Les chroniques de Béon...: Kadavrik : Interview

INTERVIEW WITH THE BAND KADAVRIK (Originaly made in April)

Talked to: Niklas Preach (Guitars, Vocals, Lyrics)

Hello Kadavrik!! Can you tell us about your band?

Hey man! I could spend hours for the answer. We are KadavriK, we play some kind of Melodic Deathmetal for about nine years now. People tell us our style is quite innovative, as we mix a lot of metal-genres in our music. So you should definitely check us out on Facebook or Youtube!

Your last album “N.O.A.H.” has been quite well received on the international scene. Is it a big step forward for you to pass the German frontiers?

Sure , it is amazing to receive feedback from all over the world. We are currently touring with Napalm Death and do shows in Europe. Generally, we always loved playing abroad. So far we played in every country that borders Germany, except from Denmark... but we managed to play a show in Norway instead. We like to witness different cultures, eat typical food and see some interesting landscape. And of course, touring always means great fun and getting drunk every night with interesting people -this is maybe the subconscious reason.

You have justly the chance to turn in France. But while I’m writing this question, I learn that your show with Napalm Death the 04/03 at Paris has been canceled. What are the reasons of this sudden cancelation?

We had to cancel the show because of a fatality in our closest entourage the day before. We were in tears and unable to travel or to play a show.

But you have finally played at Eragny and you are going to played at Rambouillet, Castres and Blois. How did you find the French people? Did you have great feedbacks?

We found out, that we fucking love this country, the crowd is amazing here in France! Everyone is polite and the shows are really well organized. Feedback was great as well. People are way more open towards different styles of metal than in Germany. Everything was good and there is absolutely nothing we could complain about.

Most of the dates of your future shows are with Napalm Death, and also Night In Gales, Graveworm, Orden Ogan, Black Breath, Six Reasons To Kill... What do you feel about playing with such big bands?

Well, I do not want to be cocky, but we are getting used to it. We have played a lot of support shows for huge bands in the past years, so we learned that all these people we used to look up to are just normal people. They eat, they practice their instruments and they fart just like people do. Well, and it stinks, I can tell! All those “stars” in the scene a pretty relaxed and ordinary people. Maybe there are some arrogant assholes. But that’s the same as everywhere.

What are your mainly influences on the metal scene?

Well, we are influenced a lot of different styles. We founded the band in a time, when we listened to bands like Sentenced, In Flames, Ensiferum or Children Of Bodom. Those bands were pretty much the origin of our style. But we all developed into different musical directions. As an example, right now Frank, Chris and me are very much into Post Rock. We grew up and developed a favours for almost all styles of metal. So our today’s music is more adult and influenced by many styles like Black Metal on the one hand and maybe Powermetal on the other. You will be able to find almost any kind of music in our songs. Well, not really any kind… maybe there’s no reggae.

And which bands would you like to tour with?

Well, Imagine there’d be a tour with Dimmu Borgir, Behemoth, Daath, Insomnium and KadavriK. I guess that would kick fucking ass. We would fit into this, good for us, good for the show.

And what do you think about the actual German scene today?

It ain’t that bad… There are many bands in the underground that rock. Check out Harasai, Words Of Farewell and Legion Of Gomorra. They are all into Melodic Deathmetal and really amazing. We hope there will be a new wave of German Melodic Deathmetal. We are close friends and love partying together. So, there is still an element of friendship in metal. For me, this is a good sign.

I talk now of “N.O.A.H.” Behind these four letters, there is a big meaning. Can you explain us the ideas you wanted to express and linked to the artwork? What are the musical themes?

Well, we tell a coherent story in the last four tracks of the album. Here the world is slowly dying and mankind eradicates itself. The elites of the earth decide to leave this doomed planet by creating a great spaceship called N.O.A.H and escaping into space, trying to find a new place to live and leaving the poor people behind. Those people are rather discontent with the rich people’s decision and form a rebellion that brings down the spaceship. That’s pretty much the story.
It closes a circle in man’s history. Noah’s always taken for the grandfather of mankind in the old chronicles. And N.O.A.H. is the name of this modern ark, which in a way marks the end of mankind as we know it. But beyond these concept the musical elements of this part is much more important. I tried to create a really tense and dark atmosphere. Maybe there is hope in the end… the first songs of the album are quite chaotic, sometimes fast, sometimes thoughtful or just good to party.

The last four songs are singing only in German. Is it important for you not to deny your roots and your native language?

No, the reason was not to memorialize our roots or native language. It’s just that German is a very harsh language with a cold sound. It suits the negative topic of the concept part very good and separates it from the other songs. It is written in the tradition of German expressionistic poems by adapting their style, that Frank and me love a lot.

A lot of people say that you play melodic death metal. But there are a lot of black metal elements as well as epic and viking ones. What is your feeling with this label? Otherwise, how do you really define your metal?

Viking? I thought we were done with that comparison! If we start to talk about genres, get a crate of beer and then we’ll discuss till tomorrow.

People always call it Melodic Deathmetal if someone combines melodies with scream vocals. And as everybody does so, we used their classification. And even for us it is hard to find a better description. We used to call our music Melodic Black-/Deathmetal, but when we did so, people complained that the Blackmetal influences are too little and there is too much positive energy in some songs. So…. Fuck it, just call it metal.

I notice indeed some clean vocals in “High Rollin’”, singing by Arne Lassen, the bassist of Harasai. Why have you chosen this person for this function and how are your relations with this band you are also going to tour with?

Well, Arne is a great friend and I even spent holidays with him. Chris and me share an an apartment with Martin, lead-singer of Harasai – I mentioned them – and we toured with Harasai for some dates in Poland. So we know each other pretty well and we are all close friends. Last weekend we had two shows with Harasai, and Arne joined us on stage for the song. It was a great thing for the audience and also for us on stage.

Now, i'm talking about your third album: “Bioluminescence”. In reality, this album is composed of your two first albums: “Wine Will Turn to Blood Again” and “…Until the Die Is Cast”. Why have you decided to record them again and remaster those twenty songs?

Well, the reason is simple: We ran out of CDs and had to press new ones. But instead of repressing both separated, our label asked us if it was okay for to combine both on one sampler. Sure, we liked the idea. We can now offer 20 songs for the price of one cd. So, it was a win-win-win situation for us, for our label and for our fans.

For this album, you thanked the band Quo Vadis for the artwork idea. Did they inspire you for the album or did this band participate to the artwork conception?

Haha, actually, Quo Vadis is a pub in Wesel, the town we all come from. We met there and discussed about what the artwork for the compilation could look like. And finally, after finishing some beer and liquor, we had the idea of these under-water-motives. Everybody was amazed.

You are most famous since 2011. After so many years, are you glad to touch this objective?

I would say it really started in 2010, when we played at the famous Summer Breeze Open Air and toured with Gorgoroth and Belphegor. Since we founded the band, we worked on our way up. When now looking back, it feels kind of natural. We are not one of those hypes like Sonic Syndicate or so. We really work hard for this, and in a way it feels like harvesting what we sow. In a way, I feel like we deserve this little success after all the shit we’ve gone through, after all the money spent, and all the time that our parents think we wasted.

Since 2011, you are under the label “Sonic Attack”. How did you make this deal? Do you think you will stay with them in the future?

We have to thank a girl called Henrike. She knew Karl Walterbach, CEO of Sonic Attack, and recommended him our cd. He liked and sent us an email, we met, signed a contract, pretty much the usual way. It is great working with a person like him, he got famous with Noise Records in the 90s. He was the one making Rage, Kreator and Celtic Frost become the legends they are today. He is very experienced and very much into modern ways of promotion. In times of filesharing it becomes more and more important to find alternatives to finance a band beyond selling CDs.

So, have you got some projects for the next future?

Well, we are planning to tour on and on. This is really what we love. And we plan to release the German N.O.A.H. songs digitally with in an extended version. We will integrate some audio drama, telling more details of the story.

A little collective question, like a poll for each members of the band: what is or was the most wanted album of or for 2012?

Chris: Callejon – Blitzkreuz

Han: The new Ensiferum record!

Niklas: Harasai – Psychotic Kingdom

Frank: I hope Disillusion will release in 2012. Waiting for it since… er…

Oli: All I waited for was released in 2011 or earlier. I really waited for the new Blind Guardian, Fair To Midland and All Shall Perish.

So, thank you for your time and for accepting my interview! A last word for the readers and the French fans?

You guys have your heart at the right place. We will always look forward to come back to France again and rock for you. Since then support us via world wide web. And do not hesitate to write us. See ya!