Exclusive Interview: Sonus Mortis talk “Past Lives”!
At the forefront of Irish Dark Metal, combining elements of Black Metal with Melodic Death Metal is Kevin Byrne, the multi instrumentalist behind solo project Sonus Mortis. The former Valediction bassist unveiled a new album in “Past Lives” a few weeks back, the follow up to the critically acclaimed “Hold This Mortal Coil” and was gracious enough to take some time out of his busy schedule to talk to us about the glorious lead driven record…
How have you found the reaction to your new album “Past Lives” so far? Did you feel any pressure going into the new recordings with its predecessor “Hold This Mortal Coil” being so well received? “The reaction has been very positive towards the new album “Past Lives” and all the shifts in the music/style seem to have gone down well so I’m pretty happy with that. I suppose there would have been more pressure if this album was another “Hold This Mortal Coil” type album. I did try and write a follow-up to that but the songs weren’t good enough so I abandoned the idea for now. I didn’t want exact comparisons to the previous album so this was the perfect time to showcase the melodic death style. I will eventually do a follow up to “Hold This Mortal Coil”, that will be in the pipeline”
The album runs on bleak lyrical themes with a social commentary running through the heart of it; do you think it cathartic to express your opinions in this way? Have you ever had any negativity towards the lyrics?“I guess that’s the main thread that remains the same throughout all my releases – the lyrical content. I did try and write the story arc type of albums with “Propaganda Dream Sequence” and “War Prophecy” (the first 2 albums) but I don’t think those aspects fit well overall looking back. From the third album onwards there was less literal storytelling and more on the abstract concept/themes. “Hail The Tragedies Of Man” & “Hold This Mortal Coil” are as close to what you could call misanthropic monologues. “Past Lives” definitely follows the same path, probably a bit more “on the nose” in places when it comes to some of social commentary, especially the song “Screen Servitude”. I think we need to stretch any idea/concept/theme to their edges and see what snaps back. We’ve all heard the middle ground long enough; I’d like to think maybe some of my lyrics could provoke some thought and discussion. I haven’t received any negativity when it comes to the lyrics so I must be doing something right!”
Compared to the previous album “Hold This Mortal Coil“, “Past Lives” has a collection of fresh influences in it with some Folk and even Power Metal riff stylings creeping into the abundance guitar work. What would you say were the biggest influences on your writing this time around? “With covid lockdowns, I spent a lot of time on the guitar trying out new things. A lot of my previous songs are not about the riffs but more the atmosphere and the mood so that’s one of the things I tried to change with this album, plus I wanted the music some more riff based songs, to give that feeling of defiance/hope. I was also listening to bands I haven’t listened to in about 10 years, bands like Nevermore, Iced Earth, Helloween, In Flames, Dark Tranquility, that type of sound. Jeff Loomis is just untouchable, such a great guitarist, one of the best in the modern era I would argue”
“Past Lives” is your fifth full-length album since 2014; what is it that keeps you coming back for more and drives you to better yourself as a multi-instrumentalist? “There is no better form of expression than through creativity in the art form of music and lyrics. It gives the mind great focus during the whole process of album making. Life can feel like running a blind marathon at times, being stuck on cruise control, music helps pull you out of the rat race, to pause and give yourself time to reflect…or to distract, get away from the mundane”
As a solo project, have you ever considered fleshing out the line up in order to play the Sonus Mortis works live? “I did the full band thing with Valediction. We gigged and supported a lot of cool bands, Desaster, Amon Amarth, Wizard, Diamond Head, Blaze Bayley, Firewind to name a few etc. But I felt more stress than anything playing live, I blame the perfectionist in me…and I never liked the whole waiting around…waiting for a place to open, sound check, then waiting a few more hours to play the set, I just hated it. If there was ever an opportunity to do a few once off live shows with the right people, I would definitely consider it but I’m sure most would not want to play in a band that they had zero creative input into”
What’s next for Sonus Mortis? “I’m already working on the next release. Very early stages but I think it will musically bridge the gap between “Past Lives” and “Hold This Mortal Coil” which I think will peak some interest. If I’m lucky and I continue to get support from across the globe with my music – my main goal is to get to 10 full length albums, anything else after that would be a bonus. But I won’t run on fumes, if it’s not worth recording then I won’t do it just for the sake of it”
“Past Lives” by Sonus Mortis is out now and available over at bandcamp