For a long time that the French squadron Merrimack is considered one of its country’s Black Metal’s flag bearers, a cult band on the genre’s more kvlt side. Perversifier, the only remaining member of the original foundation answered Ultraje’s questions, starting with the change of attitude and also, the small change in the band’s sound: “This is a very different album from ‘The Acausal Mass’ (…) we intended to change the way we sound. We wanted something less dense, less modern, more spontaneous and easier to digest.” Mission accomplished: ‘Omegaphilia’ is exactly like that when placed next to what the band has brought to us on previous releases, a more raw and shameless approach, “we wanted something that sounded natural, for instance, there’s no drum editing on the album,” however, this idea had a bigger purpose that was explained by Perversifier: “Our intention was to get back to Black Metal’s roots at the second half of the Nineties. We simplified our song structures, and didn’t hesitate to use simple but very efficient and inspired riffs, still with the typical Merrimack atmosphere. We also decided to make the album a bit shorter than our previous ones, so that the listener does not saturate and enjoys it from the first to the last note.” That was the shift in perspective that has given fruition to songs like ‘The Falsified Son’ and ‘Apophatic Weaponry’ that show a minimalist and savage black metal that still keeps the band’s murky outfit.
Still on the new record, there was a time for an understanding about it’s cover and name. In the words of Perversifier “‘Omegaphilia” can be literally translated by « love for the end », the cult of death, the worship of annihilation. What can better illustrate the love for the end, than an image depicting the hate for the beginning, the rejection of birth, with a foetus/uterus crucified, as a sacrifice?’ The more visceral atributes of the cover art made the author of it – Den Sora – comment that it looked more like a cover for a death metal band, ‘ It’s quite different from what he usually does,’ added Perversifier, ‘but that’s the interesting thing when you perform art, to get out from the usual path.’ as it has happened with Merrimack’s newest release.
With all these changes, one could also expect a change in the lineup, since this is one of those in which swapping band members was a common thing. Yet, for a change, this time it didn’t happen: since 2010 that the lineup is stable, as it was said by it’s guitarist and founder “it’s the best line-up Merrimack has always had. As musicians, the band is now much more professional and skilled than what it was 10 years ago. On a personal level, we get along very well (…) each member participates to the composition of the song, everyone brings his own touch and influence in our music, so I hope it will stay like this for many more years. ” Words spoken by the only remaining member from the original lineup, who considers himself to be a warrant of the band’s cohesion, “I know best what Merrimack should sound like, and in what direction I want it to go. I’m considered by the other members as the leader of the band, but I give them a lot of space for expression, and everyone contributes a lot to the band shape.” and adds how are the chores distributed among the members: “Vestal (vocals) writes the lyrics himself, as for the music, it’s composed by Daethorn (bass), A.K.(guitars) and me. I have the final word when one has to decide if we should keep this riff or abandon that one, or if this song structure must be modified. But I almost never have to use this privilege (…) there is a real cohesion in the band.”
Though there’s a healthy and stable leadership within the band, that doesn’t mean there are other challenges to win. One of these being the songwriting, to which Perversifier claims that it was always the greatest challenge since it is not always easy to find inspiration and due to the level of exigence the bandmembers place upon themselves. “It’s even more difficult when you want to change direction. It takes time to set up the new foundations that will please everybody in the band,” thus explaining why “a song can take more than one year before having its final shape.”
In a career longer than twenty years, Merrimack have hitted a lot of stages, since Perversifier’s best live memories are from some shows that happened on Serbia and Romania in 2003 with Krieg touring with them, “These countries were not used to have many foreign Black Metal band playing in their area, so it was quite big event.” comments Merrimack’s frontman “we also played in front of a small, but fucking crazy public in Padova/Italy, in 2009, with Inquisition. But I must admit that in general, the Black Metal public is quite cold and static. People don’t mosh or stage-dive.” Yet, he on the other hand, Perversifier’s appreciates the fact that the crowd usually gets hipnotized by the band’s performance and Vestal’s raging attitude.
Another recent triumph for Merrimack was the change in the label, leaving AFM Records – “they were not the right label for a Black Metal band, and didn’t have the right channel of distribution for such music” – being currently part of the roster of the very well known Season of Mist. Though early for an evaluation of the experience with the label, Perversifier believes that “they are very professional, we are not used to deal with such a well organized label.”
Lastly, being French, the tragic terrorist incidents that have lately stroke France didn’t leave them untouched, specially the one in the Bataclan “we all know in the metal scene few people who were at this Eagles of Death Metal gig. So we felt hurt personally, but well. It didn’t stop people to keep on going to gigs.” showing the honor and perseverance that shines on most of their countrymen “We haven’t changed our habits, we still live the same way as we did. ”
Published in Portuguese here:
https://ultraje.pt/merrimack-entrevista-2017/
TIAGO NEVES 