Metal Psalter Marionette Interview

Sweden has long been known for producing some great metal bands, as well as some rather unusual bands. MARIONETTE is one of those unusual bands from an appearance standpoint. However, looks can be deceiving, as their music and lyrics show a serious side to them. Currently, MARIONETTE is ready to unleash their brand of metal onto North America with a new album, Enemies. Recently, Metal Psalter caught up with guitarist Aron Parmerud to talk about all things MARIONETTE.

Peter: For those who are unfamiliar with MARIONETTE, would you mind giving a brief history of the band?

Aron Parmerud: Sure! The band was born in late 2005 I think. It was Mikael [Medin, bass] who started MARIONETTE with the intention of starting a band very much influenced by the Japanese visual-kei scene. When the other members joined however, the musical direction changed quite a bit from some kind of heavy rock to metal. In the beginning, the band, then know as A Lucid Dream, was not a very serious project. Most of us were in another band that played punk music and that was our main focus at the time. When we entered MARIONETTE (it was originally called Manic Marionette) in a local battle of the bands, it turned out a lot more successful than we had ever thought it would. People actually really liked what we did, so we ended up entering a few more contests here in Sweden and actually won a lot of them. It was then that we realized we were on to something. As MARIONETTE grew bigger and hungrier, we got in contact with some good people and ended up recording our first real EP in 2007 called Terror Hearts, which was actually supposed to be a full-length album. This is also when Axel [Widén, vocals] first joined the band instead of Roy (Timecry). For different reasons, the album didn’t happen and we started looking for a label to release a future album. We sent the Terror Hearts EP to a bunch of labels and that’s how we got in contact with our management. Our management then laid the road that we’re on now and got us our deal with Listenable and arranged our studio set up for our debut with us. This resulted in our first album Spite, which was followed by tours and shows all over Europe. Tours included supporting Die Apokalyptischen Reiter in central Europe on Reiterfestspiele 2008, supporting the Deathstars in the UK (and headlining in January ‘08), and a Scandinavian tour with Deathstars and Sonic Syndicate. The second album Enemies was released in October 2009 in Europe and we followed that up with an abbreviated tour of Scandinavia with Shadows Fall and Five Finger Death Punch and a European tour with Bless The Fall and Bury Tomorrow. That brings us up to today, and Enemies receives a release in North America early next month!

Peter: What are some of the band’s influences from a musical standpoint?

Aron: There’s so much we are inspired by, but to name a few, we listen to Strapping Young Lad, At The Gates, Pendulum, film/videogame music, and a lot more. The main direction has always been big, aggressive music, but with a lot of melody and harmony. We want to take all our elements to an extreme.

Peter: Currently, MARIONETTE is signed to Listenable Records. How did you make the decision to sign with Listenable Records and how would you characterize the relationship with the label to this point?

Aron: Listenable is a very genuine and respected metal label and when they offered us a deal, we couldn’t say no. They are all about the music and the bands in a way that some bigger labels aren’t. Our relationship is good, the owner is a nice guy, and he helps us out as much as he can.

Peter: Recently, MARIONETTE released a new album Enemies, which was mixed and mastered by acclaimed producer Fredrik Nordström. How did you get in contact with him and what are some of the things he brought to the Marionette sound?

Aron: We first got in contact with him when we did Terror Hearts EP. He knew we were a small band with little or no budget (ha-ha), but he actually took the time to mix that EP for a very generous fee, so we were very happy to work with him again on Enemies. The thing with him is that you know your music will sound good when you go to him. He’s a really funny guy and very easy to work with. He is really good at making everything in our music stand out (there was a lot of shit going on at the same time), which isn’t easy.

Peter: With song titles such as “Silver Spoon”, “The Slaughter”, and “The Truth”, the lyrical themes that are presented on Enemies are fairly easy to figure out. Do any of the band members’ personal experiences figure into this, and if so, how much of it do you view as some kind of catharsis?

Aron: Axel is the one writing all our lyrics and they are all based on personal experiences and feelings he had at some point in life. The theme of Enemies is pretty much focused around this person who struggles in life to keep his independence and stay true to him/herself in a world that really won’t let one do that.

Peter: Are there any shows lined up for the band in the near future?

Aron: We are just now looking for new tour opportunities and future shows in Europe. We have nothing confirmed, but there will be soon. We are also looking into the possibility of going to North America sometime in the future, but we know nothing for sure right now. We are aiming for sometime in the Fall.

Peter: Is there anything else that you would like to add?

Aron: Keep your eyes and ears open. MARIONETTE is planning to strike hard and mercilessly upon the world; hope to see you all in a pit somewhere! Cheers and don’t forget Feb ’09, when Enemies is released in North America! Thanks for a great interview!