1. Greetings! How do you do in this days, Ben? You sure must have a plenty of responses to your debut. So I join the numerous congratulations...

Thank you very much. Well, we receive more and more positive reactions since our new deal with Metal Blade. It's an unfamiliar situation for us to get this much attention.

2. Although you released your first album "Raw Dark Pure" not until the last year, you have already existed for 10 years. Why did it take you so long? Did you think, there was good time to do it after two demos and one promo, or did you just have any technical problems?

We just took the time we needed to write music we're totally convinced of. This is something I would suggest to many bands that just release and release and create soulless music.

3. Your album "Raw Dark Pure" was released by great distributer indeed, Metal Blade rec.. What was your first contact like? What do you think you attracked them with and what can you say about your current cooperation? After all, aren´t you a little bit afraid of connection with such a big famous label?

Well first of all we released the album via our own label Sovereignty Productions in July 2006 but could not find fitting distributors. Then Andreas Reissnauer of Metal Blade Europe contacted me. He told me how much he loved that album and that he would convince us our perception of music business as something rotten with labels not supporting their bands properly is wrong, at least considering Metal Blade. So we purely attracted them with our music. They will re-release the album in April. We are not afraid of the collaboration but curious. The support so far is really way better than we expected. And we expected a lot. We will do our best to take Sonic Reign to the next step, the first step on this way was to sign the deal with Metal Blade.

4. "Raw Dark Pure" is without doubt a very technique record. How important is this musical precisness for you? Do you focus on feeling and atmosphere or does it just come up naturally?

In the studio we wanted to get the instruments on tape naturally - both the way we play them and the way they sound. The focus was more on getting the feeling into the songs than to be precise at all costs. I don't see 'raw dark pure' as a very technical album. It is an album with soul with a natural, raw and powerful sound.


5. The structures of your songs are very complex. It must be difficult for you always to find that "proper" riff to have the whole song of the same high-quality, when you create so complicated and technique music. There is no room for any "padding". That´s one of the things I like on "Raw Dark Pure"...

Thank you. See, as I said before we take our time until we feel a song is perfect. This might take long, but I want to be a hundred percent satisfied as a musician. And that is the some for Sebastian. We don't want quantity but quality. When we know a song can be better than we will make it better before we record it.

6. I find your album very mature, it´s quite similar to the most of todays "classical" bands. Do you think, that you have musically grown up during that ten years? What was actually the development of your image of Sonic Reign music?

It is nice to hear that you think of the album in a similar way as we do and a big plaudid indeed. When I risk an ear to our demo recorded back in 1999 I see how much we have developed. Back then we were teenagers without a big idea of what we wanted to represent and did mediocre melodic Black Metal stuff. You can't be a perfect musician from the beginning and we still are far from being perfect. But this big developement Sonic Reign without a doubt went through within these years is something that motivates us to push these boundaries higher and higher and grow both as musicians and personalities.

7. Why exactly Sonic Reign? I can´t help it, but I find it suitable rather for some other, older kind of black metal. Is there perhaps any hyperbole?

I'm not quite sure if I understand the point of your question. The name fits our music mixing modern elements with old school elements.

8. You boast about the "modern black metal" mark. How would you characterise this "direction" and what does it mean for you?

Nah, we do not "boast" about it. I think you got that wrong. We just think that this term gives a more precise impression of our musical work to people that did not hear our music before. That's all. To us, it is our will to create the feeling of the early 90's Black Metal going new musical ways. Black Metal was always about revolution, so why stick to the old style forever? What kind of revolution limits itself to tradition? Revolution knows no tradition, tradition knows no revolution.

9. The influence of band like Thorns or Satyricon is quite obvious, but I´m glad, that I couldn´t say, that Sonic Reign is "some fucking copier". On the contrary, I´m deligthed at changeover of shapely and agressive moments. But I believe, that you must be already tired of such comparisons.

These comparisons are something that I hear quite often yes. Of course these bands have played their roles in the time when we started to develope our style but to me that is not so very obvious than it seems it is for others. At least they give people a rough idea of or sound.


10. Your lyrics are very uncompromising and unusual, does this latitude help you to better creativity?

I have to believe in what I am singing. I don't believe in religion or satansism or anything like that, so why should I write much about it? The lyrics have a strong reference to reality, of course using metaphors, but the essence is nothing fictional. The reason why our lyrical themes differ so much from the common Black Metal lyrics is not that we yearn to be something special, but because credibility is one of the main engines of Sonic Reign. We just do what we feel. Nothing more, nothing less.

11. Which song do you find the most interessting regarding both music and lyrics and why? You can of course choose more than one. By the way, why exactly "salt"?

That is a question I truly cannot answer. I really am possessed by all the songs and all the lyrics. Do you think the name 'salt' is so strange? When you read the lyrics you will know why the song has this title. What is your favorite song and why?

12. You have got comments from interessting and musically very educated people on your website. Aren´t you a little bit conceited, when you read them? :-)

Hehehe. No not conceited - just proud. We respect all these persons as musicians, and it is great when musicians that you respect on their part respect the music you are creating.

13. What would you tell us about your Sovereignty label? I noticed, that it also declares its support for "modern black metal", do you cooperate with any other bands, that regard themselves as "modern"?

Sovereignty was founded for 'raw dark pure'. As I already mentioned we had problems with a proper distribution, so at this point of time it would be of no advantage to a band to collaborate with Sovereignty. Since Sonic Reign is now in our focus Sovereignty has been put on ice for an undetermined time.

14. What about you and live performances? Do you plan any? I must say, that technique black metal like you play is perfect for some good "action" under the stage!

Sure the music is predestined for live performances. Yet nothing is planned I must admit. Right now we just don't have the time for rehearsing that much and getting on stage. But some very good musicians already offered their services to us, so when the time is right there would not be a problem in finding session-musicians.


15. What about your future plans? I think, we certainly could wait to see some surprise from Sonic Reign, especially when it comes to some music experiments...

There are no 'future plans'. Just as we did when writing the material for 'raw dark pure' we will wait for what's coming from our core. We will keep the direction of creating our music 'naturally'. Metal Blade respects this attitude and that is one of the reasons why we signed the deal. The whole life is filled with pressure but I will never do my music under pressure.

16. Do you have any idols, when it comes to vocals? Do you use any effect?

I think Shagrath of Dimmu Borgir has a very diverse voice. As you can imagine I also think the vocals of Mr. Wongraven are perfect. I don't like the high screams some Black Metal bands use and neither do I like the very deep death metal vocals besides few exceptions. I like that middle range vocals so that is why we use these. I use very few effects in some parts of the album. In 'reminiscence of imperial wrath' e.g. I used some distortion on the vocals in the beginning of the song. Effects sometimes can make a part of a song more intensive. When a part needs an effect then I will use one. But I use as few as possible. As I said, we want our sound to be natural.

17. You represent yourself very well as for graphics, well-arranged website... Is this presentability important today?

At least it is of importance to us. The artwork and the website should strengthen the atmosphere of our music and I am convinced they do.

18. Germany is beautiful country, regrettably it has a very inconsistent history... but I won´t ask about history, I would like to know, what is your opinion of todays Germany?

I think it is one of the best countries in the world to live in. At least for me. Of course I don't feel comfortable with all political descisions, but who does independently of the country he is living in? I know that our country has a horrible history. Nevertheless I think it is time to move on. I don't see why I should feel guilty for something I was not involved in. People who still want to let Germans pay for their history should just fuck off.

19. Imagine, that you wake up in the morning and there´s paper on your table, where there´s written, that you have got 10 minutes to pack up 10 things, that you take with you to desert island... what would it be?

Haha that is the second time within just a few days that I'm asked this stupid question. Hell, I don't fucking know!

20. Thank you very much for interview, I wish you luck to the future and the last lines are for you...

It is me who has to thank for your support. I also want to thank all our fans. See you.