Zur deutschen Version geht es hier.
Black Metal is, at least for me, always a form of therapy. This is mostly because the artists behind the moving music also process their own moments in life. ELLENDE are no exception to this, on the contrary: With the album Zerfall, topics that are more personal than ever come to the fore. On the sidelines of their concert in Dresden, singer and band leader L.G. answered a few questions about the album. For once, I’d like to get to the heart of the matter right away: Hang in there and keep going!
Thanks to lightinmirror.de for the photos and to L.G. for welcoming us back into your cosmos!
Shieldmaiden’s Voice: How personal is art to you?
L.G.: Super personal. It’s just what you do when you’re not working. So everything you can express outwardly is art. The things you can’t live out in everyday life.
SV: Does art then become more of a burden or perhaps a kind of therapy?
L.G.: No, I don’t see it as a burden at all, because otherwise I wouldn’t do it. On the contrary, it’s something that gives me energy and allows me to flourish.
SV: You recently released your latest album, which is called Zerfall (Decay). And I think the word “Zerfall” always implies that some kind of stabilizing factor is no longer there, causing something to collapse in a certain way. Is that your way of processing what happened? I don’t want to get too personal here, but the implication is there, and is processing it through music perhaps a kind of stabilizer for you?
L.G.: Exactly, the album is basically about what happens after decay. The decay came with the death of my brother back then. And that was kind of the processing of it in the album.
SV: What particularly drove you while writing?
L.G.: I’ve always been driven, actually. I only had to take a break from the album at times because it was so intense. I hadn’t experienced that before, but with this album, that’s how it was. But somehow, everything came together pretty quickly. And I’m always working on music, so I have a ton of material that I record and a lot that I don’t use. With Zerfall, it went relatively quickly for reasons.
SV: Unlike other albums, this time you created a music video entirely on your own. How did you come up with the idea to do that?
L.G.: I really wanted to do that, I had actually been planning it for a while. This time it worked out well. I worked on it for nine months, always after work and on weekends. And I’ll probably never do it again because it’s obviously a lot of work. I’m really glad I did it and I’m thrilled that it turned out so well, because it was my first time ever doing animation. It was a lot of work and for a long time it wasn’t clear whether I would even finish it by the deadline.
SV: Given that you’ve really incorporated some very personal aspects into the album, how does it feel to see it receive such an outstanding response? I looked at social media and it was all about this album. Everyone was waiting for it, everyone was discussing the singles. And you’re getting great reviews. How does that feel for you?
L.G.: It’s great, I didn’t expect it myself. But I somehow knew that the album was different and somehow more special. Of course, I’m super happy that it’s been well received. I would have expected more hate for the techno passages. It’s actually been relatively well received. A few people complained about the dialects. I didn’t expect that at all, but overall it was really great.
SV: In Japanese, there’s this craft technique called kintsugi, where you take a broken vase and repair it with a different material, so the core remains the same, but you’re actually creating a new work. Would you say decay is a bit like that?
L.G.: Absolutely! I wrote exactly that as an example in an interview. It’s about making the wounds visible and still having a beautiful object. Just making the wounds visible and still having a beautiful object.
SV: When you say that the music also makes the wounds visible, does that make it harder for you to go on stage with this particular music?
L.G.: No, actually it fits in with who I am now. At first it was a bit uncomfortable for me, because of course it’s quite a intense insight. But I think that’s exactly what music and art are for. Now I’m super chill about the whole thing.
SV: This isn’t the first album you’ve released as a band. Have you noticed any differences for yourself in this release cycle? If so, what were they?
L.G.: Actually, it’s always pretty much the same for me. I go into the studio, we’re super prepared, it’s just efficient work. I don’t try out much in the studio. I come in with very specific ideas. You can tell that the lead time around the release is getting longer and longer. There’s more and more press and social media, and the plans for when things will be released are getting more and more complex. It takes more and more work, especially in terms of tour preparation and things like that. The bigger it gets, the more work there is, but that’s okay.
SV: What would you say has changed the most between the first album and the current one?
L.G.: You just become more and more adept at the sound. It’s a bit nerdy, you have to say. We all have our own things that we like, and those are constantly being improved. You know more and more about how to create a good atmosphere, for example. Technical skills like that are always being added. If I had a good gut feeling about an album, I released it. That selection process is always behind it. I still stand behind the old albums and I really enjoy playing them live. Except for Ballade auf den Tod, which I’m almost a little tired of now. That’s why we only included it in the encore this time.
SV: Yes, I remember that. We talked a bit about it on the last album, that you basically can’t get rid of the song.
L.G.: Exactly. I would like to steer the audience in the direction of new things for ELLENDE that are also cool, and that’s what we’re doing.
SV: You want to wean the audience off it a bit.
L.G.: Exactly. The song has been in the setlist for 12 or 13 years.
SV: You’re also playing bigger venues now, a lot of them are sold out, so today Dresden is almost sold out or will be sold out, Erfurt is sold out, you had an upgrade in Munich. Would you have expected that in advance? Because it’s a step up from what you’ve done before.
L.G.: I mean, I did think the album would be good and that it would be bigger. But not that it would be this much bigger. I didn’t see that coming.
SV: I mean, you’ve put together a really awesome tour package, with KARG and FIRTAN as support acts. Although “support” always sounds so derogatory, I think, because you’re all three really special bands. Beyond that, is there anything else that you would say makes this tour special?
L.G.: Just like you said: I have a really good personal relationship with both bands. They’re all close friends of mine. So for me, it’s a dream package because everything is super uncomplicated. There’s never any arguing or bitching. It’s all very relaxed and straightforward. I’ve been looking forward to it for a long time.
SV: What’s the most intense moment for you on stage?
L.G.: The ELLENDE show, of course. I’ve always done guest vocals for the others. That’s also super intense. But it’s just not my own music. It’s the whole set, somehow. Especially the new songs are a bit more intense, of course.
SV: And if you could say one thing to your past self, what would it be?
L.G.: I would say, “You’re doing great. Keep going!”
Shieldmaiden's Voice 