Interview with The Mountain King

If you want to read the Spanish version, go here.

Si quieren leer la versión en español, vayan para acá.

Thank you for the opportunity to do this, guys. I know the situation right now is not the best. How are you guys coping with the coronavirus situation?

We talk a lot on the phone and Eric is in his studio and just keeps on writing new songs. We have a few releases planned but time has never been an issue. When it's done it's done and we release it. So in a way, we were already sociopaths before the virus. Sure, we are unable to rehearse now, but we need to practice after that anyway with the new material. So basically, we're aware and keep the hygiene as high as possible, but we don't panic.

For people that perhaps don’t know you, what is The Mountain King as a band?

The Mountain King our way to cope with not being able to combine different music styles in other bands. We call it our "project" because "band" won't really fit in a traditional sense of meeting to rehearse, writing new material together and touring.

All releases differ in style from ambience, lofi trip hop or minimal music, Stoner Rock to Drone Doom.

From release to release, different people were contacted or contacted us to record or help or contribute with their skills to enhance the sound of each album.

We changed that in 2019 when we decided to hit the stage as a 2 man combo with alle the doom songs. And that's also the goal for this year, plague or not, we want to play the stuff live for people.

How you guys got together?

We know each other for about 10 years now and had different bands at that time but eventually decided to get together for more live experience as friends that can trust each other.

What were the bands that influenced your sound and even your image?

What is our image? I strongly believe, that its important to do as we feel. So there are many different looks and styles and thoughts that we keep flowing into the "image". Those things will help to evolve and reshape and renew the project nearly every year.

I know, people often want "their" band, a group of people that finds their sound or style and keeps playing it until they die even if they themselves don't identificate with what they started anymore.

We don't get to do that. It's just not our way.

The way I see it is the artist who has to choose because the fan doesn't even know what he wants. It's not arrogant or anything bad. It is fact that you get the crowd that you deserve and when you're a metal band writing about beer and killing, you'll end up being electrocuted on stage by a spilled pint in your extension cable. We believe that we have a responsibility, not for the beverage that people prefer, but the way they see music. And for us it is not just a thing you consume, like noodles and toilet paper at the moment, but an essential companion to everyone's life. It people can identify with our music, then they are open minded and interested in creative processes that build an album and they know that won't be a release, that copied the last just because of numbers.

We want to feel unique with every song and transcend through our music disregarding a common sense of "how to do music".

How do you think your sound has evolved throughout the years?

I hope one hears that it even has. Since we're mainly producing ourselves, we try to make the sound better every time we release something. But it has to fit the ghost of each song. We don't want to release a stoner rock song that sounds like a minimal techno mix.

Have you felt that now you have a defined style? That now you have an identity as a band?

I can only see what is inside the project. It's the best thing, really, to create and to share one's love for music with interesting and interested people.

I don't know what it looks from the outside but I hope we're able to make people see and feel how we feel about it.

What do you think is the album the represents the band the most?

Each and every song. We don't see bad or good songs, there's no scoring system. Please, this is a shout out to all listeners, every album, every song transports the emotions of the project. They all fit, but one is not always in the mood for everything. It's not pop music that tries to fit your shopping trip.

Which doesn't indicate that you can't go shopping to our songs. Definitely should.

What are your thoughts in the music industry these days?

It's a big tree of shitting birds. At the lowest branch, bands sit and eat the shit of all the other birds above.

We don't tweet a lot.

What are the challenges that a musician faces on a regular basis that you guys feel are not mentioned enough?

Reaching people is a tough one, not because of quality. Mostly because of lacking connections. If people really want to support the bands they love, they should check out their bandcamp and buy merch, merch, merch. Every cent counts and most bands love to give away their stuff for free but it's also that those bands invest time and money into their favorite hobby. Streaming alone won't save your favorite band from starving.

What advice would you give to new bands starting out?

Doesn't matter how slow you go, just keep on going.

What was your most challenging album to make?

So far it will be "The Smell Of Stars and Vomit". It's one long song in album length and I started it in late 2016. This is the current mammoth of our albums.

But the next release in June WICKED ZEN was also a tough one concerning the sound build.

Do you have an interesting anecdote of the band so far?

Yeah we were on tour in Russia and ended up selling weed to astronauts. It's a long story but you can find it on our Tumblr page.

What do you guys think is the secret to understand each other as a band?

Just being friends, not a band. There are temptations seeing it as "success" now and then, but no, it's just the wording. Love and understanding will do more to the internal quality than any psychotherapist ever could.

What plans do you have for the near future?

4 new releases are planned and hopefully many concerts, if the virus situation stays, we'll do streaming.

Thank you for taking the time to do this, guys. Any last message for our readers? Where can we follow you on social media and buy your music?

To all who believe in us and love to hear something new and a project taking chances every time, staying open minded in times of closing minds, Thank You, you keep us alive.

To all who are in search for new music and want to connect with us, might want to start here:

www.themountainking.bandcamp.com

Thank you so much for your support in the past, present and future (if you believe in time).