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Kaiserreich
Kaiserreich carries the tradition of great Italian black metal high. Interview answered by Serpent Est (vocals) and Krieg (drums).
-Anders Ekdahl ©2011
I thought "Ravencrowned" was your first album but when I looked I found another album too. How long have you been releasing albums as Kaiserreich?
Krieg: Yes, Kaiserreich's first album came out in 2007, and after that, before Ravencrowned, we released a 7" vinyl split album with Nocturnal Depression. I've been a member of Kaiserreich since the beginning. In the current formation there's T Morgan (he was gone for a little while, then he definitively came back in 2007) and Serpent Est, who gave birth to the project.
Why did you choose a German band name and what does the name represent
to you?
Serpent Est: Well, we took a German moniker just for the reason we liked it. It sounds harsh and raw and powerful as our music is intended to be. At first we thought it was an invented word but later we discovered it defines the German period right before the first World War. By the way, it is funny to see that so many guys are surprised 'cause we use a german word and no one is surprised by the thousands of bands that uses English names being not from UK or U.S.A.
Krieg: For many people music genre is a life style, for me Kaiserreich
are a life style. Kaiserreich are part of me, and they always will be
important. I've experienced joys and sorrows, I've grown up with them,
and I'm sure that if I play in another band I wouldn't have the same inspiration.
If one day Kaiserreich are not a band anymore, I'll might stop playing
the drums.
Your sound is being described as Scandinavian. Would you say you're closer
to Sweden than Norway or the other way round?
Serpent Est: We thought we were in the middle of the Norway and Sweden path, but reading some interviews we agree with the ones who says that we're also influenced by the Finnish melodic approach to the music. So, in the end we are at the center of a Black Metal pernicious triangle.
Krieg: I think I'm more closer to Norway, because it's a land that always fascinates me, and the first bands that inspired me were Norwegian. And also, I've always admired Fenriz. I like his style, and his fantasy when he plays drums.
As a black metal band can you explain why Swedish and Norwegian black
metal has become so influential world-wide?
Krieg: In my opinion I think that they were influential because it all
started there, they're the fathers of the genre, and back in those days,
if a band wanted to play that kind of music, the style had to be theirs.
But in a few years all these styles and concepts (right or wrong) came
out and Black Metal was lead to change and split into many kinds. Take
Leviathan or Xasthur, despite being American, they were able to came up
with a classic Black Metal, but melted with their own sound, with themes
quite different from the usual. Of course the Scandinavian style is still
very powerful and important for many other bands (like us, at the moment)
but I think it's more a way of "maintaining old traditions",
or just to enjoy the old fashioned Black Metal.
Serpent Est: Of course, they were so influential because they were the first in line, defining the scene. So you should ask: why the BM born in there? We get several reasons. First you get geographical reasons, 'cause Scandinavian countries have most of the sensation of the genre itself: cold and solitudes. Then you get cultural reason 'cause in those countries the music culture is very developed and many youngsters are able to play more than an instruments. The last reason is about social concern 'cause in Norway and Sweden you can pursue your attitudes with a state contribute. If you get some money to live doing what you like when you're 17, you'll probably get more chance to success.
I believe that half the fun of exploring new bands lies in the presentation.
The cover to "Ravencrowned" is impressive. Was it hard to achieve
your goals for the cover art?
Serpent Est: I totally agree with you! Nowadays there is no reason to
do things in poor ways. We get the web, we get Photoshop, we get Devianart.
You should be very lazy to use poor art in your album. We get in touch
with the cover artist searching for a good artwork for the cover. The
artist's name is Michal Klimczak, from Poland. The art was contained in
his portfolio and we requested very few changes.
Being of central European descent do you find it harder to convince people that you are as worthy of playing black metal as anybody else?
Krieg: We live in a land similar to those where Black Metal was born, and we have a great history that could inspire many people. But then I ask myself: who can say to be worthy to play that music? Me, I don't have to persuade anybody, because we are a copy of a copy, like many other bands, so who can judge whom? Anyway, you can't judge bands by their location, in fact there are lots of great bands, take Judas Iscariot from USA, Dodferd and Nadiwrath from greece, Nargaroth from Germany, Nocturnal Depression in France, Corpus Chrostii in Portugal...they're all worthy to play and keep on doing it. They deserve more than some Scandinavian bands screwed up by fame and success. However when I see underground bands from strange countries, I want to say "stop it!", but then I just watch them and smile, because it's not up to me to judge them. Besides, since Black Metal spread and became for everyone, we have to accept that, too.
Something I've noticed over the years is that bands tend to change labels
more often now than in for example the 80s. What do you look for in the
cooperation between band and label?
Krieg: 80's were a golden decade for almost anything and anyone. In music,
cd sales and incomings were so high that labels were more tempted to give
you credit. Then with the diffusion of internet and ways to download music
for free, music industry lost millions, and from then labels changed their
methods, sometimes offering ridiculous contracts and forcing bands to
an endless research for something serious. Sometimes they try to cooperate,
labels to keep doing their job, and bands to have someone who can promote
them. However all of this is part of the underground scene, at higher
levels I think things are much different.
In signing with a smaller label you're pretty much assured of limited
distribution and minimal publicity. Can there be a purpose to signing
with a smaller label?
Serpent Est: There is one simple reason to prefer a smaller label instead
of a bigger one: the bigger is not interested in underground bands. Of
course, with smaller labels you get more liberty and a total control on
your band.
In being a small band are there ways of getting publicity that larger
bands might miss out on, like specialist zines/web sites etc.?
Serpent Est: Larger band do not use certain methods 'cause they don't
need to. Specialist zines are for specialist listener and a big band is
more focus on a mainstream audience. For smaller bands zines', blogs and
social networks are great chances to boosts their name. By the way, the
best you can do in order to promote you band is play live and show what
you're really capable of.
What do you want to get out of Kaiserreich?
Krieg: I want to pull out everything I feel inside, I really believe in this project and I hope I can create more chapters.
Serpent Est: Kaiserreich is a way to express ourselves as well as a chance to visit different countries and cultures. Our goal is to spread our music as more as possible and to keep alive the dark flame of Black Metal!
Contacts:
http://www.myspace.com/kaiserreichofficialpage
http://www.youtube.com/kaiserreichBM
http://www.lastfm.it/music/kaiserreich
http://www.reverbnation.com/kaiserreich