Bio:
Jens: We started in 2012 just after finishing the Chord Of Souls record and initially after the break-up of our former band Godscore.
Nihil: We´re from Germany and met about ten years ago. The two of us are very different personalities but we make it work somehow.
Jens sings, shouts, growls and plays guitar and keyboard while my duties are guitar, bass and programming. There´s our first album out now, titled “Obsidian”. The band´s name is a no-brainer: “I” mixed up with “Abyss”….Here we are. Not signed and not planning to get signed.
Genre:
Industrial-Metal
Jens: Because we love it, it is just that simple.
Nihil: It´s raw and straightforward with no boundaries regarding the use of technology. That´s what i love so much about this “genre”.
Evolution of the initial musical and thematic elements:
Jens: The musicial structure has been clear from the start. Something in the vein of old Godflesh, Pitchshifter mixed with some small wave elements a la Gary Numan or Stabbing Westward. The lyrics are just a siting of the person I have been at that time.
Ideas about the album:
Nihil: For my part, I’m happy and satisfied with the musical and the visual quality of our recordings, artwork and videos. We hooked up with talented people who delivered great work. That´s the point: you have to pay the people who work for your band to get the quality you desire.
We did and will do and that´s why we´re satisfied.
Check out our partners in crime: Pixelbreed and GhostfogBesides, there´s always enough room for improvement in our musical and sonical production. Be it the sound-quality of future recordings or the songwriting itself. That leaves enough goals for improvement.
Reception:
Jens: It’s surprisingly well. A few very nice reviews and comments as well. I did not expect that at all, to be honest.
Touring:
Nihil: We already did a handful of gigs and had a lotta fun. Touring these days seems to be a financial disaster, so I guess we´ll try to sneak ourselves through as groupies or stagehands while the ambitious bands “pay to play”.
Future plans:
Nihil: Future is dark, rainy and stormy like a day outside in Skyrim! No wait, post-apocalyptic weather like in Fallout!
Jens: I aspire to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond. Hopefully they will recast Eva Green as a bond girl as well. To be serious, I am not interested in future prognoses concerning the band. Music is just a small part of my life, but a nice one I have to admit.
Lyrics, themes and concepts:
Jens: Well, I use the gummi bear oracle and then…. Well, “Obsidian” is a very personal record in terms of lyrics. To make it short: A tribute to dishonor.
For future records I am playing around with the idea of a WWI based record. Very raw and maybe filled with some nice samples of music from that time. I really love music from that time.
Preference; live or studio:
Nihil: I like both with playing live as being most exciting and rewarding for myself. Sure, it comes with preparations and stress before, but the moment we plug in on stage is the relief, I’m lookin´ for. Chatting and drinking with the people and groupies after the gig is entertaining enough, btw. That´s the stories you talk about years later. *laughs*
Jens: I don´t enjoy playing live as much as creating stuff. So definitely studio work, I would say.
Composers:
Jens: Composing 50-50. The lyrics are my domain, but I hope Nihil will contribute too, in the not so distant future.
Inspirations:
Jens: This may sound a little cocky and common, but everyday life is full of inspiration. So are books, movies and music. All mixed up with a serious load of good red wine 😀
Preference; cater to the audience or music for its own sake:
Nihil: A delicate question. There´s this artist´s reflex to deny any interest in any audience just to prove his uncompromised integrity and devotion for his art only. Yet all bands strive to get their music out and to get at least applause from an audience that new about their gig and came out to see them.
In the end all musicians like to get paid. By whom? Your audience is the customer, right?
I´m pragmatic and realistic and I don´t have any problem in expressing my thoughts on this topic.
As much as I love the “underground-do-it-yourself-mentality” I stick with the opinion of Gene Simmons: any musician who denies his audience and his narcissism is a fuckin´ liar to me. A hypocrite.
That´s a fine line to draw, I know. As long as I love the music I´m composing and creating with my fellas in the first place, I don´t have any problem with preparing for a good and solid live-show to satisfy the (paying) fans and myself in the first place. Shit, we´re a new, small band and there´s a bunch people traveling from other cities to see us play only 30 minutes on a stage in a small club. Why disappoint them?
I can handle the balance and that´s important to me.
Jens: All by myself, I wanna be…. All by myself *Sings*. Really, If you have expectations regarding the reception of your music, you are always going to lose. I do it for the sake of it, for the fun of it.
Greatest Accomplishment:
Nihil: F*cking the girlfriends of our most hated rival bands, I guess? No, seriously, ask Jens.
Jens: I don´t think there is anything to accomplish at all in this world. You live, so you create. There are far more important things in life than music. Many musicians take themselves too serious. To be honest, most of them are self-centered fucks. Like I said, I make music for the fun of it, not to accomplish something. It is more important to me, to be a nice and honest guy. At least I try. Sometimes 😉
Anything else?
Jens: People, stop licking musicians’ asses. Their music may be important to you, but they are definitely not. It wasn´t their goal to give you pleasure. The only thing they wanted was to make you believe they´re somewhat better than you. Fuck these idiots.
Nihil: I´m looking forward to Blade Runner 2. Hope this movie is Scott´s final masterpiece that will end every superhero-franchise in Hollywood.
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