Info
- Band(s): Endstille
- Interview Date: January 27, 2006
- Author(s): GeertvMook
Some bands keep on surprising again and again, Endstille from Germany is one of those bands. Since 2000 they already released four quality albums, though with the most recent one ‘Navigator’, Endstille released an album that certainly has the quality to grow out to one of the Black Metal classics of this decade. At the moment Endstille is about to hit the road together with Dark Funeral and Naglfar. Reasons enough to ask Mayhemic Desctuctor (drums) some questions. First of all I asked about the overall reactions in the media about ‘Navigator’…
Most reviews were as we expected. There are always some people who didn’t like our music… they hate us! But this doesn’t matter…
The important magazines thought that ‘Navigator’ was one of the best Black Metal albums in 2005.
Endstille was formed in 2000, since then it seems that you’re marching on in a straight line to become one of the leaders in the nowadays scene, how do you look on this?
We formed Endstille, because of all the pussy stuff in Black Metal. We want to show the world that Germany has a good Black Metal band. We don’t work on it, but it comes as promised.
In comparison with the older albums I think ‘Navigator’ has a little more variety between the fast Black Metal we’re used to hear from Endstille and some mid-tempo parts. Am I correct with this? What was the main reason to create some more variety on this album?
There was no reason to create more variety on ‘Navigator’. We know how to play Blastbeat Songs. Now we showed you, that we can play even slow parts in music.
Besides hateful raw Black Metal, I also noticed more melancholic parts on ‘navigator’ than ever before, was it a conscious choice, or did it just grow this way?
Everything we do grows its way. Nothing is planned, everything happens…
I’ve mentioned in my review that I wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Navigator’ grows out till one of the classics in Black Metal from this decade. How do you see this?
I cannot say what kind of status ‘Navigator’ will reach. For me it’s only another good Endstille album I’ve played the drums on.
I guess you know that it will be a very hard job for the band to record the next album, and again surpass the standard you’ve set on ‘Navigator’.
We don’t feel squeezed when we go into the studio. You can do what you want; there are always people who think that the last album was better than the new one. In a band you always think that your new album is the best, because you can hear the new songs.
A little more than a year ago I saw you live in the Goudvishal Arnhem, during the tour with Koldbrann. It was the first real tour for Endstille. How do you look back on this tour?
The tour was really exciting. Koldbrann (all hailz!!!) have become comrades of us. These guys are very cool, and we had a lot of fun on tour. Its hard to play every day, to party every day, but that’s the way it goes…
How was it to play on the Wacken Open Air festival?
We played on the WET Stage (the Tent-Stage). The Tent was overcrowed, the masses wanted us. But the sound was too boring. We had so much technical problems on stage. We had a power-breakdown, a damaged DI-Cable in our Bass-amp and so on…
What do you prefer, playing on a big festival (like WOA) or play in a small, dark venue?
Both. It a strange and cool feeling to see a big crowd that only want to hear your music. But the atmosphere is better in a small dark venue. You stay in contact with the people. It’s more intensive. It’s better to play in a good crowded small venue, than in a big hall with only some people.
In a few weeks now you’re going again on tour, this time with Dark Funeral and Naglfar. What do you expect from this tour?
We want to show the people in Europe that Germany has a good Black Metal band. These are four weeks of hard work, but I hope it would be worth.
I’ve also heard that Endstille is confirmed for the upcoming edition of the Inferno Festival in Norway. I must be a honour I guess to play on this great festival?
Yes, that’s it. This is one of the festivals we wanted to play and know we can play in Oslo. I hope that they have enough beer for us…
Besides the good live reputation, Endstille is also known as a very productive band, since 2000 you released 1 demo, and 4 full length albums. In 2006 we can expect a new album and a split 12” with Graupel. What can we expect from those 2 releases?
In summer 2006 we will release the split vinyl with Graupel. There will be 3 new songs on it. Maybe we would record an old song new. At the moment we have 7 new songs, and I cannot say which one will be released on the new CD. We all have to wait, but I think that there will be a new CD at the end of 2006.
Isn’t it hard to be so productive as Endstille is since the very beginning? Don’t you guys ever have lack of inspiration?
It’s not hard for us. We go to our rehearsal room and we are creating new songs. We don’t like to play the “old” stuff there.
Endstille hails from Kiel, Germany. It was the place back in the second world war where the Kriegsmarine was situated, is this one of the reasons why lots of lyrics are dealing with War?
No. Our guitarist L.Wachtfels is very interested in WWII. He knows just everything about it. That is why we have this artwork and such kind of lyrics. And it fits best to our music.
Do you guys also collect stuff from the second world war? (I know for example that one of the Marduk members collects everything about tank-battles and related things from the second world war).
L.Wachtfels collects and reads books about the WWII.
Don’t you get tired about the fact that again and again people are questioning themselves and others for the fact that you’re singing about (the second world) war? It seems that it’s still a very big taboo in Germany (and some other counties) to mention the war…
This is a taboo here in Germany… that’s right. Some people think that we are Nazis; some other people think that we are left winged. And nothing is correct. We are Musicians… nothing less, nothing more. We don’t answer the questions about our political thinking here in Germany anymore…
You have a record deal with Twilight Vertrieb since the ‘Frühlingserwachen’ album. Twilight Vertrieb is mostly known as distributor. How are you’re experiences with them as label?
They are doing good work for us. We are growing and they grow, too.
Endstille actively promotes the campaign against using triggers for drums. What’s the reason for this?
We all dislike this plastic sound. We want a normal wooden Drum sound. Drums are made of wood, so they have to sound like that. This digital shit sounds like a drum computer…
That were my questions, do you have something to add to this interview, or something to say to the readers of VM, the last words are yours:
Last words are something for dying people…
See you on tour.
