NACHTGESCHREI
Questions asked by Jon Wilde, added to Rock Realms 6th April 2009.
Nachtgeschrei are a German folksy medieval metal act. They have just released their second album, Am Rande der Welt.
The band's bagpipe/flute player Nik answers questions.
Hi Nik, thanks for taking a moment to answer these questions for the Rock Realms Interrogation section. Hope you and the band are well?
Nik: Hi there. Yes we're fine, thank you. We just celebrated a wonderful, sold out release show for our new album “Am Rande der Welt” last week. Now we’re looking forward to what this year has in store for us - there will be some more club shows and some great festivals this summer.
How would you describe the Nachtgeschrei sound to someone who hasn't heard you before?
Nik: It’s medieval folk-music combined with modern, full-on amplified rock. Bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, shawn and flute with double guitar-riffs, heavy drums and straightforward rock.
Was it a difficult decision to sing in German when so many bands sing in English to help with sales in the UK/USA markets?
Nik: No, it felt like a natural thing to do. It’s our native language and we feel more sure to be able to express our thoughts and feelings in German. I would really love to know what somebody who doesn’t understand German makes of our lyrics, but perhaps it even adds an exotic or archaic element to them? I think the music can be enjoyed without knowledge of the lyrics, they just give an extra feel to it.
We said on the Rock Realms website that Nachtgeschrei translates as 'Night Shouting', and new album Am Rande der Welt is translated as 'At The Edge Of The World'. How close to the truth were we?
Nik: Congratulation, you basically got the point. Nachtgeschrei really means something like “night shouting” or screams of the night. It can be understood as clamour at night, but there also is a little legend about spirit people that are called the Nachtgeschrei, for their noisy feasting at night.
“Am Rande der Welt” really translates into “At the edge of the world”, so you were right with this one too. See, it’s easy.
What was the inspiration behind the songs on the new album?
Nik: We don’t have one inspiration or topical concept - it’s just that some things inspire us and some don’t, and I don’t know why. We have three people who write lyrics and even more who write the music to it, so we find inspiration in very different things. A lot of songs on the new album are about conflict, traveling or the destructive force of fire, but that’s no concept, more like a topical frame that spans across the songs.
Do you write the tracks beforehand, then record them, or do you go to the studio with some basic ideas and write as you record?
Nik: We couldn't afford writing our songs in the studio, so we had them more or less finished when we started the recording sessions. There were still some details changed, re-arranged, some ideas added or dropped, but most of it was already finished when we entered SU2-studios.
Was the actual recording fun, or hard work?
Nik: Well, it’s always a bit of both, isn’t it? Despite all the work and frustration we all enjoyed it very, very much - and hope you guys will have as much fun listening to it as we had during the recording.
How does this album compare with first album, Hoffnungsschimmer? To my ears it's a little heavier and perhaps has more layers to the sound.
Nik: That’s basically right - this time we wanted to have it a bit more heavier and straightforward than “Hoffnungschimmer” was but also took more time and care for details, especially with the guitars. It is still 100% Nachtgeschrei, perhaps even more than ever, and it still has all these archaic instruments, like different sets of bagpipes, hurdy-gurdy, shawn, flute, accordion, and haunting tunes but with more of a “rock”-feeling to it and a more modern and heavy production.
Who were the influences for Nachtgeschrei and what are the musical backgrounds of the various members?
Nik: Joe and I have been playing in a folk-band for years, others played metal, some even made singer-songwriter or alternative rock things. So when we decided to form a band combining all these different backgrounds and instruments seemed like a natural thing to do. We’re no copycats or followers of a trend or something, we just do what we feel good with.
Turisas famously covered Boney M's song, Rasputin. Are you tempted to take a similar song and give it the medieval metal treatment?
Nik: Yeah, that was good fun. Well, currently we don’t have any similar plans. Of course it’s “never say die”- if we should one day feel like it, we will just do that, but at the moment we have enough ideas of our own.
Is there anyone else in the music industry you'd really love to work with?
Nik: For now we have no plans to do so. But of course we won't give a strict 'no' if somebody asks ;-)
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Nik: For me it was the 'Feuertanz Festival' 2008 in Nurnberg/Germany where we played together with In Extremo and Subway To Sally.
Is there a tour planned to promote Am Rande der Welt?
Nik: There are a few dates planned (see below). We are still too nameless to do a big tour, but if there is a chance for supporting a bigger band we'll all have to apply for holidays!
Anything else (apart from the new album) you want to plug?
Nik: Check out our website www.nachtgeschrei.de or our MySpace-site www.myspace.com/nachtgeschrei regularly to keep you all up to date about progress.
What are you up to once you've finished answering these questions?
Nik: Finishing the next interview ;-)
Thank you for your time, you are free to go...
Nik: Thank you very much, too.
The new Nachtgeschrei album, “Am Rande Der Welt“ is out now. Check out the review on Rock Realms here for further details.
Tour dates:
18.04.2009 D-Gera, Sächsischer Bahnhof
24.04.2009 D-Hannover, Musikzentrum
25.04.2009 NL-Utrecht-Haarzuilens, Elf Fantasy 2009
26.04.2009 NL-Utrecht-Haarzuilens, Elf Fantasy 2009
30.04.2009 D-Hahnenklee, Walpurgisfest
15.05.2009 D-Eppstein, Burg Eppstein
01.06.2009 D-Leipzig, WGT 2009
27.06.2009 D-Königstein, Mittelalter rockt die Burg (MRDB)
03.07.2009 D-Wilhelmshaven, Hexendorf-Festival 2009
04.07.2009 D-Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Hörnerfest
10.07.2009 D-Ballenstedt/Harz, Rock Harz Festival
11.07.2009 D-Bertingen, Rock unter den Eichen
04.09.2009 D-Neißeaue, Folklorum
