St. Michael Front: St. Michael, as son of god, is a protective spirit. someone you can rely to. Maybe he is Jesus‘ big brother – the one who doesn‘t turn the other cheek like him. The one who uses his fists to make his way when his little brother is in trouble!

When we first heard The End Of Ahriman, St. Michael Front's debut album, we know immediately: these two guys are able to become huge! 

Just like Archangel Michael is an angel of light, St. Michael Front provides a candle to shine a bright light in these frightening times. St. Michael Front will perform at WGT this year so let's meet up with this duo that doesn't only lives in spiritual spheres conceptually, but also introduce themselves as being Brother Sascha and Brother Matthias.

DE: In the Bible, Archangel Saint-Michael conquered over Satan. As you’re named St. Michael Front, which dragons are you fighting with?

Br. Sascha: Michael is the strongest of angels, and a symbolic part in man for compassion, as well as for unconditioned struggle.

Br. Matthias: We chose the image of the satan-smashing angel because it was the most adequate to illustrate the essence of our music: free of doubt, determined to swipe away the evil with the long sword of faith, and to conquer with the ultimate sound of spiritual harmony.

DE: The title of your debut album also refers to this theological case: The End Of Ahriman, with Ahriman als being the evil spirit in Zoroastrism, where you also can find the infamous Zarathustra. I also read an article about the band where you were speaking of anthroposophy, the rites of Steiner,... can you tell us a bit more about this fascination, or is it more than just fascination?

S: For my part, i‘m living in my own kind of truth, which is tied to parts of anthroposophy.

In contrast to other interpretations of Rudolf Steiner‘s teachings, mine is that of truth as sth. brave, wild and strong, like the truth within a child. An invincible faith in the good, yet with a heavenly rage against the many delusions of our time. Man can be a dangerous animal, and often has to be treated with some kind of exorcism. We live in Ahrimanian times, which makes people become cold and without emotion. I live a constant struggle for justice, everyday. I‘m looking for some kind of grail ever since. St. Michael, as son of god, is a protective spirit. someone you can rely to. Maybe he is Jesus‘ big brother – the one who doesn‘t turn the other cheek like him. The one who uses his fists to make his way when his little brother is in trouble! 

DE: I first heard your music thanks to German friends I know from the neofolk scene where I also dj. On their Facebook pages they were constantly praising you. When I heard the album, it seems clear why people who are into neofolk like your music (I’m talking about the bombast in the songs) , although the music has a lot of variety. I wouldn’t label St. Michael as being a neofolk band, but do you have a bond with that genre?

M: Although our music is often referred to as „misanthropic pop“ or „apocalyptic pop“, my guitar-techniques are much influenced by the folkish songs we played at camps when i was a boy-scout as a youth; This old-fashioned trapper-spirit style is also resembled in many of the so-called „neofolk“-groups (especially in the eastern part of the German republic), so there‘s definitely a bond! At the moment, we are developping a kind of  composing-formula to write ultimate pop-songs, and it‘s pretty much influenced by the simplicity & the harmonies of old boy-scout songs.

DE: Before St. Michael Front you were active in FKK Wolf, according to Discogs a noise act. Can you tell us a bit more about it, and is this project still active?

M: I started the band FKK WOLF about 20 years ago to make extreme nightmare-music. The genre we called „death-electronics“. The purpose was not to explore sound or musical borders but to scare the listeners aurally, and put them in a trance, to rejoin their spirits in the music. Listen to the infamous recording of a performance at the German trade union house in Frankfurt...You can listen to it on the internet! As it is an anti-commercial project, the band is still active, but doesn‘t release or play on a regular basis. With ST. MICHAEL FRONT, I try to reach the same goals, but with a different approach!

DE: St. Michael Front will perform at the WGT, I wrote in my review that I have the feeling that if luck is also on your side, St Michael Front could become a real big name. Do other reviewers feel the same or am I going to be a visionary when it turns out I was wright?

M: The community of believers is growing….for us, the cause is more important than earthly success.

DE: I also hear a clear reference to (indie) pop/rock bands like Arcade Fire and Editors. That’s also why I think your music is able to touch a broader audience than just the wave fans. Are these two bands influences, and can you tell us some more (and maybe surprising) influences on your music?

S: We hate indie-music!

M: We don‘t know any of the two mentioned. In fact, we are music-nerds, but only for up to the 90s! As we said on occasions before, our main influences are Wagner, Morricone & Oliver Onions, because of their whole-artwork-concept, musical innovativeness and strong spirituality.

S: Yes, our music is strongly bonded to minnesong, knights-movies, western, science fiction & early psychedelic.

M: Not to forget march-music.

DE: But most of all I think St Michael Front swims the same water as another Front: Spritual Front. You both also use the southern accents that reminds of bands like Calexico, something that, what you both prove, goes very well with dark folk music. Do you know Simone, or have you introduced him to your music?

M: No, unfortunately we don‘t know him personally. They had a really cool song about the twin-towers… The other band I don‘t know, I think….our southern feel may derive from our fandom for italo-western movies...

S: I heard of SPIRITUAL FRONT some years after we formed ST. MICHAEL FRONT. Would like to get to know them! Also, we chose our name after a t-shirt I self-made over 25 years ago….the shirt was my answer to AGNOSTIC FRONT…..no joke!

DE: At last: I want to thank you for ‘Thank You For Nothing’! A song I immediately fell in love with. What’s the story behind that song, and are there other nice stories you want to tell about the other songs?

S: Yeah! The song deals with the end of mankind….like the other ones!

M: Hey folks! Currently, we mostly finished writing the songs for our 2nd album, and then it‘s off to the studio! Because we were listening a lot to old Heino, Alexandra & Ronny in the last months, the new songs are much influenced by German Schlagers, especially the darker sides to it. So it‘s planned to release it bilingual, in English AND German, also due to the many requests by our east-German fans (who may be greeted with this)!