Delve into the creation of 'An Iconic Taste Of Demise' with Suffering Souls, exploring the album's inspiration, recording process, and the band's journey in the Symphonic Black Metal scene.
1. Congratulations
on your upcoming album, "An Iconic Taste Of Demise." Can you share
with us the inspiration and themes behind this album?
Thank you
very much, I'm very proud of that and of course I'll give you a little insight
into the creation of the album. It was an incredibly inspiring time, the
lock-down combined with the ban on contact gave me an extremely musical boost.
Apart from that, you can't influence the writing of songs; you need the right
input, idea or inspiration at the right time. Plus, I always write all the
songs myself and it just takes as long as it takes. Another point is that I
only start working on the ideas I've collected at night, when I'm sitting alone
in my studio. After the entire songwriting, which lasted from 2019 to
pre-production in February 2022, which was created in my studio, I decided to
let the almost finished album rest. In October 2022, I went to a very familiar
studio with a long-time companion from Nuremberg, where I worked with him for
months to rearrange the orchestral parts. In June 2023 I went to the legendary
Hertz Studio in Poland for several weeks, where I recorded the entire album
together with drummer Michiel van der Plicht (Pestilence), where Behemoth and
Vader also had their sound refined. Since I had been in contact with the people
from this studio for a long time and I knew the way they worked and some of the
productions, it was a logical conclusion to choose this studio for my fifth
album. I was clearly hoping for NOTHING, because I already knew that I would be
working with professionals who know their craft, that we would create a brutal
sound and that they would respond to all my wishes.
2. How
was the experience of recording at the legendary Hertz Studio, and how do you
feel it influenced the sound of the album?
Since I had
been in contact with the people from this studio for a long time and I knew the
way they worked and some of the productions, it was a logical conclusion to
choose this studio for my fifth album. When I arrived at the studio in Poland,
I was immediately and still am part of the Hertz family. Simply
indescribable... nevertheless, I had clearly hoped for NOTHING, because I
already knew that I would be working with professionals who know their craft,
that we would create a brutal sound and that they would respond to all my
wishes.
3. You've
mentioned that Michiel van der Plicht from Pestilence played drums on this
album. What was it like working with him, and how do you think his style
contributed to the overall music?
Michiel van
der Plicht is an incredibly consistent, structured and always “on point”
drummer. Working with him was an absolute asset to Suffering Souls. I was so
impressed by his previous work that it was my first choice to bring him on
board. Unfortunately, there wasn't much alternative for Michiel van der Plicht
because I had already written the entire drum concept in my studio, but the
aggressiveness and power of the drumming are unmistakable and take every song
to a completely new level.
4. Suffering
Souls has been active for over two decades. How do you feel your music has
evolved since the early days of the band?
When I
think about when we started in 1994 and how completely naive we were about it,
it's a world of difference between then and now. None of us really mastered our
instrument well, we just wanted to play awesome Death Metal, be brutal and
uncompromising. ...and luckily everything continued to develop, anyone who
stood still was kicked out of the band and since 2000 I've been making all the
instruments myself. Of course, the songwriting from 1994 to today cannot be
compared, not to mention the recording quality and the studios that exist
today. You can listen to the extreme comparison on “True Godfucking Soulblight”
and “An Iconic Taste of Demise”.
5. The
band's genre is described as Symphonic Black Metal. What draws you to this
genre, and how do you think it sets Suffering Souls apart from other bands?
I have
always been interested in classical instruments and have been playing the piano
since I was a child. I've always had a love for classical music and I didn't
learn all of my instruments to make primitive music or even Norwegian 3 chord
black metal. No, my standards are much higher.
6. Can
you walk us through your songwriting process? How do you typically come up with
lyrics and melodies for your songs?
Basically,
the symphonic arrangements are always the basis of every Suffering Souls song.
From the choir to the orchestra everything is planned down to the smallest
detail and structured, just as if it were a real living orchestra of flesh and
blood. Before I start with an idea, I already have the entire sequence of the
song in my head, with all its guitar melodies, bars and sequences. However, in
most cases, everything is completely overturned or even discarded, and in the
end, a completely different song is created. Of course I can only work like
that because I own my own studio and can lay track by track at a time and thus
let the song grow. I mainly work with plug-ins, which in sum, as I use them are
extremely expensive and expensive to deal with, but at the end but what the
result is concerned, worthwhile. I live it and it lasts as long as it lasts and
it's only done when I say it's done.
7. "An
Iconic Taste Of Demise" is being released through Satanath Records and
Fetzner Death Records. What led to the decision to collaborate with these
labels for this album?
Basically,
I was under contract with SMP Records / Trollzorn, but I was in contact with
Fetzner Death Records about half a year before the planned release of the new
album, at the end of 2023, to talk about my second album “Incarnated
Perfection”, which we want to release together on LP. However, the closer it
got towards the release of “An Iconic Taste Of Demise”, the mood at Trollzorn
changed due to a lack of financial resources. They wanted to rip me off
completely and in the end even asked me to pay my pressing costs for CD &
LP myself. As is often the case in life, a lawyer sorted out the rest in my
favor. Since both Satanath Records and Fetzner Death Records were interested in
working with me, a collaboration arose. One Label serves the entire Eastern
European / Asian market and the other label takes care of Europe and the rest
of the world. A perfect combination and both do their job more than
excellently.
8. What
are some of the challenges you face as a musician in the Symphonic Black Metal
scene, and how do you overcome them?
The biggest
challenge for me has always been how do I get all the instruments together on
my own, I never paid attention to any other expectations or challenges because
I had to concentrate on expressing my emotions musically. What does the opinion
of others who are not even able to play triangle or even live black metal as a
weekend activity mean?
9. Are
there any specific bands or artists that have had a significant influence on
your music and style?
Wagner, Brahms, Schubert, Paganini, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninow, Vivaldi, Bach, Verdi, Grieg, Strauss …
10. Suffering
Souls celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. Looking back, what are some of
the highlights and memorable moments from your journey as a band?
Hahaha yes.
We are celebrating 30 years this year and we have had many events that we
celebrate again and again. Starting from the release of the first demo to the
last album and everything that was a highlight in between, it is celebrated
again and again. For me, every album, every release, every shirt and every
single interview is a milestone in the history of Suffering Souls. Another very
decisive moment was the realization around the year 2000 that I no longer
wanted to play live. Also a very big honor for Suffering Souls were a lot of
press releases that praised “In Synergy Obscene” and “An Iconic Taste Of
Demise” in the highest tones and rewarded them with top scores.
11. How
do you envision the future of Suffering Souls? Are there any upcoming projects
or collaborations that you're excited about?
Fetzner
Death Rec. and I will release the first LP version in splatter design of the
2003 album “Incarnated Perfection” album in the middle of the year and an LP
version of the current album “An Iconic Taste Of Demise” towards the end of the
year. In addition, there is now the shirt for the album as well as a poster,
stickers and much more for our special and loyal fans. As far as collaborations
are concerned, I generally reject them. I play a solo or a melodic line on
another band's album here and there when I'm asked for help, but I
unconditionally refuse any serious projects besides Suffering Souls, together
with other people.
12. Lastly,
what message or experience do you hope listeners take away from "An Iconic
Taste Of Demise“?
I've put a
massive amount of effort into making the album special and I hope for
everyone's sake that you get „An Iconic Taste Of Demise".
Suffering Souls (@suffering_souls_official) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
Suffering Souls - From Hubris To Demise (Official Lyric Video) (youtube.com)
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