Interview By Ed MacLaren

 

Sweden’s The Murder of My Sweet is one of those rare bands that release a debut album that defies conventional categorization. With an accessible and sophisticated metal sound with strong production and one of the best voices in metal, "Divanity" is an album that could cross over in big way. Vocalist Angelica Rylin sits down with Femme Metal to discuss the making of "Divanity".

"Divanity" is out! Your first album and it’s a great one. How does it feel?

It is a very exciting time for us now. Especially for me as this is the first album I’ve been involved with ever. It feels so amazing just to have the record out on the market for people to hear and the feedback from our fans and critics has been great so far. I couldn’t be happier at the moment.

How has the reception been to "Divanity" and more so to The Murder of My Sweet in general?

Well, people seem to like our songs, the arrangements and the "film noir vibe" we have created around the band and what’s really cool is that we seem to attract such a wide range of people. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you listen to heavy metal, rock or pop to be able to like our music.

Although this is The Murder of My Sweet's first album there is a lot of experience in the band. Can you give us a little history? How did you get together?

The guys were all handpicked by Daniel Flores. They are all great musicians but they are also very good friends. He met Andreas Lindahl while working with Danish act Zool, Daniel Palmqvist is a long time friend and co-worker for many of the albums he has been part of in his studio Sound vs. Science and Johan was there from Daniel’s other band Mind’s Eye. I was recruited to the band in late 2007 when Daniel got my phone number from a mutual friend of ours.

For a metal CD, "Divanity" is very accessible. Considering the experience of the band in so many musical styles, you could have gone in just about any direction. When you formed the band, how did you determine your musical goals?

When Daniel and I started working together we discovered that movies and score music was a huge interest that we both shared and we always wondered why anyone never put score music into rock or metal before so we decided to try it out and see where it may lead us. Daniel is a very talented musician and the way he arranges strings and horns is really amazing. I hope he gets the chance to do some production for real movies some day.

"Divanity" is a great combination of metal and symphonic elements with an almost pop sensibility that is more radio friendly than most metal. Is sharing your music with as many fans as possible an important goal of the band?

Yes it is. To be able to create and share and connect with other people around the world is an amazing feeling. Of course, we write songs because it’s the thing we love to do the most but it can be really hard sometimes and when you get that e-mail from someone who says your music has helped them get through a hard time in their life or maybe someone fell in love listening to the album that you really know you made the right decision to work hard and stay up late in the studio for all those months. And of course, if enough people like our songs and buy the album we will be able to go on tour and record another album, so yes, it is important.

The first thing that hits you on "Divanity" is your vocals. Your voice is strong and clear with excellent range: plus it’s instantly recognizable. A straight ahead female rock voice seems to be a rarity in metal these days. How did you develop your voice and who were your influences?

I’ve been singing and dancing since I can remember but it wasn’t until 2001 that I came across a vocal coach and started realizing that I could sing. I have taken a few classes with different coaches but most of all I have developed by listening to music and singing along to songs that I like. Trying new ways to sing and pushing your boundaries and just having fun with it is the best way to develop. My parents listened a lot to Pat Benatar, Kim Wilde, Eurythmics and Queen when I grew up so those bands were my first introduction to music.

Your vocal range must give the band a lot of freedom in composing the music especially on tracks like "Death of a Movie Star". Is there a lot of experimentation with your vocals when writing songs?

Yeah and that’s what’s most fun when composing. We don’t believe in doing all that’s expected of us, we like to push the envelope and think outside the box. If you open up to the unexpected anything can happen.

Your band name is derived from the 1944 film-noir classic, Murder My Sweet. Does film and specifically film-noir have an influence on your music? From where do you draw your inspirations?

We love the drama, the love, the hate and all the feelings you experience in movies and I personally just love the aesthetics of film noir. Movies in general are a big inspiration source when we compose but most of all both Daniel and I have a really big imagination and we get lots of cool ideas for new songs just by grabbing a coffee together or taking a walk and watching people we pass. The key is to take all of those ideas and make something out of it.

For a debut album, it sounds like your second or third in terms of song structure and musical sophistication. What are your short- and long-term musical goals for The Murder of My Sweet?

I couldn’t be prouder to call this my debut album and I am so happy to be working with such professionals. Right now we are very focused on promoting "Divanity" and preparing to play live. We are very anxious people however so a couple of songs for the next album are already in progress. I think I speak for all of us when I say this is the best thing that ever happened to us and that you haven’t seen the last of us. This is just the beginning.

"Death of a Movie Star" is one of the standout tracks on "Divanity". It could be part of a metal Broadway musical. Does it give a hint of what we can hear in the future from The Murder of My Sweet?

Well, maybe. We had a lot of fun recording that track and we worked on it for several months because we wanted it to be huge and perfect in every note and I am so proud of how it came out. But really we wanted to write a song that could showcase all the influences and elements that we as a band share. We will just have to see what the future holds. :)

Metal needs a good high energy band that’s not afraid to shoot for the mainstream the way Evanescence did. Everything about the band's presentation - from production to promo pictures to album cover design is the highest quality. There seems to be a lot of confidence that The Murder of My Sweet could break worldwide. Is that kind of world domination a goal for the band?

Wow, world domination. It sounds sweet! Ha ha. Well, as I said before, it is really important to reach out to as many fans as possible for the simple fact that it provides the means to continue to write music and to go on tour. But I also believe we have a lot to bring to today’s music scene and we also have a responsibility to the next generation of musicians to push the envelope and make real music. People from all the continents seem to enjoy it so far. Maybe world domination wouldn’t be that bad. :)

How are the songs translating to a stage setting? What can fans expect at the live show?

There is a lot of energy and interacting with the audience as well as between the band members. We have lots of fun and you will leave our concert with the feeling of a life time. It’s the most fun roller coaster you will ever ride!

What are your tour plans for 2010? How far from Sweden are you planning to play?

We recently signed with a German booking agency called ITM (Primal Fear, Lordi) and so we are planning for some opening acts this spring and a couple of festivals around Europe this summer. A dream of ours is of course to tour even in America and Japan. We are really anxious to go out and play and to go on tour and actually meet our fans since we’ve been locked inside the studio for almost two years. ;)

I would like to say thank you so much for reading this interview and please, if you like our songs go out and buy the album. We have created a beautiful booklet with fantastic pictures and all of the lyrics for you. And please visit our Official Site and our Official MySpace (links below) to listen to the music or send us a message. We try to answer every mail that is sent to us.

Rock and kisses and have fun!

 

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Links

The Murder Of My Sweet Official MySpace

The Murder Of My Sweet Official Site

 

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