Interview with Olof Mörck

Only less that two weeks left to the anticipated release of Amaranthes new record ‘’Helix’’, I got to do this very awesome interview with guitarist and songwriter Olof Mörck! We talked about a lot of things, of course including the new album, the process of writing, changing singers and management! Read his answers down below!

‘’How are you doing so close to the release date of ‘’Helix’’?’’

Olof: ‘’Well, it’s a very exciting time to say the least. Especially considered that a lot of the songs were already written last year. It’s a very, very long waiting game, first to record them and then we wait more till the release date. It’s been ten months that we’ve been living with these songs and no one has heard them. So the exciting part is coming now, seeing the reactions and reviews that people write about ‘’Helix’’.’’

‘’I already got to listen to the album and I have to say that I really enjoyed it.’’

Olof: ‘’Cool! It’s a little bit different than last time. It’s slightly heavier than ‘’Maximalism.’’

 ‘’I agree on that, there seems to be more power/passion/fire on it. So what else is new on this album, obviously Nils is, did he change anything in the writing and/or recording process?’’

Olof: ‘’Nils is a different kind of singer than Jake, and obviously working with someone that has other influences than us is going to have its effect on our compositions. Nils didn’t necessarily compose or write any of the songs, but he was still very much part of the process. I sent Nils a lot of ideas that we were working on, because I know that he is an excellent songwriter, and then he gave me his feedback on the vocals. I think in general you get inspired when you get new band members, which also happened in 2014’s ‘’Massive Addictive’’ when Henrik joined. Back then it had influence on the writing as well. The recording process did change, because Nils was really, really quick in the studio. We are all used to taking quite a bit longer time, but he was super enthusiastic, he knew all his parts and was ready to start.’’

‘’I really like Nils’s voice on the album. If course I liked Jake too, but somehow I feel like Nils just belongs in (the current) Amaranthe.’’

Olof: ‘’It is comparing apples to oranges. Of course Jake’s vocals were a vital part of Amaranthes sound, the band was mostly formed around him (and me). I think when we started to look for a new singer after Jake left, we wanted somebody who was in the same direction, but has its own personality, his own kind of voice. When I first listened I thought ‘’Wow, this is different’’, then I gave it some time, listened a bit more and came to the conclusion that it sounded even more Amaranthe than what I’ve hoped for. His voice really fits perfectly.’’

‘’It’s hard to explain that feeling, but it definitely sounds even more Amaranthe!’’

Olof: ‘’Exactly! It is what the core of Amaranthe should sound like and he really fits into that context. That is also why we never really considered another singer, because as soon as we heard him in Dynazty we realised that. It was a really easy choice.’’

‘’So if Nils didn’t write or compose any of the songs, who did?’’

Olof: ‘’For a while it has just been me and Elize. Previously I only worked with the two singers separately, and then we fit both of their ideas in one song. So when Jake left there was a different dynamic, and before that he had some really different ideas. Where me and Elize were still pretty much on the same page, Jake had somewhat evolved when it came to the songwriting, the sound and the general direction. So when Elize and me started writing for ‘’Helix’’, we not only noticed that we work perfectly together, but there was no friction at all (but friction can create amazing ideas too). There was no one who held us back in that, and I think that is why ‘’Helix’’ became a bit more of a coherent album.’’

‘’How did you came up with the album name, ‘’Helix’’?’’

Olof: ‘’Well, I think especially with the two latest albums we’ve had very distinct and obvious titles, you could not misinterpret it. But with this album we wanted that both in the lyrics and in the album in general was a little bit more mysterious. It is a title that can mean different things, I would say that part of my definition is that a helix is a spiral, it’s part of the DNA sequence, so I think that it is us trying to represent the core, the DNA, of Amaranthe. Because the last couple of albums were a bit more experimental, I would say that this is not only back to the roots but taking those roots to the next level.’’

‘’What is your favourite song of ‘’Helix’’?’’

Olof: ‘’It kind of depends on my mood. But as a proud parent, I’d say the song ‘’Helix’’. Because it represents what Amaranthe is and always has been about. It’s a heavy song, not necessarily as happy and uptempo as some other Amaranthe songs, but all the elements are there. Actually, it’s the song that I listened to quite a lot myself, and that usually doesn’t happen that much, haha.’’

‘’Wait, you never listen to your own music?’’

Olof: ‘’I do occasionally but you spend so much time with this music that you sometimes become a little bit tired of it. Some I’ve heard for over thousand, if not more, times. You play them at every live show, so some songs you hear hundred days in a row. Obviously listening and playing the songs is different but if you love what you write, you will enjoy it more later on as well. Lately I’ve been running a lot and it turns out ‘’Helix’’ is perfect for that.’’

‘’It is a very original idea, you don’t hear that a lot in metal and you just went for it. It sets Amaranthe apart, once more.’’