And we (almost) thought they are gone. But as if out to prove us wrong, metal outfit Meza Virs ( www.meza-virs.com) returns. And with a full-length album Vida Sacrificium Meum Est (don’t ask us what that means) to boot. The band has kept people moshing in 2003 when they gigged extensively and shared stages with acts like Impiety and Abigail. But it later disappeared to work on their originals.
Made up of Cedric (vocals), Jasmine (vocals), Samuel (guitars), Jonny (guitars), Jon (bass), Ying (piano, synthesizers) and Tjinn (drums), Meza Virs tells us about their return, dark music, gears and erm, ejaculations. Now we got your attention.
To the uninitiated, tell us a little about the essence of the band.
Jasmine : Getting the whole mix of personalities, lifestyles, influences and preferences into the music we do is quite an achievement for us, considering we’re a seven-member band. That's the essence, I suppose. It’s the way everyone fits in, how we dance around each other’s ideas and quickly adapting it into the music. The result is sweet vanilla but with a slight bitter, rotting taste that's like insect repellent, which glows only in pink lights, reacts to techno and mixes well with only certain alcoholic beverages.
It’s probably deadly and constipates the hell out of you, but ultimately, uniquely, Meza Virs. ;D
Cedric : Right, no more drugs for that girl. While we're undoubtedly a metal band at heart, the essence of the band is to create music that’s the collective result of our different influences, whatever it be death metal, classical or trip-hop. We try not to pigeonhole ourselves into one narrow genre, so it's kinda annoying when our music gets labeled as black metal which is inherently limiting. We're definitely hell-bent on throwing a few wacky musical curve-balls on our new material, so look out for that.
Sure, and what are your current listens?
Jonny : A little Carcass, Opeth and the new single by Dream Theater, ‘Constant Motion’.
Jasmine : Vanessa Van Basten's La Stanza Di Swedenborg, Callisto's Noir, The Silent Ballet Vol. 2 (gorgeous compilation), John Zorn's Naked City, Unexpect, Rondellus, Aghora, Björk’s Volta, Tori Amos’ American Doll Posse, a mix of 80s movie soundtracks – I’ve been feeling nostalgic lately – and a whole weird mix of other stuff.
Cedric : Dark Tranquility’s new album Fiction. It's really vocal-driven and it’s their best release in years. And Dredg’s Catch Without Arms. I dug this one out. It has great songs and I love Terry Date’s snare sound and production.
Now tell us about Meza Virs’ most embarrassing record collections.
Jonny : Cedric likes Avril Lavigne. Nothing terribly embarrassing for me, just some old Bon Jovi albums, I guess.
Cedric : I have all three albums by Avril and one of them is signed. And I'm not embarrassed at all. She's a perfectly legitimate, credible and talented artist. P/S: Avril, if you ever end up reading this, I'd love to sit down and chat about how you could be my girlfriend over some coffee and lube. Call me!
Tjinn : Mega Hits 6 . And I actually like a lot of the songs on that…
Haha. Well, Meza Virs was actively gigging before disappearing for four years. Were there fears of being forgotten when you guys made that decision?
Jonny : I guess we had reservations but it was a trade off. At that time, we want to channel our efforts into making the best album we could.
Cedric : It was something we had to do in order to focus on improving as a band and getting the album right. The metal scene seemed to be stagnating a bit back then and we felt burnt out from playing live. But somehow, we managed to keep a buzz going throughout the years through some slightly sneaky methods, so it's all good.
Jasmine : I'm not too fond of the limelight anyway so that was fine with me. I thought it gave us more time to improve and, you know, surprise people. There were people bugging us during those four years and asking us when the album was gonna be out, so I guess that's not really a thing to worry about. :P
Now that you’re back with Vida Sacrificium Meum Est, are you happy with it?
Tjinn : Like most musicians, I am never satisfied with my work. If I have another chance, I will probably re-record everything.
Cedric : We all pretty much feel the same way. I reckon there’re a million and one things we’d change about it, but if we went that path, we'd probably still be recording the album. I'm proud of what we've accomplished and think that it stands out as a local metal album. But we probably learnt how NOT to make an album. Haha… You live, you learn...
Some of the lyrics in the song ‘Shadows of Oblivion’ don’t seem to be English. Are they invented? Are you guys attracted by foreign languages?
Jasmine : Hahaha.. There's a long story to those words. For now, it's safe to say that they were invented for the sake of giving a different touch to the song and as an experiment on how languages affect the vocals and overall vibe of the song. No other fancy purpose. I'm particularly fond of experimenting with ethnic languages vocally and try singing in different languages, so I winged it a bit in that song.
Think people’s comparisons of Meza Virs with Evanescence are valid?
Jasmine : I think it's just because there's a female vocalist present in our band. It's quite a hilarious comparison, considering we're musically worlds apart from the band. I mean seriously, a little more effort listening to us completely yanks that comparison out.
Jonny : Not really. I guess it’s the reaction of mainstream listeners to heavy rock music with clean, female vocals. But I feel that Meza Virs is a little more complex in terms of our musical composition. It does give the band some commercial appeal though, which is good.
Cedric : If anything, why not a comparison to Lacuna Coil, Therion or something? Those bands were around before Evanescence and were probably more of an influence on us. I suppose ‘Crestfallen’ was the song that led to the comparisons, with its electronics, layered vocals and big guitars. I don't see it as a bad thing. Commercial appeal is great, considering none of us set out to become some underground cult band.
And do you think the increasing interest in the goth culture could have contributed to the growing attention on Meza Virs recently?
Jasmine : No idea. I'm not sure we're goth. If it's the whole black thing, then Versace's goth. If it's the lyrics and how people relate to it, then nearly every damn person and poet is a goth. If we're labeled goth, it's probably because we don't bother with matching our colors when it comes to dressing up. Or it could be the fonts we use in the album. Or the sulks we give on our photo shoots.
Most likely, it's because we reference elements of the dark often. And that's predominantly a preferred emotional outlet for the band. I don't see an increase in goths listening to our songs. It's a whole mix of people. Then again, everyone's still debating on the definition of Gothicism, so no answer here and I yakked for nothing. Sorry!
Cedric : I think it's a bit of coincidence when it comes to timing really. We were always more metal than goth. Musically, we were never really goth in a Bauhaus or Sisters Of Mercy sense. Since we dropped the stage makeup years ago, that pretty much severed any link to a goth outlook. We still keep things dark but that's just a reflection of the music we make. It's great that the local goth scene is making a resurgence though. Any hint of a subculture rising in this sterile city is a good thing. Besides, goth chicks are hot. ;)
With their warm outfits, I reckon they’re hot in all senses of the word. What are the music gears that you people can’t live without?
Ying : Yamaha P-120 Digital Piano and Micro Korg.
Jonny : Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp.
Cedric : We don't have millions of pedals like the indie or postrock bands but we're complete whores when it comes to getting that METALE tone using amps. No pedal is going to take the place of a good tube amp with its gain cranked up high. A picture speaks a thousand words so...
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(We run our signals through) Mesa Boogie Triaxis preamp, Mesa Boogie Recto Recording Preamp, FJA modded Peavey Rockmaster preamp and Mosvalve 962 and Marshall 8008 power amps through Marshall cabinets that go to 11. All of us use Ibanez guitars (RG1570, RG1527, RG565, RG2820, Universe UV777, JEM 77BFP, etc.) And we can't live without Dunlop Jazz III picks.
For the electronic drum loops and samples, I use a Korg ES-1 Electribe, a nifty little box with flashing lights that gives a nice glow onstage and makes it look more complicated than it actually is. ;)
And what’s on Meza Virs’s wish list?
Cedric : A proper worldwide release for the album and to do as many major overseas gigs as we can. Playing at any of those European summer festivals like Wacken will be a dream come true. We're working on that. We also hope our next album doesn’t take another 3 years to be released for the sake of the fans and our own sanity. Oh, and an ENGL Powerball/ SE amp.
If Meza Virs can invite one music legend – living or dead – to have a beer with, who would it be? Why?
Ying : Miles Davis and I can’t take beer. Only apple shooters and 3 at most. :) But honestly, I don’t know what I would say if I see him. I just want to see him with his trumpet and hear him play live.
Cedric : It’d be Dimebag Darrell because he just seemed like the most awesome friendly cat to get wasted with. It won't stop with a beer that's for sure. Bring on the black tooth grins...
Jasmine : Just one?! Hmm, Björk . Fun conversations about talking noses and that weird sound we keep hearing every time the bartender wipes a section of the bar. We'll kidnap each other, go to the sea in untied laced boots and stone there in silence with our own music and recorders. And we’ll talk to the fish and cloud and ponder on why they can't marry and live together, and if they did, ponder on how a cloudfish might sound like. Maybe like, “wooshslapslapsqueak.”
Err. OK. Complete the sentence. “Good music is like…”
Jasmine : Seeing and sensing your existence with everything else.
Ying : Snuggling in bed on a rainy morning. (Good Cop)
Jonny : A well timed ejaculation, truly satisfying. (Bad Cop)
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