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Interview with

Alea, Lasterbalk and Thoron of Saltatio Mortis

‘Saltatio Mortis’ is a German medieval-rock-band. They released pure medieval albums and also albums full of modern rock songs, which are supported by medieval instruments. Their last album ‘Des Königs Henker’ was released in 2005 and they were on tour just a few weeks ago. There they combined medieval instruments with modern rock elements. I could talk a while with Alea (singer), Lasterbalk (drums) and Thoron (percussion, Shawn) before the concert in Karlsruhe on 13th April.

There are only a few facts about your band history on your homepage. When was the band founded?
Alea: We found each other on medieval markets in 2000. Because of our instruments we fast felt that it would be very interesting playing together.

Your two musical sides remind me of ‘Corvus Corax’ / ‘Tanzwut’. They found two different bands for publishing their different music styles. Why haven’t you separate your work into two different groups? 
Alea: Both sides are in ‘Saltatio Mortis’. ‘That is Saltatio Mortis’. We don’t need any separation.

On your homepage is a tour-diary. Reading this I got the impression, you still prefer the medieval markets. What are the biggest differences between a medieval market and a tour through rock clubs?
Alea: We don’t prefer the markets, but there are differences. On tour the people are coming for our music. On a market you have to convince the audience coming to your show. Now we already have fans coming to the markets, but most of the people on a market don’t know us. There are whole families, which would never listen to our music their self.
Lasterbalk: A few days ago we joined a market on the Ronneburg, where we weren’t advertised. There we had to work hard for an audience at the Met stall.
Alea: At a medieval market we play old tales and medieval songs. In concerts we can play our own songs and stories.

In the past you’ve published alternately a medieval and a modern album. Has this been your intention or are you recording the songs you like at that time?
Alea: That wasn’t our intention. It just surrendered.

The last album ‘Des Königs Henker’ was a rock-album too. Are you planning a medieval album next time?
Lasterbalk: The next one will contain both styles. We are still planning it. Until now we aren’t even sure which songs will be on the next album. I think it will be a mixed one.

Can you already tell us, when it will be released?
Lasterbalk: I think it could be in a year.

Your label is Napalm Records. But there were only your rock-albums been published. Did you wanted to separate them from the medieval ones? Is a metal-label the right place for a medieval album? (all are laughing…)
Lasterbalk: After hard discussions we asked them for publishing the medieval songs on our own.

Alea, through the last songs your voice grew. What has happened?
Alea: Thank you. I really took singing lessons. I want to give my regards to Viola Niklas. She’s my singing teacher. She doesn’t press you into this corset of classical styles. She just uses the existing voice and trains it. She is wonderful.

The lyrics on the last album are darker than the older ones. What was on your mind during writing the songs?
Lasterbalk: So that’s my fault. One of my friends asked me: “How many dead are on the album again?” Is it really so dark? That wasn’t my intention. I wrote some songs at the time of the last Iraq war. Maybe these things left its notes at the album. I got the book “Gesichter des Krieges” (“Faces of War”) and it influenced me too. There is also a song about separation again. At that time my love affair was going wrong and I left some thoughts about that on the CD.

The last song “Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt” sounds really final. You wrote “Kein Mensch zum Siegen auserkoren…” (No human chosen for being victorious). Lyrics which can be understood as historical reflections and also as thoughts about actual themes. Do you see yourself as a storyteller or do you prefer actual themes in your lyrics?
Lasterbalk: That song was the first for the album. It’s been inspired by the war. It doesn’t matter whether it was meant as a historical text or as my opinion about wars in general. In the Medieval Ages people were interested in the same things as people are today. War has always been horrible. Things don’t really change in all this time.

There is also a song from the ‘Carmina Burana’ (‘Ecce Gratum’) on the album. The ‘Carmina’ is very popular and often played in this times. Why did you use the song on the album now?
Alea: The ‘Carmina’ has always been popular. If you take any album of medieval music there will surely be one song of the ‘Carmina’ on it. Our CD was recorded before the “Cantus Buranus” and it has nothing to do with that.

You also took the poem “Verführer” (“seducer”) of Hermann Hesse for the album. What appealed you to do that?
Alea: I adapted the lyrics. While reading it I felt understood like never before. The words reflected exactly my experiences. You can transfer the message to so many things. At first you want something really hard. You are working for it and when you got it, it isn’t special anymore.
Thoron: It’s a very plain poem and that’s why it matches our album.

Back to the band: You are on tour for long weeks. There you have to live in very cramped conditions. Which talents do you have for this way of living? What is really necessary on tour?
Thoron: I’m able to bring the reassuring sound of the bus motors to everybody and every time (Ann: He snores!) So everybody can fall into a deep slumber. (all are laughing)
Lasterbalk: Everybody needs to answer this question on his own. I think I can manage the organizing. I take care of these things. Falk is the calmest one of us. He has enough peace of mind for all of us.
Alea: I flee from the trouble. You have to break out sometimes.
Thoron: Alea has a rigorous discipline. I really respect this. Like the cold he has. He immediately treated it with herbs and stuff like that. Parties aren’t interesting anymore.

On the stage you are very close to your fans. How can a fan get connected with you at other times?
Thoron: You can contact us via our homepage. We all have our e-mail addresses at the page. Only Alea had to remove his adress for a while. He got too many mails. He couldn't get through nearly 300 mails. Now he's online again. 

What kind of mails did you get?
Thoron: All kinds of stuff, from normal mails like “You’re amazing” to special questions about our instruments or songs. Sometimes someone grumbles. If it’s critical, I deal with the arguments. If somebody just leaves his garbage like “You’re shit”, we’ll put it out of our guestbook. It doesn’t make any sense thinking about this. Normally we take all mails for serious.

You all play medieval or exotic instruments. Where did you find them?
Alea: It just happened that way. You’re listing to somebody at a market or somewhere else and you just think, it sounds good. Some time ago I saw a Peruvian group. It’s been very interesting. One of the guys sold me one of his instruments and now I’m learning to play the Kena (Ann.: an old Indian flute). It will be heard soon.

After the really apocalyptic last song “Die Hoffnung stirbt zuletzt” what can we expect for the next album? What things have to be told after that?
Alea: It’s obvious: after the apocalypse comes the resurrection…

Thank you very much spending some time with me. Good luck for the concert.   

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