Dead Rhetoric: Your vocals are very diverse in a melodic yet alternative manner. How did this range develop and who would you say are some of the singers through the years that you take influence and inspiration from to achieve the emotional range achieved for this band?
Stjärnstöm: It’s very hard to say. I do recognize some of the elements of my style in the vocals of Tina Root (Switchblade Symphony) but beyond that I can only say that I don’t really know how to do it any other way. What I sound like is the only way I know how to sing. I do feel that in later years I’ve become less insistent on getting all the notes right and focused more on attitude and “feel”. That I think can be derived from singers like Dave Mustaine, whose style I absolutely love.
Dead Rhetoric: Where do you see the parallels between video games and metal music? Can you tell us some of your favorite games through the years, and do you enjoy the involvement you’ve had in creating video game soundtracks?
Stjärnstöm: There are actually a lot of 8 bit video game tracks that have all the melodic cues of metal but you wouldn’t be able to tell since it just sounds like blippy bloppy to most people. But when you know music, you can hear it. This is true with other styles as well, retro video game music has everything from Jazz to Punk. As far as parallels go, obviously metal music works great in video games. Games are often intense and brutal and what works better than metal for that? Then there’s our kind of metal, which is more playful and lends itself to more fantastic or unrealistic violence like sci fi side scrollers and metroidvania games.
We absolutely love making video game music and we hope to keep doing that.
One of our absolute favorite games, both music wise and otherwise, ironically doesn’t have any metal at all. It’s Metroid Prime, originally for the Nintendo Gamecube. Beyond that I enjoy the GTA style games, horror games like Dead Space and story driven games like Last of Us. And Portal. Portal Fuck Yes, Portal. 1 and 2.
Dead Rhetoric: How do you view live performances for Machinae Supremacy in comparison to your studio work? Any preference between the two, and what would you say are some of the standout moments on stage for the group?
Stjärnstöm: Live shows have a euphoria that studio work lacks, obviously, and in the studio we rarely play together as we record. We’ve had some pretty good experiences live, but one that stands out off the top of my head was performing with the Royal Philharmonics in the Stockholm concert hall. It was part of the Play! A Video Game Symphony, and to perform together with an orchestra of 150 people was beyond words, really.
Dead Rhetoric: When incorporating electronic/computer elements into a metal band, there is always a danger that technology can be overused and possibly water down the final product. Where do you stand on this for the band, is it a delicate balancing act between the real instrumentation and the video game sound elements?
Stjärnstöm: We just go on feel. We’ve always focused on making a good song before adding anything that doesn’t need to be there. As a result, we have entire songs that have zero electronic elements (“Kaori Stomp”, “Throne of Games”), because they were simply not necessary. But there are also songs that have less guitar because the electronics work quite well on their own (i.e. the chorus in “Laser Speed Force”). I believe some fans would have us just OD on SID/video game sounds, but to those who enjoy a more varied selection of musical styles, our primary focus on the music and song writing is appreciated.
Dead Rhetoric: What have you been listening to lately for pleasure music, metal or not, and can you tell us what you like to do in your free time away from music to re-charge your batteries so to speak?
Stjärnstöm: My latest music discovery is Destiny Potato. Don’t let the name fool you, it really is a high quality metal act with superb female vocals and super tight instrumentals. That’s what I’m listening to right now. In my free time I hang out with my family and try to get some game time in (which sadly happens too rarely these days). I also like to read a lot, sometimes fiction but more often non-fiction, anything from Freakonomics to Austin Kleon.
Dead Rhetoric: I’ve read in previous interviews your thoughts on equality, freedom, and protecting our planet, as well as the openness that the internet offers. Does it concern you when big business and government threaten to intercede in a lot of our personal freedoms – especially in countries that are supposed to be democratic?
Stjärnstöm: It does. I think a lot of people don’t realize that while we’ve abolished dictators in most every part of the world, capitalism and corporations with too much power can have the exact same effect on a society. People don’t fear for their lives, sure, but they fear unemployment — and the social and economic stigma that comes with it — and those who are fortunate and have jobs are still driven into debt chasing lifestyles that really have no positive effect on their happiness or well-being.
The internet is our only way to keep our head above the water now. I think we have to fight any and all attempts to limit our freedom online as if our lives depended on it. It really is that important.
Dead Rhetoric: If you had an unlimited budget to stage the most incredible Machinae Supremacy live show and make it a weekend festival, tell us the details of where you would play, who else would be on the bill, and what types of special effects/visual/lighting options or musical elements you may add to make this event one of a kind?
Stjärnstöm: Beyond lights and epic sound of course, we’d have a moving stage, pillars and platforms that mimicked some alien space ship or something like that. Even the pits where the audience gathered would move. Perhaps there would even be jump platforms so people who dared could get really creative in their moshing and stage diving. The show would be at some remote location and there’d be a substantial number of buses shipping the most hardcore of fans out to the concert.
We’d add a symphonic orchestra and some epic synth artist (like Daft Punk or similar) to perform our electronic elements (and add their own flavor to it).
There would be some pyro but mainly visual video effects and screens and video elements playing, not just on stage, but in the crowd. Search lights in the surrounding area would pan across the sky above, and black helicopters would aim their lights towards the stage and the crowd for extra ambience.
Other bands would be KoRn + Skrillex (performing together as one band), Children of Bodom, Amaranthe, Destiny Potato, The Birthday Massacre, The Machinist, S.S.H., and Britney Spears + Dethklok (performing together as one band).
Dead Rhetoric: As a result of a successful crowdfunding campaign, I know you’ll be spending a lot of time over the next 12 months touring Europe, are there any plans in the cards for possibly trekking to North America? Could you see yourselves possibly playing a video game or comic book style convention to generate more interest if it’s not possibly to get an opening slot on a decent package tour?
Stjärnstöm: We hope that touring will get easier. So far we do most of the work ourselves and though we have bookers in some countries, we’d really need people to help us if we are to book a North American tour. We could definitely play main support to some bigger band as well, that’d be awesome. But we’re climbing steadily, maybe 2015 is the year it all comes together and we find a North American booking agent? We hope all our American fans are doing what they can to spread our music as much as possible.
Meanwhile, we’re booked to play at MAGFest 13 in National Harbor, MD in January. We love conventions, because then we get to geek out at the convention when we’re not playing.