Moloken (May 2012)

Moloken are a progressive doom/sludge metal band from Umea, Sweden. A band vocal against the perceived lack of originality in metal today, they have forged a crushing sound mixed with a touch of vintage progressive rock, among other things. As a result, the sound of Moloken is quite distinct. Their second full-length album "Rural" was released last  year, and I caught up with Moloken to get the scoop on what their music's all about.

How are you doing?

Patrik: I've been coming up with a lot of good riffs lately so it feels great. I'm on a roll at the moment and I have nothing to complain about.

Kristoffer: We are finally hitting the road again after quite some time away from the public eye, we have lots of shows coming up and we will tour this autumn, which will be our first since 2010.

Based on what I know, Moloken is the Swedish word for �downcast�. What is the meaning behind this choice of name?

Patrik: Not really, it's more like a word for feeling down or gloomy. Maybe you could say it's a less clinical term for feeling depressed?

Kristoffer: For me to be �moloken� is more a feeling than a state of mind, and that relates very well to the music I enjoy both writing and listening to. I first heard the word back in 2002 and it's a beautiful old word that stuck with me.

Your press kit cites your style as a collision of doom/death metal with vintage prog rock. What influences led you to this intriguing sound?

Patrik: Well... extreme metal and prog rock I guess! There's a lot of stuff from the �90s like My Dying Bride, Mayhem, Breach, Katatonia, Melvins and whatnot floating around in our collective minds.  Combine that with a taste for the slightly older rock stuff, including The Doors, Hendrix, Gentle Giant, King Crimson and Marillion and you've got a pretty good idea where we come from. It all comes natural for us as that's what we listen to, and personally I find a lot of inspiration in less obvious stuff like The Handsome Family and Plastikman too. There's a lot of dark stuff to be found outside of metal and hardcore music.

Many of Moloken�s songs are very atmosphere-driven and showcase the progressive influence of the band. How do these songs go from a mere idea to a full-fledged composition?

Patrik: Usually one person comes to rehearsal with a skelton to a song and a general idea of what goes where and if a riff is supposed to be intense, smooth or whatever. Then we just take it from there. For me I actually focused on trying to make the most of the atmospheric parts on Rural as a challenge. I enjoy playing with dynamics but a lot of metal musicians forget that their instruments have a volume knob and that it's possible to hit the strings with less than full force. It's hilarious. I guess I wanted to prove that we are able to add another dimension to the music and that's certainly an influence from a less extreme form of music. Jazz and blues musicians are experts on this.

Kristoffer: Organized jamming.

Your album �Rural� came out last year, and it�s definitely a dark journey for listeners to take. What can you say about this album; how might you describe it to potential listeners and fans?

Kristoffer: Rural is a like a dark and fucked up dream were you can�t hide from you darkest corners of your mind, you are all alone and at the same time never alone... Its like beeing dragged through the backwoods, in which nature everyday bares witness of both cruelty and beauty at the same time. Life is complex.

Patrik: For me the album is hard to describe. It depends on wheter people know their way around heavy music or not I guess, though I've always found the term �progressive doom metal� to be sufficient. It's complex, somewhat fractured too and a real journey when listened to from front to back.

Moloken have a video out for your video �The Titan Above Us�, filmed in a dark and cinematic style. It�s definitely telling a sinister story that fits the vibe of the music; what�s the concept behind it?

Patrik: I don't want to disclose too much about our thoughts behind it, but it's about struggle and failure and it pretty much sums up the lyrical theme of the album. Usually I don't mind telling people what something (like a lyric) means, but I think the video is more powerful if we aren't so explicit. But all the clues are in there and the basic idea actually stretches back from the time of making Our Astral Circle.

Moloken seem to have a bleak view of today�s metal scene, that it relies too much on copycatting and derivative formulas; something I�m sad to say I agree with completely. Are there any other bands out there you can recommend in metal that have a really distinctive sound to you?

Patrik: Virus has a really strong identity and their way of making music is very distinct. Truly impressive musicians with their own voice. Some other metal bands that have cought my attention the last few years are Dodecahedron, Alcest, Solstafir, Ghamorean and Ulcerate.

Kristoffer: Bergraven, Dr�psnatt, Converge, Botch, Abandon.

What do you have in store for the future?

Patrik: More songs, more gigs, more miserable darkness. Check out our website (www.moloken.net) or 'like' us on Facebook if you are interested in knowing when, what and where stuff happens.

What advice would you give to unknown musicians like myself, wanting to get their own music and band going?

Patrik: Don't feel ashamed to play with others who are better players and don't feel embarrased looking for gigs even though noone knows who you are. Try to pull your own weight by playing your best instead of relying on other band members to make the songs interesting and scrap/rework songs that doesn't cut it. The most important thing is to not be a copy-cat though. Find your own voice.

Kristoffer: Play lots of shows, don't follow anyone else's foot steps and belive in what you do, your time will come.

Where is Moloken�s favourite place to get cheeseburgers?

Patrik: I don't eay meat any more, but Dannes Gatuk�k in Malmberget make every other burger I've tasted seem like a joke! At the moment I will gladly do with Bishop's Arms vegetarian burger though. They have a fine selection of beers to go with it too.

Kristoffer: Sunes gatuk�k in Pite�, it kills!

Anything I may have missed?

Patrik: Not really, thanks a lot!

Cheers!

Moloken's MMA Profile may be found here.