1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Hello and thank you for the interview! Since we finished working on our debut album, we've actually been busy working on the second one. The songwriting is already in full swing and the lyrics concept is also in place. We even had a few concerts coming up, but unfortunately they all had to be canceled due to the pandemic.
2.In September you have a new album coming out, musically how does it differ from your previous ep?
The style of MAAHES has basically remained the same, but “Reincarnation” will feel much more malicious because we experimented a lot with keys and generally gave the album an old-school aura. The colder style of Horus' singing is definitely worth mentioning, too.
3.This is also your first release in 4 years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
To be honest, we haven't been able to invest as much time into MAAHES in recent years as we all would have liked, for private and, even more, for professional reasons. But despite everything I feel that we have made some remarkable achievements in retrospect. We played at well-known festivals like “Ragnarök” or “Wolfszeit”, perfected our debut album and last but not least gained a lot of experience in the business.
4.The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story you have covered with the music?
The story of “Reincarnation” is all about the “Master of the Black Arts”. After his death, he was transported to the Egyptian underworld, but now he is trying to return and continue his malice – by all means! The texts tell of the rites enacted to enable his rebirth, but also of his future plans. Furthermore, the sorcerer himself and his characteristics are described in detail in the song "Master of the Black Arts". The story will of course be continued on the next album, where the Egyptian mythology will be featured even more prominently.
5.A lot of your lyrics cover Egyptian Mythology, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic and what are some of the other mythologies that you have an interest in?
I wouldn‘t say that the Egyptian concept appeals to us just because of the mythology. Rather, it‘s the whole of ancient Egypt. It's the mysterious, the puzzling, the incredible knowledge of the Egyptians (just think of the building of the pyramids), the cult of the dead, and a lot more. The Egyptian concept offers an almost endless space for interpretation to our creativity. Other mythologies, for example the Greek one, on which our EP “Ancient Force” is based, are also interesting. However, after we discovered the previously mentioned advantage due to the unbelievable number of possibilities, we decided to pursue the Egyptian concept.
6.I know that the band is derived from the lion-headed god of war in ancient Egyptian mythology, how does this name fit in with the musical style that you play?
Maahes is a sun god, he is the gatekeeper of the holy place. And if someone gets in his way, he becomes a bloodthirsty predator and causes carnage. Re, light, fire and flame. The flashing lightning and rolling thunder. The lord of darkness and wind. This god is the epitome of our “Ancient Metal”.
7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
The artwork for “Reincarnation” was designed by the Brazilian artist Caio Caldas. At this point I would like to thank Caio once again for his excellent work and his absolute reliability. The art is intended to illustrate the dark atmosphere of the album: shortly after his reincarnation, the “Master of the Black Arts” is standing in front of the pyramid where he was interred and is conjuring up chaos again. It‘s also worth mentioning the hourglass with the skull, which represents the transience of life and the passing of time. On closer inspection, even more details can be discovered that allude to death or reincarnation, respectively.
8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
It's hard to say but I think one of the best shows was in our local city of Passau in September 2019. We hadn't played there for a year and a half, and many people were keen to see us live again after a long time. We did a really great show there, played our songs to perfection and received lots of compliments that we had developed amazingly! For MAAHES, of course, “Ragnarök 2018” was a really big thing when we stood on a big stage for the first time and had a large audience in front of us. But I wouldn't say that it was the best show in terms of our performance, we‘d been much too nervous for that back then. Now more than ever, our stage performance is confident and exciting. We want to play shows and inspire people with our Egyptian concept, and I think the audience does really notice our dedication. The unmistakable stage design and our unusual appearance play a big part in the presentation, too.
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Our international expansion is currently underway, and there have been some very positive signals from distant countries already, which got us into sending merchandise to the USA or Mexico, for example.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
We will of course stay true to ourselves and continue MAAHES in the same fashion we have done so far. In addition to the classic riffs, we like to use elements from other sub-genres in order to produce our very own kind of Black Metal. This fact makes our music so varied and it should stay that way – that's us. So you can definitely look forward to the “Reincarnation” successor!
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Some of the artists that influenced our music with MAAHES are Immortal, Dimmu Borgir, Dark Funeral and Venom. We heard these bands around the clock back then, just as we still do today.
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
On behalf of all MAAHES members, I would like to thank you again for interviewing me, and I hope we‘ll get the opportunity to take you all on an unforgettable trip to ancient Egypt at one of our live shows! Have a nice evening, ! Metal regards, Anubis
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