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Lelahel Metal

Meet Lesson in Violence: Originating from long-standing friendships, we delve into their Thrash Metal journey, album creation during lockdown, signing with Iron Shield Records, and their upcoming release 'No Need for Death'.

1. Can you tell us about the origins of Lesson in Violence and how the band came together?

Some of us have been making music together for several years and in the year 2019 it was time for us to team up to do what we love: Thrash Metal. Roland Schäfer (bass), Florian Negwer (vocals) and myself (Florian Helbig/guitar) were together in a band called „Brain Damage“ but we wanted to start something new and so we made the change.

2. What inspired the name Lesson in Violence, particularly referencing the Exodus song?

Many names have been discussed and we tried to find one that was expressive enough for everyone to know what it was about. We alle love Exodus and many other bands of course. It just happened by chance that we named our baby „Lesson In Violence“. It could also have been something like „Angel of Death“ or any other songtitle on any Album by any Thrash Metal-band in these times.

3. How would you describe your musical style and the themes explored in your lyrics?

The musical style clearly is Thrash Metal, because it is fast, raw and full of alternate/tremolo picking. We wanted to keep it simple by focussing on the essentials and not adding too many effects and bells and whistles.. In our lyrics it is generally about our love to Thrash Metal, social themes and a bit of horror-like stuff, but we do not follow a certain line with our Lyrics.

4. What was the experience like recording your debut album "The Thrashfall of Mankind" during the lockdown in 2020?

It was great because we had much more time for it than in a "normal" year.. We all worked from home most of the time, there were no live-shows, there were no rehearsals so we could sit in our home-recording-chambers and do the recordings without any distractions.

5. What led to the signing with Iron Shield Records Berlin, and how has that impacted your journey as a band?

Iron Shield Records has a lot of great bands and we've known many of them for a long time. So this label was predestined for us because it's a label for thrash metal. I called Thomas "Duck" Dargel from Iron Shield Records and asked him if I could send him some demo tracks. He liked them, so we drove to Berlin and signed the contract during a night of drinking. That’s it, so it was very unspectacular. But all the contacts we made with other bands and magazines around the world wouldn't have been possible without Iron Shield Records, so the influence was really big.

6. Could you share some insights into the creative process behind your music, from writing riffs to finalizing songs?

It all starts with a riff. If a good riff comes to mind or someone in the band comes up with a really cool riff, then you start working on it. We build a structure that leads to and from the riff, arrange it and rearrange it until we say it feels good.

7. What have been some of the highlights and memorable moments for Lesson in Violence since its formation?

There were many of them. For example, the reaction to our first album. It was really great to create something you love and so many people felt the same way. There's a good chance we can experience that again with our second album.

8. How do you feel about the current thrash metal scene, and what sets Lesson in Violence apart from other bands?

I think the current scene has become stronger in recent years because there are a lot of great bands that were formed after the year 2000 that deliver really good Thrash Metal. We want to play our part in this development, but I don't think there's that much that sets us apart from other bands. Because everyone wants to make good music and especially in our genre you want to sound brutal and fast and so on. I think it's all a matter of taste and that's the one thing where you can stand out.

9. Can you give us a sneak peek into your upcoming album "No need for death"? What can fans expect from this release?

You can expect the album to be faster, more brutal and more mature than the debut. There are eleven tracks on this album that can each stand on their own and if you like raw Thrash Metal without any cosmetics or effects, then you've come to the right place.

10. What was the inspiration behind the "Social Madness" lyric video and the recent "War against hypocrisy" music video?

For "Social Madness" it was just a fun idea to do something for our fans so they would have something to remember. We made an announcement that anyone who wanted to be in the video could send us pictures and be part of the video. It was a lot of fun and the reactions were great. With "War against Hypocrisy" we wanted to make things more professional and have something to show everyone that we can be taken seriously. It's a great song and we've been asked for a video a lot, so we decided to do it.

11. How do you approach live performances, and what can audiences expect from a Lesson in Violence show?

We don't have any special rituals before a show or any kind of preparation. Rehearsing and practising is the key to a good show. We try to bring all our energy to the stage by celebrating our thrash without any other elements. The music should be the show, without any theatrical aspects or anything like that. If you prefer elaborate or extensive stage shows, you should go see a musical 😉.

12. Looking ahead, what are your goals and aspirations for the band in the near future? Any upcoming tours or projects you can share with us?

We want to be on stage this year to increase our reach and take as many people with us as possible. We're also already working on our third album and I can tell you one thing: it's going to be even heavier and we're going to keep doing what we've been doing 😉 And we're working on new merch stuff to improve our offering. We can't look much further than 2025 at the moment.

No Need For Death | Lesson In Violence (bandcamp.com)

Lesson In Violence (@lessoninviolencebandofficial) • Instagram-Fotos und -Videos

Lesson In Violence - Thrash Metal Mankind 2019 pre-production (youtube.com)

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