Meet Marius from SMORRAH, a band born from decades of friendship. Inspired by hometown tales, they craft heavy metal, unbound by trends, inviting all to their electrifying shows.
1. Can you tell us about the origins of
SMORRAH and how the band came together in 2017?
Marius: Hello and
thank you for having us! We're just a bunch of old friends hanging out
together. Whether it is in the rehearsal room or in a pub drinking some beers,
it's all about having a good time. We have known each other for about two
decades and started our very first bands around 2003. In 2017 we wanted to do
something new and that was when we came up with the band name SMORRAH. It
didn't take a lot of time or energy to write the first songs and it was a hell
of a ride and still is to this day. We're very happy to have the privilege and
opportunity to do what we love, which is play fucking heavy metal.
2. What
inspired the band's name and the concept behind your debut album "Welcome
To Your Nightmare"?
Marius: The “Smorra”
is a demon from a story that has been told in our region for decades. We come
from an old coal mining town and some of the old miners believe that there is a
demon that sits on people's chests at night and wants to suffocate them. My
grandmother was the first person who told me about the “Smorra”. We believe it
is the best name for our music and has a connection to our hometown. In addition, no other band has had this name, which
was the deciding factor when the name was chosen.
3. How would you describe SMORRAH's sound
and musical style, especially in relation to the influences from various metal
genres?
Marius: That's
always a very tough question for us. We all started with the old classic metal
bands like BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, SLAYER, JUDAS PRIEST and many others. In
the 1990s we were also into bands like PANTERA or SEPULTURA who were definitely
be the ones we got the groovy part of our sound from. Of course we were also
influenced by the dark and agressive style of many german thrash bands like
SODOM or KREATOR. Overall you can say that our music is a mirror of ourselves. It's not
limited to a certain style and it doesn't give a damn about what's supposedly
cool or currently popular in the metal scene. We just do what we want. Hear it
or leave it.
4. Your lyrics
often delve into dark themes and human psychology. What motivates you to
explore these topics in your music?
Marius: Well I'm
not motivated at all when it comes to writing some lyrics. That's not because I
don't have fun to write some new stories but it is very stressful for me. Either the
lyrics are about things that affect me emotionally or are so disgusting that an
objective implementation is very challenging for me. Maintaining
a distance from these things is always very important to me. You can say that
our lyrics, with a few exceptions, reflect the pure evil that is real in our
world. Like several chapters from a book of horror stories. However, with
stories that mostly really happened.
5. "Welcome To Your Nightmare"
has been released this February. Could you share some insights into the
songwriting and production process of this album?
Marius: Some songs are as old as our band. The
title track, for example, is one of the first songs we wrote together as
SMORRAH. We always try to write songs with the group in the rehearsal room, but
sometimes someone comes up with an idea, a riff or a whole song structure. In
the end, the only important thing is that everyone is happy with the results.
In the studio we just worked on the details. Everything else was already
finished and set in stone at this point. Our good preparation for the
recordings obviously made things easier for us in the studio. With Micha from
Vyrah Studios, who professionally accompanied the entire production, everything
was even easier. It was a great experience and we were completely impressed by
the result.
6. What can
fans expect from the upcoming album in terms of themes, musical
experimentation, or surprises?
Marius: Anyone who likes their Thrash Metal
groovy, aggressive, varied and trendless will get their money's worth with our
debut album. I think what sets us apart from many other bands in this genre is
the fact that every song can be different and isn't written according to a
certain pattern. For almost 20 years, metal has seen recurring trends in which
bands try to copy heroes from the past. Of course we also didn't reinvent the
metal genre, but we just try to be ourselves and not copy other bands.
7. SMORRAH has
a reputation for intense live performances. How do you prepare for your shows,
and what do you hope audiences take away from your live performances?
Marius: We always
want to have a good party when we go on stage. If you look at the stories
behind our lyrics, you might think that we take ourselves very seriously and
play our songs live with a serious face. The opposite is the case. Our
motivation is to always give 100 percent and get people involved. If you just
want to enjoy the concert and your beer, you've come to the right place, but
you should look for a nice spot further back in the hall. We want to see real
action in front of the stage and we demand that with every song. Full speed or
nothing.
8. How has being based in Gelsenkirchen, with
its rich musical history and legends, influenced SMORRAH's music and identity?
Marius: Of course we couldn't ignore the bands
from this region. We are friends with DARKNESS, who recently released an
awesome album, and of course we listened to SODOM records when we were young.
Yes, of course these bands have a great influence due to their geographical
proximity and still do to this day.
9. As a band that embraces vinyl, CD, and
cassette formats, how important is physical media to SMORRAH, especially in
today's digital music landscape?
Marius: I think people should always have options.
If you only listen to music on the internet, that's fine, but I like having the
option to buy a physical copy if i want. When I look at our listener groups on
the Internet and see how old they are, it doesn't surprise me that the
“Necrosouls”, as we call our fans, are the ones who buy our music physically.
10. Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and goals for SMORRAH in the near
future, both musically and in terms of live performances or touring?
Marius: Of course
we want to go on tour with our new album and reach as many metalheads as
possible. Not because we want to make money. We just want to do what we enjoy
so much and let as many people as possible participate in it. Beside our band
life, we are also normal metal fans who like to go to concerts, drink beer and
we are happy when the sound is good. In our opinion, metal is defined by the
fun of music and not by any stupid trends. Everyone is welcome to our concerts,
no matter where they come from or what they look like. That's what we want to
convey and that's our goal when we're on tour.
Thank you. Auf Loik!
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