ENDSTILLE INTERVIEW

German Black Metallers Endstille return with their blistering new album "Endstille Reich" and are on the verge of of their first UK tour alongside Sweden's Dark Funeral. Metal Chaos caught up with Kiel's ugliest Black Metal exponents.

Hey, how are things with you guys?
Everything is great, so far… we’re working on new songs, looking forward to destroy the UK…
The bands new album, “Endstilles Reich” has just been released. For anyone who has not yet experienced your music, how do you best describe the music?
Endstille plays ugliest aggressive Black-Metal with a great atmosphere. Cold, dark, enraged…
How do you feel “Endstilles Reich” differs from the bands previous releases “Navigator”? Is this a continuation or are you taking the band in a new direction?
No, we’re just moving on and want to perfect our music. We are 4 people who can only play this style of Black-Metal. We don’t want to make experiments. But there are quiet some changes. Endstilles Reich is more atmospheric than Navigator, and even more aggressive…
How did you approach the writing of the album? What influences do you all take into the recording?
We always want to be better than on the last album. This is all. Nothing more. We don’t plan a thing, everything happens…
Production of “Endstilles Reich” has that traditional Black Metal sound to it, how , was it to create that sound, or was the process more organic?
Yes, we want an honest sound. And this has nothing to do with Black-Metal. We don’t like this trigger and computer generated stuff… What you hear on our albums, are our amps, our cabinets and our drums. We grew up in the 80ies, and that was a time, where the most records had a rough sound. That’s what we like…
Was the recording process for “Endstilles Reich” different to that of previous albums?
No. It just took one week more
Much of the bands back catalogue has had WW II related themes and imagery, what is the bands fascination with this period? And like many Black Metal bands are you not at all concerned you’ll be labeled right wing?
L.Wachtfels is a professional in strategy and the time of WWII. He is a total fanatic in war machinery. Tell him a date of the WWII and he will tell you what happened on this day. And yes, we had and we have a lot of problems with this image. But in Germany the people know. The Nazi Bastards shall go home.
“ Endstilles Reich” is your first release through Regain Records, how did the deal come about and what factors lead to the split from your previous label twilight-Vertrieb?
We decided to cancel the contract with twilight, ‘cause they were too incompetent to bring our CDs outside the German speaking area… When we played in France, Spain, Sweden or somewhere else, the people ask us, where they can buy our CDs. They told us, that it is impossible to get our CDs in these countries. And right after the cancellation of the contract, we get some offers from very important labels. All these offers were very good, but we decided to go to Regain, because they are a Death- and Black-Metal specialized label. And they are only three driving hours away from Kiel, so if they don’t work well, we’ll come along…
The band is out on tour in November with Dark Funeral, what are your expectations for the tour? Is the live environment a medium you feel suits the band?
We are really looking forward to this Baby-Blitz over UK. Dark Funeral are very cool guys and it is always a pure alcoholocaust with them. It’s the first time to play in the UK and I hope that we can infect the people with our music. Iblis is the best Black Metal singer in the world (in my opinion) and when he is on stage, nothing can stop him. He acts like a beast!
As one of the few recognised Black Metal bands to originate from Germany, do we take this, as an indication the Black Metal scene in Germany is poor? Are the any bands we should be looking out for?
I’m not so in the Black-Metal scene here… but Bands like Graupel, Verdunkeln, Ruins of Beverast and Negator are very good. Check them out!
Black Metal has so many differing influences and bands all claiming to be true Black Metal. In your opinion what albums do you consider a ‘true’ fan of Black Metal should own?
Burzum –Filosofem, Celtic Frost – Into the Pandemonium, Sodom – Nuclear Winter, Voivod - Killing Technology, and all Slayer albums.
Do you think Venom is the originator of Black Metal, or do you think the likes of Mayhem / Bathory began the genre?
Black Widow started everything. Pure Satanism…
Are you at all surprised that in this day and age that music is still being banned?
No. This is the world we live in… no comment…
Any final words to the Endstille fans out there?
No. Good night and Fuck Hell!!

All images used with the kind permission of Endstille.