Interview with PUSCIFER (1/2)

Behind Puscifer is frontman Maynard James Keenan(Tool, A Perfect Circle). Since the band’s tenth anniversary, Danny Lohner(Nine Inch Nails), Brad Wilk(Rage Against the Machine) and Tim Commerford have also been involved.

With “Normal Isn’t”, Puscifer will release their fifth studio album on February 06, 2026. Fronter Maynard grins: “We’re definitely drawing on our early influences. It’s the place where goth meets punk. It’s the place where I come from. Get your black lipsticks out, I’d say.” – What a lovely introduction. Our attention turns to Mat Mitchell, with whom we conduct the following interview.

On your head?

Mat explains his take on the title track, the idea for which came from Maynard: “For me, it means the feeling I get every day when I wake up and read the news. It feels like the ground is moving under our feet. Like more things are happening every day and more things that weren’t considered normal yesterday are suddenly normal today.” He feels particularly surreal: “When you read the story, it seems like the world has always been upside down somehow. I think that social media and the availability of news in a society that has access to so much information has turned information into a commodity that is sold to people. If you don’t have the news in front of you all the time, you can walk around, listen to the birds and enjoy the weather.” He continues: “I think it’s like ebbs and flows, there are highs and lows that affect these things. But I feel like there’s one bad story after another and where’s the one with the happy puppies? There has to be a balance. It would be nice to see some balance. But maybe it’s leaving your phone at home, going for a walk and enjoying the birds and butterflies.”

A little crazy

But “Normal Isn’t” could also refer to the fact that you have to be pretty crazy to make such an uncompromising album. Mat smiles: “I can say for the three of us that we’re all a bit crazy. The very fact that we have decided to make this our profession certainly requires a certain amount of detachment from reality. But it’s worth it. We love being creative, challenging ourselves and doing things that make us happy. We always try to outdo ourselves, to create things that are unexpected for us. We look at how everything comes together and try to create something unique.” They have undoubtedly succeeded with the new album. But let’s rewind: was it really a conscious decision to become musicians? Mat reflects: “I felt drawn to music. I loved listening to music. When the opportunity arose to play an instrument, I definitely decided to go for it and really got stuck in. For me as a child, the biggest hurdle was not knowing what you were doing until I could actually play something, hear a result. I had the drive to make it somehow and the momentum built up over time. There were certainly moments in my life when I was at odds with myself. But it just had to work because I couldn’t do anything else. – Because I dedicated everything to music. Everything I did professionally as an adult had something to do with music, entertainment or art. It was certainly a choice I made. But there are also times when you have to pay bills and you might not make any money performing. So you try to find jobs where you’re still involved in art. I think that helped me broaden my foundations and gave me a nice, broad and solid knowledge so that I could get into all the different elements that I contribute to this project.”

Alternative?

We ask Mat what connects him to the gothic/alternative scene. “My childhood was kind of alternative. It was about finding venues to play at. Where I come from, there were no goth or alternative clubs when I was young. There were dance clubs that were more geared towards the gay scene and once a week there was an alternative music night. So the discovery of this new music took place in dance clubs. My roots go pretty deep. We never intended to record a goth or alternative album. It’s more of a tribute to the deeper influences that all three of us have.”

In the next part, we talk to Mat about how music comes alive, among other things.

Claudia Zinn-Zinnenburg

Line-up:
Maynard James Keenan – vocals
Carina Round – vocals, guitar, percussion
Mat Mitchell – guitar, bass, programming, synthesizer, production