Mats Haugen & Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus)
July 2007
What have you been doing before forming Circus Maximus?
Mats: I used to play in a band called Total Blackout with my brother. We played a lot of cover tunes by Metallica, Megadeth and Testament. Then one day out of the blue Michael called us and wanted to join in! He, Truls (drums) and myself (guitar) played together for about 9 or 10 years or something. For 4 years it was only the three of us. We didn't really work our asses off getting a bass player or a keyboard player either. We finally became a full line-up in 2000. With a little help from our ad in a Norwegian metal magazine we got contacted by Espen Storo. Then the long wait for a good keyboard player was over. Glen Mollen joined the band in 2002.
Michael: Well as most musicians do in the early stages of their "career " I found myself trying out different bands. I remember playing drums in a rock band actually. It did not last long, but it was of course much fun. I love playing drums although nowadays I suck big time. (Laughs) I also played guitar and did lead/background vocals in a rock band which played songs from bands such as Guns 'n Roses, Ugly Kid Joe, Metallica, Poison, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi and all kinds of 80s rock bands. During these sessions I really found the "urge" to sing. I had always enjoyed watching Total Blackout playing live and as Mats said I gave the guys a call one day and asked if they were interested in a new singer. The rest is now history. (Laughs)
How did you come up with the band's name?
Mats: There was this game called "Ripper" on PC that my brother and I used to play when we were young. The name came up within the game and we thought it was cool for a future band or something.
What was the initial idea of the musical direction you wanted to pursue?
Mats: We are as influenced by melodic rock and death metal as we are influenced by the progressive stuff. So I don't think we follow a specific path in style.
Your music has a lot of elements that sound like Dream Theater and Symphony X. Would you consider these two bands as your biggest influences?
Mats: Not at all. As the answer to your previous question we are as influenced by other types of music than the progressive stuff. On the other hand I'm honoured if we are compared to the two great bands.
Have you already seen these two bands live?
Mats: I've seen DT every time they have been here in Norway since the "Awake" tour. They are one great live band. The playing capabilities are outstanding. As for Symphony X I've only seen them once. What a show!
Michael: Yeah I've seen DT 4-5 times by now and they are a great live-band and Mike Portnoy are one of my all-time-best drummers out there, although their concerts are way to long for me. Hm, am I getting to old? I'd rather have 90 minutes of a kick ass show then 180 minutes. It is better to leave the venue wanting more then having a soar back in my case. (Laughs) Symphony X are my favourite band and I just love their music! I've seen them two times and both times tears have fallen from my eyes thanks to Russel Allen's artistic way of performing and giving himself to the crowd… man what a singer! Luckily for me DT and Symphony X will tour together this year so there's my chance to see both bands on one night, yeah. (Laughs)
Can you tell me about your other musical influences as far as bands and musicians?
Michael: Well, growing up during the 80s bands such as Def Leppard, Winger, Queensryche, Skid Row have made a great impact on me cause they were all about melodies and so am I. (Laughs) When it comes to musicians I believe these people here are worth mentioning: Richard Marx who is not only a great vocalist but also one of the best singer/songwriters out there. Eric Martin (Mr Big) who to me is the nicest guy out there in the music business. I have met him twice and he is just to good to be true. Seeing him perform live for the first time in my life after being a Mr Big fan for many years was so amazing. Kip Winger is to me the ultimate singer/songwriter. His solo albums are so much more then just music. The passion and love for the art of music shines through every chord/melody. Jørn Lande has been one of my favourite vocalist over the last 6-7 years and has one of the best voices out there. Geoff Tate, what can I say about this man that has not already been said? One word comes to mind: amazing! On the 19th of August we will be playing support for Queensryche in Germany and that is a dream come true for me. When it comes to music that I listen to nowadays I would like to mention Symphony X, Kamelot and Jorn. Great bands with a long career ahead of them.
There's one song called "The Prophecy" on your debut album where there's a keyboard part that pretty much reminds me of Ayreon. Is it a coincidence?
Mats: No, it's not a coincidence. Since practically everyone in band likes Ayreon's music we thought it would be cool to use a Hammond organ. Therefore the Ayreon sound. If we had used strings or piano you would have not asked that question. (Laughs)
Speaking of the keyboards, you have a new guy on the new album. Why did Espen leave? And how did you hook up with Lasse?
Michael: Espen left the band because of personal reasons. This was best for him and the band. We came in touch with Lasse through one of our booking managers Jan Erik Salvesen who also plays together with Lasse in a Led Zeppelin tribute band called Gentle Groove. I remember the first concert we did together with Lasse, Roy Khan (Kamelot) gave me a call and asked us if we wanted to do a show with them in Gothenburg prior to their recording of One Cold Winters Night DVD. We hadn't rehearsed one bit with Lasse, but Lasse showed no fear and one and a half week later we did the show. (Laughs)
Can you tell me about the way you composed songs for the second album? Did you work the way you did with the debut?
Michael: Most of the music was put together through different ideas we all had. That is how Circus Maximus get its sound. Glen has a groove, Truls a beat or riff, Lasse has some awesome melodies going on, Mats riffing away and myself with some kind of pre-chorus or verse going on, a huge melting pot of AOR, metal, prog and rock. (Laughs) Mats is the backbone of the band and he is the one who developed the songs along the way. When it comes to vocal-melodies Mats and myself join forces to take on the task. Lasse is the master of sound and you would be nothing more then impressed with the ideas he comes up with. Take for instance the "squealing" noise at the beginning of the song "Mouth Of Madness", that is actually the sound of a whale believe it or not. (Laughs)
How do you see the difference between the two albums?
Michael: To me "Isolate" comes out in a much more mature way. The songs are stronger and more to the point then the songs on "The 1st Chapter" where we were more or like playing around with ideas. We are very happy with the outcome of "The 1st Chapter" and we think it is a good debut album, but with "Isolate" we have found our sound.
What is your favourite song on the album at the moment?
Michael: Hmm, tricky question because I think every song is great, but I have to say "Mouth Of Madness" because it represents Circus Maximus in every way. It's melodic, heavy, soft, odd time signatures, solos from beyond and it has this great atmosphere to it. Yes, it is a 13 minute long song, but as soon as it is over it feels like it was only 4 minutes. Not one dull moment in there.
Again you worked with producer guru Tommy Hansen. How did things go in the studio?
Michael: Yeah, Tommy is the Master I can tell you. (Laughs) He is a great guy to work with and he understands what we want to express with the sound of our music. We of course recorded everything ourselves and we produced the album, but he came in and gave it that final touch.
You got a record deal with Frontiers and Laser's Edge in the US. Did you have a demo to shop around back then?
Mats: We got signed by Sensory/Laser's Edge in USA after sending them two demos. Then we needed a deal in Europe as well. So, our management, Intromental, started fishing for deals all over. Luckily, Frontiers was very interested in our album and we signed with them. Seems like they want to sign more bands in the progressive area.
You also got booked for the American edition of the ProgPower Festival, which is quite an achievement for a newcomer band. How did that show go?
Michael: Oh that show was one of the best experiences in our career so far! The crowd, venue, crew and everything about ProgPower USA is beyond amazing and we can't wait to get back over there again. And it went so good the first time over there that we were invited back again the year after. Actually we will be the first band in the history of ProgPower to have played all the ProgPower festivals. We have now done ProgPower USA and later this year we will play both ProgPower Scandinavia and ProgPower Europe. Next year we will play at ProgPower UK, so, yeah this is going to be cool. (Laughs)
How many concerts you've played as Circus Maximus so far?
Michael: Well, I believe we have done more or less 20-25 concerts so far. And during this month we will be doing 4 more so we are really looking forward to that.
Any chance to have a proper tour to support the new album?
Michael: We sure hope so and things are in the planning as we speak. We would of course go on tour tomorrow if it was possible but these things takes a lot of planning.
If it was up to you, who would you like to play together with?
Michael: Two weeks from now a dream comes true when we will play support for Queensryche in Germany. Other bands we would love to support on tour would be bands such as Kamelot, Symphony X and Dream Theater.
Your were also involved in another band named Carnivora. Why did you leave them?
Michael: I occasional bump into Tore Moren who is the guitar player and the maker of Carnivora. The split up between us was inevitable since I am more a melodic-rock singer and Carnivora is more like Ozzy-vocal-lines if you know what I mean. (Laughs) They released a new album last year called "Re-Incarnal" and I have a guest appearance on one of the songs called "Essence Of Time" which is a cool melodic-tune. Worth mentioning is of course that Truls the drummer of Circus Maximus is also the drummer of Carnivora. (Laughs)
The Norwegian metal scene seems to be on a rise these days and thankfully it's not just black metal bands like in the old days. What could be the reason of the change?
Mats: The Black Metal dudes are getting old and worn out? Hell, I am not really sure. There are a lot of talented people in Norway, but it seems that some of them are satisfied just sitting home and never getting anywhere.
Are you in touch with other bands in the local scene?
Mats: The metal scene in Norway is not that big, especially not within progressive metal. We are good friends with the guys in Pagan's Mind and Illusion Suite.
Any recommendation of some unsigned or up-and-coming Norwegian metal bands?
Mats: You have a band called Illusion Suite. A very talented band that will soon be on everyone's lips in time. We all know the great Pagans Mind. There are also some other progressive acts like Trivial Act and Tritonus.
Michael: As Mats mentioned Illusion Suite is a good up-coming band and you also have Panic Session which is a real Metal-band from Oslo/Lillestrøm with a cool guitar player named: Thomas X7-string. (Laughs)
What do you think about the role of the Internet as a promotional tool for newcomer band?
Mats: It's the best and the worst promotional tool there is, and it's almost free. You only have to pay your Internet supplier to promote your band these days. When it comes to piracy it definitely affects every band. Sometimes in a good way, but most times in a bad way.
Michael: Internet is here to stay and it is the future of music no doubt about that. As a new band there is no better way then to spread your music through different channels on the Internet. And I totally agree with Mats on this one.
Do you prefer printed or web based media? Any favourites?
Mats: I prefer printed media because I can touch it and even tare it apart if it says something stupid. (Laughs) I like to read metal magazine. Scream Magazine, Monster magazine, SwedenRock Magazine, Kerrang and of course Metal Hammer... to name a few.
Michael: I prefer printed myself because there is nothing better then sitting out in the sun with a cold glass of water reading a mag. My favourite mag is the Norwegian Scream Magazine, which I get in my mailbox every month.