Medusian – Library review, and band Interview

Band: Medusian
Album: Library
Label: Independent release
Release date: January 17th 2025
Country: Sweden
Format reviewed: High-quality digital recording
A new band who have started weaving their creative threads into a fascinating musical tapestry is Sweden’s Medusian. Since their debut single, “Facestealer”, they have been working tirelessly, finally unveiling their debut EP, Library on January 17th. Musically speaking, they play symphonic extreme metal, having a sound similar to bands such as fellow countrymen, Zornheym, while simultaneously maintaining a strong personal touch. What stands out the most about them, in my opinion, is the fact that they feature a heavy use of storytelling, both musically, and image-wise, but more about that later.
The EP features five tracks, along with an intro and an interlude, with a length of about 30 minutes. The intro track in question is “Wandering Soul”, and even as early as this, the ambition of the band is showcased for all to see. The song makes use of string instruments such as the violin and the cello, along with other symphonic instruments to deliver a dramatic, tense opening, charged with a melody that becomes ever more obvious as the track progresses, before exploding into the next song.
“Facestealer follows the previously established melody, with the metal elements being added of course. The guitars follow the symphonic instruments closely, while the drums and vocals add that much needed touch of extremity and drama to the piece, like a storm raging at sea. The fast tempo adds to this impression as much as the violins, creating the sensation of a Wagnerian orchestra plugged into an electric source. Occasionally one will be able to hear the faint traces of a choir floating into the composition, as a background to the nothing short of maximalist vocal performance. The alternation between low growls, high black metal screeches and clean vocals adds to the already impressive soundscape, as a testament to the band’s songwriting skills.
“Bull of Crete” follows up, leaning however a little more on the death metal side of things, which comes off as greatly fitting given the song’s inspiration and theme ( the legend of the Labyrinth and the Bull of Crete from Greek mythology). From a first listen, it is easy to see why this song has quickly become the favorite of many listeners. It’s catchy chorus, epic guitar solo and clean vocals that remind of Fleshgod Apocalypse, it is guaranteed to make a lasting impression. The riffs are nothing to sleep on either, as they add the grit that ties everything together into what it is, a great piece of music.
Coming up next there is “Bottom of the Well”, a slower, yet still as great, and probably the most touching song on the EP. Seriously speaking, look at the lyrics, calling them relatable is an understatement. Pair that with melodies that will pull on your heartstrings and the trademark dramatism of the band, and you get a masterpiece. Once again, the guitar solo is incredible, the alternating clean and harsh vocals give off the sensation of a narrative course, while also feeling as if the main character of said narrative is going insane. The atmosphere also changes from epic to more eerie, coming of as a signal of the darker themes the song deals with.
“Toymaker” also presents a shift in atmosphere, combining the two that were previously present through the songs. It is also probably the song with the strongest storytelling presence, as one may be able to tell from the title alone. The song structure also adds to this. An interesting change is that “Toymaker” leans much more on the use of clean vocals, the harsher elements being used more to provide the necessary contrast, but somehow staying out of the spotlight for the majority of the time. For someone coming from a power metal, or classic symphonic metal background, this song may be a good place to dip their feet into extreme metal. That being said, don’t make the mistake of dismissing the song as weak, because that is definitely not the case.
“Realm Beyond Sight” is the interlude that I mentioned in the beginning of the article. It is fairly similar to “Wandering Soul” in terms of structure and instrumentation, but with half the runtime. I honestly think it was a great addition to the album, and a much needed respiro before the grand finale.
“Library” closes up the record with an amalgamation of everything that had been featured on the EP up to that point, and merging all the musical ideas and motifs into a sort of defining moment. The resemblances it bears to “Facestealer” also add to the sensation of reflection and circularity of the album, while the rest of the music helps provide a satisfying end. Personally, I love how the band managed to bring together all loose ends scattered throughout the record into one song, this standing as yet another proof of their abilities and professional approach. It is, to put it simply climactic.
From everything that has been stated so far, it is obvious that this is a release worthy of praise, and one that certainly sparked interest for Medusian’s future. After all, if this is just their debut, their follow up material will be nothing short of great right? 9/10 by Ioana
9/10 Epic Storm
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Interview by Ioana
However, I believe that certain aspects have been left undiscussed. Worry not, as the following interview, with vocalist and songwriter Mitchell and drummer Isaak, the main men of the band, will offer some truly fascinating insights into everything from the band’s concept, to their history, and everything else in-between:
Hello, and thank you for doing this interview, it is a pleasure to have you here! How are you doing, and how are things looking for Medusian so far?
Thanks so much for having us! We’re doing well, 2025 looks like it’ll be a big year for us in terms of work to be done, but we’re getting really great responses from people and it’s extremely flattering.
Medusian is a young band, having started out last year? How did you decide to form this band, and how did you came up with the thematic concepts behind your music? What other bands would you say influence your style the most?
M: To be honest it all started out as just songs I was writing on my own in my apartment. I have a tendency to daydream a lot, and it seems I have synesthesia. So when I had an idea in my head for a story, some music, or a feeling in my head, if I could write a story and music that accurately put out that feeling it was a “true” Medusian song. Biggest influence for me was undoubtedly Seven Spires from the US, with a ton of inspiration from Wintersun, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and soundtracks from Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy) Koji Kondo (Zelda), and the Bloodborne soundtrack.
I: My introduction to Medusian was Mitchell showing songs he had written for himself. I can’t remember who brought up the idea at first, but I was very keen on recording the drums for these songs. The next step to actually forming a band felt very natural. My influences aren’t necessarily reflected in what I brought to the table for this record. But drummers that have influenced me throughout the years are without any doubt Nicholas Barker with his work in Dimmu Borgir and Kai Hahto with Wintersun, as well as Hannes Grossman with all his various projects. I must also mention Gavin Harrison, most famous for being the drummer in Porcupine Tree, as a huge inspiration.
Your EP, “Library” is truly impressive, particularly when viewed as a debut release? Would you explain your songwriting process, and the motivations behind this musical direction, and how it related to the EP’s concept? Would you say it is a sort of soundtrack to the story told by the lyrics?
M: Thank you for that! As stated before it often starts as a feeling or a story concept. I often think of how that makes me feel as a person, and then extend that to what kind of music would make me feel that way as well. I never planned in the beginning this direction, it’s something I kind of discovered over time. It let me explore ideas with a lot more certainty and intention, helped me decide what ideas were right and wrong.
Speaking of lyrics, something that caught my attention about them is that you use storytelling, or fantasy-like concepts to express different mental or emotional struggles, with some of the most obvious examples being “Facestealer” and “Bottom of the Well”. As far as I am aware, this is a rather uncommon way of presenting these themes. What motivated you to go about them in this manner, and could you explain how symbols such as “the bull of Crete” express this?
M: To be completely transparent, I wanted to do really emotional music with really intense personal lyrics before I started Medusian. Nothing worked for me, it all felt too much, I don’t know if it’s because it didn’t resonate with me or I was afraid of writing it and saying it in front of people. Eventually I started doing story-themed lyrics because they inspired me. I quickly discovered that I was putting a lot of what I wanted to express about my own mental health and emotional struggles into those stories. I feel it’s a mix of when it’s a story I can distance myself from the thing I’m saying, and also I can exaggerate the emotions a lot because it’s fiction, it’s not real. I can express extreme emotions that maybe aren’t possible in normal situations. Bull is an example of a song I didn’t really know what the emotional themes were until I was nearly done with the song. I feel it came out a lot as Asterion, the Minotaur, losing his name and his ability to speak for himself, express himself, be his own entity and live a normal life. He and his mother were both victims of actions perpetrated by others, and ultimately becoming caught in the conflicts of kings and literal gods. Forces beyond their control, sort of.
Another thing that caught my attention was that, although you use symphonic elements in your music (obviously), the main driving force, music wise, are the guitars. Was that a purely creative decision, or was it a reaction to the current state of symphonic metal as a genre? What is your opinion it?
M: Really interesting question.I feel the guitar oriented songwriting is primarily because I have always been a guitarist first, I learned to write symphonic music FOR Medusian. Both the string section in the big heavy bridge of Bottom of the Well and the strings in the chorus of Facestealer started as guitar parts that I wrote down as violins because they were too difficult for me to play without practice and I wanted to keep writing and come back to them later. That’s how I decided Medusian would be a symphonic band.

Both of you have taken part in other bands before starting Medusian. How has the experience of playing in those bands shape you as musicians, and what would you say are the most important lessons you’ve learned from those experiences?
M: My first proper band taught me a lot about songwriting, learning songs other people wrote, seeing songs from different angles, and working together in a positive but constructive way. After that I played in a tech death band; that really helped me develop my technique and my songwriting, but also taught me a lot about communicating with different people with different levels of commitment, time, and attachment to a project.
I: In my first band, a melodic death metal band, that I started as a teenager I quickly became the main songwriter, which was a huge creative outlet for me. That allowed me to experiment a lot with different elements, and I soon wanted our songs to feel more epic and grandiose, so adding symphonic elements felt like a no-brainer. I’ve also been part of other bands, and worked as a session drummer quite a few times, which has taught me a lot about what I’m personally looking for in a band, more than just having an outlet as a drummer, and how important chemistry is to me when creating music together with others.
Going back to the EP and the storylike mood I mentioned previously, I was curious what other things do you take inspiration from, such as literature or visual arts. If you were to associate any book or art piece with your music, what would you choose, and why?
M: I love video games. Many games have changed my life, like Final Fantasy, Xenoblade Chronicles, Zelda, Dark Souls/Bloodborne, etc. The stories of games like Final Fantasy (specifically 4, 6, and 7), and Xenoblade 1 have inspired my perspective on stories a lot. Naturally the soundtracks of all of these games also have a huge impact on me.
I: Anything related to Fantasy, really. So many fantastical stories are told, and to me the soundtrack in movies and video games is important to elevate the experience. My biggest musical inspirations from such media are without a doubt The Elder Scrolls games, World of Warcraft, Legend of Zelda, to name a few. And even though not fantasy, I cannot talk about video game music without mentioning how influential all Megaman games for NES have been for me, just in general.
On another topic, you mentioned wanting to bring Medusian to a live audience in the near future. Do you have anything of the sort planned for this year, and do you think this would help your music reach more people?
We absolutely do! We’re making some changes at the moment and pushing to get our live playing tight and consistent, but we want to get started live as soon as we can, and go anywhere we can to promote our music!
Every band has, in one way or another, a principle or philosophy on which they base their work? Is this true for Medusian, and if so, could you go into a little detail about it and how you settled on it?
I suppose the best way to define the philosophy of our music is that it is story-oriented music. Every musical choice we make is in service of the song, and its consistency to the greater story of the song, the record it is on, and Medusian as a whole. It kind of came clearly to us over time.
Now, on a more fun note, what would you consider to be the best moments from the process of recording “Library”, and which of the songs are you most proud of?
M: I remember I asked Isak to join Medusian when we were at an Asian restaurant before we went to see Art Nation (a band Richard plays in!). It was a super fun day in general, but it just felt like the day Medusian really became its own thing. Toymaker is kind of the obvious song for me to choose, I think the story is the clearest, the dramatic and theatrical themes represent it well. I’m really happy the song is going over well with people.
I: Mitchell and I have had many really rewarding and productive moments just sitting down with a box of wine and discussing all things Medusian, but more importantly how we both write music, what emotions lie beneath and how they fuel us. It has given me a deeper connection with the music Mitchell has written for Medusian so far, and I feel confident to be a part of the creative process going forward. I’d also like to say Toymaker. Most drum parts we wrote just felt right from the start and it’s such a fun song to play!
Finally, what are your plans moving forward, and what is the general direction, both musically and thematically that you wish to pursue on future material?
M: Hit the stage, put out the next record! I suppose for future material, it’s a bigger, better, more refined version of Library. New stories, new ways to express them, and most of all with a clear vision of it from the beginning. I’m also really looking forward to having Isak on board from the very beginning to sit and workshop our ideas from day one, he’s really brilliant in a lot of things with orchestration and songwriting, not just drumming.
Thank you once again for taking the interview! Are there any final words you would like to share with your fans?
Thank you for reading, thank you for listening, we’ll be seeing you soon! And a huge thank you to Ioana and Blessed Altarzine for this interview and supporting us from right when we started. It means a lot to us!
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