Interviews: Necronomicon Ex Mortis

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal band Necronomicon Ex Mortis from the USA. Check out this band and follow them on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that?

The band name is a reference to the original Evil Dead from 1981. It’s my favorite movie of all time. Horror is the main inspiration for the lyrics in this band.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Death metal is the perfect combination of using interesting techniques both for composition and for playing the instrument, as well as extreme emotion and intensity. It appeals to me on so many levels because it can cover so much ground, so to speak.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

We’re all homies from back at Berklee. I met Joey (drums) and Craig (vocals) in a class on controlling body tension for musicians. Yusuf (bass) was introduced to me by a mutual friend, and Manuel (guitar) ran into me in a class on the history of electric guitar.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

My favorite band of all time is Iron Maiden, and that will never change. Yusuf is a big fan of Protest the Hero. Joey and Manuel are prog dudes, loving both Animals As Leaders and Tesseract respectively. Craig is a big fan of the older 90s prog stuff like Tool and A Perfect Circle.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Lyrically, I’m inspired by horror. I love the atmosphere of 80s horror movies, and I try to capture that as much as possible with the lyrics. As for the music itself, I love trying to combine the 90s death metal riffing styles with the 80s Shrapnel Records style shred. Anything old-school really turns my crank.

6. Where was your last gig?

We unfortunately haven’t played live yet. Touring is expensive, so we’d rather take our limited funds and use it to release as much music as possible, and then tour once we have a small fanbase built up.

7. Where would you like to act?

We’ll play anywhere that wants to have us!

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

The absolute pipe dream is Iron Maiden, but more realistically I’d love to share the stage with guitarist Christian Muezner. He’s been a huge inspiration to me musically and in terms of a career, and for that, I feel like I owe him a lot.

9. Whom not?

Kanye isn’t high on my collaboration wishlist.

10. Have any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? Any tip for beginners on how to beat that?

Stage fright never really affected me past the first gig I ever played professionally. The key is to OVERPRACTICE as much as possible, and then to focus on having fun once you actually start playing the gig. The audience won’t notice a mistake here or there, but they WILL notice if your anxiety is going crazy. 

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

The list is crazy long and fairly eclectic, but let’s give this a shot: Death, Black Dahlia Murder, Arsis, Suffocation, Dying Fetus, At the Gates, Obscura, Arsis, Racer X, Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Annihilator, and King Diamond.

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We aren’t quite cool enough yet for our fans to ask for weird stuff! But I love weird stuff, so bring it on.

13. What do you think of your fans?

I am truly grateful to anyone who has ever taken the time and listened to our songs. There’s no better feeling than sharing music with other people.

14. What do you think of our site?

The site is very organized and quite extensive.

15. Something to add?

Thank you for the interview, and thank you to any and all fans/readers. Keep metal alive and well!