In this new interview, we speak with Mats Haugen, guitarist for the phenomenal Norwegian progressive metal band Circus Maximus...
For starters, can you give a brief history of the band for those unfamiliar with Circus Maximus?
Mats Haugen: After playing together for several years, Mike, Truls and myself finally got a full lineup with Glen on bass and Espen on keys. We wanted to do a full length album after a couple of years doing some well received demos. Then after hooking up with Intromental, Frontiers and Sensory records we finally, in 2004, recorded The 1st Chapter. The reception was overwhelming and we got tons of great reviews. It gave us the necessary boost to do a follow up. Then Espen quit the band and Lasse filled his spot. Then we released Isolate in 2007. The band was tighter than ever and the songwriting was taken to another level. We got to play alot of great shows with bands like Kamelot, Queensryche and so on, and of course the tour with Symphony X... The years so far have been great!
We are now in the making of the 3rd chapter. Cant wait to get on the road with it. The upcoming album will contain some seriously drop down in the basement riffs... hehe.
Who are some of the bands/musicians that have influenced your music?
For my part, I have tons of bands that influence me. Lately Opeth, Muse, Coldplay, Mew, to name a few, have been repeating a lot on my iPod.
How do you think the progressive metal scene is doing these days? Is it growing?
Few bands do Progressive metal better than Opeth these days. Metal in general! So if the genre is growing, they should get alot of credit for it.
How is your style received in Norway?
It's not top of the pops, but we are getting there. :)
Is there a favorite Circus Maximus song you have?
They happen to change all the time. For the moment I think "From Childhoods Hour" might be our best song. "Alive" is also up there. Hell, I love em all. They are like our kids. Some ugly, some pretty!
Could you walk us through the songwriting process that occurs when Circus Maximus comes up with a new tune?
It usually starts with me working out ideas in my homestudio. I program the song then I present it to the band. If it sounds good when we rehearse, it usually ends up on the album. We also bang our heads together in the studio on new ideas. Lots of cool stuff comes out when we jam. In the end, of course everyone contributes to get the final work done.
Can you tell us anything about new material in the works for your third album?
We have more or less 60-70% of the songs ready. The plan is to hit the studio in October, November.
Do you have any advice you'd give to aspiring young musicians or bands?
If you want it bad enough it will most definitely work out for you!
Last of all, can you think of any interview question you've always wanted to answer, but that no one has ever asked?
Who is your favorite drummer? Hehe.
A big thanks to Mats Haugen and all the members of Circus Maximus, for making this interview possible. You can find the band's official website at: www.circusmaximussite.com, and their official MySpace at: www.myspace.com/officialcm.
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