Winterblood and the focus on essential things

Please give a short introduction of yourself so we know who is answering these questions?
I am Fall, the founder, vocalist and songwriter is answering the questions. Nice that you take some time for making an interview with me.

Are you interested in saying something about the other members as well? Must be something about them to share.
In december 2010 Hrothgar the lead guitarist came to the band. He played in a Melodic Black Metal Band before. Since then we both are mainly responsible for the songwriting.
We have searched for another members to be able to perform live, but it wasn't easy to find good members so quick, who weren't involed in other projects. In october we have found Custos Corvus, our rhythm guitarist. He has played in a Pagan Metal Band before. After that we have found Wolf, our bassist and then Blinded, our drummer. So, the roster is now completed and we are able to play gigs.

The band was founded in 2007. What was the main reason to start the band? Any experience with other bands? Dissatisfaction with the scene at that time?
I was 15. A young and passionated music listener. I had already a background in music. And I got a lot of educational singing-lessons. So I thought, it would be nice to do music, also. And I liked Metal Music a lot. Meanwhile I played in several Bands with several musical styles. Our local scene is ok, but here a not so much Metal Bands. Our scene is more influenced by Metalcore and Hardcore. I have nothing against that, but that Music is not my cup of tea.

When a band starts they set a goal for the future. What was your goal back then and did you achieve it? What sacrifices did you all have to make to reach this?
We just want to have fun, play at lot of gigs and recording some music. But it would be nice to work with a good, experienced label and to make a big tour, to know lot of new, different countries and people. We never made any sacrifices, but maybe we have in the future.

Also you needed a bandname so why did you choose Winterblood while your favorite season is the autumn?
I had found the Band, before I had a name for it. The most people are thinking the name is pretty trivial and stereotyped, but I picked that name because, one day after I had founded the Band, I had a real strange, weird, surrealistic dream. This is the reason why I had chosen that name. My favourite season is not only autumn. It's winter, also.

You recently released the debut album. Why did it took so long and is there a concept behind the lyrics/music? What do people experience when listening to the album?
It didn't take long time. We have written the songs in summer of 2012. The most songs in one day, the rest in the same week.
The status of the band was "on hold" before, because I kicked  almost everyone of the first Line-up in 2010, because of unreliability and too hard drug and alcohol abuse.
They did nothing for the band, they just did drugs. We needed a lot of patience until the label could release our album, because of their 5th anniversary.
The album has no real concept, but I read very often and I like literature. The songlyrics are inspired of my own past and of the german romanticism, a historic era.
I actually don't know what people experience, if they listen to our album. I just got some feedback, what mostly was positive.
What do you experience when you are listening to our songs?


Are you satisfied with the end result? Is it what you had in mind before entering the studio? What is your highlight of the album? Obvious there must be things you would have done different looking back now.
Generally, I am satisfied with the result. It was a good first step. I never had something special in my mind, we had time because it was a self production, without help of any studio. So, we have arranged the songs in the recording process and had enough time to do some changes in the recording session. Usually You can't do that in a real studio, because time is money, but as I said it was an own-production. My highlights are "My Eternal Grave" and "Saturnnebel" because of the progressive touch and the atmosphere.
Yes, there are some things which went wrong. The sound quality is still ok but could have been better, especially the mixing and mastering was not so good.
But the next time we are going to a professional sound studio. The studio had worked with a lot of great bands like Destruction or Suidakra and they are working with lots of great labels. It is sure not cheap to entering in a professional studio but it is worth of it. Then we have a killer sound! The next songs are also more complex and progressive. Now, the songs have much more time to get created, what will improve the songwriting a lot.

With the album out do you have plans to bring them to stage? What can people expect when entering a gig?
Yes, we do. We will play three songs of the new album and some songs which never were released before. You can expect enthusiastic, passionated, young musicians, with no folderol. We are just concentrating on our music and try to capture the atmosphere and emotions, while we having our gigs.

Where do you get inspiration from to write music? Do you read a lot or watch much tv or something else? What are the things in life that influence you the most?
I get my inspiration from other music, literature and also from nature and culture. Koblenz has a lot of beautiful, natural places and very much culture. Koblenz is one of the eldest towns in Germany.
The town was established by the roman empire about 8 BC. The town celebrated their 2000th anniversary in 1992. Nature and literature is influencing me the most. But also some good video-games sometimes.

A feeling that is connected to the band is the downfall of humanity. How far is mankind sunken in stupidity and what could be the reason for this? What are the daily things you wonder about that bring us to decay?
There is too much consumption, but also too much waste. Too much things that is brainwashing, like dumb stuff in tv or too music social network stuff. People should learn to concentrate more and to lay focus at essential things. There are too much distractions, that people often switch their brains off. They should learn to treat nature like it deserves to. Nature will strike back! Also, unhealthy, industrial food, can cause stupidity. There are many factors. Humanity will never learn it and if then it is too late. We are too depended at electronic stuff like smart phones and so on. Without electronics and the internet, the most people would be lost. But modern stuff has also their good sides.

Do you think there will be global happiness ever like the hippies wanted in the 60s?
No, I don't think that there will be ever a global happiness. Because the most people are selfish, retarded and greedy.

Winterblood is called an avant-gardistic black doom band with opera vocals. Why the opera vocals? Do you think that opera can be compared to black metal in some way?
I think bigoted and elitist people would say it wouldn't. But I don't care about those douchebags.
I make music without any limits and how I like it to. When people don't like it, it is ok. No one is forcing them to listen to our music. But we also appreciate it, when people are liking our music. It is always a nice thing, if we are getting good feedback. It was first an experiment to add some opera vocals in it. I have a singing education for classical music. We liked it and the feedback was good. People want more of it, we want more of it, so we'll do!

Do you listen to other music genres as well?
Yes, I do. I think only an open-minded musician is a good musician. Different styles of music can give so much inspiration and diversity. I like Black Metal, but also Doom Metal, Post-Rock, Shoegaze, Jazz, Classical Music, Ethereal, Folk Music, Gothic, Sludge, Trip-Hop and other stuff!
I listen to that music what I like. And if it would be Britney Spears. I don't care! I don't have it neccessary to pretend that I am a hard, evil, satanic, misanthropic, retarded, teenage, elite wannabe. I am authentic. That is real trvness! Not to do like someone is a die-hard metalhead and listening then to Avril Lavigne and wear a pink tutu secretly ;)

To close this interview please do the last words or some shameless self promotion. Thanks.
Thank you for the nice Interview. You can purchase our debut album for 10euro+shipping (shipping world wide).
And please check out our Facebook and Internet page.