- Firstly, I would like to ask you if you have Cathrin Campen's telephone number--do you? If so, I would like to have it.
Now, I once was in Germany as all of a sudden a pimp stands in front of me with a loaded Riot gun held in my face, asking the same question. Hey what should I have done eh!?!?! Get shot in the face? My balls???? Nah, he wanted Cathrin to work for him, and thus required her phonenr. I told him to wait, so I could reach for my cellphone in order to write the number down for him, but he just grasped the damn thing from me, and disappeared in his pink Cadillac…..
- I haven't yet acquired all of your albums, but I have heard some songs here and there (I will rectify this deficiency forthwith). I do have a copy of Mournument, which I located in a used record shop in an unlikely place (it seems that the best finds are often in the least likely of places). I was impressed immediately upon listening to Mournument. The introductory track sets a distinct mood of a forgotten domain in a shadowy world, where a great king--an incarnated praeternatural force--once ruled but now exists in the hinterlands of history and mythology. To cut short this tangent to an album review: I mean to say that this album keeps bringing Nosferatu to my mind. Wherefore? It doesn't matter.
I reckon you where riding the wrong dragon at that particular moment…. “Mournument” is about deceit, betrayal, vengeance and ultimately death as a result. Not quite the most fanciest of thematics, but with the word puzzles I’ve created, it’s a must to read. And of course to listenJ Now whenever Nosferatu should ever appear in your face/mind again when listening this album….Please consult a doctor!
In a nutshell: would you give me a rundown on the history of Darkland and the general ethos of Deinonychus and your music?!
Deinonychus was formed as a one-man band in 1992 set up in a blackmetal manner, later to be transformed into a more black/doom/death outfit. Originally formed as a serious hobby of mine, Deinonychus has grown over the years to an established band in the undergroundscene worldwide, with 7 full-length albums to count for. The 8th one called “Warfare Machines” is already on it’s way in October 2007. Meanwhile Deinonychus uses several guest musicians in a constantly changing line up. Apart from the vast majority of bands, Deinonychus is all about idealism rather than selling it’s soul to Madonna.
- Are you familiar with the term "psychic vampire"? These creatures exist throughout our world, using the Hollywood/Wallachia Vampire mythology as a foil to keep their activities unscrutinized.
The reason that I have to ask is that my roommate is one of these creatures. He can drain the lifeforce out of 20 people in a small room by just entering the room--I've seen it happen. So imagine what this psychic vampire does to me by merely waking up at 1500 in the afternoon--I call him "the human slug." He is weak and pathetic, and thus must feed off of the misery of others--a purely negative being. I have a strong constitution and will to live, so I can hold up against this creature's attempts to drain my "blood."
Have you had any trouble with these things? Do you have any advice for warding-off the leachlike attacks of these monsters?
I have to undergo these kind of aspects daily at work as I work with the criminally insane as one likes to refer to. So it’s like routine. Yet routine can be a trap from time to time…. Thus it can happen that when you drive home from work that you drive home with an empty shell. Rest nothing more to do, than go back to work the next day and collect your inner-life again.
- I am extremely curious about how you became involved with Jurgen Bartsch and Bethlehem. This is certainly my most revered band from Deutschland, and one of my favorite bands over-all. How did you meet and come to work with Bethlehem?
Bethlehem are long time friends of mine, I just happen to met them, hang around with them, as we shared mutual interests. The fact that I joined Bethlehem as a vocalist was because of Rainer Landfermann’s sudden leave from the band back in 1997. So, the guys asked me to handle the vocals and so I did, and we had lots of fun recording stuff like S.U.I.Z.I.D, Reflektionen auf’s sterben, Profane fettmilch lenzt elf krank. After 3 years I decided to leave the band, in order to concentrate more on Deinonychus again, and Bethlehem’s music was evolving from pure darkmetal into a more rock/NU/Dark-style which required a singer with more technical skills rather than be powerful and sick. That’s basically it. Well and since I’m from German origin, we just go along very well anyways.
- Where did the photoshoot for the S.u.i.Z.i.D. album take place? It looks like you guys broke into someone's house while they were away and took the pictures then and there. What are you holding in the picture towards the back of the booklet, ripped out plumbing?
The pictures were taken on the attic of Bartsch’s house. Yeah I was holding some ripped out plumbing which happened to be around. Oh damn, I still remember doing that photo shoot just like 1 hour after I returned from London, I was severely off the hookJ
- Which is your favorite Burzum album? Mine is Det Som Engang Var; the moods are quite various on this one.
Damn you…… “Det som Engang Var” is also my favorite, closely followed by “Filosofem”. Those albums will remain cult until the end of days, those days will never come back again, and it’s just about right, because there isn’t anything left.
- What is your usual recording set-up for Deinonychus? I believe that you are responsible for most--or all--of the music. Do you have everything all set up at home?
I actually do compose all music for Deinonychus, and arrange it all. My recording set up is obviously set up in professional studios as I have the privilege to record professionally in studios due the obvious agreements one has with a record company, and if you don’t… well than you’ve done something really wrongJ I use a POD Line 6 Rack straight into the mixing desk, using some software for amplifying alterations. Using a 7 string Ibanez guitar. In the first 7 years I also did the drums myself on a regular TAMA set, and used some dodgy bass guitar etc. Meanwhile I’m using session musicians on bas, and drums, using their own equipment.
At home I rehearse just with a simple 8-track Tascam recorder or computer generated studio software. Nothing fancy. I’m too modest to have all the tick tack at home just to rehearse. I was blessed with quite a well developed brain mass and store all riffs just inside my head, and with a raw constructed song base, I enter the studio and transform it into something nice for those who love it, and something horrible for those who loathe it.
- The Obligatory LSD/Magic Mushrooms Question. When I first started interviewing folks, folks just like you, I decided for some reason to ask every single person what their experiences and/or thoughts on LSD, psilocybe (Magic) mushrooms, mescaline (peyote), et caetera. I believe I have asked everyone with one exception, although I cannot remember which one the exception is. Anywho, tell me: what are your thoughts and experiences--if any there be--on LSD and similar psychedelic substances? With The Obligatory LSD/Magic Mushrooms Question I always get either a) a thrilling story, or b) a curt, "next question please" response.
Never tried them, except from the mushrooms. And I must say that mushrooms are rather underestimated as a drug. It just takes total control of one’s emotions and awareness, being in paradise one minute just to fall down from grace the other minute. Not exactly my cup of tea. Oh yeah….next question please……
- I read somehow/somewhere that you are working on a new album entitled Warfare Machines. Is this true? If so, I had better get my hands on the rest of your albums before you release a new one!
The new album is finished and due for release on the 12th of October 2007 by My Kingdom Music. And NO, don’t go buy the back catalogue….just buy the new one, because as every band would say in an interview…”Our new album is the best so far”…J
- What do you think about this latest technological/sociological shift of which the popularization of the MP3 player has been the catalyst? I mean, these shifts will continue and that is simply the way it is, but I have some gripes about the super-mega-mass-marketing of the MP3 player. They are so ubiquitous nowadays that they are like a new organ that humans have developed through evolution; you know what I mean? The most poignantly distasteful thing about MP3 players is, to me, that so many people use these things like portable juke boxes. This sounds innocuous enough, I know, but I have SEEN a person with an MP3 on shuffle-mode, who started listening to a random song in the middle of a Cannibal Corpse album, get bored after 40 seconds, skip to the next random song, which happened to be Det Som Engang Var by Burzum, from the Hvis Lyset Tar Oss album. That's fine, right? Wrong! Because after a minute or two, he SKIPPED TO ANOTHER RANDOM SONG! The next was some fucking pop song...I nearly took the MP3 player from him and threw it into a minefield (we were surrounded by minefields at the time). You don't DO THAT to a Burzum album; it's not just a light meal that you can put in the refrigerator and microwave later when you're hungry again! I'm sorry, but this is very upsetting to me.
I must give you credit for that. I mean…Or society is moving in to a fast and easy to use society without too much thinking or handle. What is more comfortable? To have….5 cd’s in your cd-rack, get them out one by one to listen( and cherish them)….or put the whole lot on a Mp3 player or IPod and get mindfucked !?!? One can look at this from two perspectives, one.. is just easy and fast listening of randomly picked songs without even taken the time to get into it. The other one is, one values the art created by artist made on cd, buy the cd in order to support the artist and uphold a piece of music culture which is at the verge of dying!!!!!! It’s all about being raised by certain values and standards…. I mean…I’ve been grown up in a generation which valued any form of art and cherished it as a piece of world culture, be it music or written art, or visual art etc. it somehow doesn’t seems to matter anymore in these days. Everywhere you go, you see cd stores decline, bookstores decline, libraries closing, museums losing their funds at the verge of closing or raising entrance prices, which scares away visitors. I give you that, with today’s development in building high-tech media-storage sets, multimedia centers and such….. who needs a cd player anymore, or a dvd player or a book, they’re plenty of e-books to find on the net right!?!?! Who cares anyway, most people sit at home, not even buying cd’s anymore, or go buying a book or so. This is a new generation, and a rapid development in the opposite direction……
Nevertheless, I just wanted to mention that I owe an Mp3 player myself, but it’s just for easy listening when I get my tan at a solarium.
The question that is the pith of my little rant is: do you see the Omni-presence of MP3 players as a threat to music as an art? Do you see people everywhere around you, as I do, using recorded music as a background filler for their meaningless daily activities? Does my question even make sense? Do you think I'm a bit "loopy"?
Yes yes yes yes….you’re just about right again. With this kind of music storage facilities we lose a tremendous piece of music culture, and the need to value it. But since most people don’t care anyway…I guess we’re talking to deaf ears here….. What can I say….. I’ve grown up with the classic Vinyl’s in the early 80ties….no one takes that away from me… those times where the golden years. Back then one really appreciated music as art and cherished it. Doesn’t mean that nobody does nowadays. But… It’s up to the next generation to decide what happens next…
- Who is your favorite composer from the 19th century? And from the 20th century?
Definitely Richard Wagner, Giuseppe Verdi, and Peter IIyich Tchaikovsky as being 19th century composers. Let me see….20th century….Mike Oldfield, Vangelis or film score composers like Phillip Glass. Those composers definitely contributed and made music a valuable piece of art and piece of culture, even history.
- Who are some of your favorite authors, in any whatever language?
- Charles Baudelaire (In Spanish).
- John Milton (In English).
- Guido Knopp (In German).
- R.Holt (In Dutch).
Of course there are many more authors I could mention, but are not essential nor are the above. I reckon you’ve seen that I can read in 4 languages….keeps my brain distracted from filth…..
-Well, I want to keep my questions limited to a reasonable number, so I'll end this interrogation.
Feel free to add any information that I didn't directly ask you about--I'm not very good at these!
So???? Are you implying that I’m good at it????? JFirst of all let me show you my gratitude for this most interesting interview! Thanks! I hope that those who read this piece, can put some inspiration from it or having a good time reading it.
Last but not least….watch out for Deinonychus’ new album “Warfare Machines” which will be released by Oct.12th 2007. By My Kingdom Music from Italy. And yes…what are you gonna do????? BUY IT, not phishing it from Soulseek or whatever J Thanks to all people worldwide who’ve supported Deinonychus all over the years so far….damn it are already 15 Years!!!
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