Join us for an insightful conversation with Markus and Stephan of CIANALAS, discussing their upcoming album "Far Beyond Healing," its inspirations, and the creative journey behind their music.
1.
Congratulations on the upcoming release of your album "Far Beyond
Healing"! Could you share with us the inspiration behind the album title
and its thematic elements?
Markus: The album title refers to the title song, which was also the first song
that Stephan and I wrote together. Thematically the song “Far Beyond Healing”
is about my failed relationship with my father, who died in December 2019.
Stephan came along with this song shortly after my father's death and with this
song I was able to process a lot of the sadness, anger and disappointment about
personal experiences in my family.
2. The
track "Evidence in Everything" features Markus' daughter on vocals
and carries a strong ecological message. What prompted you to involve her in
the recording, and how important is it for CIANALAS to address social and
environmental issues through your music?
Markus: To be honest, I had in mind a female voice like Agnete Kjølsrud's on
"Gateways" from "Dimmu Borgir". I couldn't get her, so I
went over to my daughters room and forced her to do it (imagine me laughing
...)
No, seriously, my kids (still) think it's cool that I make this kind of music
and always wanted to scream into the microphone themself. Since, as I said, I
had a woman's voice in mind here and the topic is of course becoming
increasingly important, especially for future generations, I thought it was a
cool idea to include my daughter.
Of course, social, political, ecological issues, etc. concern us all. In
reality, no one can hide from this - so clean up your rubbish after yourself
and don't vote for anti-social, aggressive right-wing parties!3. "Far
Beyond Healing" seems to blend various metal subgenres, including melodic
death metal and symphonic black metal elements. What influenced this musical
direction, and how do you navigate between different styles while maintaining
your unique sound?
Stephan:
Metal has been with us since our childhood. I have always been inspired by
melodic riffs, more than pointless speed or aggression, while Markus also
listens to Death, Black and Thrash Metal beside lots of other stuff. We try to
incorporate this into our music. Meridian (Stephan's former band) was once
introduced at a contest with the words "a band between melancholy and
hardness". Somehow the description still fits after all these years.
3.
"Far Beyond Healing" seems to blend various metal subgenres,
including melodic death metal and symphonic black metal elements. What
influenced this musical direction, and how do you navigate between different
styles while maintaining your unique sound?
Stephan: Metal has been with us since our childhood. I have always been
inspired by melodic riffs, more than pointless speed or aggression, while
Markus also listens to Death, Black and Thrash Metal beside lots of other
stuff. We try to incorporate this into our music. Meridian (Stephan's former
band) was once introduced at a contest with the words "a band between
melancholy and hardness". Somehow the description still fits after all
these years.
4. The
album features lyrics inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's works. How do you
incorporate his storytelling into your own lyrical themes, and what
significance does his literature hold for CIANALAS?
Markus: I
read "The Lord of the Rings" many times in English and German long
before the movies appeared (which I don't like by the way). It always was like
visiting old friends when I opened one of Tolkien's books. Over the years I
wrote some songs inspired by Tolkien's world. Stephan can't understand me much
when I'm talking about Hobbits ;-) - so the significance for Cianalas is not
the most important I'd say, but listening to music is like a gate into another
world and Stephan's music often brings me straight into one of those old epic
stories. I think that's where we meet - in the emotions that the songs
transport.
5.
Recording most of the album in your home studio must have provided a unique
creative environment. How does this setting contribute to your artistic
process, and what challenges did you face during the recording and production
phases?
Stephan: Having your own “man cave” in the house is a really cool thing. At
this point, thanks also to my wife, who endures the blaring music from the
basement on many evenings :-). The good thing about it is, that you can
just go down when you feel like it or think of something.
Markus was very creative in his recording locations. There was the bedroom,
although I think his wife must have thrown him out of there ;-), then there was
the mobile home or on vacation in their "castle" (more a big house
with room for around 10 to 12 people), although I can't quite understand how he
managed it there with all the other guests and suddenly there's a crazy guy
shouting out of nothing. The kitchen was also allowed to function as a
recording room.
6. Could
you walk us through your collaborative process as a duo? How do Stephan's
musical compositions complement Markus' vocal style and lyrical content?
Markus:
Stephan seems to be an endless source for new song ideas. He keeps sending me
songs all the time. I think there are around 20 songs I could work on at the
moment. His style is much more emotional than the stuff from bands I played
with in the past, where I normally just used my thrash, death and black metal
voices. For Cianalas I really had to work on vocal lines and to satisfy the
instrumental sound Stephan creates I just cannot only use brutal voices.
The lyrics
are totally up to me and I used to write down what ever came to my mind when
listening to the instrumental tracks.
You could
say that the mood a song puts me in, dictates the thematic direction of the
lyrics - the more depth the song has, the more emotional my lyrics usually
become.
7. With
"Far Beyond Healing," you're not only showcasing your musical talents
but also addressing personal and socially critical themes. How do you balance
these aspects within your songwriting, and what message do you hope listeners
take away from the album?
Markus:
Since this album has no concept and contains very different songs, the listener
cannot take away any particular message. In my opinion music should provide a
glimpse into the souls of musicians and if some people out there can feel the
energy and feelings that we try to release in our songs (let it be expressions
of sadness, anger, hatred, love, despair), then I am more than satisfied!
8. The
album cover and artwork are visually striking. Can you tell us about the
creative concept behind them and how they relate to the album's music and
themes?
Markus: The
cover is a picture of my fathers father in the 1940s. He returned from World
War 2 as an alcoholic and used to beat his wife and children. I am sure that
these experiences my father had in his childhood were to blame for his
inability to have normal emotional relationships. I wrote about that matter
earlier in your first question on the album title.
9. As
the release date approaches, what are your expectations for how "Far
Beyond Healing" will be received by your audience, and what impact do you
hope it will have within the metal community?
Markus: To
be honest there are no special expectations. We just hope that the music will
reach some people who like it and hopefully there will be some positive
response.
10.
Beyond the album release, what's next for CIANALAS? Do you have any upcoming
projects or plans for touring in support of the new record?
Markus:
We're already working on new songs - 2 should be ready in the next few weeks,
but we still have to decide whether we will release the next songs as singles
or whether we will take the time to produce a whole new album.
Unfortunately
touring is not an option at the moment, as we live in different countries with
jobs and families and we don't have musicians available for live shows also.
Cianalas (@cianalas_metal) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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