For an ambiguous name, Maziac are rather candid in their answers…
Simple things first – where are you guys from?
Tony is half English/half Salvadorean and grew up in Maastricht, The Netherlands. Marc’s from Montreal, Canada and Tim is the only full native from Bedfordshire. We all currently live in London, UK.
How did you meet?
Marc met Andrej Alon, from post-metal band The Ever Living, at the gym in early 2017 and the 2 bonded over a mutual taste in music. Andy put Marc in touch with Tim, whom he had played in bands with before, knowing he was looking for a new project and soon afterwards Marc met Tony through joinmyband.
How long have you been playing as a band?
Nearly 2 years.
Before you get sick of being asked… where does the band name come from?
After many beers and ideas we couldn’t all agree on, or had already been used by other bands, we decided to go for Maziac – a variation of an 80s video game called Maziacs that Tim played when he was a kid. We were quite keen on a band name which was slightly ambiguous but intriguing – we didn’t want anyone having preconceptions about what we do or who we might sound like, they should just listen in!
What are your influences?
We all love modern prog rock/metal bands like Tool, Mastodon, Devin Townsend and Meshuggah. We also all love heavy melodic bands like Deftones, Cave In and Karnivool. Those are the kinds of influences which shine through in the music most. Overall, Marc and Tony probably lean more towards the heavier end of the spectrum and Tim more to alt-rock and prog but we all love guitar music which strays from the norm and frequently introduce one another to exciting new artists. Some particularly experimental bands that we’ve been enjoying lately include Major Parkinson, Rolo Tomassi and Dir En Grey.
Describe your music. What makes you unique?
In a nutshell, atmospheric prog rock/metal. We combine accessible, hook-laden rock with abrasive, technical metal and occasionally incorporate influences from outside of the rock/metal spectrum. The atmospheric background synths and keyboards, produced by Tim (bass/backing vocals), have also become a strong component of our sound. Although certain influences are definitely evident in our music, I don’t think there is one band in particular that we sound like. We have our own sound – which draws from different places – but it’s ours. And within that sound, we love to experiment with different styles and emotions. We are far from the only band to successfully blend genres but I think we are one of the few to blend rock/metal sub-genres into a particularly digestible package.
Do you have any particular lyrical themes?
Self-reflection/realisation, observations of human tendencies, emotive experiences and overcoming adversity.
What’s your live show like? How many shows have you played?
We haven’t played that many shows together as we’re still a relatively new band (although we’ve all played many shows with previous bands) but we’re proud of the ones that we’ve done. Our show at Boston Music Room, which got favourably reviewed by Metal Hammer and Power Play, and our show at The Black Heart in Camden with Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster, are particular highlights. Tim’s pre-programmed background synths are definitely a big part of our live show and enhance how we sound live. We also like to engage with the audience between songs.
What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen or done at a live show?
We walked on stage at our first ever gig to a cheeky Fatboy Slim backing track and threw a Tool cover into our set for good measure. A bit cocky maybe but we pulled it off… We were met with a massive roar as we hit the stage at our follow up gig at Camden’s Black Heart so we obviously did something right!
What kit do you use / guitars do you play / etc.?
- Tony – Ibanez RG360 with Bareknuckle Aftermath pick-ups and Dark Zone strings. Line 6 Pod HD500x.
- Tim – Musicman US Sub bass, Darkglass B3K and TC Electronic Spectra Comp pedals. Orange Terror Bass head.
- Marc – Sabian Cymbals, Iron Cobra Pedals, Pearl Drums and Vic Firth Sticks.
What, if anything, are you plugging/promoting at the moment?
Our album, Forged, which comes out 5th July!
What are your plans for 2019?
In addition to releasing our album, we will be playing as many one-off shows as possible. We will be going on tour next year.
If you were second on a three-band bill, which band would you love to be supporting and which band would you choose to open for you? A chance to plug someone you’ve toured with, or a mate’s band we’ve not heard of before!
Supporting Deftones, Devin Townsend, Tool or Mastodon would be a dream come true. In terms of supporting us, Tony’s friend released a solo album under the moniker Thoughtscape which is fantastic. If he could get a live band together, that would be great! Also, although we’ve played with them before, we’d love to play with our good friends in The Ever Living again!
wpDiscuz