Information
Author: Mournig
Line Up
John Paul Myston III
M Myston
Jay Myston
They're finnish, they have an original sound and they made a very good debut. They are Mystons, the album I'm talking about is "Alkaem" and now we'll know them.
(Alkaem is actually our second album, debut is Black Book)
Welcome on our website, please tell us something about you, about the history of Mystons.
M Myston: Greetings and thank you! Mystons played their first show in a farm owned by a seaman called Oiva September 22, 2007. Since then we've made two albums and around 40 shows. We are an alchemistic group who mixes rock with metal.
Which is the risk you talk about on your webpage? Is people trapped in the web?
M Myston: It's the risks of entertainment. People are nowadays so overentertained by a million different things in the web and tv that I'm not really sure if they can be entertained anymore at all. They've heard and seen it all. The reality that people live nowadays is just a data reflection of reality.
You play an original mix of genres, we can hear the seventies, the occult vision of rock, som The Doors-ish blues, Danzig; how did you create this mix? Which bands made you think that this was waht you wanted to play?
M Myston: It is combination of the things we like and what comes out from us naturally when we play. Most of the music is made by jamming and this is what it turns into. We didn't try to put influences into songs. I personally just realized at some point that the bands that are important to me were in the music that we made: Black Sabbath, Doors, Danzig, Johnny Cash and the grunge things as well.
The sanctuary-like, dark and illuminated by candles room, is that where Mystons' music take life? How do you create your songs? From what do you draw inspiration for the lyrics?
M Myston: Yes, the songs are made in the dark dephts of the "Mystons lab". Mostly they are done by playing and mantra sort of singing so the lyrics gets it ideas from the moods of the song while playing it. Some of the lyrics are personal things happening in my head. The biggest inspiration for me in lyrics is these dark times that we are living now. We all write songs and lyrics on our own as well but the end form of song comes always with the band.
The first time I listened to "Alkaem" it was night, maybe that's why I felt so good with it, it's an intimist work. Which are its best parts in your opinion? Is there something you would make different now?
M Myston: It is night time music for sure. We have played some shows in broad daylight and it just doesn't work...In a way it is very intimist music because we added minimal instruments and effects to recording compared to what the band actually sounds live. Mostly there is just drums, bass, 1 guitar and 1 vocal track. We wanted it to sound raw, unpolished and cold in a way. And i think we succeeded very well with it. The album has created very mixed opinions because it doesn't sound like albums usually do. But we wouldn't change a thing with it.
I was surprised listening, after a slow and dark track like "Shadow Of The Beast", a song like "Bullet", why this change of mood?
M Myston: Bullet came in to the track listing at the end meters. It somehow put the two last songs after it in the right place.
What is the meaning of the artwork? And the one of the "Codex Musica Mystica Mystons" caption?
M Myston: I hope the viewer has his/hers own answer for that. "Codex Musica Mystica Mystons" is a sort of subtitle for album meaning "The book of mystic music of Mystons"
What is rock to you?
M Myston: Rock is a way to drive out the primitivity of man which is not possible any other way in the modern world.
I read that in 2007 you made a gig in a ranch, i read about priest suits and fire eaters. How do you make your live shows? Are he musical side and the appearance on the same level of importance?
M Myston: We try to give food for all senses in our shows. There is some priests robes and fire bombs & spitting involved sometimes as well.
Finland is an active nation in music, do you think you are in some way similar to the more extreme sides of the finnish scene? Are there any bands that you follow or that you are friend of?
M Myston: I think we don't sound like anything else at the moment. We do not seem to fit the genres of Finnish metal scene or indie or underground scene as we sound different.
How are your relations with technology and social networks? Which are the ups and downs of these virtual worlds?
M Myston: We'll it's a love-hate relationship. Partly we feel that we are forced to be a part of the networks to work as an active band. We would rather concentrate our time more on the music. On the other hand people can find new music more easily and music gets spread easily. Downsides are that people are used to getting most of their music for free. Artists do need to get their money as well from somewhere...
With all the ease of buying and downloading music, do you think we've lost the idea of deepen waht an artist wants to say? Do people think that music is disposable?
M Myston: There are always people that are interested in the deeper meanings in music. I think that the artist sometimes finds some universal truth or emotion and is able to pass it on so the listener undertands the same thing. The best music is timeless in a way that it touches some very basic emotions of people.
How was the promotion od the album? Did you receive any comment?
M Myston: We have gotten very good reviews especially in the USA based websites. In some of the people the album has created very mixed emotions cause it doesn't fit to just 1 genre.
Future projects? What are Mystons working to?
M Myston: We have done around 15 new songs and hope to get a new album out by Autumn 2011. Meanwhile we are doing gigs, new songs and demos for the album.
Will we see you in Italy?
M Myston: I do hope so! If anyone has suggestions or contacts for rock clubs where we could perform, please contact us: mystons (at] gmail.com)
Thanks for the time spent with us, the last message for our readers is up to you.
M Myston: Support the bands that you love by buying their albums. That's the best way you guarantee that you'll here good music in the future as well. And meanwhile we wish a mystificient year 2011 and hope to see the readers of Aristocrazia Webzine on our live shows!
