Martyr interview with Daniel Mongrain

(Originally from 5/15/07)

Martyr is a Canadian death metal band that plays a very technical, complex brand of the genre. Vocalist/guitarist Daniel Mongrain has graced us with an interview opportunity detailing the work put into their newest album, as well as his guitar tips, personal influences, and more...

For those who may be unfamiliar with the band and music that is Martyr, can you give us a brief history and description?

Daniel Mongrain: Martyr began in '94. My brother (Francois) and I formed the band and we wanted to express ourselves throughout metal-prog music cause we liked the aggressiveness of metal and the experimental side of prog music. We recorded a demo in 95 and recorded Hopeless Hopes in '97. We played a lot in Quebec and then recorded Warp Zone in 2000, we toured Canada in 2001 and then released a live album: Extracting The Core. We had musician changes as Patrice in 1997 on drums and Martin in 2003 for the guitar. Then we recorded Feeding the Abscess which is our new album. Our sound is a fusion of bands like Death, Meshuggah and Cynic with a very technical and progressive side. I think we have forged our sound throughout the years and that the new album sounds just more authentic for us. It sounds more like we have found our own vocabulary to express our thoughts and feelings throughout music.

Martyr's intricate and aggressive technical metal style is built on complex structures which ally a multitude of emotions from many different musical approaches. The music is not limited to the conventions of traditional metal music, the band striving to push those limits to create a more open-minded concept.

I have yet to hear the new album, but how has the response been thus far?

The response is great, reviews are great! We're very happy with the sales and there's a lot of people showing up at our shows, so everything is great so far!

What types of recording/guitar equipment was used?

We recorded in 4 different studios but basically drums and guitars were recorded at Wildstudio (Pierre Rémillard studio). Yamaha rock tour custom drums and my custom Liberatore guitar. Bass was done at Newton Communication studio with Sebastien Cloutier and the vocals were done at Clef de Fa studio with Breen Leboeuf (ex-Celine Dion bass player, solo artist, now with April Wine).

Who are some of the musicians/bands that have inspired you?

Allan Holdsworth, Mr.Bungle, Scott Henderson, Pat Martino, John Colrane, Greg Bissonette, Jason Becker, King Crimson, Voivod, UK, Sting, Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Terry Gilliam, Tim Burton, The Simpsons, Danny Elfman, Zakk Wylde, Steve Vai, Marty Friedman, Jimmy Bruno, John Williams, Alan Sylvestri, Quentin Tarantino, Jack Nicholson, Christopher Walken, Larry David, etc... all which makes me twist my mind, makes me think, makes me feel odd, surprises me in a good or a bad way. Any kind of art which is accomplished with authentic creativity, that includes nature.

Can you give us an idea of the songwriting process Martyr usually goes through when crafting a new tune?

In fact, it took a long time to find our way for this album. I remember starting writing material in 2001 and still working on some songs from then to 2006. Things were much clearer from late 2003 when everyone decided to put an extra effort to get this done. Big difference is, this was really a team work and it felt just right through the whole process. I write most of the music but the new album was much more of a team work. We usually write a song from beginning to the end so it gives a logical progression to the song, at least for us. The ideas just come up naturally and then we write them on music sheets so everyone in the band can understand it and play it. It takes less time that way than to show everything by ear and there’s no misunderstanding of the parts. Then we develop around the ideas by playing them and listening to them, and imagining what could be the next part of the song from there. What do we want to hear after that part? And is there a better link we can do between those two parts? We worry a lot about the keys too, so the songs are not all in the key of the open big string. There’s no bad method to write music, I like to try different ways for each song so we never know how its gonna end up. After we get enough material, I record some parts and program the basic drum parts. Then I send the demo to the other guys and we play it together and work on the songs in the rehearsal room.

Do you have a personal favorite Martyr song?

My two faves are "Endless Vortex Towards Erasing Destiny" from the Warpzone album, I'm proud to have composed this one and I like to play it a lot. And "Dead Horizon" from the new album (Feeding The Abscess), its a 4 part song, very progressive and everybody in the band worked on it so it sounds more tri-dimensional. It's spooky, brutal, psycho, technical, prog... at the same time.

Are there any specific techniques or practice routines you like to use to improve your playing?

I used to practice a lot of alternate picking, sweeping and stuff like that but now I'm more into exploring different concept and colours throughout jazz improvisation, scales and chords. I do warm up a bit before a gig, playing modes scales and riffs but I rarely practice this stuff when I'm home. I just stay in good shape and apply different concepts in my playing. I play almost everyday though.

What is your opinion of the death metal scene today and where do you think Canada falls in that aspect?

I like many new bands but I think we've lost a bit of originality in the underground scene. I would say I like bands who find their own way of doing things. I mean, being influenced is okay but being a clone of a clone is not interesting. You don’t have to sound like In Flames or Dillinger Escape Plan. They are already there. I like to be surprised by a band. I think there is too much of a fashion going on in the metal scene now, for some bands at least.

We are from Quebec, Canada, probably the most metal province in Canada. There are many great bands here and most of them are all sounding very different and unique. That's what happens when you have lots of bands in a low population place. You have to sound different if you want to grab people's attention but it is also part of the heritage from Voivod which sound so unique, and bands like DBC, Obliveon, Annihilator, Gorguts etc... They have put the standards very high.

Is there any advice you would give to aspiring musicians or bands?

Practice, do it seriously and most important - have fun doing it. Persevere, don't be pissed off or arrogant, don't expect to be a rockstar. Be open minded to constructive comments and flush the destructive ones, be able to discern what's a constructive or destructive comment. Don't be a rip off, find your own way of doing things. Don't do it for the money or the fame, you might be very disapointed.

Finally, can you think of an interview question you've always wanted to answer but that no one has ever asked?

Would you like to be a fire extinguisher? No, I wouldn't.

A big thanks to Daniel Mongrain and all the guys in Martyr for making this interview possible. Their newest album Feeding The Abscess is out now on Galy Records. You can visit their official website at www.martyr-canada.com and their official MySpace page at myspace.com/martyrcanada.