Hi! Can you give a brief history of Maesün, including the music style and the members?
Hi and thank you for your questions!
I am Mihai Puscasu the drummer and the founding member of Maesün and I will be answering your questions. The idea of Maesün started around 2018 when I wanted to make a studio project band. Being involved in several extreme metal live acts I wanted to focus on my power metal ideas just for fun. The following years were not the best for music in general so I have put the idea on hold and restarted it in 2023, in May, after I had a discussion with my bass player ( Dan Tarcea ) about publishing some of the songs I had already in my bag and see how it goes. I've since collaborated with talented young musicians from Cluj Napoca, Romania, on vocals (Andrada Hofmeister) and guitar (Dan Brici), and reconnected with a guitarist I played with in the 2000s (Florin Huluba). Our music style, primarily female-fronted symphonic power metal, also incorporates thrashy drums, breakdowns, and black-metal-inspired guitar riffs.
That being said the band today consists of the following members:
Andrada Hofmeister: Voice
Florin Huluba: Guitar
Mihai Brici: Guitar
Dan Tarcea: Bass
Mihai Puscasu: Drums
Could you provide more detailed information about Remember to Die and its sales performance?
I did not had any expectations with "Remember to Die" aiming primarily to share our music and see the response. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and commercially it has performed well. We initially pressed 300 CDs, which are nearly sold out, with significant interest from Germany and France. Of course we also sold several copies in our promo tour we had in March in Romania, but the online sales were the most important for this release.
Maesün has signed with no label. Could you tell us more about that?
As of now, Maesün remains independent. We chose to self-release our first two records to build a portfolio that showcases our sound and capabilities. While a label could offer substantial support, we value the creative freedom and control that comes with going it alone, at least for the time being.
What is the difference between your latest record and the band's very first one?
Since we haven't released a full album prior to this, there's no direct comparison to be made. Our earlier releases were singles that we intended from the start to include them in our debut album, providing a preview of our sound.
What inspires Maesün's music and lyric writing? What do Maesün's lyrics talk about?
Inspiration comes from years of listening to music. During my university years, running a metal website gave me the opportunity to experience tons of new projects and watch some of them grow into huge acts until today. Additionally, playing in various bands over the years, covering genres from punk to heavy metal, thrash, death metal, and even black metal, has provided huge inspiration. Beyond that, I also enjoy listening to many other styles of music, including rap, pop, and Latin dance music.
As for the lyrics, they often explore themes of life and our time on earth. I am fascinated by how we evolve on this planet - from small beings to adults - and how we leave our mark, however insignificant it may seem. Each of us matters in some way... we are creating time and in the same time we are being shaped by it. These reflections inspire my lyric writing.
Do you play live often? Do you enjoy performing abroad?
We try to play as often as possible. We have, of course, our limitations, but in general we look for as many shows as possible. As for playing abroad, the band being from Germany, we only played abroad so far - Romania and Bulgaria - because we have a lot of contacts in that area.
How often does the band practice and work on new material?
Given our members are spread across Europe, we primarily practice individually and meet bi-monthly or before shows for full-band rehearsals. I generally do the songwriting, introducing the tracks to the other guys in order to make the changes everyone needs or feels that they want to have. My background as a drummer sometimes leads me to propose challenging guitar arrangements, which we adapt to ensure they're manageable on stage.
How did the band come up with the name Maesün? What does it mean to you?
It will sound funny but I started looking for a name that is original and while trying several names, one day traveling somewhere, I started to play with the brand name of a phone I had at the time switching letters in order to see what I can come up with. And initially I came up with Masun but it was too simple and boring and so I added a few umlauts and came up in the end with Maesün.
What are the band's plans for the near future?
Looking ahead to 2024, we plan to release a double EP with five songs on each. These tracks are already in pre-production; we just need to refine them through practice before recording. We aim for a mid-autumn release, followed by promotional activities and a more expansive tour.
Do you have a message for Iron Backstage readers?
Thank you for following Iron Backstage and hope to see you at one of our shows.