MANIMAL
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 15th September 2009.
Manimal was formed in Gothenburg in 2001. Their latest album, The Darkest Room was self-released earlier this year...before being snapped up by AFM Records and gaining a full release in June.
Drummer Richard Mentzer and vocalist Sam Nyman answer questions.
Guys, thanks for taking a moment to answer these. Hope you are all well?
Manimal: Thanks Jon... We're great!!
How would you describe the sound of Manimal to someone who hasn’t heard you before?
Manimal: Our sound is very much shaped by our line-up: bass, drums, one single guitar and one voice. OK, we have some additional keyboards as well, but the fact that there’s just the four of us gives us a clean sound with a lot of space for each instrument. This, together with our ideals: melodies, groove and power, is very much what Manimal’s all about.
And Tobias Lindell (who mixed The Darkest Room) added tons of heaviness and attitude to the album.
Who originally influenced your sound, both individually and as a band?
Manimal: We are all into the classic 70’s era of bands like Deep Purple, Rainbow (Dio years), Black Sabbath (Dio years) and then on through the wave of British heavy metal in the 80’s with Iron Maiden, Judas Priest -- this is where outstanding craftsmanship of creating good songs reaches considerable heights as far as we see it. We strive for this kind of melodies and to add the 21st century power and melancholy.
Do you come from a musical family?
Richard Mentzer: Yes I do. My father played drums in different bands when I was a kid – he still does - and my uncle was a singer in a couple of bands, well known in Sweden (Silver Mountain, Norden Light) so I’ve had music around me for as long as I can remember. I first began playing the drums when I was visiting my father's rehearsals as a five year old. My oldest son has now a pair of sticks so I think it runs in the family… not that I or he had/has much of a choice… he, he, he!
What is the music scene like in your home town?
Manimal: Since we come from a small town in the outskirts of Gothenburg we get to benefit from one of Europe’s most productive regions when it comes to heavy metal: Gothenburg. Bands like In Flames, Hammerfall, Evergray, Dark Tranquillity, Mustasch, Engel, Lost Horizon and so on have really put this place on the map of heavy metal. This creates a good atmosphere for newcomers such as ourselves. For us, seeing friends getting successful, gives us hope with what we’re doing. And of course, lots of metal infrastructure is right here: studios, distributors, bookers etc. This is priceless and we’re very thankful for it. At the same time we must stay focused and on our toes, so to speak, there’s always another good band ready to take your place, if you know what I mean?
How did the band’s name come about? Am I right in thinking you are named after the early 1980’s TV show?
Manimal: He, he… we’re not, but I know which show you’re talking about. The name Manimal is the result of a brainstorming-session back in 2001 when the band formed. We wanted a name that could sum up what we saw core life was all about: What are we? At the same time the name should give a hint of what kind of music you’re about to discover.
What animal would you like to be able to turn into at will?
Manimal: Good question; I think an eagle or a falcon wouldn’t be that bad, getting a holistic perspective of life.
There seem to be a couple of other bands around called Manimal. Are you the biggest and the best? :)
Manimal: So we’ve noticed. It seems like we, THE Manimals around the world, represent different styles of metal, so as far as we’re concerned this will never be a problem, not from our part anyway. Perhaps, a couple of years from now, we’ll unite in one hell of a concert – the MANIMALS of the world.
How did the band get together?
Manimal: With this line-up and under the name Manimal, we’ve been together for 7 or 8 years now. We all come from the same little town called Kungsbacka some three miles south of Gothenburg, Sweden. Hank Stenroos (g) and I met in high school and started playing together and later on my brother Pether Mentzer joined, playing bass .... and eventually faith brought us Sam Nyman – the only one in the world, that we knew of anyway, that could crack a pair of glasses just screaming at them… he, he… and that was exactly what we were after!
You’ve been together for several years, yet this is your first full length album. Why did you wait so long to begin recording The Darkest Room?
Manimal: Well, it’s not like we’ve been sitting around waiting for eight years, doing nothing, ....., and then suddenly decided to enter a studio to record an album...
We’ve been busy all those years writing, recording demos, playing live and creating a local Manimal fanbase, which, it seems, took the record right up into the Swedish album chart, which got us the deal with AFM, etc… All we did in the early years has been repaid now in the time we’re in right now. And, not to forget, we were, and still are, four ordinary metalheads with a strongly limited financial resource, which of course plays a part, discussing the aspect of time – The Darkest Room is self made and self paid for.
You initially released the album independently in Sweden and actually made it into the charts. That must have been cool?
Manimal: As I just said, it was fantastic to see. That kind of recognition is overwhelming and it made us even more convinced that what we do is something special and worth paying attention to. It was really cool indeed!
On the back of that recording you have been signed with AFM. It must have felt amazing being able to release your debut worldwide with such a big label!?
Manimal: Once again, overwhelming is the word that comes to my mind. I mean this wasn’t in our wildest dreams initially and it actually took a while to understand what was happening. It wasn’t until we went down to meet the AFM-guys in Hamburg, Germany, that it became clear to us what was happening. All this has this shimmering feel of a fairytale, something you’d hear happen to somebody else but never to yourself. It’s awesome, just awesome…
Are you planning a big tour on the back of this release?
Manimal: Right now we want to get out on the road to visit places we’d only dream of six months ago. Now it’s possible.
There’s been some talk about a European tour later this autumn as well as a major world tour supporting a well known act, but as I speak none of this has been confirmed. The wheels are spinning right now and as I speak nothing is settled, but it’s an interesting time. SOMETHING will happen, we just don’t know what yet. Sign up for our newsletter on our website and we’ll keep you posted.
What’s the best band you’ve ever seen play live?
Manimal: Hmm… we went to Wacken Open Air a couple a weeks ago, promoting the album in the AFM-camp, and there I saw In Flames for the first time. I must say I was stunned. The show these guys delivered was enormous: the song material, the lights, the fireworks-from-hell and with a humble and sharing attitude from the band, especially Anders – he actually made the crowd create a circle-pit to the song Come Clarity which is a very slow song… I was amazed.
Other favourites are Alice Cooper and Dio; they never ever let you down. There’s a lot of good bands out there.
Is there anyone else in the music industry you’d really love to work with, both in the studio or on the stage?
Manimal: It’s easy to say that there’s many you’d like to collaborate with but it all depends on if there’s magic or not in the meeting. It’s a delicate process creating music and lyrics and this is not something you can do with anyone. It may be possible for some, on instinct as a professional, to share your skills as a musician but to deliver something that would stand the test of time, the chemistry has to be right. It’s like a marriage.
I can’t help thinking though, of what the result would be, if we ever got to work with great songwriters like Chris De Garmo (Queensryche), Andy La Roque (King Diamond) and Tom Morelli (RATM, Audioslave) – awesome musicians and for some strange reason all guitarists...
If you were trapped on a desert island with a solar powered CD player, what five albums would you want there with you?
Manimal: Right now…: 1. In Flames – Come Clarity 2. King Diamond – Them 3. Bob Marley – Exodus 4. Pantera – Cowboys From Hell 5. Deep Purple – Live In Japan.
This would get me through the ordeal.
If you could have one other person there, who would they be?
Manimal: A good looking lady with brains – my wife.
Do you have any hobbies which might surprise the Rock Realms readers?
Manimal: I’m very much into baking cakes and then killing them. I don’t know why this is, but I have a whole bunch of books with recipes of delicious cakes of all sorts....
What are you up to once you’ve finished answering these questions?
Manimal: I’m about to make dinner for myself and my two sons. They’ve been really patient with me being hooked to the computer so I think I’ll throw them an ice-cream for dessert… he, he…
Anything else you would like to mention?
Manimal: I just want to say thanx for showing interest in MANIMAL!!!
A huge thanks for your time, Jon at Rock Realms.
Check out the Rock Realms review of The Darkest Room here.
