Ass kicking Speed/Thrash Metal!
Listen to WASTELAND and then
you will understand the meaning of such words as speed and thrash metal.
The fire as hell! There is on the top brutal, blasphemous death metal
as ANGELCORPSE, KRISIUN, REBAELLIUN nowadays… but Germany has unleashed
their own band being much more into old school thrash metal, the band
that isn't so well skilled, but is also sincere with its sounds and puts
a lot of heart into its music. Excellent! Frank (not Blackfire but) Neugebauer
answered my questions perfectly. Here you are.
Not many
bands play nowadays such an ass kicking speed/thrash metal as you do!
Do you have any favourites playing that kind of metal?
Thanks a lot for the flowers. That's true, there aren't too much bands
at the moment, who play that style. And that's why the most of my faves
are coming from former times: PROTECTOR, KREATOR, INVOCATOR, CORONER,
SODOM, SLAYER, SEPULTURA, ASSASSIN, DEMOLITION HAMMER, PESTILENCE...
It has passed a lot of time since the recording of
"GENUINE PARTS". It's time to record something new! When can we expect a new album?
What will it contain? Will you release it once again by yourselves? Fact you don't
record too often is a result of your laziness or a will of preparing as
best songs as possible?
You are right. Much time has passed since the release of "GENUINE PARTS".
One reason for that is the fact, that we only meet at the weekends for
rehearsing. As some of the band members do study in far away towns it's
not possible to practice on other times. Furthermore we recorded several
cover versions for tribute sampler the last months, so there was not much
time to write new material in the past. Nevertheless we did collect new
material and of course it will be released as soon as possible. I hope
we can manage it until the end of the year. It will contain brutal thrash
metal, as you can guess. And we are not planning to make big changes in
our style but it goes without saying that we are trying to develop and
improve the kind of music we play. If no label is interested in releasing
our new stuff, we will release it once again by ourselves. We don't do
the whole thing to become rich and famous. We do it because it's a lot
of fun. And it's also a little bit idealism. In the meantime we heard
that there are some guys out there who believe in us. It's for them as
well. It's just a pity that we can reach just a few of the metalheads
which could be interested in our music on this way.
Were there
any line-up changes since the recording of "GENUINE PARTS"? How is an
atmosphere within the band?
Some weeks after we have finished the recording Kramer rejoined the band.
That was more than two years ago. But Kramer wasn't really unknown, because
he played guitar in the band since the beginning but had to quit after
some month caused by less time. The atmosphere within the band is good.
We know each other for decades and we are something like old mates. Kramer,
Faxe and André made their high school examination in the same class in
'93, I did it two years before in the same school, André and Stephan played
in a punk band at the end of the eighties, and they both and me are living
in the same village for more than 20 years. We often stick together for
drinking, parties or whatever. We don't have problems with each other.
Except that we are a little bit slow. Sometimes, ha,ha.
Looking
at your photos it's hard to imagine you're playing such a hard music?
Do you often meet with sentences like this: 'Oh fuck! I thought these
guys suck but they fuckin' rule!'? Doesn't it piss you off people often
judge you by your appearance?
Hmm, interesting question! Why do you think that it is hard to imagine
we are playing hard music? Only because two of us wear short hair? This
opinion is a little bit superficial, I think. I don't like people who
judge others by their appearance. When somebody thinks we suck just by
looking at us this guy can kiss my butt! Fact is that we like the metal
music of the eighties, but don't look like metalheads of the eighties.
But on the other hand nobody ever said something about our appearance.
There was a time our shouter had very short hair - he just came back from
the army (now he has long hair again) - and we played the first gigs with
André (he has still short hair) on drums, we could see that some people
in the audience thought something about our look or thought we came from
planet Z. or whatever. After we started playing nobody did it anymore.
If image
isn't important, why metalheads set store by it?
I think this image thing is more a relict of the eighties. In the eighties
it was possible to perceive a metalhead on the street: basketball, sport
shoes, black t-shirt with a coloured print, jeans and rivets. There was
just speed, thrash, heavy and death metal at the end of the eighties and
that was it. A metal freak was something like an outsider of the society
at the beginning of the eighties and there was a very good community between
them this times. United Forces. I think that these "old" metalfreaks are
very proud of their status and still want to show it. And in former times
it was a mentality. Today it's "normal" to listen to metal or to hard
rock and it's not easy to make out a metal fan on the street. I don't
know exactly what kind of image we have. We always try to write interesting
brutal songs and to satisfy the audience by doing a good show on stage.
That's why we have a good conscience and don't care about what people
think about our image.
Thrash metal with one guitar is a bad idea, don't you think so?
Well, I don't wanna say that thrash metal needs two guitars compulsorily
- look at SODOM or PROTECTOR - but our personal experience showed that
you are right. We have had a second guitar since the end of '97 and I
must say it is appropriate to use two guitars! Especially the rhythm parts
are much fatter, there aren't holes during solos, and it's possible to
do a lot more composing.
I saw
in Poland only one interview with you - it was in one of the last issues
of "ELIGOR 'zine". Has Sivy sent you a copy? Are you satisfied with the
final effect? Why do you do such a poor promotion in Poland? I don't even
know if somebody could buy your CD at any Polish distribution!…
Yes, Sivy sent a copy (Hi Sivy!). If I am satisfied with the final effect?
What effect, ha,ha? You know, I put up with the fact that nobody shows
a reaction after an interview. In the beginning of WASTELAND I answered
the interviews in a very serious way - not one reaction. And this seriousness
doesn't show the bands real mind, so I started to answer the questions
in a merry way, sometimes it was very silly - but always with the necessary
seriousness. And what happened - we got some reactions! Mostly it was
just the "…I haven't already read such an amusing interview for a long
time..." but it's better than nothing, isn't it? Meanwhile we are known
in Germany as five merry guys which play serious brutal thrash. I would
like to do a better promotion in Poland but there is very big problem:
I don't have enough spare time to do all what I have in mind. We don't
have a label, I do the whole promotion by myself and I know that I neglected
Poland the last years. Shame on me, because I know that Poland is very
important for underground bands. We had some reviews in Poland but I look
always for new and serious addresses. If there is a distribution which
is interested into some cool thrash metal - feel free to get in contact.
Trades are welcome, but write first.
I often
don't know whether ask about music or talk about different things. What
kind of interviews do you prefer? What should a good interview consist
of? What about a good 'zine?
Sometimes I do interviews with other bands for an underground - online
- newsletter of a mate and I had the same problem. Personally I was fed
up with this standard questions like: When do you start with the band?
What is the actual line up? What do you want to do in the future? How
would you describe your style? etc., etc., because I had to answer them
by myself. And after the 3rd interview it's not a pleasure anymore. And
I can't imagine that somebody wants to know that for sure. Ok, sometimes
it is necessary or possible to ask this, especially if this band is very
new or totally unknown, but there is always a possibility to paraphrase
this standards, isn't it? I prefer to do interviews with questions about
different things as well, not just about the music or the scene. Because
the most musicians aren't musicians only. A lot of them are very interesting
personalities and there is a lot more to ask them about. To find good
interview - questions you need time. You have to listen to the music some
more times, read the lyrics, read some old interviews if possible, know
something about this and that and whatever. Another basis for a good interview
is the way you construct your questions. What will happen when you ask
a boring question like : What is the current line up? You will get a very
short and perhaps boring answer. So you have to wrap it by using some
other questions from the same "department" - line up changes, reasons
for them etc. - to a more interesting parcel. Then you'll get longer and
more interesting answers. I prefer interviews like this one here. It's
not about the band only - also about different things. And it's not possible
to answer the questions with just one sentence. Good 'zines? They editors
should know a lot about the stuff they want write about. They should be
able to write objective reviews about music they don't like and they should
write bad reviews with reasonable comments when it's necessary. And they
should have some humour as well. The look or the outfit of the 'zine isn't
really important in my eyes.
As for
good speed thrashers you like SLAYER for sure, don't you? Don't you think
maniax criticise their last album too much? Yes, there are hard core influences,
but the Americans still kick ass. And e.g. METALLICA is a pop band comparing
to them!…
Of course, we all like SLAYER very much. They are the kings of the US
thrash in my opinion. Though I like them as much I must point out that
their best times take place in the eighties. I listen to their new stuff,
too, and it's better than 90% of the other new music, but I miss this
special spirit they had in the beginning. My absolute favourite album
is "REIGN IN BLOOD", one of the best metal albums ever made. It's always
the same problem with the old heroes: On the one side they collect criticism
when they change their style or do something new, on the other side they
are criticised when they don't show any progress and changes and do always
the same. I think you can't blame a musician or a band for testing something
new. Standstill is a step back. Except of MOTÖRHEAD or AC/DC. When the
fan don't like any changes, then he should listen to his old LP's only
and be happy.
What are
the wrong sides of playing metal? It's a serious question!
There isn't a wrong side. If you want to get rich and famous then you
are wrong. But that's all I think. I can tell a lot about the good sides,
but you will already know them...
Would you like to have a heavy metal family? You know, wife listening to JUDAS
PRIEST, a kid falling asleep while listening to MORBID ANGEL…
Nice idea - I put some extreme stuff into the stereo and nobody will complain.
But you had to know that I don't listen to metal the whole day. You can
call me a wimp now, ha,ha, but I'm open minded and a great lover of music.
I love that 60/70' Rock/Bluesrock/Hardrock - stuff, some Blues and Jazz
from the decades before and that Thrash, Death and Doom Metal from the
80's and 90's. Expand it to a rock and metal family!
Germany
are famous for its beer. What kind of beer would you recommend to Polish
metal maniax?
A lot of the German beer is recommendable, ha,ha. If you want to have
a cheap beer, a good one for Open Air Concerts, then try "Karlsquell".
It is only available at Aldi supermarkets and in 0.33l cans. It is medium
dry and medium bitter and it is still drinkable when it is not very cold
anymore. WASTELAND's favourite beer is a very typical beer from northern
Germany. It is called "Feldschlößchen" and it is quite dry and bitter.
A beer that is tasty after the 20th bottle as well, ha,ha. If you want
to have some premium quality stuff, than drink the world famous "Beck's
Bier". It is also quite dry and bitter, and also great as a draft beer.
In the summer, when it's hot, than try "Weizenbier". "Franziskaner", "Erdinger"
or whatever, equal what type, it's always a pleasure, ha,ha. I could continue
this for hours - we have really a shitload of great stuff, nearly all
brands are drinkable - but never try "Adelskrone". It's really awful.
And I personally hate "Warsteiner".
wasteland@wolfsburg.de, www.wolfsburg.de/~Wasteland
