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GERMANY THRASHS
VIOLENT FORCE are among the longest-serving German thrash metal bands (founded in 1984), but until now they hadn't managed to secure a record deal. That changed with the "Teutonic Invasion" sampler from Roadrunner Records. Roadrunner signed them, and their debut LP, "Violent Force," will be released in June. We spoke with guitarist/vocalist Lemmy beforehand.
L.W.: How did you all get together, and what's the current lineup?
Lemmy: We've been around since the end of 1984. The band was founded by Steiff (now with LIVING DEATH) and me. We came across two guitarists, Waldi and Stachel, by chance. Waldi now plays bass, and I switched to guitar. Our new drummer is Hille from Ratingen. We recorded the album with this lineup.
L.W.: Why did it take you so long to record an album?
L.: That came about because Steiff quit about nine months ago, since I'd lost interest; I wasn't going to rehearsals anymore. Steiff then gave me an ultimatum: either rehearse consistently or he'd quit. Stupidly, I said I wasn't going to give up my girlfriend for the band. As a result, I was fired three weeks later, but rejoined shortly after. Then we were without a drummer for nine months; we were completely inactive during that time. But we were already relatively well-known in the underground scene thanks to our demos, and so things went downhill for a while. After a long search, we found Hille as our drummer and released our third and best demo.
L.W. How did things go with Roadrunner?
L.: We were originally only supposed to play on the sampler, but even that wasn't certain, as the contract they sent us wasn't good enough. They really wanted us, though, since they only have a few German bands signed anyway. So they offered us a full record deal (5 years).
L.W.: What do you think of the sampler? Do you think it could reach the standard of "Metal Massacre"?
L.W.: Why did it take you so long to record an album?
L.: That came about because Steiff quit about nine months ago, since I'd lost interest; I wasn't going to rehearsals anymore. Steiff then gave me an ultimatum: either rehearse consistently or he'd quit. Stupidly, I said I wasn't going to give up my girlfriend for the band. As a result, I was fired three weeks later, but rejoined shortly after. Then we were without a drummer for nine months; we were completely inactive during that time. But we were already relatively well-known in the underground scene thanks to our demos, and so things went downhill for a while. After a long search, we found Hille as our drummer and released our third and best demo.
L.W. How did things go with Roadrunner?
L.: We were originally only supposed to play on the sampler, but even that wasn't certain, as the contract they sent us wasn't good enough. They really wanted us, though, since they only have a few German bands signed anyway. So they offered us a full record deal (5 years).
L.W.: What do you think of the sampler? Do you think it could reach the standard of "Metal Massacre"?
L.: Absolutely not, everything was approached too half-heartedly. We're happy with our recording ("Soulbarsting") because they took it directly from the last demo, since it's a 24-track recording.
L.W.: What will the Cure LP be called and when will it be released?
L.W.: What will the Cure LP be called and when will it be released?
L.: We hope it will be released in June. We'll call it either "Violent Force" or "Maliviolent Aggression Of Tomorrow."
L.W.: What can you tell me about the songs?
L.: "Death City" is probably already familiar to many. That was our first song and it's already two years old. It's about our hometown of Velbert. "Destructed Live" is about the bums who drink a lot and can no longer properly manage their lives. The tracks from the new demo, like "The Night," "Mayod," or the instrumental piece are meant to depict a concept of the end times, what's happening. I don't find the theme clichéd; everyone just does it in their own way. Everyone should read the lyrics carefully and draw their own conclusions. I tried to write lyrics that have a message, just as I painted the LP cover with these points in mind. I used to be a designer and painted the cover as a 60 x 80 cm print. Now I only do it as a hobby. It shows a town (Velbert); you can see the main street and the town sign. The whole thing is cut open, and behind the cut-open section, the mushroom cloud is rising. The guy cutting it open is already being irradiated and burned.
L.W.: What can you tell me about the songs?
L.: "Death City" is probably already familiar to many. That was our first song and it's already two years old. It's about our hometown of Velbert. "Destructed Live" is about the bums who drink a lot and can no longer properly manage their lives. The tracks from the new demo, like "The Night," "Mayod," or the instrumental piece are meant to depict a concept of the end times, what's happening. I don't find the theme clichéd; everyone just does it in their own way. Everyone should read the lyrics carefully and draw their own conclusions. I tried to write lyrics that have a message, just as I painted the LP cover with these points in mind. I used to be a designer and painted the cover as a 60 x 80 cm print. Now I only do it as a hobby. It shows a town (Velbert); you can see the main street and the town sign. The whole thing is cut open, and behind the cut-open section, the mushroom cloud is rising. The guy cutting it open is already being irradiated and burned.
L.W.: How do you influence your style—LAYER—you play quite fast?
L.: Partly, because the speed is the adrenaline rush; it usually ends up being faster than we initially planned (where have I heard that before? – the interviewer). It's also down to our drummer, Hille. He's only been playing for a year and is still having trouble with the double bass drums; so he plays the regular beat faster, and we have to play faster too, to stay in time. I wouldn't say we're specifically influenced by Slayer, but sometimes it does sound like that; you can't avoid it.
L.W.: Do you see music as a hobby, or do you want to make a living from it someday?
L.: Well, with "the" music, it's hard to say if I want to make a living from it. It's clear I'd like to make a living from it; but you have to give up quite a bit for the music.
L.: Well, with "the" music, it's hard to say if I want to make a living from it. It's clear I'd like to make a living from it; but you have to give up quite a bit for the music.
L.W.: Do you think any German band will ever manage to reach the standard of the 6th best thrash band, SLAYER?
L.: That never depends on the band alone, how good they are or aren't. In my opinion, it depends immensely on what's done for the group, how widely the sound they create is spread among the fans. It's often said in general terms that German musicians are good, but bad at it, and that all the Americans are fantastic. Those are nasty clichés. There are a few exceptions like KREATOR, who are doing well.
L.W.: How satisfied are you with the LP, how did the work in the studio go?
L.: I like it very much. The studio work was quite stressful. We had been in the studio before, but we hadn't thought it would be so much work. We had 12 days available: 6 days to record and 6 days to mix.
L.W.: How do you think Roadrunner will promote you?
L.W.: How satisfied are you with the LP, how did the work in the studio go?
L.: I like it very much. The studio work was quite stressful. We had been in the studio before, but we hadn't thought it would be so much work. We had 12 days available: 6 days to record and 6 days to mix.
L.W.: How do you think Roadrunner will promote you?
L.: Hard to say, I think they'll wait and see how the album does. I don't think that's a good thing, as it doesn't make you more well-known. You can see that with KREATOR or DARKNESS, for example. Noise/Gama do a lot of promotion for them, and they sell a lot of records, T-shirts, and things like that. But you can't blame Lees Wessels for that; let's wait and see.
Address: Thomas Ex (Manager)
In den Bierhöfen 5
5620 Velbert 1
Interview: Jürgen Both
Interview: Jürgen Both