Lacrimosa: When I made ‘Testimonium’ I was kind of in trance.

In 2017, Lacrimosa released ‘Testimonium, an album which combines absolute darkness with absolute beauty. We had a pleasant talk with master brain Tilo Wolff about the present and the past of his project.

We are absolutely astounded by the new album ‘Testimonium’. It is dark and beautiful. You announced the cd as an homage to artists deceased in 2016. Indeed, the opening track ‘Wenn unsere Helden sterben’ contains references to David Bowie, Prince and even George Michael… In what sense did their passing inspire you to make this cd?

You know, I grew up with Prince and later, when I got in contact to alternative music I discovered David Bowie’s work from the 1970s. So, those two musicians made me fall in love with music and they both shaped the way of understanding and listening to music for me for many years. Now, when they suddenly died only a few month apart from each other, as well as the death of so many other great artists I respected a lot within the same year, a part of my childhood and my youth died as well. This was a loss and a sorrow that needed to be expressed in – of course – music. And ‘Testimonium’ is the result of this!
   

The new cd offers very much a consolidated Lacrimosa sound that is similar to that of ‘Hoffnung’, your previous cd. Lacrimosa has been known to evolve in sound at every new release. Do you still try to change your sound, and if so: what new elements did you bring on ‘Testimonium’?

On this album I was more concentrated on the compositions themselves. When I made this album I was kind of in trance. I couldn’t think of anything else but this music that was fulfilling and at the same time haunting me. ‘Testimonium’ is probably my most subconscious album.

The evolution in sound was obvious on ‘Revolution’, which I still love very much. You tried things there that were unheard of in the world of Lacrimosa. How do you look back on it?

Yes, after ‘Sehnsucht’, which was the first album after a short break in which I was busy supporting another band, I wanted to achieve a new sound like I did back in 1995 and then again in 1997 with ‘Inferno’ and with ‘Stille’. But this time it was supposed to be a sound that would carry LACRIMOSA for several years and albums because after all these years I want to achieve a certain constancy. The reason for this is actually very simple: when I listen to METALLICAs self-titled black album, I want to get more albums with that sort of stuff. But there is nothing more like that. The previous and later albums are – mostly – also pretty cool, but they are very different. So, after doing so many various albums I now want to combine my personal favorite things within LACRIMOSA and want to stick with them for a while.     

Can we look back at an earlier milestone? ‘Elodia’ - out in 1999 - is a fan favorite and contains the most orchestral sound up to that date. If I’m well informed, it was a very hard time for you. What memories do you have of composing ‘Elodia’?

Yes, it was. On one hand I was personally not in the best shape – at least during a certain period of time while working on the album – and on the other hand the production was hell! It became far too expensive, partly due to the trade union of the orchestra, so I couldn’t pay my bills anymore and at a certain point during the production I couldn’t pay the musicians and the studios anymore. The entire project nearly collapsed while I was completely broke privately.   

Back to the new album. You released a beautiful video for ‘Nach der Sturm’. Many artists think that videos are important to promote an album. What are your thoughts on that? Will there be other videos from ‘Testimonium’?

Yes, friends of us made a very artful clip for the title song “Testimonium” upon the entire ten minutes of the song, which is to be seen on our YouTube channel. This clip is very intense but of course no promotion video. After all, I myself don’t like to watch videos when I see that they are only made to be for promotion. I want to be entertained and I want my emotions to be triggered, but making videos is always a challenge in many ways.

The last years have seen you working together with several other artists. We note the very successful collaboration with Mono Inc. on the hit ‘Children of the Dark’, but also one with Tk Kim, which accidently saw you working together with Philippe Alioth, an early Lacrimosa-guitarist. How were these experiences for you?

That was great! I love working with good and inspiring artists because the result is always something that none alone could have done. Especially working with fellows from the own history and past is very interesting. To find out how they developed and what happens, if you come together again. If the chemistry still works, if you still can inspire each other. You know, we are all living in our own universe, with our own phantasies and with our own understanding of this world. Now, upon that it is so beautiful when people start working together, sharing their innermost with each other by doing new art. It is like a journey through strange worlds and receiving a lasting souvenir!  

2016 saw the release of the long awaited new Snakeskin-album ‘Tunes for my Santiméa’. It is very different from the previous two Snakeskin albums. We also have the feeling that you wanted to reach out to the dance scene with songs as ‘Alive’ and ‘Take Me Now’. Can you tell us more about your aims this cd?

I am a huge fan of the Eurovision Song Contest and those songs are a little inspired by the music I hear there. On the other hand I feel that this album is very close to LACRIMOSA, if you think about the title song or songs like ‘Le seul vrai’, but after all between this album and the previous one there are ten years and that is most probably the main reason for this development, just like if you would compare ‘Angst’ from 1991 with ‘Fassade’ from 2001.  

Finally, 2016 saw the first Lacrimosa concert in seven years in Belgium. It was a huge success and you even edited a video for ‘Die unbekannte Farbe’ from the concert. Were you happy with this concert? Will there be a show in Belgium on the ‘Testimonium’-tour?

Unfortunately it was not possible to arrange a show for ‘Testimonium’ in Belgium again, but I am eager to come back again because the Belgians are one of our best audiences ever!  

Pictures: Xavier Marquis

Interview: Xavier Kruth

Skeptical Minds: It’s like a voice telling you: “hey guyz... you started, now you have to continue...”

Skeptical Minds has surprised us with their latest work. It is a combination of a CD with a comic strip called ‘Omega Thanatos’. Both the strip if the CD tell the same story, and the result is impressive. We discussed how it all came about with guitarist Mich and singer Karolina.

With ‘Omega-Thanatos’, you succeeded in making a piece of art that combines a beautiful cd with a comic book. Where did that idea stem from?

Mich : In fact, when we were busy with the second album, in 2008, we had also some ideas about a concept album we would like to release in the future with a comic book. Something different than what we did before. We always try to bring something new. We wrote a small story. The story contained 11 chapters and the CD would also contain 11 tracks. That was the starting point.

That’s a long time ago. How did you then proceed?

Mich : We built the structure of the future Omega Thanatos project in 2008. But at that time, we had no idea how we would achieve that in the future. We left that for later... In 2010, we released the album ‘Skepticalized’. In 2011, we made our first steps with Alain Poncelet. We made a first try with a comic book about the song Broken Dolls. Alain became responsible for the whole Skeptical Minds’ artwork. That’s how we started to make Skeptical Minds and Alain Poncelet’s dark art to be inseparable. After we saw the result and people’s reactions about the new t-shirts designs and about Broken Dolls comic book, we decided to start with the Omega Thanatos Project. We started in 2013 and we released it in October 2015. Two long years of work, but it was a real pleasure both for the band and for Alain. We learned a lot and after that “one shot” project, we decided to continue because when we achieved it, many ideas started to come in our heads... It’s like something telling you: “hey guyz... you started, now you have to continue...” And that’s what we’ll do.

Many songs have elaborated parts with piano and strings, and the guitars sometimes have to keep quite during longer parts. Does that make them more difficult to play live?

Mich : Not at all. Those piano and electro elements are sampled. It’s not more difficult than before. It’s true that some times some instruments are more quiet. We tried it and it worked. It gives most of the space to Karolina. People can hear clearly what dimension she can give to her voice ! People appreciate to hear the voice “alone” without heavy instruments around like usual. That’s a comment that came back… Then, having a piano on a playback or not, I think they don’t care. We don’t anyway… (laughs)

I presume Karolina came up with the story line, or was it an idea that was discussed with the other band members?

Mich: The story line was written mostly by Gab, our previous drummer. Then we discussed it together with the band. We had the structure in 11 steps. When we really developed the Omega Thanatos project, Karolina wrote all the lyrics of the songs. She knew the 11 steps and what each song was about. Then she developed it with her own words. As she has to deliver the songs and play the character, it’s important that she writes the things how she feels them. You can feel in the interpretation if it comes from her or not.

Karolina, you only joined Skeptical Minds in 2008. It is surprising how well you fit with the band. You have also taken a leading role in the creation process, even if I don’t underestimate the input of the other members. Wasn’t it hard for you as a newcomer?

Karolina : In fact, when we met with Skeptical Minds in 2008, we spent a day all together in Amsterdam. The band was there and also our common friend who introduced me to the band. His name is Stephane Odent and I want to thank him. Without him, nothing of this would have happened. We spent a day all together and we all felt like we knew each other since years… We all were connected and felt like we formed a real team. The rest followed naturally… The contact with the band is fantastic. They were very understanding and helpful in the beginning. I could find my marks easily. When they felt I found my place, they started to give me more responsibilities. In Skeptical Minds, everyone as his part of the job and everything is discussed together. I also received my part of the job. I felt they trusted me, and they were happy with what I provided. Since that moment, you will fit better and better, also because you can bring things that fits to you. If you feel comfortable with what you create, then it’s easy to express yourself better and better. It was hard in the beginning. The band provided me all what I needed, but they also were very demanding and I had to work hard. Without work, I wouldn’t have stayed for long in the band. (laughs)  They all work hard and continuously for the band. I really like that because it make you feel super motivated even after many years. The flame is still there, like in the beginning.

I have read that you also plan to tour with Alain Poncelet. How do you think you can make him a part of your live-act? Is he so devoted to Skeptical Minds that he’s ready to follow you everywhere?

Karolina : Alain is the fifth member of Skeptical Minds. If you see the promo pictures, he’s there. It’s not only the picture. It’s a team and Alain is a part of the team. When he decided to start the project, he also decided to be involved 100%. When we play, he often comes to dedicate some comic books. About the shows, we try to develop the concept on stage to make Alain’s universe co-exist in Skeptical Minds’ shows. The visual touch of Alain will be more and more present. Our last video clip ‘Emptiness’ is a good example of what we try to develop. It’s a good example of the co-existence of both universes. In the live shows, Alain can be present through video projections or also by drawing live. We did the experience once in January. 6 comic designers were drawing about Omega Thanatos while we were performing on stage. It was great moment for everybody. We are keeping busy with developing ideas… it can be visual but also more theatrical. I don’t say more for the moment. Let’s see what surprises the future will bring. (laughs)

The clip for ‘Emptiness’ is amazing. How much work was it to make this mix of real shots with animation figures?

Mich : It took two months in total since the moment we shot the musicians and the end of the production. The shooting sessions were ready in two evenings. Then came post-production… Alain and the very talented video producer Patrice Gautot worked together for about two months to achieve that clip, to see what drawings they would need and how to make them move… Alain prepared the drawings and Patrice added his magical touch to give them life. The result is far beyond what we expected! What a chance we had to collaborate with such master. Don’t be surprised if we continue to work with the same team. (laughs) Everything fitted very well with the Omega Thanatos spirit we wanted to create. They all went into it very naturally.

Last question: why should I watch my back?

Mich : Very good question… (laughs) Many side effects are possible if you don’t watch it. Better not to know. Continue to Watch Your Back!!! (laughs)

Skeptical Minds

Interview: Xavier Kruth
 

Skeptical Minds: Omega-Thanatos

Hey hey. Something different than a regular CD! A CD with a comic book... Both the CD and the comic tell the same story... an unusual approach, but one we can fully support, certainly if it's done as well as Skeptical Minds en Alain Poncelet did here.

A girl has a weird dream. She asks herself questions about its meaning. The girl is lonely and desperate. Fortunately, there is nature, where she can find rest and consolation. But a walk in the forest unfolds as a real nightmare. All sorts of monsters surround her and confront her with her deepest fears.

We're not going to tell you the full story, but there was a real interaction between the group and the artist. The songs and the script were already finished when Alain Poncelet began to draw. However, there was heavy discussion about the significance of the songs and how they would fit into the whole, so much so that some songs were re-recorded and edited during the process.

Skeptical Minds had previously collaborated with Alain Poncelet. Poncelet already processed the song ‘Broken Dolls’ in a comic for the live DVD ‘Watch Your Live’. And the concept behind the album? I guess it erupted out of the mind of singer Karolina Pacan. She had previously released a collection of poems with drawings by Helcanen Val, that bathed in the same melancholy fantasy atmosphere as this comic.

Musically, the album is very diverse. Of course, the main style of the group is gothic metal, and preferably supplemented with a dash of electronics. But But they are using a lot of styles to tell the story well. A lot of pieces are more atmospheric, with a lot of piano and strings, and some songs don’t have guitars at all. But rest assured, sometimes the lady and gentlemen are rocking with a vengeance.

‘Omega-Thanatos’ is a bold concept, and in my humble opinion, one that has proved a total success. Music and image fit perfectly together. And we actually have to add the beautiful clip for the song 'Emptiness' on, which was also created in collaboration with Alain Poncelet and completely fits into the concept of ‘Omega-Thanatos’. A hit!

Xavier Kruth

Skeptical Minds: facebook / website

Upcoming concerts:

• April 17: Haunted Sky Festival II, W2 Poppodium, Den Bosch
• April 23: Reanimacji Centrum Kultury, Wroclaw, Poland
• April 29: With Anwynn, L'Os à Moelle, Brussels
• May 1: Opener of Leave's Eyes, The enlightened mind, Roeselare
• May 7: Electro-Metal evening, with Bak XIII and Obszön Geschöpf, Taverne du Theatre, La Louvière
• September 17, Rock Classic, Brussels (free)

Lacrimosa: The glorious return of the goth masters

It was no less than seven years ago when Lacrimosa last visited Belgium. A long period, especially since the band made their first steps outside Germany right here, and were very popular for many years. With their performance last Saturday in Roeselare, Lacrimosa - now 25 years old - proved they are still able to fill rooms and wrap the audience around their fingers.

Canterra from Leipzig had the honor to open the evening. A first limited search on YouTube had not made much impression on me, but it was charming and energetic live. I was even thinking about Epica at times, even if Canterra’s music is less technical and the orchestral parts remain limited to simple synth lines. The symbiosis is there, and this band might well grow big in the female fronted metal scene.

Lacrimosa concerts traditionally start with the theme tune. But it doesn’t take long before they start playing songs from their last CD ‘Hoffnung’ with ‘Der Kelch der Hoffnung’ and ‘Kaleidoscope’, two strong compositions in which fast and slow passages alternate . ‘Schakal’  takes us back to 1995. The song announced the transition of Lacrimosa from melancholic darkwave to bombastic gothic metal, as well as the extension of the one-man project of Tilo Wolff to a duo with Anne Nurmi.

The transition to more guitar-oriented compositions was not well received by all, but gradually, Tilo Wolff managed to convince people that he could make groundbreaking things in this field too. The hit ‘Stolzes Herz’ from 1997 certainly contributed to that. ‘Apart’ is probably one of the most beautiful songs on which Anne Nurmi sings, and comes from one of the most beautiful Lacrimosa CDs: ‘Echos’ from 2003. Due to the symphonic structure of the songs on that album, only few are fit to perform live.

Those who keep complaining that they only like the first three records of Lacrimosa have undoubtedly enjoyed ‘Crucificio’ - even if the vocals were pale in comparison with the original polyphonic version - and the extremely long version of ‘Flamme im Wind’, both from the 1993 CD ‘Satura’.

After some wandering to ‘Elodia’, ‘Lichtgestalt’, ‘Sehnsucht’ and ‘Revolution’ - except for the first two CDs, every Lacrimosa disc was represented with at least one song - Tilo Wolff returns to his latest shoot ‘Hoffnung’. He likes to give some explanation of the concept, because the record is a reflection on all aspects of the phenomenon of ‘hope’. We already learned from our recent interview with Wolff that hope had to do with reaching out to the future. But this future is always uncertain, completely unpredictable, in the same way as it is impossible to think about a color you have never seen. This is what ‘Die unbekannte Farbe’ is about. After several songs from ‘Hoffnung’, the group says goodbye with ‘Irgendein Arsch ist immer unterwegs’, a sing-along that demonstrates how Lacrimosa has conquered the audience tonight.

The encores  start with a very extended version of ‘Apeiron - Der freie Fall’, a song that is performed in two parts on ‘Hoffnung’. The song is long, dark and melodramatic, and you have the feeling that you are listening to a group that it more into long, pitch-black atmospheric pieces than metal. After so much darkness, even ‘Alles Lüge’ sounds as an feel-good tune, as does the very poppy ‘Keine Schatten mehr’ from the new CD.

The band receives a long and warm ovation. A second encore set is undertaken. When the first notes of ‘Der Morgen danach’ resonate, a myriad of paper hearts and doves rise in the air, an action of the Russian fan club who came to Roeselare, amongst many other foreign fans. The band leaves the stage for the third time, but the audience just keeps screaming for more. And yes, the group comes back to play one last song. On ‘Copycat’, we see Anne Nurmi pogo with guitarist Genkel and we hear bassist Jenz Leonardt sing a verse.

After another long ovation, Lacrimosa climb the stage once again for the very last song. ‘Der brennende Komet’ has always been a live-classic, and it's not just the audience that goes wild. For the band, this is the end of their ‘Underwelt tour’. Once finished, the band members fall into each other's arms, and after a lengthy goodbye, they leave the stage under a resounding applause. They too enjoyed the evening. Clearly.

Xavier Kruth

Pictures: Xavier Marquis

Setlist: Lacrimosa Theme / Der Kelch der Hoffnung / Kaleidoskop / Schakal / Stolzes Herz / Apart / Crucifixio / Alleine zu Zweit / Lichtgestalt / Flamme im Wind / Die unbekannte Farbe / If The World Stood Still A Day / Feuer / Unterwelt / Thunder and Lightning / Irgendein Arsch ist immer unterwegs / / / Apeiron - Der freie Fall / Alles Lüge / Keine Schatten mehr / / / Der morgen danach / / / Copycat / / / Der brennende Komet

LACRIMOSA: Without time there is no hope, and without hope there is no future.

LACRIMOSA released their latest CD - "Hoffnung" - at the end of 2015 to celebrate their 25th birthday. After the very experimental ‘Revolution’, this album returns to the classic sound of LACRIMOSA. Brilliant compositions, in which grand orchestrations alternate with harder rock. LACRIMOSA soon will be performing In Belgium for the first time in seven years, and apparently, Tilo Wolff is delighted about it. He tells us more in this interview.

Hello Tilo. You released ‘Hoffnung’ at the end of 2015. We love the album. What are your own feelings about the album?

Tilo Wolff: Great to hear that you love it! Well, for me this album is some kind of the essence of LACRIMOSA. I’ve been working on this for over a year and every note, every word is a piece of myself. The whole album is like a child, like my baby!

The thematic is somewhat different from the predecessor ‘Revolution’, which was based on social critique. On ‘Hoffnung’, you return to more personal themes as love and loneliness. I can still hear echoes of ‘Revolution’, though, for instance on the title track. Is there an overarching theme on ‘Hoffnung’? If so, which one?

Tilo Wolff: I think Hoffnung – hope – is a word with many facets. Mostly it is meant in a positive meaning. People hope for something good or at least something better than the current situation. That opens the fact that hope has something to do with time. Hope reaches into the future by considering what lies in the past. And hope considers the current situation. Without time there is no hope and without hope, there is no future. No-one could live through only one single day without the hope to make it through that day and even further. These are already a few facets of hope. But there can also be wrong steered hope. Hope upon something that never ever can be fulfilled. This can strain and destroy an entire life. So hope is not only something positive. These all are facets of hope, and of this album.

For the first time, Lacrimosa formed it’s own ‘Lacrimosa Session Orchestra’, in which you also played trumpet. This must have been a lot of work that could have saved if you worked with an already existing orchestra. Why did you choose to form your own orchestra?

Tilo Wolff: Actually it is the other way round. I worked with so many orchestras as a client who is dependent on the working process of the orchestra. And these working processes are seldom made for such rock productions. They might work very well for preparing concerts or recordings from known classical composers, but when you come with your own scores – music they haven’t heard before – and with recordings – the previous recorded band – to which they are supposed to play along, these working processes they are used to are not helping. So I gathered musicians that I knew from previous recordings, people from which I know that they understand what LACRIMOSA is about. So these recordings were much more focused on the music and less on the organisation. But still, writing all scores and rehearsing with so many musicians is always a hell of work!   

You released two excerpts of ‘Hoffnung’ on YouTube with great animations. This makes me wonder: will there be a video clip for one of the song on the album?

Tilo Wolff: I love visual transformation of music and would have loved to get a video done for the new album. Unfortunately there was not enough time between the end of the production process and the beginning of the tour.

‘Hoffnung’ also saw the return of Stelio Diamantopoulos for the artwork. We have noticed that he wasn’t implicated in the artwork of the last CDs, but he did conceive most of the covers of Lacrimosa since the beginning of the project. What made you work together again?

Tilo Wolff: Well, actually he made all studio album covers without reception. Only the cover of the unreleased-track-compilation ‘Schattenspiel’ was made by Alla, a Russian artist.

We were looking forward to the release of the DVD of ‘Live in Mexico City’. It is now included as a bonus on the limited edition of ‘Hoffnung’. A nice present for the fans, for sure, but I am somehow surprised that you didn’t try to reach to a wider audience with the DVD. Or will there be another edition aimed at a wider public?

Tilo Wolff: No, after I realized that we couldn’t release the CD and the DVD of “Live in Mexico City” at the same time, I skipped the idea of releasing the DVD as an own product and rather thought to pay back the patience people had to invest by giving the DVD more or less as a present.

You recently came back from a tour promoting the new Lacrimosa CD in Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America. Just before you went on tour, you broke your foot in a car accident. Did you succeed to play the shows without too much harm?

Tilo Wolff: Hehe… I can tell you I would have loved to skip this accident. It was sometimes not easy to play the shows with this broken food and the injured knee, but after all it went really well. We could play all the shows and I even managed to get up from my chair a few times without damaging my leg again. So now I am totally motivated to enter the stage of this second part of the tour on my two healthy legs again! 

You are now embarking on a new tour, in which you will also play in Belgium for the first time since 2009. How do you feel about that?

Tilo Wolff: Very excited! Belgium was the first country outside of Germany that invited LACRIMOSA to a concert back in 1993. I will never forget about this! Since that time, Belgium has this special place in my heart and therefore I am very happy that we got invited again!

David Bowie has died recently. He was a huge influence for the goth scene, and I think also for you personally. What are your thoughts about his death and his influence?

Tilo Wolff: Yes, he was and is my hero. And I still can’t believe that he is not with us anymore. Of course I am happy for him, that his suffering came to an end and that he even could set a final spot behind his wonderful career with his final album. But for us who lived our lives with his music, we will always miss him when we hear his voice!

Thank you for this interview. Any last thoughts?

Tilo Wolff: Thank you as well. I want to say that it will be an honour for us and for me personally to play again in Belgium after 7 years! I am looking forward to a wonderful night! 

Pictures: Seb Fotographix

Interview: Xavier Kruth

Lacrimosa: website / facebook

Lacrimosa will play at Kerelsplein in Roeselare on the 27th of February: facebook / tickets