Mayadome -- Interview

With the many progressive metal groups exploding for the metal ,not many can stand out with total flair. To make the exception of Sweden's brilliant Mayadome, and with the release of the groups second album "Near Life Experience" the tail tells all. Musicals who know just how to make music that will both enter into high levels of challenge and no fear to attractive moments of sheer melodic sensation.

We got the opportunity to talk with Drummer/ Teddy Moller and learn a great deal of information on this rising superstar group. If your into the like's of progressive metal, with the fine balance of Heaviness and moving musical motion, then Mayadome is a group that will win you over. So let's go on with the interview now.

By Steve Smith

STEVE SMITH Hello Teddy and thanks for this interview... Well let's begin with the group's original founding days, who was responsible for creating this outstanding band?

TEDDY MOLLER: Well, I guess I'm the one to blame…I strted this monster back in '91 when metal was still happening. We started off as a Queensryche/Kings X kinda thing with touches of Mekong Delta and Slayer. We went thru a whole bunch of lineup changes but stabilized somewhat around '95.

STEVE SMITH Who came up with this name Mayadome and what is the meaning of the name for your group?

TEDDY MOLLER: I wanted a name that meant something to me and the band but nothing in the dictionary. The bizarre story behind the name is: I was listening to a Cynic song called "Veil of Maya" and saw a trailer for the Paulie Shore movie "Biodome" and voila! Mayadome was born.

STEVE SMITH Did the band play many live concerts or make many Demo outtake's before recording the debut?

TEDDY MOLLER: No not really, I guess we recorded something like 4 demos and 3 compilation discs from '91 to '94 and maybe 5 or 6 gigs…

STEVE SMITH So the groups first deal was with Shrapnel Records, how did this come about for the label to connect with Mayadome?

TEDDY MOLLER: Varney liked us, and saw the potential of the band, I sent a tape to the label and three weeks later he called me and I hung up on him since I thought our singer was joking with me!!! He had to call back and tell me "Hey, this IS Mike Varney."

STEVE SMITH The band released your debut "Paranomal Activity", how was this record received over the world?

TEDDY MOLLER: Very well, I know it has sold something like 9000-10000 copies worldwide wich is fantastic for a debut progmetal album.

STEVE SMITH Mayadome and Shrapnel ending the relationship sometime after the record was released, what caused this contract to see it's end? Was it a one record deal?

TEDDY MOLLER: No, it was a 4 record deal but we decided to leave Shrapnel since we realized they didn't promote us at all… Too bad since they have perfect global distribution.

STEVE SMITH Around the same time former singer Bjorn Holmquist and Mayadome parted ways, for what reasons and who decisions brought this into the fact?

TEDDY MOLLER: Musical differences and Public Demand…I don't wanna dig any deeper in that. He is still one of my best friends.

STEVE SMITH Mayadome hired on a great voice in new singer Bassel Elharbiti, were did you find this guy and what is the story with the original audition?

TEDDY MOLLER: That's a story man: Every year here in Uppsala there's a field hockey contest between all the metal bands in town. I ended up in the same team as Bassel so I asked him to audition for Mayadome. This was only three days after Bjorn's departure so we were very happy to find a possible singer so fast.

Two days after the contest he came to rehersal and we told him to just sit down and listen to the new stuff we had been writing. After two or three songs he just grabbed the mike and said, "Hey, play that last song again", "Teddy, do you have lyrics for this one?" So I dug up some old lyrics I had written for another song and said "Sure, here you go" and that was "Restorepair", the first track on the new album.

We jammed for 20 minutes then we told him to stay put while we went outside for a little band meeting. He was sure we would tell him "thanks but f**k off". After ten minutes or so we told him to come out and I told him "Hey Bassel , I'm really sorry and please don't take it personally but we have decided that you're now an official member of Mayadome if you want to." His facial expressions changed from disappointed to euphoria in a matter of seconds.

STEVE SMITH Next on the group's list was to make a follow-up to the debut and man I must say myself you out did yourselves with "Near Life Experience". The record in great from start to finish, all songs were well arranged and the entire production is perfect?

TEDDY MOLLER: Yeah, that was a toughie…to record a full album with no label support and no money…We are very fortunate though to have Daniel Bergstrand as a personal friend and a professional studio at home.

Basically we just wrote some new stuff that sounded like "Paranormal Activity" but with more maturity and better vocal lines. We somehow felt that the vocal lines on "PA" were kinda lame and uninteresting.

I think we succeded in writing both interresting and weird vocal lines this time.

STEVE SMITH Mayadome soon signed another deal with American progressive power metal label Siegen Records, and released it's second record "Near Life Experience" through the label shortly after... how did this all fall into place?

TEDDY MOLLER: Well, a friend of the band , Tom Argo, was a personal friend of Seigen label boss Keith Menser and he sent the disc to him. Keith gave me a call and one week later we're signed ! Fast as a shark ?

STEVE SMITH "Near Life Experience" has seven great songs filled with many turns and twists. Very strong writing from such a young fresh new group, please give us some themes on your lyrics if you will?

TEDDY MOLLER: I'll give you a total rundown of all the songs:

Restorepair is part three in a story where Mercenary and Copper Colored from Paranormal Activity are the first and second parts. It's about a mercenary who regrets his past life and wants to do penance for his old ways.

Scent of Lilac is a declaration of love and support towards my wife and kid whom I owe my life and limb. Even though words cannot express how much I love them, I just had to try to write it down.

Praise me for I have sinned is about Dr Kevorkian and his humanitary services. Think what you want about the subject, but never think that his intentions are anything but divine.

Able to feel is about one of the cases that I've been working on at my work as a Juvenile Delinquent Treatment Assistant and Therapy Advisor.

Pride Painted Grey is about the detereoration of mankind's belief in themselves. The fact that more people than ever are drug addicts scare the hell outta me. It's way more important than wether Clinton porked his intern or not.

Angina Closing In is about my father and his health problems during the '80s. He's fine now but he had a real low, both physically and mentally. He is without doubt my best friend in the whole world.

Near Life Experience is about a dream I had. I dreamed that I drowned and started communicate with the dolphins and found absolute peace in the life at the ocean floor. I guess I'd been under a lot of stress during that period and needed a break desperately.

STEVE SMITH Following the completion of "Near Life Experience" the group changed keyboardist, which saw former player Jonas Hagg replaced by new keyboardist Sebastian Okupski. What the was reasons behind this change? How did you hook-up with Sebastian?

TEDDY MOLLER: Jonas quit because of no interrest whatsoever in the band. He had some hearing problem as well but i think he wasn't serious enough for this business. Sebastian is Jonas total opposite. he's a fast shredder, a musical monster, he has absolute ear for music and he's a total metalhead as well.

STEVE SMITH Mayadome came to America this past summer to perform at the Powermad 1999 progressive music festival, and a few other dates to make a very small (mini) tour. What was your first visit here to our country like and how was Mayadome received by the people who witnessed your concerts?

TEDDY MOLLER: Aside from the coffee and the medical treatment system , USA is great. The gigs were awesome and the response was waaay better than we expected. I mean, I signed so many discs , I got carpal tunnel syndrome ?

STEVE SMITH A few gig's were including the Powermad 1999 performance was recorded to tape and there is plans to release a 'Live" record on Siegen Records, is the band working on the follow-up studio efforts to "Near Life Experience"?

TEDDY MOLLER: Yep, the new album will be recorded sometime early next year and the current working title is "Uxmal" but that may change.

STEVE SMITH Mayadome also just performed a show at the first progressive metal festival in Holland called ProgPower '99, tell us about this event, who played aside you and the total outlook on the festival?

TEDDY MOLLER: Well, other bands were Evergrey, Lemur Voice, Pain Of Salvation, Wolverine etc… Great sound and our best performance ever made this a huge success. We also made a bunch of interviews there.

STEVE SMITH So what is the next move for Mayadome?

TEDDY MOLLER: To get Near Life Experience out everywhere in the world is top priority.

STEVE SMITH Any final words?

TEDDY MOLLER: Yeah, check out www.mayadome.com for soundbytes and our ugly mugshots. Thanks for the interview! Cheerz... Teddybeer/Mayadome

Well I want to thank Teddy and the rest of Mayadome for making a great record in "Near Life Experience" and Mr. Moller for taking the time out of his schedule to make this interview happen. Mayadome deserves all the support they can get, as the group has all the talent to score it to the top of the metal worlds. For futher information checkout http://websnet.com/siegen. We look forward to both the release of the coming "Live" cd and Mayadome's third full length. Until then pick up your copy of mayadome's "Near Life Experience" and experience the meaning of pure progressive metal paradise.