Maria Brink - In This Moment interview 2014
Ray Van Horn, Jr.
Wow ten years ago already.
In 2014, I had the fortune of catching new gen metal icon Maria Brink of In This Moment on the band's rise to popularity, between twice winning Loudwire's Rock Goddess of the Year award.
By this time, Brink and her band had refined their act to a polished Goth metal cabaret, as I called it in this sit-down with a future legend of modern metal during the Black Widow album cycle.Brink heard out my ladies in metal project pitch and granted me this time, considering I'd favorably reviewed In This Moment's first two albums and Black Widow.
I've heard straight women say to my face they'd turn gay for a day and gay men claiming they'd hop the fence for a single night of ecstasy with Brink, a self-made avatar of the esoteric. I'm proud to present this unreleased footage and I thank Maria for her generosity.
RAY VAN HORN, JR: From the Dying Star days to In This Moment, you all had to dog the web to start building your audience, going all the way to MySpace, which of course, nobody uses anymore.I come from the old tape trading and 'zine days and it's fascinating to watch contemporary bands work themselves and build fan bases through the internet.Do you feel the web has made things easier for you and the band or was it still an everyday struggle getting to where you are now?MARIA BRINK:I think we all just surrendered to the web, no matter how much you wanted to fight it in the beginning, especially with it nowadays being a big part of how fans connect with artists.I think it has a lot of positives.Bands tend to be a lot more self-made nowadays, I guess you could say.You're able to create your own music video and put it out there and not necessarily have a label putting it out.You can actually do it yourself nowadays.As far as getting exposure goes, back in the day I think it was a lot harder.
RVH: It's always a big deal to make it to the majors, but we're in a different market for music these days.I can imagine the uphill climb In This Moment has made to being signed by Atlantic Records has to feel tremendous, given the state of underground metal, sales-wise?MB:I don't necessarily think of it as coming into the majors now.I think that it was definitely a long journey and a lot of hard work.There was a lot of beautiful things and it's what I love to do, to be able to create music, create concepts and create live shows.It's my dream, but it does take a lot of dedication and commitment.It was a struggle until it really started blossoming into more of a mainstream, a wider range going into the last album.It was strange, definitely a magical moment for me, because it's been ten years now and for things to finally be blossoming!It's just very rewarding.I feel very blessed.Thank God I hold onto as much as I do.
RVH: In this moment has released five albums in a seven-year stretch, which shows a tremendous work ethic.I'll never forget receiving Beautiful Tragedy and The Dream from Century Media and my rep at the time really nudging me for coverage, stating your band was going to be big.I laugh now, because I reviewed both positively by my recollection, but I remember saying "What the hell?A new album this quickly?" when The Dream arrived.There was no slacking though, evidenced by Black Widow's polish.Have you felt working at this recording pace has been grueling or so exciting you all can't contain yourselves that you just keep working?MB:We loved with working with Century, by the way.We still have a great relationship with them.We still work together, just in different ways.We pushed ourselves to see if we could get into a better polished, catchier sound.It's part of art, creating ourselves, expressing ourselves.It's the only thing I know how to do between album cycles, since I get bored easily.Sometimes I think, "Okay, I'll take off for a certain amount of time," but I don't really take off.I'm already writing new songs.I love to do it.I'm drinking wine and lighting candles right now and I just love to create.
RVH: What factors do you feel drives ladies to seek a career in a traditionally man's world of metal music?Whatever it is, music is art.It's expression, and of course men are going to show an aggressive side of it, but there's been women who do the same.It's not just men doing it a specific way.I think those women just did what they wanted to do, and now other women are doing it as well.If you take down all the layers, it's about the magic in a song, what you feel.It's an emotion, stripped down, whether it's anger or rage or whatever. That can't be labeled by what's sexy to somebody, you know what I mean?It's not what sex you are or how you express yourself; those are all the top layers to whatever the real thing is.
RVH:Obviously there's a sexy theatricality to an In This Moment show, a sort of metal cabaret ("Hell Pop," as you'd describe it) such as the album cover for Blood.Then you have "Sexual Hallucination" on Black Widow (which I think is a way hot cut, BTW) and some of your promotional photos flaunt the goods-in a classy way.Are women forced to play that card to succeed, in your opinion, or is it a natural expression of sexuality?MB:No, no, no.I think that each individual is their own person.For me, my music is definitely not all about sex.We have songs that are angry, some that are sad, but all of it are parts of me and I'm very comfortable with my sexuality.I like to have that fire and I like to embrace this sort of fiery goddess.I find power in that within myself.I choose to be fiery and free, sexual, and I'm not afraid of those aspects of myself through my live shows.
However, I don't think that's what's expected of women whatsoever and I don't think any woman should ever fear how she expresses herself, whether she's attractive or whether she feels she has to do it.Nobody should ever follow those rules.You should express yourself with what makes you feel alive what makes you feel powerful.Somebody might be more powerful doing absolutely nothing at all, and that's what's easy to them, and that's the strength that they have.
Sexy is also a matter of perspective.Somebody might think I might look sexy with one of my body suits that I'm wearing and to them, their perception of sexy is that, but for someone else, it could be like, "She could have on a t-shirt, jeans and heels and that's sexy and powerful!" It's all a matter of perspective.
RVH:How would you gauge fan reaction to you specifically at an In This Moment show?Are males looking at like you and approaching you like they have one thing in mind, or do you feel you're given respect out there?MB:You know, the funniest thing is, especially when my whole band and I are in a whole zone, I have my security guards and my girls with me.I have a whole entourage and we're very strict about which people get up to me.When I'm in that zone and we're on tour, people are respectful.They know what type of woman I am, and this allows me to hold myself strong.I'm a woman you treat with class.I rarely come across people who are disrespectful.I won't allow that to happen and I think people know that.I want to be respected by my peers, men and women, you know what I mean?
RVH:I won't mention the name, but in the past, I conducted a backstage interview with a female lead vocalist for another metal band and she was upset as she'd just been groped coming offstage.Understandably, it took her a few minutes to come down from that anger before we got into the interview.If I hadn't driven three hours for that gig, I would've let her off the hook for the night.Have you had to contend with such misconduct?MB:Yeah, that's happened to me because I used to go out in the circle pit in the crowd.I used to be a total maniac and jump out into the crowd and all that, but I was groped back then.Yeah, it happens, unfortunately.
RVH:Do you feel women today get a fair shake breaking in or is still the same ol' misogyny train you must fend through?I like being in front of all these diverse types of metal crowds for like Nile, Lamb of God and Megadeth.I don't sugarcoat it; it's probably as real as it's going to get with those bands!So doing those tours taught me to be a strong front woman and to have that self-confidence.The crazy thing is, I used to think going out to a screaming crowd and them making noise could be intimidating. Now I can walk out there and honestly, I just stand there and just hold a pose and feel the power of saying nothing at all.The crowd will be even louder than they've ever been before.Is that a crazy concept?
RVH: You see a lot of "Metal Chick of the Month" type features at certain metal mags and sites.Do you feel that's condescending toward you and other female performers in this scene?MB:I know there's Revolver's "Hottest Chicks of Metal" and I won one of their awards one year, but I think it's more of a lighthearted taking-in on my part.I don't think they should ever judge women on who's the hottest, because sometimes when you number and rate people, I don't necessarily see that as being great.
Beauty and all that is in the eye of the beholder, but we're not beauty queens, you know what I'm saying?The intention is for this to be art.If female musicians are comfortable with it, and they're comfortable with presenting themselves in a sexual way and they're strong and free, then whatever.Really, I think it's all just magazines trying to get some marketing.
RVH: I've been backstage and on enough tour buses to know the behind-the-scenes life of metal music is largely hidden or in many cases, tamed down from the old days of debauchery.Take me backstage to an In This Moment gig.MB:Chris (Howarth), my guitar player and the other band members don't really come out very often.I'm very much like a flower child goddess. I wear the long, dark goddess gown with the hat and frizz.My blood girls and I all have our gowns on and we call it the "Bless the Goddess Den" because there's candles and crystals, incense burning.We'll usually have a tent that we put outside and we decorate it with all of these fabrics, if you can wrap your mind around that.We have this kind of tribal thing.I guess you could say we're playing with lights and fire.
People come and vibe out with us a lot and if you can imagine, there's pillows on the ground and all that.That's what's usually going on with us.We get crazy sometimes, like we'll have these fires or we'll go to a dance club and let loose, but my band members don't party very much.Usually my blood girls and I go out and get crazed.They're always impressed and I'm always very excited when they come for the gathering!I'm all about creating a vibe.When we go out on tour and we're in a hotel room, I usually have this bag with things that me and my girls will unpack and create this little vibe lair around us.
