UN: Mithras was started under the name of Imperator. What brought about the change in name to Mithras? Was the name changed due to a change in musical direction?

Mithras: Hi there Mike!!

The name was changed due to the reformation of the Polish band ‘Imperator’. They were disbanded when we formed Imperator, and when they reformed we didn’t want to share their name. We didn’t specifically change musical direction when we changed the name.

UN: While on the subject of the name, what brought about Mithras? I’ve read that it’s the name of a Roman god, does the name fit perfectly into the bands musical scheme? I think it’s a unique name that suits a very unique approach.

Mithras: It fit better when we first adopted the name, as we were still writing about ancient Rome back then. However like you say, I think the name is unique and fits well.

UN: How did Candlelight come into the picture for Mithras? I think they have always had bands doing something different so Mithras is an excellent addition to the labels roster.

Mithras: I’m glad you think so!

Candlelight had been in contact with us for a while, prior to us recording ‘Worlds beyond the veil’. After its release, they decided to offer us a new record deal and re-release the first 2 albums. They are a really good label with excellent worldwide distribution and they’ve had some amazing bands over the years so it’s great to be a part of it.

UN: Would you say that there has been a big progression from Forever Advancing Legions to Worlds Beyond the Veil? The new album is just a flat out masterpiece in my opinion.

Mithras: Yeah I would, and I’m glad you like the new album! We really expounded on the themes and ideas that were present on ‘Forever…’ and took them to another place with ‘Worlds…’ We wanted to simply play the music we wanted to hear, as opposed to the slightly more naïve sounding (in comparison) ‘Forever…’ which only hinted at what we were capable of doing.

We spent more than 2 years rehearsing ‘Worlds…’ just trying to make everything as perfect as we could and it’s amazing that so many people have found something that they like about the album.

UN: Can you explain the concept behind Worlds Beyond the Veil? My copy of the cd didn’t include any lyrics, but I’m very interested in the concept. I somewhat figure that it has something to do with transcending life as we know it, or possibly the next evolutionary step for mankind.

Mithras: Well that’s the concept in a nutshell. The album actually follows on chronologically from ‘Forever…’ To summarise, an alien entity from another dimension becomes aware of mankind and starts making its way to earth. Some people for-see this happening and as you put it “transcend life as we know it”. It’s very hard to put in a nutshell! The story is basically one large sci-fi epic but with only certain parts of the story revealed as the lyrics and words to the tracks and different characters speaking in different songs etc.

UN: Would you say that it was a conscious decision to try and create a sound that took a death metal foundation but expanded upon it into newer territories? Was it something you guys had it mind, or did it take awhile for the bands sonic direction to come into place?

Mithras: Like I said in a previous question, we just played the music we wanted to hear. I’d agree with your description and I wouldn’t say we were particularly ‘death metal’ anymore, even though it’s our foundation. We like listening to lots of music other than extreme metal such as ambient and I suppose that carried over somewhat in the sense of defining what we wanted to hear.

UN: Would you agree that Morbid Angel has played a big influence to the Mithras sound? I hear a lot of Domination era style riffs, and even the guitar tone reminds me of Domination as well.

Mithras: Yeah I’d say so, particularly with the drumming. I don’t think we have particularly Morbid esque riffs on ‘Worlds…’ as I’d compare the real chugging riffs more to old Metallica! However, I think Morbid angel really helped open our eyes as to what can be done with extreme music.

UN: While that last question might make you sound a bit un-original, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. What would you say influences the more epic side of the band? The swirling melodies that just sound massive and serves as a good contrast to the blasting.

Mithras: Yeah the swirling melodies which a lot of people irritatingly take to be keyboards! (It’s all guitars as stated in the inlays). It’s the contrast between the huge soundscapes and the blastbeats which I really find to be different to a lot of bands and it’s one of the things I really like about our music. We’ve always been very partial to epics, whether they are stories, music, films etc.

UN: Does it bother you when some people say that all death metal in brainless? After all there is a lot of thought and effort that goes into Mithras and many other bands as well. Do you still consider what the band plays to be death metal? Even if it does expand outside of the walls of the genre?

Mithras: That’s usually the opinion of someone who is very naive so it doesn’t bother me particularly. I consider the more rhythmic side of the band to be rooted in ‘death metal’ but I wouldn’t consider the music of Mithras to be death metal per se. I think people will make up their own minds and classify the genre anyway they see fit.

UN: Is Mithras a live band at all? It seems like with the same person handling guitars and drums that you’d need to almost put together a different line-up for the live setting. I wouldn’t really say that the Mithras sound is written to have the live show in mind.

Mithras: Mithras was always intended to be a live band, but we never managed to find a serious / capable enough permanent drummer, so I took up drumming in 2000. Rayner (Bass /Oratory) and I decided after recording the first album ‘Forever advancing…… legions’ that having a constantly revolving door of members was a huge waste of time. It was creatively hindering the band and we were wasting an inordinate amount of time on people whose dedication to the band changed faster than the weather so we decided to carry on a 2 piece.

We spent 2 years on our own writing ‘Worlds beyond the veil’. We’ve since then recruited a live guitarist (Lee du-Caine) and we are currently auditioning some drummers to play session drums for us live (which will complete our live line-up) so we should be back playing gigs by the end of the year. The material on both albums is playable live as it is on the cd, so watch this space!

UN: Do you think that being from the UK might help you guys stand out a little bit more within the death metal scene? The UK does have its fair share of heavy bands, but there doesn’t seem to be very many death metal bands, or at least ones signed with bigger labels.

Mithras: Perhaps it will. It’s been a long time since the glory days of bands like Carcass and a lot of people don’t even think there is an extreme metal scene in the UK anymore. The UK has some great bands, but on the worldwide scene they don’t exactly enjoy a raised profile. Bands like Bal Sagoth are signed to Nuclear Blast but are more of a well kept secret.