FALKENBACH (Eng.)

– Hello Vratyas, thanks for taking your time. You will sooon release «Tiurida», but I guess you have already heard some feedback from press… How has been so far?
To be honest, so far I did not read more than 2-3 reviews.
The reason for this is, I simply do not use to check the internet for such reviews.
I am much more into the opinion of those who listened to an album and
contact me personally.

– And what does the album’s title mean?
Tiurida is old-high german, and can be translated to «Glory».

– FALKENBACH has always had a so unique sound. How and why did the idea of forming this project arise?
There was no such idea in the end, it just happened. In the beginning, the first tapes about 20 years ago
were more or less pure folk, and the metal aspects grew with the years. There´s never a plan
or something like that how new songs should sound like, they just come to my mind the way they are.

– And why did you choose such name? What does it mean nowadays in your life? I mean, what does FALKENBACH provides you that other things can’t?
It still means alot to me, and is based on private points of view.
The only thing I can say about it here is, it doesn´t mean any person or place I know,
nevertheless it´s got a special meaning to me.

– FALKENBACH has always been a one-man band; what are the positive things o f being so? I guess that gives you total freedom to what (and how) you want to create and yu can bring to your sound your own character. This time have been once more some guest musicians. Could you please introduce them a bit and their work in your album?
In advance, the whole process of composing, is up to me, that´s right. But since «Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty» in 2003,
Boltthorn, Hagalaz and Tyrann are involved in the recordings. This means, there´re alot of things to do during
the studio time, arrangements, alot of details. And there they contribute much to the songs. And for the first time,
on Tiurida Hagalaz added one riff for a song, Tyrann one of the lyrics.  They all are very important for Falkenbach.
Hagalaz is running the Tidalwave Studio mainly, but is also active in quite some bands. Same goes for
Bolttthorn, being drummer of a couple of quite active bands. And all together are members of the band
Le Grand Guignol, formerly Vindsval.

– And how this affect you while in the studio?
As said already, I really aprecciate the fact they contribute to the songs that much.
I am glad to see them being featured on the last 3 albums, and I hope they will
go on in the furture to be a part of that work.

– So, why won’t work to have a full band with members and not only guest artists?
In the end they are not just guests, but part of the studio line-up, as well as for the planed
live line-up. It´s just the composing process that´s up to me mainly. We all are pretty
different characters, different individuals, this is the best solution for Falkenbach.

– If I’m not wrong, you started back in 1989 with your first demos but 6 years passed until you released 3 demos at the same time, and one year later your first full-length album. Are there any reasons for that years without releasing anything new?
The first tape I did in 1989, that´s correct. Apart from that, since that all in all 7 tapes appeared ´til 1995,
all limited to a very small number of copies, and fortunately still not available on the net.
It seems back then I did right when I chose whom to give those copies, and whom not.
Lateron, with Promo´95 and the Laeknishendr tape, I increased the number of copies just
a bit, and as you can see, the net is full with those songs, and some very nice people even
decided to create bootlegs of it to make some money without any permission.
This is the reason for why I decided to not go on like with Laeknishendr or Promo´95, and
returned to a very small number of copies. Meanwhile there´re more than 10 home-recorded
«demos», as I continued with that even after the beginning of releasing the CD-albums, and
I will go on with it, too. There´s no big need for releasing tracklists or anything like that,
as I am sure those who received those songs are not going to put it only. I am simply fed up
by those fuckheads putting everything online or on bootlegs for their own advantage.
This, and only this, lead to the decision to handle it like that.

– I think we can notice, somehow, two eras in your music. Your first two albums were more oriented to Metal, from «Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty» on you’re providing a sound where the Folk and atmospheric elements have a more important role. What caused this change? Or was just a natural evolution?
If you have a closer look on what Falkenbach did in the beginning, you´ll see that «Ok Nefna Tysvar Ty» was more
a step back in time somehow. And taking all the «demos», there´re no such eras anyway. Such an impression can
be created by looking at the CD, obviously, but there´s more than those CDs in the end. But in the end there´s
no plan to make Falkenbach sound in a special way. As I said already earlier before, the songs just come up to my
mind the way they are. If there´re faster passages, I am fine with it, if there´re slower parts, more folk elements,
I am fine with that as well. It just has to sound «right».

–  I believe this new «Tiurida» is not an exception, since it follows a same pattern to those previous albums with some new details. Is something important for you to stay faithful to the FALKENBACH’s own personality?
On one hand it is indeed, on the other hand, again, it´s no plan to make Falkenbach sound like this or that.
I guess that´s simply the way Falkenbach sounds like.

– And what could you say can we find new in this release?
For the first time we recorded most of the material with real instruments instead of using samples.
That´s the main difference between Tiurida and the former albums. Musically I think everyone
has to make up his own mind about what is new and what not.

– The album was produced by Patrick Damiani, whom has worked with several popular bands. How has the experience been?
He, and the Tidalwave Studio itself, is very important for the albums of Falkenbach.
Patrick Damiani is without any doubts one of the most dedicated sound engineers of Germany,
and the Tidalwave Studio a nearly perfect place to record for me. He did alot of work in advance,
got alot of instruments needed, focused on arrangements, created harmonies for some choir parts etc etc.
All in all he is simply dedicated to the Falkenbach songs, to his work, and a friend of mine since
more than 10 years, also apart from Falkenbach and music.

– Most of your albums contained older tracks from demos; have you done it once more with «Tiurida»?
Falkenbach always used older material, that´s right. On Tiurida you can find older melodies as well,
and that´s what I´ll do on future releases, too, probably.

– The artwork for the album caught my attention; what does it represent and how is connected to your concepts, sound and lyrics?

The cover keeps a special atmosphere, connected with the album. In the end everyone has to
decide on his own about this connection, I guess.

– And could you please tell us a bit about it? The artist, idea, etc.
The painting is about 150 years olf, created by Albert Bierstadt.
So obviously there´s not too much I can tell you about his intentions.

– I think your lyrics are a really important part of the band so, for all those who are not so familiar with them, could you please explain what they deal with?
Falkenbach always was, and still is about western- and northern germanic traditions, cultures, values and beliefs.
And that´s what it will be about in the future as well, as this is the reason for why Falkenbach exists.

– Wouldn’t work to release FALKENBACH’s albums via your own record label, Skaldic Art Productions?
Skaldic Art was put on ice many years ago. I am just not the right person to be constantly in touch
with labels, magazines, distributions etc.

– Precisely, Skaldic Art released a FALKENBACH’s tribute album featuring FOLKEARTh, ELUVEITIE and so on. How did you feel about it?
It was not planned to release it via Skaldic Art actually. A guy from Belgium wanted to created a tribute album,
and did alot of the work for it. A short while before the material was meant to be releases, he decided to stopp his
work due to personal reasons, and it was up to me to decide what to do with those songs recorded by all those bands.
Instead from letting it die, I decided to release it via Skaldic Art, that´s actually was put on ice back then already,
and this has been the last act of Skaldic Art.

– And, what are your influences? Not just bands, but feelings,nature, mythology maybe…
There´s nothing I could mention as influence in the end, it´s just the songs themselves.
I don´t need a special place or mood, melodies and songs decide when to come to my mind,
and they simply don´t care about the circumstances.

– You’ve been with FALKENBACH for many years; what keeps you going? Have you ever thought of quitting?
Yes, sometimes I think about quitting the studio recordings, not the home-recordings, but the official releases.
It´s hard to see how most people treat music these days. Those fucking pussies who put every single note they
can get online, stealing like little rats, to be an online-star for one day, being one of the firsts who present
some stolen stuff. This is the main part of reality, and into this reality I have to throw all the songs, the lyrics,
the albums. Sometimes it feels like if I had to stomp those things I love into a bunch of shit.
What keeps me going – the search for the 1 amongst 1000 in this brave world…

– And, finally, how does the future look for FALKENBACH?
I never know, really.

– That’s all. Thanks for your time. If you now want to add any final words, feel free to do it.
Thanx for your support,
and greetinx to the people of Spain!