Interview: Pulchra Morte

Prior to the release of their brand new album Ex Rosa Ceremonia, we got the opportunity to chat with Pulchra Morte about both the new album and their experiences from being in the metal scene for many years.

How do you feel the response has been to the material released so far?

From what we’ve seen it’s gone over pretty well. We’re sort o fat that stage where we’ve spent 2 years creating this, and lob it out to see what happens. From what we’ve seen so far it looks good. Any time that someone has a positive response to something you do, it feels empowering and amazing. People are lying if they say they don’t feel that, as it’s so worthwhile when you can step back and be proud of something you’ve made.

This is the first release with the new bassist and vocalist as well. How was it working with them?

We had an amicable split with our previous guys and there was no bad blood at all, we’re all still friends. We’ve known the new guys for a while as they played in Wolvhammer so it was pretty easy to get working with them. It was really cool to see them work and their different way of working. We couldn’t be happier with the results of what they put into this album, and we look forward to working with them again in the future.

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Was the process behind this album any different?

Oh, it was very different. The first album was basically an album that Jarret produced and added some flavours to, but was already written. This time around, it was a lot more iterative in the writing and Clay, Jarret and Jeff wrote most of the music. Jarret and Clay have been doing this for over 30 years, so it was very easy to write the music. Jeff tends to come up with the original idea, Clay then works on them for a bit and then Jarret does some harmonies and other bits. Being able to go back and forth on the ideas has been great and having three folk working on them is really good.

What’s something you want to see less of in the music industry?

Jarret: I’ve been a tour manager and front of house for many bands over many years, and I’ve had a ton of great experiences with musicians and other people in the industry. However, there’s an issue where some people in the industry where they think the musicians serve them instead of them serving you. There’s people that take on so many bands, throw them at wall and then whichever one’s work stick and screw the others. If you’re not going to invest or push a band then, in my opinion, you should leave the industry and not be involved. I want the people involved to think this is special again and have a genuine sense of gratitude that you’re part of making the music. There’s no arrogance, I’m rocking out with the band that I’m working with. Recognizing fortune and being part of this is really special. I want people to respect that, as that’s really important to me.

Clay: There’s been periods of time where I’ve taken some time away from the industry due to how things have been. There’s a huge difference between having killer riffs and having killer songs. When I first heard some of the stuff that Jeff was writing, I was really excited as they were really good songs. There’s plenty of people out there that want to be showy and make killer riffs, but there’s no good songs. With the music that Jeff was writing, there was no showing off and the music flowed really nice. I then realised I had more to say behind the drums, so picked up my sticks to come back.

Do you think that music should challenge the listener?

Everything has it’s place, and it depends what you want to get out the music. There’s a big difference between two great albums, and that’s the things that’s great about having so many great bands. Whatever mood you are in, there’s going to be some great music for it. Having the ability to step out of the box and experience some new music, is something I think is really valuable. There’s always something you can learn, be it how to do something or how to not do something. We’re always looking for new music to see what’s out there, and occasionally there’ll be something that’s amazing and make the rotation. There’s so many talented people out there, across many genres. If you’re not open to giving other new music another chance, then it’s possible that you’re missing out on some inspiration that could bring some amazing ideas.

What are the band’s plans for the next year?

The goal is always to play, but we want to do it in a way that everyone is comfortable and is very safe. We want to play, and if we can’t play then we won’t be sitting still. We’ll probably either be working on other songs or record a live performance that we’ll put out. Stopping is not on the cards, we are going to continue on no matter what. The frustration that we are all feeling, can be a sense of inspiration for music. We’ve already started writing music for the new record.

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