Myth Of Origin
Myth Of Origin is a Dutch five-piece Symphonic Metal band with a flair for dark, ethereal music. They recently answered my questions trying to delve further into who they are and how they got to this point in their careers/lives. Their sound is a lovely blending of many different elements, including some Electronic and Techno stylings, but the single biggest influence I hear throughout is Gothic Metal. Powerful vocals and power melodies combine for a great listen. They are definitely a band to listen to now and watch for in the future as they are definitely part of the next wave of greats.
Myth Of Origin are:
- Claudia Wevers – Vocals
- Michiel van den Berg – Guitars/Backing Vocals
- Marc van Herpt – Guitars
- Patrick Pullens – Bass
- Rob Reijs – Drums
Metal Zenith (MZ) – Where did the band name come from? What inspired it?
Myth Of Origin (MoO) – It all started in late 2018 when we had to name this project/band we had formed with friends from an existing project and new found members. While Heavily inspired by series like ‘Vikings’ and ‘Game of Thrones’ and videogames like ‘God of War’. Mythology and religion is an important factor in these series and games. So we were interested in the origin of the norse mythology because mythologies all start with a ‘Origin Myth’. But what is the Myth of our Origin how did we end up on this planet. With this unanswered question ‘Myth of Origin’ started.
MZ – Is this album the creative inspiration of one person or is it a group project? Who came up with the initial concept?
MoO – Most of the music is written by Marc (our lead guitarist) and me (Patrick). Lyric wise, half of the lyrics are written by Claudia and I wrote the other half of the lyrics. We didn’t really have this “concept”, but found a reoccurring theme within all the songs we had written that were good enough to end up on the album. We were discussing the album title and Michiel (our rhytm guitarist) came up with ‘Sane Asylum’ and we all felt it was the perfect title.
MZ – What was the inspiration for adding in Holocaust and Mass Murder/Serial Killer themes?
MoO – A couple of us are real history fanatics, especially considering World War II. Though horrifying as it was, it is fascinating how people can be collectively brainwashed to consider a certain kind of people as their enemy. Perhaps needless to say, but our message with this song is: this may never happen again!
The serial killer theme might be just a little metal cliché isn’t it? It all has something to do with the human mind (and with that the comparison with the Holocaust can also be made): what drives someone to become a killer? I guess everyone has had violent thoughts or fantasies, but most people just deal with them instead of acting them out. We just write them down on paper an make songs about it haha!
MZ – How did you tie those two elements into the story?
MoO – We don’t really see the album as a concept album, where the whole album tells one story like Pink Floyd’s The Wall (which is one of my favorite albums of all time by the way). The way we write our songs differ per song. Sometimes we want to write a song about a certain theme and start that way; sometimes we come up with some cool words or sentences and build the rest of the song around it.
MZ – Can you further explain the theory of sandstorms and hourglasses and how they tied together here? I understand the concept, but how did they get linked in your mind?
MoO – In our modern society, when everyone needs to be always ‘ON’, it’s just a matter of time before the cracks in the mask of sanity start appearing. That’s the worst thing about social media: no matter how bad things are going in life, as long as it looks fine online, you’re doing great. We wanted to show that it’s normal to have dark days and it’s okay to talk about that with other people.
MZ – Does the title, Sane Asylum, implies that even the “normal” people are either crazy or need mental help and a place to deal with their issues? (Am I just reading too much into this?)
MoO – Good thing that you put exclamation marks around the “normal”. I think everyone is a little crazy, which is great! We shouldn’t be afraid to show our true selves and talk about the things that keep us busy, both good and bad.
MZ – The cover art is exquisite! There is a sense of dichotomies, contradictions, and balance throughout the drawing. It’s like yin and yang on steroids. How did the album art come to be? How did you arrive at that design?
MoO – Thanks! We really love how it turned out as well! When we came up with the album title, Marc came up with the idea of a cracked face with a demon hiding underneath it. I contacted a friend of mine, who is a well know designer in the hard dance scene and asked if he could do our album cover. After a few sketches, he came up with this idea. Even though it was somewhat different than we thought, we were really blown away by it. The combination of both beauty and chaos summarizes what the album sounds like.
MZ – And who did that?? Other bands may want to know!
MoO – It was made by Designificance. Peter is a friend of mine which I’ve met at some underground raves. He made a lot of designs for international hardcore labels, but is also a really big metal head, so it was an interesting project for him as well.
MZ – When listening to the record initially, my first impression was that there is a lot of Gothic (cultural, not metal) influence. That is just my interpretation. So, what are your biggest influences, musically and lyrically for this album?
MoO – Musically there’s no real ‘big’ influence on the album. There are a lot of influences, and it also differs per song. For example, the music of The Void was inspired by the song Constance by Spiritbox. When I wrote the intro for Black Horizon, I was listening to a lot of Gojira, which inspired the groovy yet heavy rhythm. Lyrically it also differs: sometimes the inspiration comes from our own lives, sometimes we read a cool story that inspires us in a certain way.
MZ – I love how so many metal bands have really diversified interests in music outside the metal realm, as well as within metal. Who are some of the individual members favorite musical influences?
Marc:
Rivers of Nihil
Spiritbox
TesseracT
Michiel:
Katatonia
spiritbox
Leprous
Claudia:
While She Sleeps
Spiritbox
Memphis May Fire
Rob Reijs:
Arch Enemy
In Flames
Bullet For My Valentine
Patrick:
Gojira
Pink Floyd
Opeth
MZ – The theme of descending into madness seems to have the most influence on the lyrics. Where did that come from? What inspired the theme?
MoO – Writing lyrics (at least for me) is a way to empty my mind and to give meaning to some of the thoughts that go through my mind. I guess the album is like a metaphor for all the challenges we face in life.
MZ – MZ – There is a sense of inevitability to this descent, like everyone will face it at some point. I’ve often wondered is life doesn’t drive us all a bit mad in the end. Are you hinting that we all have our own madness coming at us, just waiting to take us over?
MoO – I think we all have madness within, and some are better at masking it than others. Everybody experiences things in life that could make him or her crazy: it’s a matter of how you deal with those things. Are you going to let the negative thoughts and feelings take over, or will you face them, try to overcome them and be a stronger person?
MZ – MZ – The use of multiple layers of vocal tracks and backing vocals, cleans and growls, all give the sense of being different voices within your mind, not just different people all trying to be heard. Was this the intention with using different vocal techniques? Are they meant to be different characters and I’m just overthinking it?
MoO – I guess you’re right! It wasn’t done intentionally while writing the songs, but when we were recording the album we really wanted to add more depth to the songs by adding layers. Not only vocals, but also extra guitar tracks and electronics. For example: the whisper in ‘In My Darkest Hour’ were added to give the song a more eerie feeling.
MZ – MZ – the album appears both timeless and a commentary on modern society. Do you think this is one of the things we fear as a society, so hate to face/talk about it lest we manifest it in our own minds?
MoO – Like I noted earlier today’s society is all about keeping up appearances. By artificially focusing on positive things only, people stop talking about the things that really keep them busy. Life can really throw shit in your face, and it’s hard to deal with those things. The easiest option is to shy away from that by either pretending it doesn’t exist, or by adapting extreme coping mechanisms (hurting yourself or hurting others). In the end, the only real way to deal with these things is to face them head first, and by talking about them.
MZ – MZ – What is the one thing you want the listener to take away from this album? What is the main point, in your own words, that you think is the critical message this record needs to convey?
MoO – When facing the hard realities in life: know that you’re not alone. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help.
Final Comment – I am eternally grateful to Myth Of Origin for taking the time to satisfy my curiosity, and especially for that for last answer. Nobody can get through life without needing help at times. Sometimes, it’s just a friendly word or a kind gesture that gets us out of the funk we find ourselves in, but sometimes, we need a true friend or a therapist. Whether you feel like you are slipping inro madness, or just feel like the going is getting to tough, reach out.
