We caught up with Maplerun after Hammerfest 2014. We talk to them about their influences – touring with Skindred and Soil – and the release of their most recently album ‘Restless’.
How did you find Hammerfest?
“In one word – amazing!! A really organized festival, in a very beautiful location with a big variety of bands to watch and a lot of things to do. All the festival staff treated us like brothers, an unforgettable experience. The sound in the venues was really good too. Last May we played Hard Rock Hell in Ibiza and the people there suggested us for Hammerfest – this year we attended and it was well worth it.”
“The unique thing with Hammerfest is that one-big-metal-family vibe that it inspires. Everyone there shares their love for metal music and spreads the word about bands that are worth seeing. Also, everything is in close proximity (the stages, the bars, the accommodation) which is very convenient – especially when drunk!”
Who are your main influences?
“Each member of Maplerun listens to different types of music. We all find common ground with bands like Metallica, Godsmack, System of a Down, Deftones, Katatonia, Radiohead, Slipknot and many more.”
How would you describe your music?
“Since each member of Maplerun has different musical influences our music is hard to describe. Our songs have elements from alternative rock to modern metal – all blended together to meet our expectations and express the messages we want to convey. In our latest album ‘Restless’ every song is different from each other – heavy songs, mid tempo songs, ballads, rock and roll songs all combined to achieve the result we wanted – something different.”
Your video for ‘bombs’ is very unique. How did you come up with the theme?
“Thank you very much, it took a lot of hard work to make this video. First of all we all agreed for Bombs to be the video single – as it is a very emotional antiwar song that combines both alternative rock & modern metal and carries a very strong message about peace & freedom. When we first recorded the song we used Michael Prysner’s (American veteran soldier who fought in Iraq) speech for the songs ending – as that speech inspired us to write the song. After discussing with Timecode – the video production company – & Spiros Kapsilis (the director) we came up with this concept inspired by the song itself and Michael’s speech. We couldn’t be happier of how it turned out.”
How was touring with Soil and Skindred?
“Fucking AMAZING!!! An unforgettable experience full of concerts, meeting new people & making new fans, a lot of alcohol and all these with the best company ever – SKINDRED & SOIL!! Both bands & crew treated us like brothers and we did the same. Plus – watching these bands perform night after night is out of this world. Almost every venue was sold out and the audiences were some of the best we have ever experienced.”
Tell us about your last album ‘Restless’.
“The title ‘Restless’ was inspired by the making of the album itself. The whole making of the album process, until it was released, lasted almost 3 years. After we recorded everything within 2010, we didn’t like the outcome & decided to change our producer and re-record everything from the start. Apart from this unlucky incident, the Greek army – which is a mandatory obligation in Greece – called on us to serve our time (9 months). When this was done we mixed the album and send it to Sterling Sound studios were it was mastered by Ted Jensen – the mastering process defined the sound of the album and gave us what we were looking for. The whole process was completed with the artwork which was designed by Travis Smith – an amazing artist that we really admire. ‘Restless’ was released in October 2012 with Metal Hammer Greece and its name is inspired from our persistence to stay true to what we do and what we want for our band.”
Whats next for maple Run after Hammerfest?
“We are now in the process of writing new music for the next album and things are shaping up really well – we are very excited about our new material. Soon enough we will start the pre – production for the next album. Apart from the next album we are also scheduling our next appearances in Europe and some dates here in Greece. Stay tuned – there are GREAT things coming!!”
