-- Mr. Myst gets shredded again --
15/08/2020
Stijn Daneels
Back in Spring 2018 I attended the third edition of the glam rock
festival WildFest where I shredded the first band of the evening, the Ostend
based hard rock band Mr. Myst (read that original shred: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/99). Since then, I saw the band
perform a few more times and shredded their first full length release “We Will
Rise” (read the review: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/222).
During the ongoing COVID-19 crisis
and complete lack of music events, the band’s founding father Atticus Myst
contacted me again and requested me to do another shred. Which I promptly did.
So I contacted Atticus through Skype to talk about the band’s visual and
creative evolution between 2018 and today, the making of their debut full
length “We Will Rise” the reasons behind their epic cover “The Look” by Roxette,
Atticus’s time with Ostrogoth and he also promotes the freshly brewed Mr. Myst
beer!
BMS:
Hello Atticus, it’s great to hear you again. It’s been two years since we did
our last shred. So tell me, what has changed for Mr. Myst during that time?
Atticus: Great
to talk with you again, man! So, between 2018 and 2020 we changed drummers,
Steven left the band and we replaced him with Arthur from Lethal Injury, a
thrash metal band from our hometown of Ostend and whose bassist, Josha, had
been Mr. Myst’s bassist up till recently. We also added guitarist Kevin from
hard rock band Albert’s Bastards (also from Ostend) to our ranks.
Atticus: We
changed our stage presence as well, we ditched the flashy colored clothing from
back in the day and now wear more soberly colored jeans and shirts. We also
stopped shooting confetti since many venue owners didn’t allow us to use it for
the obvious mess it leaves behind.
BMS: I
see. Well, I do admit that your current, more black-laden presentation still
retains much of the typical Mr. Myst flamboyance thanks to the colorful
bandanas and all the energetic dancing and singing you guys do on stage. I also
felt the music itself changed as well. Your first release, the “Red Light
District” EP, was more glam inspired while your latest iteration “We Will
Rise,” is more guitar-driven with catchier vocals and a more serious attitude.
Atticus: Indeed.
We decided to go for a more technical, sleaze and heavy metal inspired style
while still keeping some of the playful glam vibes from our earlier work. A lot
of that improved guitar work is thanks to Kevin, his playstyle really
complements my own and gives me a lot more creative freedom.
BMS: I’d
certainly keep those excellent guitar-driven aspects of your sound towards your
future releases. And other than that, keep up the already good work. Now, let’s
talk about the “We Will Rise” album production.
Atticus:
Our goal with “We Will Rise” was to make a varied album with anthems like
“Forever and a Day,” punk beats like “Backstab” and more commercially friendly
songs like “Set Me Free.” But our main objective was to make the album sound
naturally powerful which we can perfectly reproduce live on stage without using
any cheats like audio samples. Every note on the album is one we can perfectly
replicate on stage using just our instruments and voices.
BMS:
That’s a great concept. So, once again you’ve added a cover of an iconic rock
song to your new release. You covered Elton John’s “Still Standing” on the “Red
Light District” EP and this time you’ve made a version of “The Look” from
Roxette. Tell me, why did you choose that particular song to cover?
Atticus: I
listened a lot to the Nostalgie radio channel to look for a great classic pop
or rock song to cover and I had a lot of songs in my mind to cover, such as
“Maniac” by Flashdance but that song was very difficult to cover with dual
guitars. But eventually Josha suggested to try “The Look” since it was a song
for which we didn’t find a lot of covers of on YouTube and it had enough
similarities and differences compared to our own sound that it was an excellent
choice.
BMS:
Indeed. The song has a ton of attitude and your version makes the song heavier thanks
to the larger emphasis on guitars and bass and the macho vocals make the song
manlier. Great work, just like with your earlier cover of Elton John’s iconic
anthem!
Atticus:
Thank you, every time we cover a song we want to give it an original spin while
still keeping the song’s original vibes alive.
BMS: Now
tell us about your period with Ostrogoth, I remember you performing with them
in the Crossover Music Pub in Ghent in December 2018. It was a great time.
Atticus:
All things considered, I’ve had a great time being part of the Ostrogoth tribe.
Aside from vocalist Josey (who lives in Ostend) I don’t have much more contact
with them since they all live far from where I live. But still, I have
tremendous respect for them and I’m grateful for the very learning and
rewarding experience. I’ve learned a lot of new techniques which I’ll be
showcasing in future Mr. Myst material!
BMS: Excellent, I’m already looking forward to it! So, you’ve got anything else you wish to add before we wrap up this Skype shred?
Atticus:
I’m very pleased to announce that we’ve become part of the Ostend Is Music Beer
initiative. 10 participating music acts from the Ostend region and from a
variety of music genres now have their own beers, produced by Stadsbrouwerij 't
Koelschip Oostende, as a means to support the local music scene. You can order
our beer by sending us a message via our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/mrmystofficial.
BMS:
That’s great news! I think I’ll order some of that beer of yours. See you later
Atticus!
Atticus: Thanks
for the shred, Metal Shredder!
