black Lion Records in 2024 marks a new chapter for Codex Mortis. What can fans expect in terms of musical evolution and thematic exploration?
Arjan: With our second album, fans can expect a bold new chapter in the Codex Mortis saga. We're pushing the boundaries of our sound even further, incorporating elements of other metal genres to create a sonic experience. Thematically, we tried to create one long story consisting of various tales.
10. Finally,
how does each band member's individual contribution, from vocals and lyrics to
drums, guitars, and bass, come together to create the signature Codex Mortis
sound we hear on "Tales of Woe"?
Arjan: Each band member brings their own talent and perspective to
the table, contributing to the signature sound of Codex Mortis.
Mathieu: We try to keep an open mind, which sometimes takes an
annoyingly lot of time, but we do it with great enthusiasm, so it is never
really difficult. We try out a lot of the suggestions for riffs and
arrangements, also we push each other to great extent, while keeping the
concept of the album or tale of the song in mind. Moreover, although Arjan is
our guitarist, he has played bass for many years and I played guitar for over a
decade so we comment on each others parts and try to come up with suggestions
to improve the bass riffs or solos or whatever. Also after the drums were
recorded, again some new musical or lyrical ideas arose for small
improvements. As always, the devil is in the details.
Codex Mortis (@codexmortismetal) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
What Befalls Of Tainted Souls | Codex Mortis (bandcamp.com)
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