Teufel - August 2010

Interview with

Teufel

At the excellent Summer's End Festival, I had the pleasure of interviewing one of my favourite artists backstage, the infamous TEUFEL from TANZWUT along with his new guitarist Martin! With a fantastic new solo album out 'Absinth' I was eager to find out as much as I could about this icon of medieval rock and found that both guys are a riot to talk to and discovered that Teufel writes poetry, had a hangover and has a cut behind his ear along with a whole lot more...

Reflections of Darkness (RoD): Hi! It's nice to speak to you! You've had a lot of success with various bands over the years, notably CORVUS CORAX and TANZWUT, but you've just released a new solo album 'Absinth'. What prompted you to do that? Can you tell you tell us why now the right time for that was?
Teufel: Hi! Well I've done a lot these last few years with CORVUS CORAX, CANTUS BURANUS and I collected some songs besides in this period and now seems like the right time! So now since it's also long time also since the last TANZWUT album, it just seemed like the perfect time for a solo project.

RoD: I saw the CANTUS BURANUS at Wacken and that's so great, but we don't have a lot of that kind of things in England, so do you ever have any plans to come to England?
Teufel: (Laughs) I'd love to but the ferry is too expensive for us!

RoD: CORVUS CORAX have been a band that paved the way in medieval metal and TANZWUT have followed a completely different direction and been more contemporary. Other bands have combined the two together yet you always were clear to keep them apart. Do you think that's incompatible?
Teufel: It was really always our plan to separate these projects clearly - CORVUS CORAX is solely really Medieval with a few other influences thrown in and TANZWUT is Rock’n’Roll, guitar and really an electronic project and a little bit of metal and thingy! (Laughs)

RoD: Thingy?!?
Teufel: Yeah thingy! Erm, vocals!

RoD: Ah okay vocals! Are you touring next year anywhere interesting?
Teufel: Yeah maybe! We hope to be playing a tour but there are no fixed dates. With TANZWUT there are some festivals and six next year with the TEUFEL project and some, well maybe more with TANZWUT. It's a surprise! (Laughs)

RoD: I have listened to the new album. It's very different. Is that a whole new area that you want to explore as a solo artist to give you more creative freedom, since it's not part of a band?
Teufel: I really wanted to separate this project, this solo project from the things I was doing with the band, tours and festivals and so on, because I really want to be free to be creative and it enables me to have more freedom to do whatever I want!

RoD: You're so busy! Apart form anything else how the hell do you find time for this all?
Teufel: It's really important actually to make time. Yesterday for example we drank a lot after the show. That was really important for us!

RoD: That's why you've got a headache?
Teufel: Yeah can't you see? (All Laugh)

RoD: Do you personally enjoy the larger festivals more, things like Wacken with the CANTUS BURANUS or do you like a more intimate environment for your music?
Teufel: Hmmm, that depends on the situation. The big festivals are great, really great, but the smaller shows, the club shows or whatever has much more contact with the audience. It's very different and really I like both.

RoD: Okay. With regards to the smaller shows, do you like to have a big level of interaction with your fans, because I've noticed whichever shows of yours I have been to it's very easy to go up and talk to you all afterwards, whereas some bands have really moved away from that?
Teufel: Yeah I love to involve the audience, it's really animating, and it’s a real TANZWUT style thing to involve the whole audience in the whole show, as much as possible really. We want them to be clapping their hands and singing along, yeah for sure!

RoD: What are your plans for the future?
Teufel: We want to do a new TANZWUT album in the next year. We're starting to write new songs in the fall and winter, spring - we'll release it next year and I'll also write poems and make a book next year- a poetry book. One track on this solo album is a poem from me - so be excited!

RoD: Are there any artists you'd like to collaborate with in the future? Or even dream artists to collaborate with?
Teufel: (Laughs) METALLICA! Oh, but only if they are cool in private, we only collaborate with people who are cool in private! (Laughs even more).

RoD: Okay, okay! (Still laughing) Right then, tell me something interesting about yourself that our readers might not know!
Teufel: Hmmmm (pauses and thinks), Hmmmm, (starts to laugh) oh I know I have a cut behind my ear! That's it for interesting I think. We're very boring guys!

RoD: Okay, that's great, thanks so much, you've been great.
Teufel: No problem, our pleasure!

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