Darkseed Interview

1. Can you update us with what is going on with the band these days?


Right now we?re going to have a few weeks off and most of the band members are preparing for vacation. The last days were packed with lots of different stuff to work on, promotion activities, interviews, evaluation of the album reviews and press-feedback, contacts with new and long-term fans from all over the world and so on. The next step in autumn is to focus again on live shows and touring, mostly preparing shows for the next year and of course, always gathering new ideas for the next songs...


2. How would you describe the music of the newer album?

Well, from the formal musical aspect our new album shows a greater variety and more facettes than the predecessors. With Ultimate Darkness we had given our absolute statement of brutal and direct mournfulness, in a manner of speaking "the kick in the face". "Poison Awaits" shows considerably more shades of our darkness and has dramatically more musical detail which is well placed and often hidden to the first time listener. While recording we focussed on the individual talents of the band members and the songs feature more technical and instrumental expertise than before. Matured, more eclectic, more confident, sovereign.


3. How would you describe the lyrical content of the newer material?

Our intense pictoral lyrics have always made Darkseed so special and distinguishes us from the gothic "love and roses" stereotype. Back in 2003 we named our album "Astral Adventures" to emphasize the inner meaning, spirituality. With this background it?s much easier to have a look at the big picture in which "Poison Awaits" has to be seen. Individual progress. Evolvement. Not the rejection of the world we?re facing with its economically ruled selfish microstructure of society but the awareness of our own responsibility to turn things to good account. Therefore "Poison Awaits" is far more uplifting than e.g. Ultimate Darkness and shows this progress in music and metaphorical meaning. And there?s a lot of meaning in there for the one?s who can see it...
Let?s take the song "Incinerate" for example, with the clear structure of the lyrics, few syllables, short words it?s quite a clear statement upfront. Is it? In particular it describes a spirit driven by hatred, striving for revenge, in bloodlust on the battlefields of the medieval time. And the same spirit centuries later acting destructive, "reborn" as disease or plague altering cells and organisms but still feeling there has to be more, looking for an escape. Musically the song converts after the struggle of the opposites, culmination in chaos to a very harmonic ending where this insight, spoken by the narrator, is gained. We?re here to sort it out. Each of us. Surely most of the people don?t get it when being confronted with our stuff first but our fans are special.



4. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and
how would you describe your stage performance?

Darkseed?s shows are quite rare, we played only a few dozen gigs in the last years but all of these were individually very energetic. The constellation of the core members is contant for nearly a decade now which gives us a very relaxed basis in terms of musical communication on stage. To bring out a special show is subjective, but for me the show in Komen, Slovenia back in 2003 was one of the best experiences ever.



5. Do you have any plans to tour the U.S?


As mentioned we?re not touring extensively. To play in the US would be very appealing to us but having only a handfull of shows is not the most lucrative business for our company. Our management is currently checking possibilites and support slot candidates and the whole stage concept is to be updated in fall this year.


6. The new album came out on Massacre Records how would you describe the
support that the label has giving you so far compared to the other
labels that you have been on?


Massacre left us complete artistic freedom which is a basic requirement. Darkseed?s members are experienced musicians working with different sideprojects for many years in the music business. We need no external producer and have as described above enough vision and hyperopia for future output.


7. How has the new album been recieved so far by newer and older fans
worldwide?

Extremely well which was quite a surprise to us. After our longtime vocalist and founding member Stephan left the band in 2006 most of the media proclaimed the end of Darkseed as band. It had an amusing effect when we read about the split up of the group (which never happend in case) on different websites. People interpret, word of mouth and twittering is the modern "whisper down the lane". A comes in Z comes out. Sadly most of the information spread in our culture isn?t profound. With gifts like the web it would be easy to contact anyone directly and to get first hand information, strange enough nobody uses these possibillities. Especially in Germany it is quite common to decry something, this makes you feel superior. In short, we didn?t know what to expect and we?re extremely pleased to see all those positive reactions.



8. Out off all the albums that the band has put out so far which one are
you the most satisfied with?


Every artist proclaims his newest work to be the most honest and best work to date. Artistically we wouldn?t have done "Poison Awaits" if we had been fully satisfied with "Ultimate Darkness".


9. How would you describe the musical progress over the years and what
direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?

That?s a very interesting point. Surely there?s the development of the own instrumental skills over the years which gives each member a growing repertoire and mastership of the musical language, therefore increasing the ways of expressiveness. The craftsmanship of songwriting is the combination of putting the essence of the music, the feeling or meaning someone wants to transport, together in form. In the beginning of 2000 we added more and more electronic FX, samples and loops to our sound. On "Poison Awaits" the synths had are more dominant position than before and we had a wider variety between the songs to show up different paths for the things to come. As far as I can see now, our music will become more complex in structure but also more diverse.


10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your
music and what are you listening to nowadays?

I?m listening to a broad variety of music, from classical und contemporary composers to noise, ambient and experimental stuff.


11. Does Occultism play any role in the music?

For sure. <pause>

Occultism is another stereotype. The broad mass packs it together with satanic rituals and hooded fanatics, sacrificing animals in some abandoned cellars. But the root word means "hidden", and there are a lot of things hidden in our music and lyrics. A sentence doesn?t need to be very complex to deliver the thruth and therefore our lyrics are giddy easy to understand. But you have to qualify to find the inner meaning.



12. What are some of your interests outside of music?


Besides keeping the material vessel healthy and in shape mostly philosophy, reading and historical studies. Shaping the personal awareness would hit the mark but is maybe too abstract. Being spontanious, creative in any possible way, to live for the moment.



13. Any final words or thoughts?

Not now.