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From Tranquil Chaos zine

Well, MOURNING BELOVETH have been in existence now for 5 years, but it was only before our first demo we got a bassist. The first demo came out in June '96 and has mainly been described as slow raw doom. We only had 8 hours in the studio so we were pleased with the result. We also introduced a new bassist and out old bassist has switched to guitar. April 11th and 12th we will be recording our new demo entitled Autumnal Fires, and we are looking for complete heaviness and melancholy.

In the few years of your existence you only released one (untitled) demo. I reckon you only record something when you feel you are completely ready for it, and that the material is good enough to record - in other words: pefection takes time? Do you think that there are maybe too many bands around that just record about anything they play, which results in a lot of bad or at best mediocre releases?

Well, you could call this laziness, but yes, you are right in saying that we only record something when we are completely happy with it; we do not record every riff that comes out in rehearsals. Also the fact that we are working and only rehearse twice a month. We also feel it takes time to build up new experiences from one recording to the next, and this is where a lot of bands find the problem of stagnation when they release say an album a year, and this is how there are so many bad bands out there.

Even though your music includes quite a few slow midpaced passages, you don't feel the 'doom' monicker applies to MOURNING BELOVETH; why? I mean, doom is kore than Candlemass, Cathedral or Black Sabbath, isn't it...How would you describe your (new) material yourself?

The only reason we do not like the doom monicker is that it gives the listener or potential buyer a preconceived idea of what will be on the demo. Usually doom means slow and we do not want to limit ourselves in that way for the future. The next demo is a concept piece 40 minutes long into 5 pieces, but all one song. We are aiming for the demo to be the heaviest we can get in the studio, with melancholic and haunting melodies. It will include 2 piano pieces.

Lyricwise you talk about 'the loss of innocence as one matures', using nature as metaphors for the process. Looking at some of the titles you see it as a woeful process; can you agree with this? And what inspires you to write these sort of lyrics; maybe they are (partially) a reflection of your owm emotional struggles when maturing yourself?

Song titles for the demo are "Forever lost emeralds", "Grasping at moonbeams", "A haunting vision", "Imprisoned in heaven" and "Autumns fires in somnolent harmony". I think in answering this question I will quote the first song, "wandering through the wild and rich fields , to gather the flowers of youth". You see, in my lyrics this also includes the music. We find the music as a way of venting our emotions, mainly our negative emotions, and the loss of innocence is one of the main processes in life which everyone can relate to. I am not saying that this loss of innocence is all sorrowful, but these are the aspects which we feel we must write about. I use nature as you could say, a grand scale, as it is similar to this thing called life, it is being destroyed.

One of the new songs is called "Imprisoned in heaven". Is it inspired by religion then, or do you think 'heaven' also has a non-religious meaning? Do you consider yourself religious in any way, and/or are you into things related to religion, like mythology or the occult?

Well, the song "Imprisoned in heaven" is a piano piece with no lyrics, and the title was chosen as it fits with the lyrics of the other songs. Although I was brough up a catholic, I have long since severed ties with all forms of religion, and just live my own life. The heaven mentioned in the song title is form of heaven; it could be an idyllic landscape, an emotion...

In spite of limited promotion, you sold quite a few copies of the debut demo. How did people react to the tape, and did you get any feedback from the media (zines, radio, tv...) or record companies that were interested in MOURNING BELOVETH? Do you feel you've been paid sufficient attention by the written press so far?

Well, we have just hit the 300 mark with the sales of the demo and we have been very pleased with the response, even though promotion has been limited, and that has been due to our lack of funds and laziness, but the release of the next demo will be a different story as we now have a base of 300 to start with. Well, the zine scene has been lacking as this is only our third interview, but the feedback from everyone has been positive so far, so this gives us some encouragement.

For most bands, promotionis one of the priorities; how important is it for you, and will you put more effort into promoting the upcoming second demo, which is due out in April '98? Would you e.g. ever consider doing a video, or starting up your own Internet-site (which a lot of bands seem to be doing these days)?

See the last answer...

Your biography says you've only played live 5 times in '97; is it so hard to get a gig in Ireland, or are there other reasons for this as well? Your new live-show will incorporate actors and sets; can you tell a little more about the plans? Do you consider yourselves more a studio or a live band by the way?

In the beginning we did not feel that playing live was very important. This was helped by the fact that there was not too many places to play. Lately however the scene has been picking up and we have seen a lot of Irish bands being signed and so the live scene has been picking up because of this. We now feel that playing live is an integral part of the band, as it keeps the energy within the band. Hopefully when we are comfortablt enough with the new material we will make a video to accompany the live performance. Or if the venue is big enough actors will be incorporated whom will act out the lyrics. No plans are yet finalised, so I will leave this converstaion to another time.

How's the Metal Scene in Ireland these days? Are there any bands, zines and labels worth mentioning?

The scene in Ireland seems to be gaining momentum again, and alot of bands are emerging. Also a lot of bands are getting signed. To list a few: Graveyard Dirt, Geasa, Mephitis, Abaddon Incarnate.

Anything you'd like to add?

I will finish by saying as you read this our new demo is released and will be heavy, heavy, heavy! For $6 or £2.50.