- What inspired the formation of the band and what are your influences?
Sir NORBYLANG : MaD RippeR is not a band but a studio project. I was inspired by the famous serial killer “Jack the Ripper” who raged in the 19th century in the Whitechapel district and whose identity is still controversial. I wanted to create this project for a very long time: almost forty years. The MaD RippeR name comes from the song “the ripper” of Judas Priest who is part of the groups that influenced me as well as groups of the 80s: Iron Maiden, Mercyful Fate, Candlemass, Metal Church, Fates Warning, Nasty Savage, Metallica etc…
- How do you approach songwriting?
Sir NORBYLANG : A first sung demo was performed in 2011 (“Jack Is Back 2011”)The singer was Regis 777 Whyte. All the songs evoked the misdeeds of Jack the Ripper. The titles of the 4 instrumental demo albums too. I think we had to explore other themes to keep up the good work. So I gave Alexandre “carte blanche” who wrote almost half of the lyrics. A fan volunteered to write the other half. I wrote only one title: “killing Is My Nature”.
I wanted there to be a trace of the real Jack the Ripper. This is the first lyrics that has been written of this album.”a drop of venom” deals with the dependencies that the human being can have. Everything can be a drug for him if he abuses it, just like in “killing Is My Nature” where killing becomes a vital need.We must be wary of appearance because we live in a world where everything is balanced. In each of us, there is evil, some will be able to master it, others won’t. (Shadow Of Death). The theme of religion is represented here also in several songs for example 1348 (Black Death) which deals with the plague that has wreaked havoc. A period in history when people thought they were punished by God. The Church reigned, she did not hesitate to torture even those who did not adhere to her laws (Lamb Of God). She also did not hesitate to massacre and burn everything in her way in the name of theology (Devil’s Wind). Power is coveted by everyone. We want to master everything. Everyone is fighting against death sooner or later. We are looking for how to become immortal, some will become Jack, others legends or myths.”The Wild Hunt” evokes one of these myths.”the summoning” deals more with black magic, with what one may incur in this kind of practice. Demons are everywhere.The MaD RippeR represents the extreme madness that exists and has existed on Earth. By exploring the time, he shows us the horrors committed by the human being.
- What plans do you have for the future?
Sir NORBYLANG: First of all, it is essential to promote the album. This is new to me and it takes me a lot of time and financial investment, as I manage it alone. I am trying to complete the project; which is not an easy task. And later, why not form the real group. I had several proposals for concerts and requests to participate in festivals. I really love to play on stage again but the difficulty would be to bring together the current musicians because Alexandre lives at 1000km from my home. For this occasion, I think find musicians quite easily in my town. Already a guitarist and a drummer have offered. I will also consider marketing a new album but it will depend on the sales of “Shadow Of Death”. I have invested a lot for this album, without this return it seems impossible, but doubtless way I will continue to make demos. Composing is my therapy.