1. Greetings to Tyrol! I will obviously start with a question about your newest album “Flammentriebe” which is presented as your last metal album. Even I know that your previous album “In Luft Greitz” has received very positive reactions, don’t you think that leaving metal music is a little bit sad?
All we said was that this very record could – possibly – be our last album based on metal-instrumentation. And that’s the truth. At the moment I don’t think that we’ll ever return to – for instance - classical “blast-drums” because numerous acoustic songs wait to be elaborated, but it might turn out in a totally different way as well. Actually, the new song “Wandel geschehe” was initially composed by means of an acoustic guitar exclusively and one would hardly believe that now when listening to the final studio-version. Thus, everything is possible and even in the future we’ll just do justice to our comprising love for passionate music in general – as we have always done it.
2. In “Flammentriebe” we can simply find the best of DORNENREICH – a lot of black metal combined with all your traditional technique sounds awesome. But I only miss there more excessive moments that you used in the past. What was the reason to eliminate them this time?
Hm … In my perception there are many very excessive parts on this album – especially when it comes to the emotional intensity and the vocals. This time we even had to interrupt the vocal-recordings because my voice had nearly disappeared after we had recorded the screams of “Wandel geschehe”; and I deem that one hears that.
If you allude to some parts of “Her von welken Nächten” all I can hint on is the fact that one can hardly compare the mind of the nineteen-year-young boy I was when we recorded “Her” with the mind of the 29-year-old guy I was when we recorded “Flammentriebe”. If one is serious about artistic expression a certain development is to take place I dare to state.
3. How would you describe this new album, in order to make your fans excited and?
It’s an album that tries to lead the possibilities and potentials of Black Metal into the field of art – as for music, lyrics and visual appearance. It reveals a level of mystic depth and fierce passion that one hardly ever heard before I would say. We tried to intensify and develop what bands like Ulver, Kvist, Emperor and The 3rd and the Mortal started with in the nineties in our inidividual way.
But don’t get me wrong. Self-praise is not my metier. After fifteen years of band-history I’m just very convinced of our qualities and intentions. Anyway, I’m a fan myself and – for example – I think very highly of the current Deathspell Omega-album …
4. We can find a lot of whispering in your music, and while playing live, you use whispering as intro to most of the songs. Do you think it makes the atmosphere deeper and more attractive for listeners?
It’s all about a comprising approach of life. In general we try to create cyclic songs that combine contrasting elements (such as whispers/screams, acoustic/distorted guitars …) within one common vision, which transcends the dualistic nature of many levels of our human lives and which sensitizes for the entirety of life in my perception.
The whispers itself are able to establish intimacy whereas the mystic aura of many musical parts of the songs appear to be widely open. All these contrasts create an expression which is deeply vital and multifacetted in my opinion.
5. If I try to translate “Flammentriebe” it means something as “flames gear”. What can people imagine under this album’s name?
In fact “Flammentriebe” means something like “sprouts of fire”. The German word “Trieb” is ambivalent. It means sprout of a plant and it also means the human urge to live (Eros) and die (Thanatos). To me the sprout of a plant represents the source of nature, it flourishes and it withers, but the human urge never gives in. It exceeds everything. Therefore the flame symbolizes human potentials and wishes, which seem to be driven to its destructive extremes nowadays. Flames offer warmth, but they can harm and destroy as well ... and the “man of flame”, who is present in many of the lyrics, is a human being that denies the cyclic nature of life and sinks into the destructive areas of his own fire ...
6. According to information I found and read, “Flammentriebe” is a conceptual album. Could you tell us something more and deeper about this? What is “Flammentriebe” actually about?
To be be rather brief I can just say that the lyrics are radically critical concerning civilization. They are meant to be an accusation of the “man of flame” this current society seems to be build on. The man of flame tries to establish his standards and luck at all costs of this planet and the creatures living on it. Driven by the density of worlwide economics based on growth the man of flame denies the reality that this earth, which enables mankind to live at all, relies on cycles. Nevertheless, pure criticism is not what the lyrics are all about. That would be far too easy, I mean, it actually is easy to be against this and that but it’s far more challenging to offer perspectives, to stand up for something. So, as a consequence of all that the second half of the new album tries to sharpen the senses of the individual – to really perceive the cycles within itself and around itself.
I address myself to the human individual for I am convinced that only this individual – having its own emotions and thoughts – is able to change this society locally and thus from within. But don’t get me wrong, all that is far from being a manifesto of moralization, I don’t want to point at anybody as for the fact that I carry far too many characterisitics of this man of flame within myself. However, seeing all the exploitation of earth and creature as a consequence of mankind’s topical way of life in all its habbits, routines and consumer behaviour is something that is to be accused, which not only justifies but also demands screams in my eyes.
7. DORNENREICH’s lyrics are very often influenced by four natural elements. Do you often let the abstraction inspire you? If yes, which way?
Absolutely. I spend a lot of time feeling and reflecting myself as “bare” human being within nature. That is, I perceive myself and the “outer” world intuitively and consciously. Every experience can work inspiring upon a human being, I guess, but everything refers back to the individual perception and biography every single human being is carved by. Personally, I – for example - had to face the loss of numerous beloved people and these experiences – without any doubt – sensitized me in many ways. The way to perceive life shines through in every artistic expression, which seems to be both dignity and burden of art, which results in passion – including all its inevitable gifts and flaws …
8. Let’s have a look at your live performances now. It seems to me as, among the metal scene, you have a similar position as for example finish Apocalyptica. I would say that people would sometimes prefer to sit and meditate on your concerts, than to shake their heads. What do you think is the reason for this?
That probably refers back to our universal approach of music, that is, Dornenreich offers everything from very intimate and spiritual acoustic music to extremely ecstatic metal-songs. Besides, each song is cyclic offering a wide range of dynamics and contrasting emotions.
Actually, we just came back from a very successful tour. Every night we started with an acoustic set during which most of the people closed their eyes and seemed to be totally into the deeper vibes of the music. Then we returned to the stage with a fiercely intense metal-set and the same people fired everything they had into the songs, you know, banging, screaming … It was fantastic; especially because of the fact that so many people seem to feel the entirety of what we try to get across.
Dornenreich is all about handmade and soulbled expression. The instrumentation is less important. Therefore we played the song “Reime faucht der Märchensarg” (, which is a metal-song in the album-version) in an acoustic version and we played “Jagd” (, which is a song of our entirely acoustic album “In Lufg geritzt”) in a metal-version. Thus, whenever we play a song it never sounds the same. That’s what many people told me on tour – and that’s a vital and thrilling thing to do as I feel things. At least that’s also what I love when – for example – Tori Amos performs her songs: one knows the song, but she always tends to shape it according to her current mood or level of development, which I consider to be magical and authentic.
9. If I am not mistaken, DORNENREICH never played in the Czech Republic, at least not in the last few years. And you are not planning to come to the Czech Republic during your actual tour with Agrypnie either. What is the reason for this? Czech promoters? Because I doubt you have never thought of visiting your neighbours, hehe…
We played in Praha with Agalloch back in March 2009. And it was a great concert, organized by a very nice promoter and embraced by an enthousiastic audience. To be perfectly honest I don’t know why we won’t play in the Czech Republic this year. We’d love to, but I guess no local promoter showed interest so far. So, dear readers, if you want us to play in your country make your local promoters get in touch with our booking-agent right away!
10. I expect your older metal songs will be played at upcoming concerts and I believe you don’t want to stop playing them. But do you think your new, acoustic music will attract the same people? In other words, it is pretty possible that your fans will change radically.
We’ll see. However the recent tour encouraged us massively to stick to our comprising approach of music. Our listeners come from many different musical genres and even concerning the age we have a wide range within our audience – and that’s good fundament for sure.
11. At the end I want to ask what was the reason for using a DVD box format for “Flammentriebe” and who’s work is it?
I guess this first impression came from wrong pictures of the cover. Some internet-stores (amazon …) cut the black edges of the actual cover and that’s why the format looked like a dvd-case at first …
12. Thanks for the interview and I wish you only the best for the future; looking forward to see you in Czech Republic. Hopefully soon…
Thanks a lot for your inspiring questions and your passionate support. Well, we hope to come to your country soon, too!
