Interview with MYSTIGMA (Part 2/2)

Automatic translation. Improvements are constantly being worked on.

In the first part, we spoke to Mystigma about the title track of their new album “Gloomtown Radio”. We also explored the band’s beginnings, talked about formative melancholy and what it’s like to be in the spotlight. Now let’s take a stand.

Show attitude
Orkus: I also like the play on words with “Sündikat”. How did you come up with that?
Torsten Bäumer: Phew, difficult question. At some point, this play on words just came up. It’s a bit about doing good by unfair means and standing up for an important cause. You can also use unusual means to fight for a cause that you think is right if the situation demands it. I think a healthy amount of insurrection, resistance and rebellion is important and right in a world where there are more and more autocratic tendencies. When only conservative values are propagated, fake news is spread and other, alternative opinions and views are suppressed, it is time to stand up to this. If this happens in a community, I see it as a “sin”. However, I would like to emphasize that Mystigma are not a political band. But that doesn’t stop us from taking a stand.

Occult romance
O: The devil is also sung about in “Triumph in Black”. What does he symbolize for you?
TB: The question is also whether it exists at all, just like the question of a god. We can’t answer these questions. It’s possible that both actually exist. The song is about an uncertain faith and turning away from God after strokes of fate and disappointments. I have often observed that once very devout people completely renounce their faith after experiences of loss. I think the song and the lyrics exude a kind of “occult romanticism”:

O: Would you describe yourself as a believer?
TB: I can only speak for myself and I can’t give you a clear answer to that question. Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Some of my texts are about these uncertain questions of faith and ambivalent feelings.

Inspiration
O: Is “Midsommar” inspired by the series of the same name?
TB: It’s inspired by the very bizarre and bizarre horror film of the same name by Ari Aster. I like the movie, but it’s not necessarily “everyone’s cup of tea”. The song evoked exactly these images in me and we tried to realize it musically and lyrically.

Liberation or madness?
O: I also found “Daimonion” very captivating. Is there a background story to it?
TB: “Daimonion” is about people who radically break away from social constraints and begin to follow only their inner voice and fully embrace the mystery of their own personality. But is it liberation? Or does it all end in a dangerous maelstrom of madness and distorted perception? This is the story behind “Daimonion”.

Carry to the grave?
O: And then the album ends theatrically and grandly with “Zu Grabe”. I think everyone has something they would like to carry to their grave. How are you doing with it?
Jörg Bäumer: You might think it’s about a specific person for whom you wish nothing good. And in fact, I can think of a few people that I would like to “bury”. But it could also be something completely different. For example, freeing yourself from certain negative thought spirals, not letting yourself be led by false ideals/goals, or breaking away from people who are not good for you, from a religion or whatever. It can be about getting rid of bad habits and patterns of behavior in order to focus instead on a fixed star in life that gives you stability and orientation. Anything that doesn’t help you, no matter what it is, has to be laid to rest. I let go of the negative, bury it internally, accept it as it is and am in harmony with myself.

Challenges
O: What was the biggest challenge while working on the album?
JB: Basically, it’s always about the essence of creative work, namely getting into a certain flow at the time of writing and production in order to get the best out of it. That in itself is always the highest achievement and always a challenge. Of course, this doesn’t always work and sometimes you sit on a song for longer because something is missing and the spark doesn’t ignite. Then it helps to turn to another song. That was the case again this time.
The challenge with songwriting, regardless of “getting into the flow”, is that everything fits together well. A good basic idea doesn’t automatically become a good song. And we don’t want to keep repeating ourselves. These are basically the challenges that we experience as artists with every album. But if you can be sure at the end of production that you’ve done everything to achieve a good result, then everything is fine and you can be at peace with yourself, regardless of what others say, think or write.

View of the future
O: Finally, what does the near future look like for Mystigma?
JB: We’re trying to get more gigs so that we can play more live in 2026, that will be a focus. At the same time, I’m always creative. I’m also currently working on a side project and maybe a new Mystigma song will come out of the writing process. (winks)

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

Line-up:
Torsten Bäumer – vocals, lyrics
Jörg Bäumer – guitars, keyboards
Stephan Richter – bass
Malte Hagedorn – drums

Read the review of “Gloomtown Radio” here: