INTERVIEW: Truls Mörck – Graveyard

GRAVEYARD have been a powerful force in the world of stoner rock since erupting onto the scene with self-titled Graveyard in 2007. With each addition to their repertoire, they have be increasing their popularity and skill many times over. Potentially their strongest release so far, Peace is set to take the world by storm. Despite breaking up in 2016, they are back and stronger than ever, featuring a new drummer, Oskar Bergenheim with his jazzy and blues inspired style. Currently on tour, GRAVEYARD have performed at some of the hottest festivals and venues this year, with many more on the horizon. We caught up with bassist Truls Mörck to chat about their new album Peace, and how things have been since reforming.

Obviously GRAVEYARD set to release your new album, Peace. What can fans expect from the album?

Truls: You will recognise GRAVEYARD, and maybe a new twist on it a little bit. But like, some people have said that the album sounds a little bit like we’re going back to some kind of roots. That wasn’t intentional, I don’t think it sounds like the old records, but I think there is a bit of a vibe to it. I would say it’s a very dynamic album, we turned up the extremes a little bit so that the heavier songs are probably among the heaviest we’ve recorded ever, and the slower songs on the album might be the slowest songs we’ve written [laughs]. Or the most mellow songs we’ve recorded, So there’s a little bit more extreme GRAVEYARD [laughs].

So obviously you had a bit of a break from recording and being a band, and now you’re back in it. What’s in been like in the last couple of years? Were there any plans on regrouping or reforming with a new band member, or were you going to go your separate ways?

Truls: I mean at first, we decided to go our separate ways because we were so tired of everything. We had been touring under some bad circumstances where we weren’t really enjoying each other’s company, and that kinda wore us out quite a bit, so at the point where Axel decided to leave the band, we were all like “oh fuck it”. We didn’t have the energy to think about the future at that point. So, we just decided to quit, and we didn’t talk to each other for a couple of months and that felt really good haha. Actually, we were kinda happy at first with that decision, then a couple of months went past, and we started feeling the itch again, and missing playing together. At least me and Jonatan and Joakim, so we decided to meet up again and after a few months of not speaking or having any contact. Was kinda agreed on that we should at least try to jam or something because we were missing out on playing. And then from there, the idea of finding a new member started to grow.

It sounds like you all needed a bit of a break from everything, to regroup and be your own person, rather than stay as this band that is always together. You needed some space.

Truls: Yeah exactly, its important.

You’re reformed now, and you have Oskar in the band, has the way you write albums changed much, the process or influences that you take from, now that he has his own inspirations?

Truls: Yeah, I guess Oskar has been influential on us because of his way of playing which is good because he’s not super different from Axel, but he is different. He was a good choice because we could keep our roots and what we’ve been doing for some years, but still he would add some new energy, a different kind of energy, less punk but a little bit more jazz or blues maybe. I could definitely get that feel from Peace. So that sparked our imaginations a little bit I think, and the new songs were written around him very much and his style. You know when we tried out riffs, we would try them out with him at first and see what kind of tempo’s we would use and what kind of style of drumming and rhythmical ideas came up. A lot of those came out of his playing.

It sounds like that now he’s joined, you’re reinvigorated, like there’s that new spark, that extra bit of energy that’s similar enough that it isn’t scary, but different enough to build upon and go in a slightly different direction.

Truls: Exactly, that’s how I feel too, and that’s a really nice way to go about it I think, you know? One foot in the roots and one foot in some kind of future.

Yeah, you can’t just abandon everything you’ve done and go onto something new, and you don’t want to feel like you’re just replacing Axel. Because you’re not replacing him, it’s someone new that’s bringing their own energy.

Truls: Yeah, it’s this balance thing, that I feel like we’ve found some kind of creative or productive middle ground that can work for us.

Have GRAVEYARD’s dynamics change with Oskar joining? Not to get personal, but being friends and then having someone that you aren’t super close with come in, that can mix things up a bit, was it a smooth transition?

Truls: It was smooth, because that was something we were really concerned about when looking for a drummer, someone that we felt we could get along with, which is a very complex, strange kind of friendship, that is very intense, but you also have be able to have some distance. It’s a little tricky like that. And Axel was a very driven person, not only as a drummer but also as a person. In the early days, he was like the bands manager in a way, he was working social media and stuff like that. So, without him we kind of had do that in another way. And some people enjoyed that, all of a sudden there was new stuff that we could do that Axel used to do, that was also like a new challenge and exciting for us. Even though we obviously miss him, it was a good switch up, and I think he thinks so.

With Axel being so driven, I guess it could feel like a ship without a rudder, you’re going, but you don’t know where you’re going because there isn’t this constant force propelling you.

Truls: Yeah that’s how it felt when he left, and then we realised we had to do it, and found out it was quite fun to do stuff that he used to do, you know, take over his responsibility a little bit, and feel how this ship would take a new direction.

GRAVEYARD are touring as well, it must be quite good getting back on and doing tours, hopefully not too intense to put you off, but it sounds like you’ve definitely got a new spark, or the flame has been lit again.

Truls: Yeah, that’s the way it feels yeah.

So how are you feeling about GRAVEYARD returning to the scene? You’ve definitely got more vigour, but taking a break and going away, was it that much of a break that coming back feels awkward, or is it quite natural to jump back in?

Truls: It was natural, as we’ve been playing with Oskar a while also. I dunno, the first few shows we did after the break were I guess kinda awkward, but now we’ve done last summer, and festivals and a tour in fall, now we’re just getting started playing the new songs live in the summer, so now it doesn’t feel awkward, it feels very natural and fun. But for a bit in the beginning with a new drummer the shows were a bit like woah, a little sketchy and uncertain, but after a few shows it became natural.

So, the main difference between Peace and previous albums is the title. It’s quite positive, whereas other ones have been darker. Was there a particular reason for that thematically?

Truls: I feel like it came with this new beginning and new hope for the future, and we wanted the whole spectrum of light and shade to mix in a little bit more positive vibe in it, so the title seemed like a good idea for many reasons.

That makes sense. It is a new beginning, and clearly, you’re al relaxed and ready to go, it’s a peaceful time to be in GRAVEYARD isn’t it! Obviously you’re all very passionate about your work, and it really shows. I was at Desertfest 2018, and it was a fantastic performance, acoustic wise and the energy was really good, and you played some songs from Peace. It feels different and we’ve mentioned it before, it’s a bit more raw and energised. Was that the plan or did it just feel right as you were playing with Oskar’s new, slightly more jazzy style drumming?

Truls: A lot of it just comes naturally from playing a lot and rehearsing a lot, so I don’t think we decided to play in a specific way actually, we just do it the way it feels right at the moment, and that’s how it turns out. Yeah, we don’t think too much about how we play, we’ve just been playing for so long, we just do it.

I know some bands, once they’ve been through a period of similar things, they make a point to do something different.

Truls: Yeah, I think it makes sense, we wanted it to be new, but it wasn’t very conscious, it was something that happened on a subconscious level I guess. I guess there’s a new sound a little bit, but that’s just because we needed to do something new after doing the same thing for a long time. It’s been quite a while since the last album came out, and we’ve been playing the same songs, over and over, it was time to change a little bit.

The album was pieced together and mixed really well, did you or the producer have any thoughts on how you wanted to mix it, or do different during the recording process?

Truls: Yeah, there was a lot of it. I think the producer came to our rehearsal space before we recorded, and he also heard a lot of our demos were also kinda raw, because the demos were recorded with really shitty equipment, they became the sound and he picked up on that and decided what mics to use and how to interpret that sound into more like a production. We didn’t really think about it, we just played how we felt like it, and he picked up on it, thought it through and had this masterplan of how to capture that. And that’s the way the sound came about.

Were there any songs that didn’t quite make the cut, or additions to songs?

Truls: Yeah there were songs that we, in the studio, realised wasn’t working that we threw away, and also there were two songs that we finished that didn’t make it on the album. I think we will release them on a 7-Inch or something.

Of the songs on the album, do you have any favourites that you prefer to play, or enjoyed writing more?

Truls: I think the first song on the album It Ain’t Over Yet, I am happy with that because it was one of the songs we didn’t really finish before we went into the studio, we weren’t going to record this one, it wasn’t finished so whatever. Then in the studio at the end we had some more time, and our manager came and heard the demo of it and was like “yeah what’s that song you showed me one time?” And we were like “oh no, we weren’t going to do that”, and he kind of encouraged us to finish it and write it in the studio, and then we finished it really quick, in like an hour or so and we recorded it. I really enjoyed it, when stuff like that happens you don’t really plan on it, but it just happens it turns out really good.

That’s really interesting! The fact that he pushed you on to finish it, and now it’s one of the strongest tracks on the album, that’s interesting.

Truls: Yeah, I think so too, I’m really happy about that. It’s almost like a key song to the album now, it’s an important song now, it would’ve been a shame if we never did it, so that’s a cool turn of circumstances.

In terms of your own work in GRAVEYARD, where do you think Peace places itself among the other albums?

Truls: I think that’s very hard to say for me. I hope it will be considered one of our better albums, and an important album, like a little bit of a fork in the road, or one of those albums that marks the beginning of a new chapter.

I can definitely see it doing that. It’s similar enough to your old stuff where previous fans would gravitate towards it anyway but will also draw in new people. I do think it’s a good turning point, like METALLICA’s Black Album, it’s different, they still have lots of fans, but it’s brought in a new crowd, and you can go off in many directions from there.

Truls: That’s hopefully what it is, an album that we can use as a good stepping stone or point of reference where we can take off into a new interesting chapter.

So with playing the new songs live, GRAVEYARD recently played at Desertfest and you showcased a few new songs. Were they well received by the audience?

Truls: I think so, especially the ones that they’ve heard. I don’t remember if The Fox was released before or after Desertfest or whatever. I think that these songs were well received, and the people were happy to hear it live, after listening to it on Spotify, and then also the song Walk On was like because of the jammy, improvisational passage of that song, which is something we’ve kind of done before, but not to this extent and that’s going to be a fun song to play! Hopefully we can have it a little bit different every night, one of those real improvisational passages.

I think audiences really like the improv stuff, guitar solos, bass solos, drum solos. Everyone just gets really excited because it showcases your talent on the spot, rather than spending weeks writing in a studio. It just goes to show that this is raw talent and you were glad to be there and to have bought a ticket.

Truls: Yeah, well that’s what we want and hope for! The plan is to make that little passage a little different every night, but it’s kind of written as it’s on the album a certain way. Hopefully we can make a change, so every show can be a little bit different, and pick up on vibes in the room and make something out of the moment.

Yeah for sure! In the moment stuff, the crowd always loves it. Obviously, you know that as a musician and touring a lot. Any kind of energy where there is some form of conversation with the atmosphere and flow of the music, it just hypes everyone up.

Truls: Yeah, it’s something I’m excited to do more.

With your touring, of course Peace is going to be released very soon, do you have any favourite countries or venues to play at?

Truls: After playing Desertfest in London, we’re stoked to come back to the UK, as we’re back for a couple of shows in November/December, so that will be fun. I don’t want to say any countries are better than any others, but we haven’t been in the states for a while now, and we don’t even have any tours booked there, but I hope and I think that we’ll go back there sometime next year, something to look forward to.

Yeah of course you don’t want to name any countries, but some countries typically have wilder crowds. Japan for example can be crazy, or respectful and modest, whereas the US and UK are known for having some mental shows, lots of moshing etc. But of course, there are different energies that depends on the venue that is being played too.

Truls: Yeah, there’s so many factors to that, like the day of the week, what time, so many factors that influence what kind of vibe or energy is going to happen. I don’t really know if it has to do with what country we are in though, as there are plenty of things that can play a role in that.

Ok, now I don’t want to keep you too long, you’re probably very busy, so I only have a few questions left. So, Peace is being released on the 25th of May?

Truls: It is.

I believe you’re playing live on the 25th?

Truls: Yeah, we are, yeah.

Do you have anything special planned, as you are playing on the day the album comes out? Any more songs on the album, or a full album playthrough?

Truls: I think we’re going to gradually incorporate more tracks from the album, so the next show I hope that we play a few more songs, and then more and more as the summer goes on. Hopefully we can do a whole album run-through at some point later.

Yeah, there’s potential for an album tour, featuring some of GRAVEYARD’s other biggest hits.

Truls: Yeah that would be fun! I’m not sure actually about what setlist we’re going to do this summer. It all depends on festivals. The sets are different lengths, sometimes we only get to play for 45 minutes, others we have 75 minutes, so we need brand new setlists a lot.

That sounds like a hassle! Still fun, but having to keep reworking things and making new setlists depending on the time sounds a bit stressful.

Truls: Yeah sometimes it’s a hassle, but sometimes it’s nice to switch it up, like when we do tours, they take about the same length every night and we just think “oh it would be nice to do shorter or longer” or whatever. But yeah, it’s both, sometimes it’s a hassle to sit there and write setlists all the time, but it’s also fun to make it less monotonous.

Yeah, you can choose what you want the energy for that gig to be.

Truls: Yeah!

That must be really handy then, as you’ve got quite a sizable backlog of songs to choose from, and the new album, you can really tailor what you want the show to be.

Truls: Yeah, sometimes we paly late on a Saturday night, we might want to have a more up-tempo set, but if we play a sunny daytime gig outside, we could do another way.

I don’t think there’s anything else I have to ask, other than; is there anything you want to say to the readers of Distorted Sound Magazine?

Truls: That’s always the hardest one [laughs]. Peace!

Peace is set for release on May 25th via Nuclear Blast Records.

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