Hanna Tsepesh: Hello Stefan! Thanks so much for accepting this interview; I know you are little bit busy at the moment! For those who do not know Graveworm could tell us a little how it all started?
Stefan: Graveworm was formed in 1992. We are a death metal band who played a lot of coversongs from bands like cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Massacre and other. One day we got the chance to play at a local festival but our problem was that we dont got a bandname . So we took a dictionary and the first word we found that sounded suitable to us and to our music was Graveworm. After a while we introduced a keyboard in our band because we liked the german band Crematory and the melodies and atmospheric parts of their music. We started writing new songs and after one year during a local festival we get in contact with the German record label serenade records. After sign a contract there we recorded our first demo tape and our first album. And now we are here with our seventh album and ready to hit the road.
Hanna Tsepesh: What inspired you the most to create the lyrics? The band writes the lyrics first or first the band creates the riffs and the melody to comply with the lyrics?
Stefan: The lyrics where written after the songs are finished. I get the finished songs and then I start writing the lyrics. So it´s easier for me. I got my inspirations from different ways. Medias, television, books or personally stuff.
Hanna Tsepesh: What are your favorite bands? You have any singer that you admire the most?
Stefan: When I start playing in a band my favorite Singer was Lars Göran Petrov from Entombed. A really great vocalist with a fantastic and unic voice. Nowadays my favorite one is the vocalist of In Flames. He is a great entertainer on stage and has great voice.
Hanna Tsepesh: I would like to know if you had any singing technique lessons for growlng? I also take this chance to send my congratulations for you and for the entire band for your career and for the amazing albums!
Stefan: No, I tried one day to get some lessons. But when the teacher heard my voice for the first time he told me that was not possible because this was not a singing style (I screamed and growled like hell...[Laughs])
Hanna Tsepesh: (laughs) cool! Graveworm have a new album called “Diabolical Figures”. This new album is incredible I am so damn addicted to this album! Once again you guys make an amazing work! I liked a lot all the music’s! I really can’t say anything bad about it! For people who don’t listen yet can you talk about “Diabolical Figures “and what is the big different for you between this album and the previous one?
Stefan: Our new album “Diabolical Figures” is for me personally a mix between our previous one Collateral Defect and Engraved in black. The songs are more aggressive but at the same time still melodic and atmospheric. I think this is the way of Graveworm. At one side aggressive at the other side melodic. Personally I would describe our sound as dark metal. I don´t like to be melodic black metal. If you will call it dark metal you can work with different music styles.
Hanna Tsepesh: You guys also made a cover from “Message in a bottle” (a very success 80's pop music), you guys always amazing us with cool covers and this one is really fantastic with a lot of Graveworm energy! Any reason for chose this music for a cover?
Stefan: Not really. Eric got the idea of doing this cover because he really likes the band. I like to do this covers because it makes a lot of fun. Important for me personally is that the song must sound like a Graveworm song at the end. It makes no sense only to play the song in the same way and add a death or black metal voice on it. We have some ideas for the future too… so you will see or hear.
Hanna Tsepesh: The band feels proud with the final result or you think that miss something? Everything went well at recording studio?
Stefan: completely satisfied. The sound is great and really powerful . We got a lot of work in the studio but at the end the result is great... And the fact of working with Andy Classen helped us . He is really professional and great producer.
Hanna Tsepesh: How has the response been to the album by the media and fans?
Stefan: I got a lot of good responses from the medias. Most important are the fans who get the album. I really like to know if they like it or not… Because we all in the band are music fans too.
Hanna Tsepesh: what is your favorite music in this album and why?Stefan: My favorite song on that album is Diabolical figures, because he goes straight to the head and it´s a killer song with a killer riff ad the beginning. I really locking forward to play the song live. I´m curious to see whats´happen in the crowd.
Hanna Tsepesh: The band is thinking about a European tour?
Stefan: Yes we are working on a European Tour in December. Hope this will work out because we want to promote our album as possible as we can. Beside this we will play some shows at the weekends and some festivals in summer. And we will play for the first time in countries like Ukraine and Mexico
Hanna Tsepesh: Can you give any advice for young bands that are starting? Also, what are the lessons you learn along your career?
Stefan: Never give up and have fun in doing what you do… that´s the way of Graveworm. We never get any lesions. We all learn by ourselves.
Hanna Tsepesh: Do you want to send any message for your fans out there?
Stefan: Enjoy our new album and I hope to see you all on the road…
Hanna Tsepesh: Thanks o much for your answers and time. THE GATES OF METAL wishes the entire band a big success with “Diabolical Figures”! We hope to see the entire band very soon in here…
Stefan: Thanks for this opportunity and I hope to see you soon too…
Hanna Tsepesh: You are very welcome Stefan, thank you!
By: Hanna Tsepesh
To listen to some GRAVEWORM music’s and for future information’s go at:
www.myspace.com/graveworm
www.graveworm.de/
