Interview with Jonah Weingarten of PYRAMAZE

PYRAMAZE INTERVIEW

The Metal Pit had the great pleasure to sit down with Jonah Weingarten to answer some questions for our reader’s forthcoming Pyramaze’s seventh album release with AFM Records, Bloodline. 


What is the band’s story?
Jonah – Pyramaze was founded in 2002 by our former guitarist Michael Kammeyer. Our current lineup came to be in 2013 and has been the same ever since despite the departure of our lead guitarist Toke last year. Our 7th album “Bloodlines” is coming out on AFM on June 23rd 2023. 

How did the band come to be?
Jonah – When Michael started Pyramaze he did so with the intention of just recording a full length album and then seeing where that would take him. The band got signed very quickly thereafter and our debut album “Melancholy Beast” was released in 2004. 21 years later and Pyramaze is still going strong!

How did you choose your band name?
Jonah – I think Michael just came up with it because he thought it sounded interesting. Just combining the words pyramid and maze together.

How long has your current band lineup been together?
Jonah – Morten (drums) and I are the only original members left in the band. The current lineup (which is missing a lead guitarist at the moment) has existed since 2013 and made its debut with the 2015 album “Disciples of the Sun.”

What’s the story behind your latest album BLOODLINES?
Jonah – “Bloodlines” is a natural follow up to our 2020 album “Epitaph.” I think we have really forged and established our sound with this album as well as our last album. It has cool guest appearances and 10 big epic and melodic tracks.

Can you tell us a little bit about the creative process when you worked on BLOODLINES?
Jonah – The creative process this time around was similar to our previous album. When I write songs I do keyboards and orchestration first and then send the songs to them in Denmark to add guitars and drums after the fact. When Jacob writes songs it’s the reverse. This definitely works for us and helps us create albums that are diverse but always sound like Pyramaze in the end.

How does the band go about writing songs?
Jonah – When I write songs, I focus on writing chord progressions and melodies that I can imagine killer guitars and drums on top of. I like to try and tell a story with my instrumentals and build the songs so that the last chorus is a powerful send off. When Jacob writes its more guitar-focused obviously, and then I add my orchestration and l keyboard ideas on top of that. 

Is it a collaborative effort or does one person usually take the lead?
Jonah – I would actually say that whoever is writing the song takes the lead, but with a sense of trust and respect for the others in the band in that they do their thing on it and do it justice. It’s a smooth process I assure you.

Can you tell me a little bit about each member of the band and their role within the group?
Jonah – Jacob is not only our guitarist, but also plays bass on the albums and produces, mixes, and masters our albums. He’s the Jack of all trades. Morten is our drummer and he’s the guy in the band that is always prepared for anything it seems. He’s so important as the glue and foundation of everything that we do. Terje is our singer and lives in Norway. We have built our newer sound around his amazing and powerful vocals. I live in the USA and fly over to Europe whenever we play shows or shoot music videos etc.

What do you feel sets your band apart from other bands in your genre?
Jonah – I think that we have a unique and distinctive sound that is easily recognizable. As we have grown and released albums, we establish this sound more and more. I would categorize us as “Modern Melodic Symphonic Metal.” If I had to choose some kind of genre. All the members of Pyramaze bring our own unique set of musical influences as well and this helps us not just sound like everyone else.

 What’s the best show or tour you’ve ever played and why was it so special to you all?
Jonah – That would be our 2016 Prog Power USA performance because we did a special show with all three of the Pyramaze singers that we’ve ever had. Matt Barlow and Lance King joined us on stage to perform songs from the albums that they sang on. It was so great and very memorable!


What’s the worst show or tour you’ve ever played and what made it so terrible?
Jonah – We had an unfortunate performance at a certain festival in Denmark. I don’t really want to say what it was, but it was one of those shows where everything kept going wrong for us.


What are some of the band’s favorite songs to play live?
Jonah – I can’t speak for all of us but I love to play “Disciples of the Sun,” “Back For More,” and “Broken Arrow” the most. 


What are some of the challenges you face as a band?
Jonah – Great question! Our biggest and most obvious challenge is the distance between us. It can make things difficult for us logistically when playing festivals or needing to shoot music videos. If we were all in one place that would most certainly be easier.

What’s been your favorite moment or achievement as a band so far?
Jonah – I think it would be when we signed with AFM in 2020. I’ve always wanted to be on that label, and they have been so good to us and are great at promoting our releases. “Bloodlines” is our second album with them.

Are there any plans for touring in support of your latest release?
Jonah – Nothing on the books right now, but we are hoping to do some more festival shows in the near future.

Who are some of your favorite collaborators that you’ve worked with so far?
Jonah – Some great guest appearances that we have had are Brittney Slays (Unleash The Archers) Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum/Kamelot) and our new album has guest guitar solos from Andrew Kingsley (Unleash the Archers) Olof Mork (Amaranthe) and Tim Hansen.

What is the best way to contact the band?
Jonah – To message us through our website www.Pyramaze.com or through email. 


Any crazy fan stories you can share?
Jonah – When we played Bloodstock Open Air festival in 2006 some cool fans from Scotland came down to our autograph signing session and had the whole band sign this big Braveheart sword! It was wild and something I’ll never forget.  

Any words of wisdom for up-and-coming bands out there trying to make it in the music industry?
Jonah – Yes, the only way to make it in this industry is to always put your best foot forward. Make friends with the right people and surround yourself with winners. Anything less is a waste of your time and resources. 

What’s next for the band in 2024?
Jonah – I believe we might have some shows in Norway and I think we will start writing music for our next album!


Will you be playing PROGPOWER in Atlanta USA any time soon?
Jonah – That would be awesome as always. We have played that festival two times now and we absolutely love it. 


Thank you so much for taking the time out for this interview for the Metal Pit…
Jonah- You are very welcome!


-Georgina Strilakos