Exclusive Interview: May The Tempest talk “Rise To Remain”!

Last month German Metalcore act May The Tempest unleashed “Rise To Remain” after leaving a trail of breadcrumbs in single form with “Bitter Taste” (Summer 2016) “Different” (February 2020), “Ghost” (March 2020), and “Nowhere” (August 2020) laying the foundations for it following their 2015 debut EP “Siren“. Their DIY work ethic lead to the new album all being completed in house, their bassist producing at McGallagher Recordings and as a concept release that tells of the moral abyss of a relationship, its end, and its aftermath; an emotional chaos reflected not only lyrically but also musically, it’s a journey from start to finish. We had to pleasure of asking them a few burning questions about it and here is what they had to say…

How have you found the reaction to “Rise To Remain” so far? It’s a powerful record with a powerful fist clenching title! “It’s been great! We worked so long on this record and are so happy to have it finally out. And the response has been just incredible. It definitely sets the motivation to create more stuff, and I can tell you that we already started working on new stuff”

How did the idea to create a concept album come about and how challenging was it to stick within the confines of the themes? Did you have any ideas which were put on the self to return to as they didn’t fit the brief? “To be honest, we never planned to write a concept album. We just wrote what was on our minds, and all the lyrics happened to be related. It just came naturally. Maybe we just subconsciously felt like the record had to have a common thread, lyrically and musically. We wrote many songs that didn’t make it in the album, but this decision was made solely based on the music, not on the lyrics. The good thing about being in a band with an uneven number of members is that we can vote for songs and always come to a result. But most decisions were pretty clear”

There has been something of a resurgence in Metalcore of late with some older bands returning and new ones like Everture and I At Last coming forward but the genre has taken a fair beating from critics and fans so did you ever feel that you wanted to adjust your style and claim a different genre like Melodic Death Metal as your own? Do you feel proud to call yourselves a Metalcore band? “We’re not a band for the sake of making Metalcore. We just make music and what comes out happens to be Metalcore. It could be any other genre; that’s just what we’re doing at the moment. And I’m really excited to see what the future holds. We’re definitely not proud of being a Metalcore band, and I don’t really know what’s there to be proud of. Of course, we’re proud of the stuff we do, but that has nothing to do with the genre”

When it comes to the inspirations for writing May The Tempest songs, who are your musical heroes? Who were on the posters on your walls growing up and on the t-shirts you wear now? “We all come from different corners. Jonas (our guitarist and clean singer) had a Bob Marley poster on his wall. Roley (our bassist and producer) went for As I Lay Dying poster. I (Lucci, Shouts) was a fanboy of a German “punk” band called “Die Ärzte” back then. Our drummer Patrick was more into harder stuff like Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Andi’s (guitar) greatest idol was Michael Schumacher”

What was it like to share stages with genre heroes like Miss May I and Annisokay? Did you learn anything from them that has helped you as a band? “The tour with Miss May I was our biggest milestone yet. We had a lot of fun with these guys. Seeing a band of this caliber being so nice to the small regional band from the neighborhood felt really good. But every time we share a stage with a professional band, we gain a lot of experience. It’s funny to see how some bands are really professional, don’t drink, and don’t party while on tour, and for some, it’s the opposite”

What’s the future for May The Tempest? Are you looking forward to returning to the stage? “As I mentioned earlier, we already started writing new music and we won’t wait too long. Since our last EP and our new album more than 4 years have passed and that was way too long. Of course, we can’t wait to hit the stage again. We had a huge release tour planned last May, but of course, we had to cancel it. Since then, almost a year has passed, and we have had two shows. We’re more than grateful for these opportunities; however, a year with just two shows is just not enough. As soon as it’s possible, we will catch up and do our release tour. Hopefully, that’s going to be this year…”