Interview Maatkare

Maatkare, an all-female melodic death metal band, blends ancient Egyptian history with brutal intensity. Their debut album Rise to Power explores themes of power, history, and female empowerment.

1. Your debut album, Rise to Power, is set to release on October 18, 2024. Can you walk us through the concept and themes behind the album? What inspired you to intertwine ancient Egyptian history with melodic death metal?

Janneke: I’ve always wanted to implement ancient Egyptian history within the music I would one day make ever since I’ve lived in Egypt when I was 17 years old. Early 2020 I decided to finally pursue my dream, put together an all-female death metal band and focus on ancient Egyptian themes, similar to Nile (who have been a major inspiration for us). Initially, I wanted to write about female empowerment from that era in general and discussed this with my bandmates. One of the first songs we wrote is War Before Peace and these lyrics focus mainly on the crossover of ancient Egypt and the Roman empire, the many (useless) wars that were fought, often killing women and children as collateral damage. However, the songwriting quickly focused on Hatshepsut and her Rise To Power as female king and how she must have felt in a world dominated mainly by men. She truly is a major inspiration to each of us and we aim to keep her story alive through our music. 

2. The singles "War Before Peace," "May The Gods Bear Witness," and "Black Death" have already generated excitement. How do these tracks represent the overall sound and message of Rise to Power?

Georgia: These singles all have their own separate flavours and styles but all share a similar aesthetic which helps each song bond strong connection with each other. We chose strong singles that are different to each other to provide the listener an understanding that the album will have plenty of variations with strong subjects being represented that mean a lot to us. Whether you want a high tempo double kick alongside fast-paced riffs or a beautiful ballad, this album was created to take you on a journey. 

3. As an all-female band in a genre that is often male-dominated, how do you feel your presence is impacting the death metal scene? What has your journey been like navigating this space?

Amie: It’s actually been amazing so far! There were definitely some apprehensions about how we’d be received, having all been in other metal projects and being subject to lot’s of discrimination for being female. But so far, the response has been overwhelmingly positive and it’s been great to see us find a fair few non male fans during the launch too. We really hope we can encourage more people, particularly younger women and others to get into death metal and be part of the scene!

4. Your band name, Maatkare, refers to Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s royal title. How do themes of ancient Egypt, particularly powerful women like Hatshepsut, influence your lyrics and musical direction?

Janneke: Hatshepsut has been a major inspiration from the start. We really aim to tell the stories of powerful women like her throughout history, to keep their stories alive and to inspire others to always fight for what you believe in. 

5. Maatkare's sound is described as a fusion of melodic death metal with influences from bands like Nile, Arch Enemy, and Behemoth. How do you balance aggressive death metal elements with melody in your compositions?

Amie: We love the raw power and intensity that death metal brings, but melody allows us to create something more expansive and emotional. It’s about finding the right contrast. The heavy, driving riffs and blast beats give us that visceral energy, while melodic lines - whether it's through guitar harmonies or atmospheric orchestral moments - add depth and a sense of storytelling. Bands like Nile, Arch Enemy, and Behemoth have mastered this blend, and we take inspiration from how they combine brutality with moments of soaring, almost cinematic melody. In our compositions, we work to make those transitions feel natural, weaving melody through the aggression so that the music feels dynamic, like it’s always pushing forward but with a sense of purpose and emotion.

6. Given that this is your debut album, what were some of the biggest challenges you faced during the writing and recording process? How has the pandemic, which coincided with your founding in 2020, shaped your music or approach?

Amie: Although Maatkare formed in 2020, it’s been a journey since then. We’ve had members dip in and out and it took a while to finalise the line up. As we’re all from different cities/countries, the writing process was done almost entirely remotely in the beginning and it took a while to find our sound. I think forming in the pandemic forced Janneke, who was the founding member, to look outside of the Netherlands and consider bringing in musicians from further afield, because at the time, everything was happening remotely and online. It’s been one of the best learning curves though and we’ve finally found our flow with writing and demoing between us across borders and oceans!

7. You’ve announced an upcoming UK and EU tour in 2025. How are you preparing for your first extensive live performances? What can fans expect from Maatkare on stage?

Amie: We’re really excited about preparing for our first UK and EU tour in 2025. One of the highlights will be our performance at Underground Death Fest in Germany next June, and we’re planning to build more dates around that. Rehearsals kick off in November 2024, and we’re focused on perfecting our live set. Fans can expect a powerful, energetic performance that really captures the essence of Maatkare. If we pull our socks up, we're also hoping to maybe debut some brand new material during the tour too!

8. Ancient Egyptian history is filled with epic conflicts and legendary figures. Are there specific stories or historical figures that particularly resonate with the band and are featured in your lyrics?

Janneke: For our debut album, the main focus lies on Hatshepsut, but for future music, we are already thinking of other powerful women and female goddesses throughout history to write about. One was already mentioned by one of our members, Boudica. It’s a brilliant story that deserves to be told again.

9. Death metal often focuses on themes of power and darkness. How do you infuse deeper historical or philosophical layers into your music, while keeping the aggression and intensity of the genre?

Amie: Absolutely, death metal gives us the perfect platform to explore those darker, more intense themes, but for Maatkare, we like to delve even deeper by drawing from ancient history, mythology, and philosophical ideas from the perspective of women and others. Our music is inspired by the rise and fall of empires, the consequences of power, and the cyclical nature of life and death. Lyrically, we use these themes as metaphors for modern struggles—whether that’s personal, political, or societal—so while the music hits hard, there's a deeper narrative that reflects humanity’s constant pursuit of power, legacy, and survival. It’s all about blending that raw energy with thought-provoking content.

10. With Rise to Power coming soon, what are your goals for the album in terms of its impact on listeners and the wider metal scene? How do you see Maatkare evolving in the years to come?

Janneke: We really hope to inspire others to not feel bounded by the borders of your country when pursuing a dream. And we hope to Rise along with our fellow female musicians within the metal scene, continuously support one another and hopefully become an influential death metal band for many. 

Maatkare – Female Death Metal Band From UK/Netherlands (maatkareofficial.com)

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