It was to be expected that after 30 years of playing, the motivation was no longer the same. Dear readers, make no mistake. Crematory has been giving us some of the best gothic, death and industrial German melodies for the last 3 decades and they don't think they'll be taking their foot off the accelerator anytime soon. This year, they released Inglorious Darkness, their 16th full-length and a kind of a return to the band's older sound. We talked to them.
M.I. – First of all, congratulations on the new album! A consistent work, as expected from Crematory.
Thanks very much. We’re extremely proud of our new album. It hits the German Main charts at rank 17.
M.I. – 30 years of playing! What is it like to make music for 3 decades and continue with the same will and no desire to slow down?
You have to love music, that’s all. We’re still hungry after all the years and won’t stop. It’s still too much fun and dedication.
M.I. – How do you see the metal of the last 30 years and the changes that took place, mainly, in Germany?
The metal scene went through a commercial explosion, it becomes more common to listen to metal in the society. This had some good effects but on the other hand it’s more about quantity than quality. Too many bands sound similar, are plastic products and not better than casted pop bands.
M.I. – What are your influences? Do they remain the same or do tastes change?
It changes through the years, of course you have still your main influences but for me personally we have a unique style anyway. Sometimes we think about some stuff from other bands like, wow, that sounds cool, but we’re not a copy band. But of course, we get influenced by new and old stuff.
M.I. – Are there any new German bands that you think stand out from the others? What do you recommend?
For me personally, it’s Brainstorm, a power metal band also from southern Germany. They don’t have a single bad album and they sound absolutely not typical German. Great Band, really worth a try.
M.I. – In these 30 years, you have given many concerts and must have many stories to tell! First: What was the craziest thing that happened to you in a live performance? And
second: Which band gave you the most pleasure in sharing the stage?
There are too many things to mention, the funniest situations are always when Felix start to interact with the audience, he’s really spontaneous as hell.
There are too many to mention, we’re proud of being on every stage, whether small or huge.
M.I. – What was it like to write an album in the last 2 years, in the midst of a global pandemic? Did these events influence the songs?Of course, living in a completely different situation for about two years makes some important impact on the songwriting. It becomes angrier and straight in your face attitude. We were pissed, and you hear that…
M.I. - Did you have any kind of restrictions or were you able to get around the problems?
We had restrictions during the pandemic, the whole process was not quite easy.
M.I. – Normally, how is your composition process? Does everyone contribute? Do you come together or do things separately?
It’s a mixture of everything you mentioned, we talk about ideas, work them out, arrange stuff, finding out this or that idea is bollocks or fantastic…
M.I. – Although it doesn't seem to be a continuation of Unbroken, it seems to me to follow the same line, with a mixture of industrial music with various metal genres. What is the big theme of Inglorious Darkness?
It’s a trip through the history of crematory, the main lyrical themes are very dark but still with a positive vibe. It’s too easy to say, I’m just on the dark side, the combination of light and darkness makes life worth living.
M.I. - Since 2016, with Monument, you haven't written songs in your mother tongue. Why include German songs now?
We never go into the writing process with having in mind we have to do a German song, this happens really naturally, the song has to fit the lyrics, if English lyrics fit better, we choose those.
M.I. – There was changes in the line-up. What did Patrick, in particular, bring new to the band?
He’s a really good bass player and a real character on stage. He knows us for years and know our special kind of humor very good.
M.I. – You said goodbye to the second guitarist, who also sang (clean vocals). Was it a way to go back to the past and to your old sound?
Absolutely, we wanted to go back to the essentials of the crematory sound, forward straight in your face gothic metal with attitude and power. We wanted to prove ourselves that we are able to this again, like in the old days.
M.I. – The cover… I know it was made by Stefan Heilemann (I looked at his website and there are simply fantastic paintings!). The design gives me a vibe of Inglourious Basterds (the movie) mixed with Wolfenstein (the video game). What is the meaning?
A sexy world downfall… We wanted some completely different, so Stefan came up with the pictures, and we were stunned. It fits perfectly the attitude of the album, dark, sexy but really dangerous and mean.
M.I. – This is your 2nd album with Napalm Records, after having passed through other renowned labels. Why the constant changes?
Actually, they did the best offer and they do a hell of a job in promoting this album. Great performance.
M.I. – Maybe it's still early, but… Any ideas for the next album? When can we expect it?
There are many ideas, believe me, what to expect… I think we do it the good old Crematorian way… Expect the unexpected.
M.I. – Plans for tours? I think you only have dates for Germany. When will we be able to see you in Portugal?
We’re working on shows outside of Germany. There will be definitely some in Portugal.
M.I. – By the way, do you know and listen to any Portuguese band?
Moonspell of course, good friends of ours. Great band and amazing music.
M.I. – Any last words for our readers?
Keep the spirit alive!!! Horns up. See you hopefully soon!!!!
M.I. – Again, congratulations on the album, thanks for the replies and keep doing what you do best, as if time never passes you by!
Thank you so much!!!! Cheers.
Listen Crematory, on Spotify
