TesseracT (James Monteith)
First of all thanks for the opportunity guys. TesseracT’s music is that kind of breathing art that asks to be understood and not only listened. I am here trying to know more about your feelings and your ideas, in order to better enter in tune with your brand new album “Sonder”, something I am listening on a daily basis and that every time is able to transmits something deeper than the previous one.
Interview made by Alessandro Marrone
Let’s focus on some questions:
Words worth. Just like SONDER which basically doesn’t exist as a word, but means a lot representing the fact that everyone has a story. You new album will be released later this month thus becoming something in which people are going to find something. What exactly?
I’m hoping people find it emotionally evocative, immersing, engrossing and an all-round enjoyable listening experience. We’ve gone to many extremes.. some of it’s beautiful, some of it’s brutally abrasive.. a wide spectrum of sounds
Can we consider SONDER as a work to be listened and felt in thousands different ways, just like the specific meaning of the album title itself?
I’d like to think that different tracks will appeal to different moods and feelings. There’s also a lot of layers, so depending on how you listen you’ll be able to pick out different parts, different musical messages.
A lot of different music has been written through the years. Now, using new words and giving life to new sounds means you’re trying to reach new sensations and dive into new forms of progressive. Can we consider this as a new road to be discovered and of which you’re are precursors?
I actually feel that this record is a stepping stone to where we’re going next. We’ve revisited some of the heaviness, we’ve also expanded on our atmospheric side. Sonder is now a platform for us to now truly try some new things.
Do you think this album means a new beginning for TesseracT, or the right consequences of your perpetual journey into progressive music?
No, as I mentioned it’s a stepping stone. Polaris was a new beginning. Dan had rejoined and we were finding our feet again. Sonder is us now in our comfort zone and now ready to take things to the next level.
By listening to all of your music, I’ve come up with the fact that you’re playing something much more personal than pretty much all the other bands out there. How does this special chemistry work in the writing process?
We don’t think about it too much.. we write ideas that we think are exciting and interesting, and if we’re feeling it we develop them. I guess that comes across as very personal and natural. We only ever use music we are really happy with and feel something in ourselves.
Do you end the editing mutating parts of the songs while recording? Is there any particular improvised bit, or you go to the studio with all the songs ready to be recorded?
The music is all written in a studio environment, so ideas are developed over a long period of time, there’s no jamming as such, although initial ideas may come up that way.
What is the most difficult part of playing your music live?
Making sure the equipment doesn’t fail!
The entire album is less than 40 minutes long, proving that for playing progressive you don’t need 15-min songs. Is there any song left out from Sonder? And if yes, why? Should we find those somewhere soon?
Well, there were a few other tracks that we were working on, but they just didn’t fit. We’re going to get to work on the next record soon, so hopefully you’ll hear some of them then!
If you have to choose only one song, best representing the entire album, which one would it be?
That’s quite hard as the tracks are varying.. but I guess “King” has most of the key elements. Heavy riffs, a big chorus.. and a very atmospheric middle section and ending.
Sometimes artists play cover songs and from them we can understand something about their background and personal tastes. If you could choose 3 songs to play, what will they be?
Meshuggah – Stengah – RIFFS
Pink Floyd – the great gig in the sky
Duran Duran – Rio
Describe SONDER with only one word that is not an adjective.
“Smorsborg”
Something you like say to the fans around the globe and Truemetal’s readers?
Thanks for supporting, please check out our new record an come check us out on tour this autumn with BTBAM!
Thanks again for having us “on board”.
See you on the road and best wishes for the incoming gigs!
