Interview Suffering Souls

Delve into the creation of 'An Iconic Taste Of Demise' with Suffering Souls, exploring the album's inspiration, recording process, and the band's journey in the Symphonic Black Metal scene.

1. Congratulations on your upcoming album, "An Iconic Taste Of Demise." Can you share with us the inspiration and themes behind this album?

Thank you very much, I'm very proud of that and of course I'll give you a little insight into the creation of the album. It was an incredibly inspiring time, the lock-down combined with the ban on contact gave me an extremely musical boost. Apart from that, you can't influence the writing of songs; you need the right input, idea or inspiration at the right time. Plus, I always write all the songs myself and it just takes as long as it takes. Another point is that I only start working on the ideas I've collected at night, when I'm sitting alone in my studio. After the entire songwriting, which lasted from 2019 to pre-production in February 2022, which was created in my studio, I decided to let the almost finished album rest. In October 2022, I went to a very familiar studio with a long-time companion from Nuremberg, where I worked with him for months to rearrange the orchestral parts. In June 2023 I went to the legendary Hertz Studio in Poland for several weeks, where I recorded the entire album together with drummer Michiel van der Plicht (Pestilence), where Behemoth and Vader also had their sound refined. Since I had been in contact with the people from this studio for a long time and I knew the way they worked and some of the productions, it was a logical conclusion to choose this studio for my fifth album. I was clearly hoping for NOTHING, because I already knew that I would be working with professionals who know their craft, that we would create a brutal sound and that they would respond to all my wishes.

2. How was the experience of recording at the legendary Hertz Studio, and how do you feel it influenced the sound of the album?

Since I had been in contact with the people from this studio for a long time and I knew the way they worked and some of the productions, it was a logical conclusion to choose this studio for my fifth album. When I arrived at the studio in Poland, I was immediately and still am part of the Hertz family. Simply indescribable... nevertheless, I had clearly hoped for NOTHING, because I already knew that I would be working with professionals who know their craft, that we would create a brutal sound and that they would respond to all my wishes.

3. You've mentioned that Michiel van der Plicht from Pestilence played drums on this album. What was it like working with him, and how do you think his style contributed to the overall music?

Michiel van der Plicht is an incredibly consistent, structured and always “on point” drummer. Working with him was an absolute asset to Suffering Souls. I was so impressed by his previous work that it was my first choice to bring him on board. Unfortunately, there wasn't much alternative for Michiel van der Plicht because I had already written the entire drum concept in my studio, but the aggressiveness and power of the drumming are unmistakable and take every song to a completely new level.

4. Suffering Souls has been active for over two decades. How do you feel your music has evolved since the early days of the band?

When I think about when we started in 1994 and how completely naive we were about it, it's a world of difference between then and now. None of us really mastered our instrument well, we just wanted to play awesome Death Metal, be brutal and uncompromising. ...and luckily everything continued to develop, anyone who stood still was kicked out of the band and since 2000 I've been making all the instruments myself. Of course, the songwriting from 1994 to today cannot be compared, not to mention the recording quality and the studios that exist today. You can listen to the extreme comparison on “True Godfucking Soulblight” and “An Iconic Taste of Demise”.

5. The band's genre is described as Symphonic Black Metal. What draws you to this genre, and how do you think it sets Suffering Souls apart from other bands?

I have always been interested in classical instruments and have been playing the piano since I was a child. I've always had a love for classical music and I didn't learn all of my instruments to make primitive music or even Norwegian 3 chord black metal. No, my standards are much higher.

6. Can you walk us through your songwriting process? How do you typically come up with lyrics and melodies for your songs?

Basically, the symphonic arrangements are always the basis of every Suffering Souls song. From the choir to the orchestra everything is planned down to the smallest detail and structured, just as if it were a real living orchestra of flesh and blood. Before I start with an idea, I already have the entire sequence of the song in my head, with all its guitar melodies, bars and sequences. However, in most cases, everything is completely overturned or even discarded, and in the end, a completely different song is created. Of course I can only work like that because I own my own studio and can lay track by track at a time and thus let the song grow. I mainly work with plug-ins, which in sum, as I use them are extremely expensive and expensive to deal with, but at the end but what the result is concerned, worthwhile. I live it and it lasts as long as it lasts and it's only done when I say it's done.

7. "An Iconic Taste Of Demise" is being released through Satanath Records and Fetzner Death Records. What led to the decision to collaborate with these labels for this album?

Basically, I was under contract with SMP Records / Trollzorn, but I was in contact with Fetzner Death Records about half a year before the planned release of the new album, at the end of 2023, to talk about my second album “Incarnated Perfection”, which we want to release together on LP. However, the closer it got towards the release of “An Iconic Taste Of Demise”, the mood at Trollzorn changed due to a lack of financial resources. They wanted to rip me off completely and in the end even asked me to pay my pressing costs for CD & LP myself. As is often the case in life, a lawyer sorted out the rest in my favor. Since both Satanath Records and Fetzner Death Records were interested in working with me, a collaboration arose. One Label serves the entire Eastern European / Asian market and the other label takes care of Europe and the rest of the world. A perfect combination and both do their job more than excellently.

8. What are some of the challenges you face as a musician in the Symphonic Black Metal scene, and how do you overcome them?

The biggest challenge for me has always been how do I get all the instruments together on my own, I never paid attention to any other expectations or challenges because I had to concentrate on expressing my emotions musically. What does the opinion of others who are not even able to play triangle or even live black metal as a weekend activity mean?

9. Are there any specific bands or artists that have had a significant influence on your music and style?

Wagner, Brahms, Schubert, Paganini, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninow, Vivaldi, Bach, Verdi, Grieg, Strauss …     

                                      

10. Suffering Souls celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2019. Looking back, what are some of the highlights and memorable moments from your journey as a band?

Hahaha yes. We are celebrating 30 years this year and we have had many events that we celebrate again and again. Starting from the release of the first demo to the last album and everything that was a highlight in between, it is celebrated again and again. For me, every album, every release, every shirt and every single interview is a milestone in the history of Suffering Souls. Another very decisive moment was the realization around the year 2000 that I no longer wanted to play live. Also a very big honor for Suffering Souls were a lot of press releases that praised “In Synergy Obscene” and “An Iconic Taste Of Demise” in the highest tones and rewarded them with top scores.

11. How do you envision the future of Suffering Souls? Are there any upcoming projects or collaborations that you're excited about?

Fetzner Death Rec. and I will release the first LP version in splatter design of the 2003 album “Incarnated Perfection” album in the middle of the year and an LP version of the current album “An Iconic Taste Of Demise” towards the end of the year. In addition, there is now the shirt for the album as well as a poster, stickers and much more for our special and loyal fans. As far as collaborations are concerned, I generally reject them. I play a solo or a melodic line on another band's album here and there when I'm asked for help, but I unconditionally refuse any serious projects besides Suffering Souls, together with other people.

12. Lastly, what message or experience do you hope listeners take away from "An Iconic Taste Of Demise“?

I've put a massive amount of effort into making the album special and I hope for everyone's sake that you get „An Iconic Taste Of Demise".

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Suffering Souls - From Hubris To Demise (Official Lyric Video) (youtube.com)