Interview withNux (Singer of MDM)
Maybe not so familiar here in Germany, MDM has garnered a huge fan base around the globe and released six albums so far with ‘Modern Digital Militia’ being the latest one. Nux was very talkative and so we not only talked about the new album but also about virtues and the manipulative effect of the media…
Nux (MDM): Hi I’m Nux from the Canadian Industrial Rock band MODERN DIGITAL MILITIA. We’re comprised of Daniel X on lead guitars and programming, Viktor on rhythm guitars and backing vocals, SINic on drums and myself on lead vocals and programming.
RoD: So the new album is out for a while now in Europe. Have you been surprised by the overall enthusiastic reviews to ‘Modern Digital Militia’?
MDM: We’re very happy with the reviews the album has been getting. We were pretty confident that the album was completed the way we wanted it to be and it’s really nice to hear that others are enjoying it as well… especially since Europe is generally uncharted territory for us.
RoD: On your MySpace profile you’re describing your band as a collective, so I’m curious to know how it is, when you start working on new material. Do you toss around with some ideas and see how they develop or how does it work out?
MDM: Songs usually begin with an idea (a drum pattern, synth line, guitar riff, etc) and then each member builds a part to compliment the song as it grows. Generally I do a majority of the programming, both drums and synth and the Daniel/Viktor will handle the guitar parts. Up to this point all of our drums have been programmed but SINic will sit in and offer his input. With Daniel X joining us part way through this album we didn’t really get a chance to expose his programming “flair” but having him involved will only help us to take the next album to a greater level.
RoD: How long did it take you to produce the album from the first idea to the final product?
MDM: Well we had some hang-ups throughout the production of this album so it took considerably longer than we had hoped. Our original guitarist, DT decided to take a hiatus from the band to pursue other career options 600km away from us in Ottawa shortly after we began writing/pre-production for this album in late 2005. We were immediately on pursuit of a guitarist to fill his shoes and that is how we found Daniel X in early 2006. We resumed the writing process and album recording began in the spring of 2007. The final mastering was done in October of 2008 and the album was released in Europe in April 2008. So in total, taking everything into consideration, it took us about two and a half years to get this album out.
RoD: The opener of the new album carries the title ‘Das ist Krieg (American Reich)’, so I was wondering why you choose a German title and if the addition is a hint on the German Nazi regime during WWII?
MDM: The German title as well as the appended “American Reich” was chosen because the song is a comparison between the policies of the current Presidential Administration of the USA to the policies of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Regime during World War II.
RoD: ‘Demander & Thief’ deals, from what I understand, with the manipulative effect of the TV. Not everything in the news is based on facts. I’ve been asking myself many times why people just believe everything and don’t start to question things more often. Why do you think is that?
MDM: I think it’s because it’s easier for people to let someone else do the thinking for them. People are quite comfortable with all of their entertainments and with Television/Media being the primary source of our entertainment people have learned to trust these mediums for their information. It’s quite sad really, and that’s why with songs such as ‘Demander & Thief’, we encourage people to look away from these sources and think for themselves… especially in times such as we are in now where our governments have total control over what the Media allow us to know.
RoD: Your band website shows a large with virtues and ideals like ‘Fortitude’, ‘Compassion’ and the most important one ‘Freedom’. Are these virtues you think are lost in today’s society and want to bring it back into the people’s minds?
MDM: That is exactly where the inspiration for the website/crest logo came from. As we’ve advanced as a society our greatest virtues have been forgotten. Each one of those virtues combines with the others to make us who we are. When any of them are ignored or forgotten it results in the malnourishment of our soul/character the same way neglecting the proper vitamins and nutrients in our diet results in malnutrition. No one can be absolutely perfect but keeping these in mind on a regular basis can really help us to lead great lives and give back to the world in the process. I could go on forever about this but that kinda sums it up.
RoD: The album also contains a re-interpretation of SKINNY PUPPY’s ‘Smothered Hope’ and I really like the new direction. What was the initial idea for you to choose this song?
MDM: We’re basically just huge fans of SKINNY PUPPY. They’re a band that has inspired us since the beginning and I’ve always thought that Smothered Hope would sound great with heavy guitars added to it. I also thought it would be a great way to pay homage to our countrymen and one of our greatest influences.
RoD: I couldn’t find any tour info yet. Neither on your homepage nor on the MySpace profile. Are there already plans for a tour and will you also come to Europe?
MDM: There hasn’t been anything decided as far as touring goes as of yet. We will play some random one-off shows this summer around Ontario and we may get out on a mini-tour in the fall in Eastern Canada and maybe a bit in the Eastern US… we’ll have to see how that materializes. As far as Europe goes, we would love to come over there to play and hopefully with any luck that will happen next summer.
RoD: The last words, as always, belong to you.
MDM: Thank you very much for the interview. The questions were excellent! And hello to our fans in Europe. :) Thank you so much for your interest and support!
{jos_sb_discuss:21}
Comments powered by CComment