Present yourself to the readers
Hi. I’m Mars Martin, 33, former keyboardist and backing singer in the London gothic metal band Orpheum, 2009-2017, now gone rogue. I love Dream Theater, spaghetti bolognaise, cats, keyboards and philosophical existentialism.
I’ve been singing since I was 10 and composing songs and music generally almost as long, thanks to a fantastic musical education as a Lincoln Cathedral chorister and choral scholar.
2017 was a pretty sour year for me, including five or six months of working to restore my voice after I got a really nasty flu and a subsequent epic coughing fit blew something in my throat. As my voice slowly came back, I knew it was time to stop saying I was going to make a solo album at some point, and go fucking make it.
And so here we are.
What’s the story for THE ABYSS ?
There are a lot of layers to unpack. It’s an exploration of the dark internal emotions that we all go through. It cycles through themes of jealousy, irrational love, irrational hate, questioning the meaning of existence, the anger of feeling powerless in a really fucked up world, and ends with the title song, which is about being overwhelmed and swallowed by all of these emotions.
I hope the listener feels some sense of catharsis by the end, like they’ve taken a journey into the depths with me and feel like they can breathe again at the end.
Are you day or night ?
If it’s light outside, don’t even talk to me.
Why the name SISTER GOTH ?
Good question! I used the name for a bit after departing Orpheum, but it took me a while to decide to actually use it for this project, as the metal-electronic fusion of sound is probably more gothic in theme than in sound, at least in the traditional ‘goth music’ sense.
I don’t think of it as my personal artist name, more of a group name for the people I feel closest to. I have met so many amazing and interesting lady goths, who really inspire me and who have been like family. There are so few of us who really see the beauty in the darkness and weirdness of life. I’m not THE Sister Goth, I’m just one of the many sister goths out there, and by using the name, I kind of feel like I’m honouring those bonds and standing up with them.
What’s your top 5 albums of all time ?
Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory (1999) – Dream Theater
Dark Side of the Moon (1973) – Pink Floyd
S&M Album (1999) – Metallica
Volkerball (2006) - Rammstein
Toxicity (2001) – System of a Down
In studio, what was the atmosphere for the album THE ABYSS ?...etc.…
Kind of tense to be honest!
I was lucky in that I could prepare a lot of tracks pre- studio time, recording line-in or using a MIDI keyboard, plus various loops and sound effects, which was necessary since I made this album on a nothing budget.
However, every vocal recording session was 4 hours non-stop, using every tiny scrap of time possible! I didn’t have a mixing desk or an engineer, or even a booth... I recorded my vocals into a cardboard trainers box filled with foam from a cut up yoga mat, all held together by gaffer tape. I sat my laptop on a pile of crates and sang my heart out (weird fact; all of the backing vocals were completely improvised during recording).
It was exhausting, and filled with moments of doubt about whether I could pull it off, but wow, the feeling when I could hear the songs taking shape finally... worth it.
How does it work for the design of the CD ? and why this title ?
On the artwork, the bold lines, the iconography of Pink Floyd’s ’Dark Side of the Moon’ album cover was obviously a bit of an inspiration, but what I came up in the end was very much reflective of me creating the album. There is a girl, just a kid with a backpack, alone, a silhouette against the universe, wandering into places containing reflections of herself.
I originally had more of a neon blue and purple colour scheme to it, but my brother Andy (a very talented musician in his own right, *cough* www.soundcloud.com/andymartinuk *cough*) persuaded me to go for the red and the fonts I used. Good call, Andy.
The art on the disk and on the back was inspired by old cartography maps, using track timings like coordinates, and subtitles along the lines, subtly continuing the theme of exploration.
As for the title itself, I knew from the moment the song ‘The Abyss’ came together that it was the North that all the other tracks were pointing towards. It WAS the album title, no question. There were never any other contenders.
What are your projects ?
I’m never without a project of some kind, musical or otherwise!
One thing I’d really like to do next though, if I can save enough to pay for the up-front royalties, is do more covers in my own style, like the 3 bonus tracks on the digital release of The Abyss. I have loads that didn’t make the cut this time, but which I would love to perform, so maybe that’s the next big music project.
Either that or I’ll join a band. Anyone out there need a singer? I also play a mean electric ukulele, if I need to sweeten the deal...
What's your motto ?
Time and comfort are the only true enemies of man. And calories. Those monsters are ruining me.
Website to remember
Tricky, but I’m going to give a plug to my former musical compatriots, Orpheum’s, website. It was designed by the incredibly talented drummer and web designer, Andy Thomson: www.orpheum.co who is totally available for hire.
Also, my Bandcamp of course, http://sistergoth.bandcamp.com.
What would you like to say to the readers ?
If you’ve made it this far through my ramblings, I salute you.
I’m just a girl, standing in front of a readership, asking them to play her music. But regardless of whether you do, thank you for supporting independent artists and the underground scene.
