Well,Friends of Aristocracy!
We speak again of our editorial office. Where, in a little while, we will begin in all its emotions, the eighty-fifth of the Aristocracy.Again, we will talk about a band that is the work of only one person. We are talking about the band Riven, the band that only belongs to Tom Mesens. Riven shows dramatic songs with strong funerary aspects. The themes of their songs for this EP entitled like Cretaceous.As the name suggests, his themes are history, precisely the middle ages and about dinosaurs. A new work is already thought by him, the theme is the extinction of dinosaurs. Returning to this EP, Zeromus which is Tom's nickname , gives us this incredible interview. Where he tells about this work, about himself and about his work. Before that, let's go to the title song of this EP.
A1:Let´s talking about the composition work in Cretaceous?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus: I usually write songs on my guitar.For Riven I have some nice synthesiser packages which add a lot to the atmosphere of the music. I try to find a balance between the guitar and the other arrangements like organ, piano or violin then add a drum computer to have the background rhythm to play the guitars to. I wrote all the riffs separately and then saw what works and what doesn't. then put them together to form the final composition of the songs.
A2:Not that I don't like to hear Funeral Doom, because I do. But how did you meet him and when did you start working with him?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Riven is a solo project, so I never met anyone for realisation!;)
A3:Judging by the episode's name, the songs refer to the Cretaceous period. Was this period chosen at random or did cinema explore the Jurassic period too much?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:The Cretaceous period was by far the most interesting period when dinosaurs still roamed the earth. It had the most diverse fauna and flora.Actually most of the dinosaurs featured in the Jurassic Park movies were dinosaurs that lived in the Cretaceous.
A4:How and when did your interest in the Middle Ages arise?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:I love going to history museums. The thing about the Middle ages that I find interesting are the weapons and armour they used, fascinating!
A5:I share the same affection you have for dinosaurs, but do my readers want to know how this started?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:I have always been interested in dinosaurs, from back when I was a kid. I was always reading books about them and collecting every dinosaur toy I saw. When I was 6 years old the first Jurassic Park movie was released and I saw it in the theater. Of course, seeing the big dino's on the screen even made me more fascinated about them.
A6:It's a personal question, but with all due respect. Is there a funny story for your nickname being Zeromus?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:I lended it from an old Final Fantasy game. It's the last boss from the fourth game. I always thought it was cool.
A7:Skepticism, Ahab and Pantheist are bands that are very similar to yours. Out of the three mentioned, which one do you feel is the closest to the sound you want to make?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Skepticism, for sure. The way they blend keyboards and church organs into their music is awesome.Also their very minimalistic approach for drumming is super. I saw them play live twice, completely blew me away.
A8:Since you're still working on Svarthart, can we say that Riven is like a little brother?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Maybe a little, but I see it more as a side project.
A9:You claim that you want Riven to grow as a band, something I want as much as you do. But can we say that some musicians have already received or accepted your invitation?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:No, I must admit I always have the idea of performing some of Riven songs live, but never really rehearsed them with other musicians. Mostly because of the lack of time. I have a full-time job and other things to do.
A10:It's a bit of a tense question, but my readers need to know this. What happened after Hail to the King,the other guys leave the band?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Hail to the King also was a solo effort of mine. No other members were involved back then.
A11:Do you have any fossils at home?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Yes, I do. I have some ammonites and trilobites and a couple fossilised parts of extinct sea animals. They were found in the region around Morocco.
A12:What´s the idea behind artwork´s album?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:It's an Ankylosaurus, who lived in the Cretaceous. But I wanted a blurry image of it, a bit mysterious. Because we can never truly know what they really looked like.
A13:Within Doom, we have sludge and Stoner. Do you like one of these two elements? If so, do you use one of them? If not, why don't you?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:I like those genres as well. But, I don't use elements of these genres, just because I think they are too different from funeral doom and they wouldn't fit in.
A14:What´s the sound and lyrical differences between Svarthart and Riven?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Svarthart is more straight to the point, a doom sound from the nineties. No keyboards and stuff, just guitar melodies. Lyrically Svarthart is much more emotional, dealing with personal problems, views and issues. While Riven has nothing emotional in the lyrics, just historical.
A15:What kind of subject doesn't deserve a Riven song?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Riven is about history, so it's more about events and facts. Like I mentioned before, emotions really aren't involved. I would really like to explore more historical events, not emotions.
A16:What would 2022 Tom say to early-career Tom?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Don't let any chances you see go by, just grab them! And take your time for everything, music needs time to grow, don't rush!
A17:If you and I were dinosaurs, would this interview happen too?
Tom Mesens-Zeromus:Probably, but maybe we were just trying to eat each other.
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