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Interview with Ville Viljanen - Mors Principium Est
Hey, check out what Ville Viljanen from Mors Principium Est had on his mind when he graciously allowed me an interview with him via email. He had quite a lot to say about some different areas of life and art and I think you will enjoy his observations as much as I did! Man I love this job! Now if I could just figure out how to make a living off it I'd be in real heaven! Hee hee, Hope you enjoy it!
David: Could I please ask what the meaning of Mors Principium Est is? Who came up with it and why was it chosen as well please?
Ville: Yes you may. It means "death is the beginning" its Latin. I found it in some place when we were looking for a band name. Maybe it was chosen because we wanted a bit different name than the usual. And it has quite nice meaning behind it also. Heh.
David: I have read a few places that you guys are being compared to Children Of Bodom......I just don't hear it myself. Do you think maybe this comparison is just an easy thing for the media to keep repeating because someone else has said it and they haven't truly listened to the album? Like I said I just don't hear the similarities they speak of and I think your music is much preferred to theirs anyway. I don't mean them disrespect but you guys are much more enjoyable to listen to than they are in my opinion.
Ville: Thanx! We don't find that similarity neither. I think its an easy thing to say that we sound like COB because we are from Finland and we also play melodic death. But it is not totally bad thing to promote our band like that, because COB is a selling band, so if you buy their album you will probably buy also ours, so that's just damn good thing. But anyways, i wouldn't say that we sound like COB, we are quite different.
David: My favorite track is "Life In Black". The melody and rhythm works so well together and the lyrics/singing bring out the power in the music. Do you ever sit back sometimes and wonder how it came out this way.....do you ever feel that somehow these creations are beyond you and in hindsight wonder just how this thing called music happens anyway?
Ville: Many people likes that track. The music is good on that one, but i am not happy with my singing. I could have done it a million times better and there are quite many things that really hurts to hear. Sometimes i wonder why people really likes this shit. Heh.
Its weird thing to be thinking that one year ago we were nobody, well ok, we still are nobody, but today we are giving interviews and people are telling how good our album is and telling that "you guys rule!" and all that shit. And why? Because we recorded an album. Now thats something that i have been thinking and wondering.
David: Can you tell me some inspirations that make it into the music. Not just bands, anything that inspires....books, movies, paintings, games, loved ones, friends etc etc.?
Ville: Space was a big inspiration for me when i wrote my lyrics. I also like it dark, so I hope my lyrics are not too happy and bright? Hah. I would have wrote about ancient Egypt, but then i couldn't and the band called Nile already has a theme in ancient Egypt. But i really like to read about Ramses and stuff. I also visited in the Egyptian museum when i was in Berlin, Germany this summer. It was pretty fucking nice to see all those stuff they had there. But one thing i would really like to do, is going to Egypt and visit the pyramids. Man, that would rule!
David: Are you guys able to survive from this music, or do you have to work a job too?
Ville: Yes, we have to work for our living. In this kind of music there are not so much money moving on than in the pop business. And that's wrong. I say that all the money in pop business should belong to metal music. heh
David: I like older Death metal bands like Entombed and Death....it's what I grew up listening to in the late 80's and early 90's. I was surprised when Melodic Death started coming out and now it has seen such a huge increase both in talent and the number of bands out there. It is my favorite style of metal now. Some people say it will get big and lose it's power over time.....really, to me, I think it has the most promise because there are no rules for what can be done, there are no limits. Agree or disagree? Please comment.
Ville: Yeah i agree. Well, of course if it gets too popular then the whole meaning disappears, but i don't think it goes to that point. Of course everybody does this because they want to make living through it and want the album to sell. But still i think that when it goes too far, you lose the joy of doing this shit and after that you do something that only the others like and you hate.
But back to your question. Melodic death metal is something that has only few rules. It has to be metal. But you can do almost anything and still call it melodic death or something.
David: Have you always wanted to do music and do you play any instruments as well as vocals?
Ville: Yeah, i remember when i was a kid that i have dreamed of a band and one day to have my own album on the stores. So, i can say that one of my dreams has came true.
And one other dream is to have Aston Martin DB7 Vantage, so if someone in the car business in reading this, that kind of car would be nice. Heh.
Well, i play drums a little.
David: If money was no object, where would Mors Principium Est like to record their next album and who would you like to produce it and why?
Ville: This is a cliché, but who cares. In Studio Fredman or in Abyss Studio. I just like the sound they find in those places. And of course there are many places in the U.S. About the production, i actually don't know. Maybe i would produce it. Hah!
David: Ok it's the year 2013, and Mors Principium Est is still going, would people be laughing at old guys playing melodic Death metal? Why is it do you think that music seems to be limited to young people getting all the exposure? I mean can you imagine how good of a guitarist or bassist or drummer a person gets to be after playing for that long. I think maybe the only place where a guy could get old and not be ridiculed is in metal. We have our looks so to speak, but it is not based on vanity and beauty. Please tell me your opinions about what I just said.
Ville: Why would they? I mean almost all the guys in those bands that i listen and have been listening are over 30. And i think they still kicks ass and some are even more brutal than before. So i don't think its something that people would be laughing about. But when you reach 40 and 50, maybe then you should start to think that is this still really necessary. With the other guys they have nothing to worry about, when they are too old to play metal, they can start to do Country or whatever, but when my time is up, i have nothing. Maybe i should start taking singing lessons. Heh.
David: well I won't bug you anymore for now....but I will be watching your career and I do wish you guys the best in your pursuit of your dream.
If you would like to say hello or make any final comments about anything at all on your hearts then please take all the space you'd like and say whatever you want. Until next time, God Bless.
Ville: Thanx! I would like to say this to the people who would like to see us live. Buy our god damn album!! Heh heh!
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Written by David - 9/18/2003 |
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RevelationZ Comments
| Comment by sam09metal (Member) - Tuesday, October 26, 2010 | 
View Profile
Comments: 1
Ratings: 1 | | Brilliant interview!I'm fucking surprised to see no comments on this one!The questions were so brilliantly asked...well done David \m/
Posted by sam09metal
Tuesday, October 26, 2010 |
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