I N T E R V I E W

Interview Andreas Doerner (by mailer)

Hello and thank you for answering these questions for our webzine "Aux Portes du Metal".

Hey! No problem, thank you!

A few conventional questions to start with. Can you introduce your band to the readers who might not know you?

We're five guys from Germany and we just recorded our ninth full-length album called "Ghost Empire". Our music style is called "Metalcore" which is to say that we're mixing Metal and Hardcore. Our music is intense, brutal / aggressive, dark and melodic with some electronic influences.

Your band is almost twenty years old, you must have had a lot of different experiences, could you tell us about the events that left their marks on you the most?

There are too many impressions, but one of the scariest one was the 11 September 2001. We were on a US Tour when the attack happened. The whole country was turned upside down... I will never forget this. The second thing I won't forget is my accident on the "Summer Breeze Festival" in 2011. I had a ligament rapture in my right ankle... one week before my wedding... my wife was not really amused, it was fucked up ;)... but she said YES anyway!

Since "I am Nemesis" and with this album, your sound has become more and more powerful. How do you elaborate this sound?

Benny (Producer), Marc and our sound engineer worked a lot on new sounds, especially on the sounds of the guitars... they tried a lot of different amps and sound settings... it was a long process to get the best result...

The sound put apart, how do you compose and work on your albums?

We always start with the music first. Marc is collecting parts / ideas and starts to put them together. This all happens in cooperation with our producer Benny Richter. When the first songs are done I start with my lyrics and do the same, collecting ideas. When we're done with this process and the pre-recording we go to the studio and everyone is working on their part until we're ready to record the songs. The normal process would be to do it this way: drums, bass/guitar, and vocals. But this time we did it the other way around. We did the vocals first, then the guitars / bass and then the drums. Therefore we had the option to change melodies or parts if needed. And I had a lot more time to do the vocals.

"Ghost Empire" is a pretty evocative title; can you tell us what your songs are about?

The title is the result, the conclusion of all the songs on the record. The topics on "Ghost Empire" are very destructive and dark... it's all about human failures, abysses, fears, suffering and destruction.

Clean vocals are more present than they were on "I am Nemesis". In my opinion, it's a shame because I think they restrain the efficiency of the more violent parts of your music, what do you think about that?

We love the mix between the very heavy / aggressive parts and the melodies! It makes the music more interesting and not just usual!

I found the singing in German on "Wolves and Rats" and on "nebeL" brought some character to the songs, would you consider writing more songs in German in the future?

??? There are just German vocals on "nebeL". And I don't know, we'll see about that. It's something special for us.

It felt like there was a little bit of Parkway Drive in the track "yOUR Song", even if it was just a riff… What bands influence you?

I can't tell. I think every band we listen to, every movie we watch in life inspire and influence us.

Recently, what are the albums that have impressed you?

Architects - Daybreaker

BMTH - Sempiternal

Muse - The 2nd Law

Defeater - Letters Home

Biffy Clyro - Opposites

NIN - Hesitation Marks

How do you feel about illegal downloading?

It kills the music market and smaller bands!!! If no one wants to buy records anymore the bands don't get any money and they will "die".

Thank you for your answers !

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