Metal Shock

May 1999, Italy

Q: Since your first release "Es reiten die Toten so schnell..." till the last "Dead Lovers' Sarabande", your musical path has changed a lot. This evolution from the minimalistic, post-punk influenced sound of the early demos to the baroque and medieval compositions of the latter albums reminds me of the Italian band ATARAXIA. They too started as a post-punk/goth band to slowly mutate into the present baroque/medieval entity. Do you see affinities or is it just a coincidence?

A: Well, I guess it must be a coincidence, after all we have never met and don't have anything to do with each other at all. However, I do know about a handful of their (mostly early) material, which I really like, even though I cannot listen to it very often... -but that is not meant as a criticism. (Though occasionally she sings slightly off key..., ha.). But seriously, ATARAXIA are one of the very few groups that I can respect for the music/art they are attempting to create. As sad as that might be, this is something rarely found within the (so-called) scene these days... -creativity!

Q: "The Ensemble Of Shadows" inspires you as to the musical aspect, but from where do you take inspiration for your lyrics? Some of them present a very deep cosmology.

A: They come from the inside...

Q: German, English, Latin. Why do you write your lyrics in so many languages? Is it just a phonetic reason or a conceptual reason?

A: Well..., it is both actually. You have to understand that there is a very specific type of music and instrumentation assigned to every piece of lyric in a certain moment and position within the continuum of space & time, (pre-)defined by the artist's "way of being" (in the very moment of the invocation). Just like this every piece of art must have -and does have- a very specific form. This form is absolutely essential, it must not be altered! Otherwise it would not be true anymore... -and therefore consequently worthless (for both the artist ... and the world). In other words this simply means that (most) lyrics "work" only in one specific language ... and become completely pointless and ineffective if you translate them into a different one.

Q: Your singing style is very peculiar, if not unique. Do you use so many different voices to reflect your opposing male/female aspects?

A: Yes, this is indeed one aspect of it... -thank you.

Q: Flowers (dried and fresh) and stars are returning symbols in your lyrics and images. How can you explain them?

A: I do not wish to explain them ... neither to you nor to anyone else. And why should I do that, anyway? Would that change anything for you? Would that make you feel better about yourself and the world? And what would be left of it (for you or anyone else) if I explained it all?! Nothing.

Q: SOPOR AETERNUS is your cathartic project. What about WHITE ONYX ELEPHANTS ? Do you plan to release something with this side-project?

A: I do not know... -maybe. By the way, plans can come to nothing very easily, if you talk about them prematurely.

Q: What can you say about the cathartic power of SOPOR AETERNUS ? Did you succeed in relieving your spiritual pain? Are you still suffering from gender incompatibilities?

A: Darling, dissolving pain by understanding(!) its causes and fully (re-)integrating(!) the fragments of your soul back into your life is not an easy thing to do at all... -believe me. It takes time ... and courage ... and still it is very painful! However, SOPOR is essential to this process ... and I am progressing step by step.

Q: What is your feeling about religion? Do you think that man should find his own spiritual path, or should he embrace existing religions/philosophies? Are you into dome sort of creed?

A: Well, people are individuals ... with their very own peculiarities, their own fears, hopes, complexes etc... -and consequently their (life-)paths are individual too. However, of course you can choose from the multitude of the already existing religious forms and philosophies ... and take the one that you feel suits you best. To a certain degree it can be compared to a salad-buffet at a restaurant: having all those different titbits in front of you ..., you pick a little of this and something of that ... and by doing so, create your very own composition according to your taste. It is true though that with this mosaic you will probably remain only on the surface..., because in order to reach a certain spiritual "depth", you do have to follow a specific path with all its practices, teaching etc. But since only very few people are born for this spiritually very intense path of life, you really need not bother... Whatever you do ... there is however one saying, that you should perhaps make your motto or leitmotif .... -a criteria by which you make your decisions. (I am not going to use the word "love" here, because I know that most people use it in a rather inflationary way.... -so how about this: Never do things to others, that you don't want them to do to you. (I believe, that would be a good idea to consider for a start...)

Q: "Dead Lovers' Sarabande" is dedicated to 1334, which was ROZZ WILLIAMS' pseudonym. What do remember of this great artist? I read that you were going to work together on a release.

A: His work... of course... his creativity and his integrity as a true and inspiring artist! As I said before, this is something rarely found within the music-scene. One aspect that made me appreciate his work from the very beginning has been the expression of pain ... his pain ... but also the staging of it (as a necessary and essential part). When talking about dead artists or dead people in general -especially when in comes to persons that we like to refer to as idols or even icons- we often find ourselves either idealising them to such a degree that it becomes absolutely ridiculous .... or, as a reaction to this transfiguration, we try to pull them off their throne completely. In order to do justice to them and therefore their work, we must look upon it as a whole, accept them and their life(-style) as it was, with all the ups and downs .... which, like in Rozz's case, does include the drug addiction for example. But if we prefer to leave aside all those aspects that we do not feel comfortable with, then we are at the same time denying not only essential parts of the person as an artist and a human being..., but we also deny parts of ourselves... - and that would be a very sad thing to do in any case. Let's be honest here...! Many "Goths" -musicians and others- around the world have been heavily influenced by Rozz's work or his style in general... (just like he naturally had been influenced by his idols etc...) ...but somehow most of these people, especially the musicians(!), seem to have forgotten all about this little circumstance ... and consider themselves now "the original"! Well, excuse me, Darling!?! I do not know about that in your country, but there are some(!) German bands and solo artists -some of them more famous than others- who are such obvious Rozz-"clones", that it actually surprises me that they still have the nerve to deny it, even when being directly confronted with this fact.

Q: Last question. Your latest record has "Face One" written in the title. May we expect a "Face Two"?

A: Yes, of course. "Dead Lovers' Sarabande" was conceived/ received as a two-part project, of which FACE TWO had been recorded some months ago. As far as I know it shall be released in January 2000... -you see, now you do have something to look forward to, haven't you?