Kerberos blends symphonic, progressive, and death metal into a unique sonic experience. In this interview, Félicien Burkard and Nicolas Käser delve into the band’s journey, artistry, and upcoming album, Apostle to the Malevolent.
1. Kerberos has been on an incredible journey since its founding in 2013.
Could you share the story behind the band’s formation and how your lineup
evolved over the years?
Félicien:
Kerberos was formed by our original bass player Rouven and me when we were
teenagers wanting to play heavier music. At the time we were both very into
melodic death metal, so we started writing songs that could be classified as
such. Nicolas joined in late 2014 after the first drummer left. Nicolas’ skills
were quite a bit higher than mine, forcing me to get better and thus in turn
pushing him forward as well. Around the same time, I also started taking an
interest in odd meters and incorporating symphonic elements into our songs. We
had a few second guitar players and sopranos over the first years but never
found the ones that fitted both musically and personality-wise. That changed in
2018 with Ai-lan, who fit perfectly both as a singer and bandmate in general.
Due to time issues Rouven had to step down as our bassist in 2021. As this was
during the recording of Of Mayhem and Dismay, I
had to take over that role alongside guitars and vocals. In 2023 our current
lineup was established with the joining of Diego as second guitar player, who
was an underclassman of mine during my studies at music school.
2. Your
music is described as a blend of symphonic, progressive, and death metal with
unique vocal interplay. How do you approach balancing these diverse elements
while maintaining a cohesive sound?
Félicien:
When composing I don’t really think about it at all. I simply write the kind of
metal I would enjoy listening to. Sometimes, when Nicolas and I are doing the
drum and band arrangements, we also add more orchestral lines if a part feels
too empty, or take them away if necessary.
For vocals we often let the music dictate who sings how. Some riffs just need
gutturals and other parts scream for dramatic soprano. If a part is more
ambiguous, Ai-lan and I either decide on what fits better with the lyrics or
how much each of us is represented in the other songs so we have an about equal
amount of parts over the full release.
3. The
music video for “Liar Within” is visually stunning and emotionally charged.
What inspired the story of the protagonist’s journey to confront inner trauma,
and how does it connect to the broader themes of Apostle to the Malevolent?
Nicolas:
The story behind the video of “Liar Within” was inspired by personal
experiences which flowed into the lyrics of the song. The video can be
considered as an abstract rendering of the lyrics, which connects to many of
their themes, for example the metaphors of waters or building structures. While
"Liar Within" isn't the only song that deals with personal trauma,
the themes on Apostle to the Malevolent as a whole are more
varied.
4. The
new album incorporates influences from the Baroque era. How did this
inspiration shape the songwriting and arrangements for Apostle to the
Malevolent?
Félicien:
It was absolutely integral to it as it affected most creative decisions. Since
it forced me to focus on more complex and virtuosic writing, I also used it as
an excuse to crank up the technicality of our music.
5. With
classical musicians and a choir contributing to the new album, what was the
collaboration process like, and how did it enhance the final product?
Félicien:
With the choir we already had experience from the first album. Working with
different classical musicians was a new but very positive experience. Since it
was my first time writing for a real ensemble, we had the musicians look over
their parts in advance to spot potential problems. I also met up with the
recorder player to go over the arrangements of her parts because they were
originally written for modern flute, not baroque recorder. Not only did she
help re-arranging the parts for her instrument, she also suggested more period
correct phrasing and ornamentation. During the recording the musicians
sometimes also suggested different versions of how exactly they could play a
part or brought some new ideas on the spot.
The result is a more organic, livelier sound for the whole record and, on a
more personal note, we finally managed to get the strings to sound how I
imagined them to sound in my head, which is something I never achieved with
virtual instruments.
6. You’ve
worked with Christoph Brandes at Iguana Studios, known for his work with
prominent metal bands. What was it like collaborating with him, and how did his
expertise influence the album's sound?
Nicolas:
Christoph is a guy who doesn’t really offer a standard recording or mix as he
approaches every production individually, considering its needs and those of
the bands he works with beforehand. That’s one of the things that makes him
stand out from some other engineers and obviously has a big influence on the
sound. Which fits well with us, as we have a strong idea how we want our music
to sound and allows us to be very involved during the whole production process.
Collaboration with Christoph always goes very smoothly and besides being very
experienced he is also a chill and sympathetic guy.
7. The
music video for “Liar Within” was filmed at historical locations. What was the
filming process like, and how did the settings contribute to the storytelling?
Nicolas:
Shooting the video was quite wild. We worked with three different videographers
filming the material, which wasn’t planned but rather spontaneously had to be
done that way. Since we were well prepared and everyone acted professionally,
we accomplished it without completely losing our minds in the process.
Regarding locations, it helps to have something at hand that represents the
vibe you are looking for without making too many edits, using a green screen or
even CGI. The locations chosen for the video were perfect in the sense that
they didn’t really need to be changed to deliver what we wanted. They just had
it.
8. Kerberos
made an impression with your live performances starting in 2023. How do you
translate the complexity and grandeur of your studio work into an energetic
live show?
Nicolas:
One thing with live shows is that they are much more direct in many ways. While
on the album the focus is on balancing all the nuances, at a concert one will
experience that at the core Kerberos really is a death metal group and
that the parts performed by the band stand out more than the symphonic
aspect of the orchestral track.
9. Your
music defies traditional genre boundaries. How has your audience responded to
this, and do you see yourselves as pioneers in blending progressive, symphonic,
and death metal?
Nicolas: To
be honest, we are often surprised how positive many people in the metal scene
react to our music because it tends to be quite “out there”. We definitely
aren’t pioneers in this field though, we just try to make it a little more
extreme and a little more weird without giving up traditional symphonic metal
elements.
10. What
lessons did you take from creating Of Mayhem and Dismay that helped you
craft the more ambitious and cohesive Apostle to the Malevolent?
Félicien: I
think the main difference between the two is that Of Mayhem and
Dismay is a collection of songs written over many years and without
much consideration for how they fit together, while Apostle to the
Malevolent was written in a comparatively short amount of time
with a strong musical concept in mind, which helps alot with cohesion. It being
more ambitious is a natural consequence of us growing as musicians, I believe.
11. Apostle
to the Malevolent is set for release in March 2025. What can fans expect from the album,
and how does it push Kerberos' sound forward?
Nicolas:
Following up on the last statement: I think with Apostle to the
Malevolent we created something that leaves a strong impression as a
record, and less by single songs which might have been the case with Of
Mayhem and Dismay. That being said, fans can also be excited for certain
entirely new elements. For example, the upcoming record contains an elaborate
organ intro and a song that has certain power metal vibes.
12. Beyond
the release of Apostle to the Malevolent, what’s next for Kerberos? Are
there any tour plans, collaborations, or other projects in the works?
Nicolas:
Mainly we want to promote the new record and the band by playing more live
shows in 2025 and to share the stage with some cool bands, which also entails a
small tour if possible. Mostly we are looking forward to our release show which
we are currently organizing. Collaborations have been on the radar for a while
but nothing that can be confirmed or revealed at the moment.
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