An Interview with ATHAMAY (Part 1 of 2)
In our two-part interview, we talk with Athamay about her fourth album, “Necropolis,” which is about much more than just death.
Beyond & Once Upon a Time
As a powerful metaphor, the title refers not only to death, “but to an entire ‘civilization of dead things’—memories, relationships, ideals, or even an inner emotional state.” Marlen speaks about immigration in this context: After a few years, you start to feel like you don’t really belong anywhere anymore. “You return home, only to realize that everything has changed. The place where you grew up no longer feels familiar, almost as if it exists only as a memory.” “Necropolis” evokes this feeling: “not just death, but the haunting remnants of a past life; a homeland that still physically exists, yet feels emotionally out of reach, like a city of ghosts within your own memory.”
Lively
Sean also talks about how some sources of inspiration take on a life of their own: “In some ways, the song controls me as it develops, as if it already knows how it will turn out in the end.” In addition to their original compositions, there are two cover songs. The focus here wasn’t so much on staying as close as possible to the originals, but rather on turning them into Athamay tracks, “trying to make them fit the ‘fetish/dance floor vibe.’” Rumor has it that Depeche Mode got quite creative with the sounds in the original version of “Master and Servant.” Athamay, on the other hand, uses, among other things, the “usual industrial approach”—lots of samples of metallic objects being struck. “We also used samples of whips and chains in some songs.” What’s unique is that at the beginning of “Children of the Dead Gods,” you can hear the voice of Marlen’s daughter.
Significant
When Marlen asked her daughter if she could contribute a few screams to the track, she gladly agreed. Marlen also talks about the contrast with the song’s dark atmosphere. The lyrics are based on a poem originally written in Greek. It reflects on the idea that we are all “children of dead gods”—“People search for meaning while slowly losing sight of what really matters in life. We make plans, chase ambitions, and live as if we were here to stay, yet in reality we’re just passing through this world. At the same time, the poem speaks to how easily we forget to cherish fleeting moments, how we neglect love, and how we become trapped in our own thoughts. Metaphorically, it’s like being lost in an endless ocean that slowly washes us away, smashing us against the rocks, over and over again, until we no longer recognize ourselves.”
Martina Wutscher
Lineup:
Sean Athamay – Composition, Synthesizer, Guitar, Programming
Marlen Moysidou – Vocals
Listen to the teaser for “Echoes in Necropolis” here:
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