20 Questions w/ Moghul
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| Moghul 2013 |
Another day, another interview. We are either spoiling you guys or we dont have lives, either way, you win?! I am excited to present my recent interview with this much lauded band, Moghul from Birmingham, England. The spiritual home of heavy metal!
I have said this before, but I'm gonna say it again! The UK are producing countless talented bands in the sludge doom stoner metal scene, many of which we have featured on the blog. These guys are going to be at the forefront of that scene over the next 12 months, mark my words.
Moghul are creating quite a buzz due to the release of their brilliant debut release, Dead Empires, which Steve reviewed brilliantly a few weeks back but also on the back of their live shows too. So on the day of their vinyl release of Dead Empires on the Devizes Label, it is with great pleasure I bring you my interview with Moghul. Check out what Adam had to say when I presented with a new improved 20 Questions to him. Enjoy, Sludgers!
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| Crushing Live |
Hey Adam, How are
you? I appreciate you taking the time to talk to talk to us, here at the
Sludgelord.
Hi
Sludgelord, many thanks for the great review of our debut EP and thank you for
taking the time to ask us a few questions.
Q) How are things in the Moghul camp? What are your immediate plans with
potentially a full year of band promotion ahead of you?
A) Things are great in camp
Moghul at the moment, we are full of high spirits and creative energy. Our immediate efforts are going towards a
follow up to our debut EP. We would also
like to cast our nets further with regards to gigs so if you are reading this
and want us in your town get in touch!
Q) From what I remember, James contacted me towards the end of last year,
asking me if I would be interested in checking out your band. So, Dead Empires has now been released. First of all, congratulations on such an
amazing debut. Can you tell us about
the record and the process of putting it together?
A) Thank
you for your kind words. We are genuinely
grateful to anyone who takes the time to listen to it and we have received some
great feedback to date. It was a very
organic process and the two tracks were written within a short space of time
which led to them complimenting each other.
We tend to jam out riffs until we find a groove and something that
sticks and just build from there. We
seemed to get a burst of influence and creativity once we turned our lockup's
light off and used a dim red bulb as our only source of light.
Q).
You hail from the home of heavy metal, Birmingham, so that is a pretty heavy
legacy to continue. Haha. Could you tell
us a little about the history of the band and some of the bands you've played
with? When Moghul first formed? Current band members?
A) Birmingham
has a rich heritage in heavy music which has definitely had a hand in shaping
us. Moghul formed out of the ashes of a
previous band, Oar. Oar represented a
period of experimentation in both sound and approach. After Oar's drummer moved to the sunnier
climes of Vietnam we recruited close friend Tom Woods. We spent a good deal of months honing and
shaping ourselves into what we are now and as our music began to take a
different direction we felt it apt to change our name.
We
have been lucky enough to share stages with some amazing bands such as Conan,
Undersmile, Black Magician, Limb, Throne, Jacknife Holiday, Meadows, Alunah,
Widows, Slab, and Tree of Sores to name but a few.
Q). Which band or artist turned you guys onto
music and specifically introduced you to Heavy Metal and wanting to form a
band?
We
have all enjoyed a diverse range of music for all our lives so pin pointing a
specific band is very difficult however, we definitely would not be the band
that we are without the likes of; Black Sabbath, Electric Wizard, Iron Monkey,
The Melvins, Conan, Sunn 0))), Sleep, Om, Slomatics, Eyehategod, Earth and
Neurosis.
Q)
What was your motivation to start the band? Did you all know each other
before you formed Moghul? The name comes from your love of curry, specifically
Chicken Madras or were you yanking my chain?
A) Collectively
our motivation was to push ourselves to create monolithic walls of sound to
take the listener on an epic voyage. We
wanted to write the sort of music that we would love to listen to ourselves.
Three of us (Joe, James and Adam) have been playing music together for 10 years
and grew up together on the same road.
Our friendship and shared love of music has been the basis for our
creative output.
Although
we all love a good curry and Birmingham has some of the best curry houses
around I am afraid that our name has a bit more symbolism than that of the
humble madras (AP, yes im the asshole, haha). We chose the name as we
love the imagery of an ancient dynasty and felt that it sat well with the
various themes of our music. We don't
like to take ourselves too seriously so you never know you may see a track
entitled "Ode to an onion bhaji".
Q)
Since your inception, was your plan always to write and release your own
music?
A) In
short yes! We have always wanted to take things as far as possible. We have reached our first goal with the EP
release and we are now working toward achieving others!
Q)
In your experience, how easy/difficult was
it for your band to get coverage and get gigs?
A) We
are fortunate that Birmingham has some really good promoters such as Heretic
and Sirius who are really helping independent music and have put on some great
events. Once we started gigging we began
to make links with various people which has helped to secure gigs and spread
the word about the band. Our biggest
break with regards to exposure came when Paul Kenney at Devizes Records
approached us about releasing our EP. We
cannot thank Paul enough as he has really worked hard on this release and
getting our name out there.
Q)
Based on your own experience, what do you think is the most important thing for
a new metal band to do in order to promote themselves?
Playing
plenty of gigs is always a good start however, we have found that getting gigs
with quality bands is better than quantity.
Gigs also give bands a great opportunity to network. We are lucky that
we live in an age where all it takes is a few clicks on a computer and you can
discover the world so we definitely recommend taking advantage of things like
bandcamp, Facebook and internet blogs.
Q)
What are some of the difficulties/frustrations of being part of Moghul, because
there are many other commitments such as family, work etc, that perhaps
restrict the amount of time you can dedicate to the band?
A) I
think that we would all like to spend a lot more time in the studio but
unfortunately we all have jobs and James has recently started a family. The time that we do have together we make the
most of and the band helps us to escape
the constraints and monotony of working life!
Q
)Don’t think about this too much, but If
someone was unfamiliar with your band, what words immediately spring to mind
when you think about your sound?
A) Mountainous,
seismic, brooding, slow, low and groove laden!
Q) Tell us some of your influences/heroes both
musically and artisticall, both metal and non-metal?
A) We
are big Sabbath fans and coming from Birmingham greatly admire and appreciate
what they have brought to the world of music.
We jointly have a love for Star Wars, Wizards and mythical beasts and
these have featured in past music.
We
embarked upon our musical life playing different instruments to what we do now
which saw us playing a lot of classical music and whilst we may not be queuing
up outside the symphony hall we still enjoy the odd symphony or concerto! It could be said that many parallels can be
drawn between music of the past and present and our past playing of classical
music may explain our penchant for drone and in particular bands such as Sunn
0))) and Earth. We all grew up in
families in which music played a big role and it is this exposure to the many
forms of music that has helped to mould who we are today.
Q) It might sound like a stupid question but,
how important is the band’s chemistry when writing and performing?
A) When
writing we all definitely have to be on the same page for it to go
anywhere. Our on stage chemistry comes
from the pleasure of performing the material that we have sweated over!
Q)
Did you agenda when you began writing the new record?
A) Not
as such, we just set out to write the best music we could produce and have fun
at the same time! Fun is the key element, you have to enjoy what you are
doing.
Q)
What were your aims for Dead Empires and how do you feel about the record now that
it has been unleashed on the unsuspecting public? Is there a particular theme running through
the record?
A) We
are overjoyed at the release of the record and are overwhelmed by the response
we have received. We just wanted to put something out there which we felt happy
with ourselves, it has come as bonus that so many people like it! We hoped that
the record may open doors for us and expand our horizons and so far it has been
an awesome journey.
Thematically
the EP deals with things such as antiquity, the decay of civilization and
oppression. We do however actively
encourage the listener to digest our soundscapes and come to their own
conclusions.
Q)
After a relatively short period of time, Dead Empires got picked up for an
amazing vinyl release. How did that come
about?
A) We
had seen via Facebook that Devizes Records were looking for bands to work with
and after posting a link to our bandcamp page Paul from Devizes approached
us. We all met up and discussed the ins
and outs of it and as a band we found it really inspiring to hear someone
outside of the band who was so enthusiastic about what we had written.
Q)
I’m assuming all musician like to talk about the gear they use, so with that in
mind what do you use in terms of guitars, amps and why? Also what tuning do you
use?
A) We
definitely love to talk gear and find that when we socialise outside of band
practice gear still features heavy in our conversations! James mainly uses a
Gibson SG and a Gibson firebird, Joe uses Telecasters and Adam, a Jazz bass and
a Gibson SB 400. We have experimented
with various tunings and a current tuning of choice is drop A# / Bb. With regards to amps we have journeyed a
long quest for great tone. James uses an
old matamp white and an Orange OR 50, Joe uses a Laney GH100 and a Laney
Supergroup and Adam uses a Matamp GT200.
Q) You’ve only been around for
a relatively short time and from talking to bands, such Meadows recently (Check
em out); they said you were one’s to watch.
How pleasing it to hear comments like that from your peers and how do
you feel your band has generally been received?
A) All
feedback we receive is greatly appreciated and to date we have had a really
positive response. We take all critique
on board as we want to grow as a band and create the best music that we
can. We are genuinely flattered when
other bands and audience members approach us after a show to let us know that
they enjoyed our set and it is still something that we are getting used to. We had the pleasure of sharing a stage with
Meadows before Christmas and they blew our socks off with their frenetic
riffage!
Q)
For a band such as yourselves or anyone for that matter trying to get coverage
or exposure, how valuable are blogs such as the Sludgelord? Does this type of media coverage translate to
people buying merch, downloading music etc, coming to shows?
A) Internet
blogs such as your good selves and review sites are invaluable to bands as they
help to generate exposure. We have all
been turned on to bands which had not yet encountered because of the Sludgelord
and others. We feel that there is a
definite correlation between media exposure, new fans and music sales so in
terms of a band trying to cut it's teeth this type of coverage is worth its
weight in gold.
Q)
Quick fire question, what’s your preference?
Cassette, CD, Digital Download or Vinyl? And why?
A) You
can't beat vinyl for its full and warm sound and although digital downloads
definitely help bands to reach a wide audience nothing beats a vinyl. From its packaging and design to the variety
of colours and limited editions, for us, vinyl wins hands down.
Q)
Reviewing records within sub genres of metal such as sludge/doom/stoner etc,
you often listen to a lot of stuff which is quite similar. What sets you apart
from your peers and what are your thoughts about being part of any scene?
A) We
feel very fortunate to be part of the Sludge/Doom/Stoner scene and there is a
real melting pot of talent and creativity emerging at the moment. We always try to keep things fresh and inject
new ideas into our music. We would like
to think that we evolve with each track we write.
Q)
Do you have any interesting stories from your tours, favourite places you’ve
toured and bands you’ve toured with or bands you’d like to share the stage
with?
A) We
have not yet played a your however, we hope to be able to share some tour
stories with you in the future. There
are so many great bands out there that we would love to share a stage with but
to name a few; Sunn 0))), Slomatics, Electric Wizard, Sleep, Moss and
Kongh.
Q).
In terms of the band, what are your plans for the rest of the year? Can we expect new music from Moghul or big
tours ahead?
A) At
the moment we are working towards our next release. We are aiming to get back in the studio in
the spring time and then unleash the leviathan in the Summer! We would love to
embark on a tour and play some festivals, we just have to wait and see what
opportunities come our way.
We
have been lucky enough to land the main support to the almighty Serpent Venom,
on the Chaos Festival bill. Chaos
Festival has been put together collectively by Heretic Promotions and Sirius
Promotions. It is a three day festival
with day one dedicated to Thrash Metal, Day two, Doom/Stoner/Sludge and Day 3,
Black/Death and Grind! It promises to be
a great weekend and takes place of the easter weekend. We also have some other exciting shows in the
pipe line.
Q)
Thanks for answering my questions, but one final question, you got anything you
like to say to your fans?
A) We
would like to say thank you. Without
your continued support we would not be able to continue to do something we
love! Fans have given us the greatest gift of all, their time.
Another cracking interview and as ever show your support thanks to Adam, James and the guys in Moghul for helping us set up this interview. Check the links for more info on the band. Record is available to buy via the label. Cheers Aaron
