Interview with...
LACRIMAS PROFUNDERE: Out of Nowhere, going Somewhere
Rock and sad is how the German band Lacrimas Profundere describe their own music. Although it was initially formed as a band of doom metal with classical elements, the group created in 1993 by Oliver Schmid has transformed their music over the years.
It was in 2002 with the melancholic gothic rock album "Fall, I Will Follow" where they found their identity. Their latest album, released in April 2010, "The Grandiose Nowhere" is a demonstration of this unique blend of ballads and metal.
After several lineup changes, the group currently consists of lead guitarist and composer Oliver, Rob Vitacca on the microphone, Tony Berger as a second guitar, and Korl Fuhrmann on drums.
On the 10th of December Lacrimas Profundere played at the Temple of Metal Festival in Bilbao where we had the opportunity to talk to them and ask Oliver some questions.
Question (Q): Tell us about this latest album, The Grandiose Nowhere- What was your inspiration?
Answer (A): We did a tour last year in October, and after the tour we had some kind of burnt out, but the studio was booked and the flight for the producer was tight so we said ok, let’s go record it.
We send stuff via mail. I recorded my songs and send it to him, he put his vocals on it and for 6 months or so like this we built a demo together. After the tour, it was like a month on the road with Deathstars, Dopestars and Diary of Dreams, a very huge German band, and after this tour it was too much; too much of beers, too much of alcohol. And we said, hey, let’s do nothing for a year. But then we entered the studio recorded this album and this album throws a speck into the business in my opinion. Everybody loves the songs of the record, the whole band members.
Normally, if you record a CD you have your favorites. Normally what is your favorite is not the favorite of all the other members. One member says oh I like these 5 songs, I like these 3 songs, I don’t like this song blablabla. This was the first time in my life the band said hey, we love all the songs and that makes me a little bit proud.
If you produce an album the next thing is to put the songs in the right direction. Then the next thing is when the label says you have to shoot a video clip and asks you which song you would prefer. That’s the next fight in the band: I want this, and I want this, and in this record “the Letter” was the song the whole band said yes, that’s it.
The whole press came to the studio and listened to the CD for the first time and the guy that writes the review for the biggest German Goth magazine, came up to me after listening to “the Letter” patted me on the back and said “fantastic song. I like it.” There were so many people that loved the songs.
There were many first times on this album; first time the whole band doesn’t have to fight, first time everyone likes the videoclip, first time the whole band loves all the songs.
Q: A new start?
A: Not for the band because the people outside didn’t know that we hated each other [they all laugh].Perhaps it’s a new start, we’ll have to try and see how long it lasts.
Q: What was the best part of recording the album?
A: Someone says: Oli was not in the studio. [General laughter]
A: We recorded this album in parts and if you went to the studio you played your part and then you drove back home. But, if I sit at home and I know the other guys record their stuff it’s something like this, I have to call: [pretends to dial] -hey, hey what’s up?- and they say “no, no, no, not Oli again, hey, please let us work.- 20 minutes later, -hey guys please do this and this and that and that” – “ok we will do it”. and then, [pause] I’m sure that, [pause] This time he’s not my best friend anymore (referring to Rob) and we have fights together not with fists but with words. But at the end the result is the important part.
The best part of recording the CD… There is no best part because recording is hard work, I hate to record CD’s, but the best part is when you listen to the songs the first time, when they are finished in the studio and all the parts are together: the keyboards, the vocals and stuff like that and you get an idea how the songs work. And the next best part is always when the label sends us the finished product CD and it’s all new and exciting and you kiss it, smell it, [laughs].
Q: This is the last 2010 gig for the Grandiose Nowhwere, what are the plans for the future?
A: I have a family, two little kids and for me it’s very, very, good to celebrate Christmas and the holidays with my family without the band and stuff like that. There was one time we had a tour and we had a concert to play on the 25h of December. And I went home to my family and all the other stayed on Christmas day. I tried to go home to my family and it was drive with train from 2 o’clock in the morning to the next airport in Frankfurt. Then waiting, waiting, waiting to arrive in the airport at 4 and wait till 7 or 8 o’clock till the next plane left to Munich. But if you arrive in Munich I’m not at home. I have to wait ‘till the next train and about 2 hours later I arrive home. And I say hello to my wife, the children, to my parents, then you eat something and you say hey, I have to leave! We have a concert to play. This trip cost me about 25 hours and I stayed at home 3 hours. So this year it is so great that I don’t have to play any concerts or tour and can celebrate Christmas with my family and without stress.
Q: How about after the holidays? You guys had to cancel the tour in the US, are there any plans to go back to that?
A: We have a working visa that cost 2.500 dollars and this working visa runs till the end of August 2011 so we have to do a tour in the US till August otherwise all that money was for nothing.
Q: I read in an interview that as soon as you’re done recording an album you start working on another one. Are you already working on new songs?
A: Yes, I’m always composing songs. I have about 7-8 songs for the next album.
For this album I composed 40 songs and 30 songs were complete crap. But if you compose the song you don’t know it is crap, you like it, but 3 days later you play it and you’re like, what the fuck? You compose about 40 songs and then choose about 10 of them and send them to the other guys and if the other guys and depending whether they like them or not, then you have about 5 songs [to work with] and you continue like this. So it costs time and you have to start to compose a song soon after the recordings or it takes about 4 years until you release the next album.
Q: You came in September to Madrid and now Bilbao. What are your expectations for the Spanish market?
A: It is our first time in Bilbao, we hope, but we don’t know. In Madrid it was always great, and we played in Barcelona too, one time, two times. So it’s our first time in Bilbao. I don’t know, we hope that some people like it.
Q: Do you guys use the new technologies, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, etc?
A: We have to, you have to. At the moment we have Facebook, we have Reverbnation, Myspace.
Q: Do you think they have any use beyond being in touch with those that are already fans of the group?
A: Oli: I don’t know. How about you Rob?
A: Rob: They have use. Facebook is a great thing because you reach people in a short time. You can reach thousands of people with one post. At the moment Myspace doesn’t work very well because Facebook is so big. It’s a great thing. We’ll see how long it works.
Q: Any words for your fans and future listeners out there?
A: Hello. I am it. Be careful. Buy our album and make us rich and famous, please. Otherwise we will find you [laughs]. Thank you.
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