1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new ep?
Ritual Priestess: We have been non-stop; which has been so awesome! As a band, right now we are spending a lot of time rehearsing; tightening up the set & choreographing the stage show ready for a really awesome run of shows coming up!
We have released our debut video for ‘Land of the Damned’ which features on the EP - we’re all so grateful and overwhelmed for all of the support & positive feedback we’ve received for it!
We’ve also been smashing our socials, collaborating & launching our new website, wondering through the dense Australian bush land on photoshoots, and spending a lot of time in general in each other’s pockets!
2.You have a new ep coming out towards the end of April, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
Priest: we’re kind of a blend of black/melodic black metal and death metal, so we think of ourselves as a blackened death Metal band, but we have a tonne of influences so it’s hard to put an exact label on it. Our production style for the record is aimed at being a bit of a blend of the traditional Black metal sound and some more modern metal. So so we aimed to have the sound ride the line between raw old school and a more punchy contemporary sound.
Ritual Priestess: Our style in general is fairly melodic, theatrical, loud and hard hitting!
This EP is very much all of these things on overdrive! We wanted to deliver an assault on the senses in the best way possible - we wanted to transport listeners into our world; our post apocalyptic cult!
3.A lot of your lyrics cover dark folklore themes, which aspects of this topic do you bring into your songwriting?
Ritual Priestess: Our songwriting is entirely based around the dark folklore we have created. We spend a lot of time conceptually piecing together and developing a world of darkness, chaos, survival and victory. This directly translates to our songwriting; lyrically and through the music as well as our stage performances, costumes and so on.
4.What are some of the other lyrical topics and subjects the band has explored so far with the music?
Priest: We try to tell a continuous story though out our tracks, so each song leads into the next. We like to think of them as chapters in a overarching story. It’s all very narrative driven, this record is all about the origins of the characters and follows them as they try to navigate their way through a post apocalyptic world.
Our songs are about what people will do to survive and how they behave when society has broken down.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Miruthan'?
Priest: Miruthan is a Tamil word that roughly translates to Walking Corpse or Zombie in english, we had a bunch of name ideas but Miruthan was one that stood out! The phonetics of the word are great and it seemed to fit the subject matter perfectly.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?
Priest: Miruthan’s story is set around a ritualistic cult far in an apocalyptic future. So the cover for this record is really aimed at visually summing up that theme. The idea of our music is that’s it’s being sung as it’s being read from a tome, almost like a dark hymn that tells the story of the cults founding. We thought the blood drenched robed figure in a dark cathedral really emphasised up the juxtaposition between apocalyptic violence and culty/religious undertones In our music.
7.You also have 6 members in the band, what was the decision behind adding in a huge line up?
Ritual Priestess: We actually have 8 members! From a conceptual point of view, we did this to create a huge, somewhat intimidating, visual expression and soundscape.
Miruthan is essentially a collective of storytellers:
- Nzambi (The Zombie DemiGod): Guitar, Sprechstimme
- Mvumbi (Ghost): Vocals
- Baron: Vocals
- Priest: Lead Guitar
- Ritual Priestess: Vocals
- Fantoma: Vocals
- Witch Doctor: Bass
- Wrath: Drums
8.In the promo pics you also wear masks and cloaks, do these have any ritualistic aspects to them?
Ritual Priestess: We wear our masks & cloaks at all times of performance. They provide us, and anyone experiencing our performances, with a sense of the dark ritualistic nature of the world we have created through our folklore.
When we perform, we envelop everything around us in our chaotic world and draw in our ‘recruits’; as a cult would!
9.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Ritual Priestess: We have been blown away by the response to all of our shows! Our ‘recruits’ are a phenomenal, energetic and endlessly supportive bunch! The community of ‘allies’ we have been so grateful to play alongside are all equally phenomenal too!
I would have to say, the energy and enthusiasm of All Ages shows really are something else though!
10.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new ep is released?
Priest: We’re actually about to start a tour for the release of the e.p! We’re all super pumped, it’s an 11 show tour that will take us up and down the East Coast of Australia. We’ve also got more shows locked in after that, and we’d love to look at touring overseas!
11.Currently the band is unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Priest: We decided to release this one on our own and see how far we could take it ourselves, we’re lucky enough to have our own recording studio so this was produced, recorded, mixed and mastered completely by us. For our album following this e.p we’re definitely looking at shopping labels!
12.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
Priest: It’s been really amazing! We know we’re a little different to traditional Black and Death Metal. But everyone so far has been really open to our twist on the genres and we’re really grateful for that!
13.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Priest: We’ve already got our full length written and in demo form, so it’s well on the way! We’re hoping to release it late in 2024 but that’s obviously dependent on how we go with our label search!
14.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
Priest: We all listen to a bunch of different stuff, we’ve all actually got a pretty diverse taste in music. Of course most of us listen to a fair bit of Black and Death Metal and all of the various sub-genres (I’ve been on a bit of a slam kick lately), but heaps of the band members are very much into genres like Punk, Rockabilly and western swing, Rock, Blues & Bluegrass. Some of us listen to a lot of jazz and some love indie stuff too.
So yeah super diverse!
15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Priest: We urge you Join The Cult ov Miruthan!
https://www.facebook.com/Miruthanband
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