Apokrypha
Apokrypha is a band from
Germany that delivers apocalyptic black metal, as they prefer to call their
music... Well, the description may vary a bit from listener to listener,
but there's one thing for sure... Apokrypha have developed without any
doubts a sound of their own, a sound that sets them apart from the rest
of the black metal releases. So, below you can read and learn a great deal
of things regarding the band...
1. FIRST OF ALL CONGRATULATIONS FOR "TOTHE
SEVEN"! HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT IT?
And first of all thank you! We had much trouble
during studio sessions, but now we are really satisfied with our debut
album. Actually there’s positive reaction with almost no exception on our
debut album. That makes us turn a blind eye to the studio time and makes
us feel great.
2. WHICH ARE APOKRYPHA'S GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS?
INTRODUCE YOURSELVES TO THE READERS.
Founded 1999 in Würzburg/Germany by four
men to create something special, something to think about within the extreme
metal scene, but also something to bring a special atmosphere to the audience…
Right now it’s the time for APOKRYPHA’s greatest achievements. Our debut
album is released, we got Interviews in Rock Hard and Legacy, two of the
most famous German metal magazines. Many reviews, a few interviews...It’s
getting started.
3. YOUR COMPOSITIONS ARE BASED ON GUITARS. WHY?
WHY DON'T YOU USE KEYBOARDS AT ALL?
Both of us guitarists are responsible for
the music. Playing guitar is our passion and that has to be felt in our
music. It’s not a challenge to create atmosphere with keyboards but it’s
one to create it without!
4. YOU HAVE A SPECIAL SOUND. A SOUND OF YOUR OWN.
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO ACHIEVE THIS?
We’re proud to have a sound of our own, but
that’s very difficult to achieve. There are two important factors: First
of all it’s the controllable one, the consistently work on every single
note during songwriting and the perfection of the whole production. But
there’s also this uncontrollable one... luck.
5. WHERE ARE YOUR LYRICS REFERRING TO? "TO THE
SEVEN" IS BASED ON A CONCEPT STORY REGARDING A FICTIVE SOCIETY.
The inevitable Apokalypse, decay of mankind,
moral sloth, ignorance… these are only some expressions that symbolize
our concept. This fictive story includes various parallels to our world
in a very abstract way, dispersed on every single song of ours. Soon there
will be a detailed description of our concept in English language on our
homepage www.apokrypha.de.
6. WHY WAS SUCH A PROBLEM TO YOU TO FIND A SINGER?
Metal has to be played live! Therefore every
musician has to represent the music on stage as excessive as possible.
To achieve this, everyone should concentrate only on his instrument. But
the scene in our hometown was very small at that time. So there didn’t
exist any suitable vocalists to choose from. We decided fast, that 4 people
are enough for the band and one of us took the part while playing guitar.
In the meantime the franconian scene is growing strong. Bands arise here
and there, and there’s even this great increasing Festival “Up From The
Ground”, which stands for the scene of our region. Now it shouldn’t be
the problem any more to find a singer, but APOKRYPHA exist like this, and
there will be no line up changes, in no way.
7. DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS? WHAT
DO YOU "OFFER" TO THE FANS DURING YOUR LIVE PERFORMANCES?
APOKRYPHA is a live-band, playing live is
our passion. Since our first show we strived to infect the audience with
our music, to create a special chemistry between them and ourselves. The
brutality and desperation will be transported and manifested on both sides,
every time we play. There are a few shows this year, in Switzerland for
example, too. We’re planning a tour in the beginning of 2005 and we’re
confirmed for the Party San Festival in summer 2005.
8. BY THE WAY DO YOU KNOW THAT THE WORD APOKRYPHA
IS GREEK? WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR NAME FROM TO THE SEVEN TO APOKRYPHA?
Yes, we got it from your mother tongue. It
sounds great and extremely hard as many of your Greek words. The sense
of this word is the base of our concept. It’s the dubious content of the
writing which is sent TO THE SEVEN dominators of our fictive world. We
had to rename, because of the danger of juridical problems after we changed
our label. The old one had bounded us in a treaty, but did nothing for
us during more than a year. We signed to Black Attakk, who appreciates
our music. So we got a really competent label in our backs. And we’re happy
about that.
9. WHICH WAS THE BEST AND WHICH THE WORST REVIEW
- DESCRIPTION THAT YOU READ?
There are plenty of excellent reviews for
our album. You can read them on www.apokrypha.de.
Seemingly, we caught the heart of many reviewers’ minds as well as we want
to get the ones of the people out there.Well, the worst review is the one
from Voenger.de, they summed up our CD with “exchangeable” and it was written
exaggeratingly in a negative manner. These guys are crazy I think. Well
we didn’t become the “Anti-Album of the Month”, whereas other Bands were
killed lyrically in the truest sense of the word...
10. WHICH IS, ACCORDING TO YOU, THE BEST AND WHICH
THE WORST PART IN YOUR MUSIC? IN WHICH FIELD DO YOU NEED FURTHER IMPROVEMENT?
There is no “worst” part in the music of APOKRYPHA;
some things might be improved, like the Sound but nothing essential. We’ll
go on as always. There are many new ideas, which we’re working on right
now. And there’s a really great Cover Song which we’re going to play live
and put on an upcoming CD, so be ready!
11. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD
IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
It would be a new kind of emotion, a new experience,
which is never felt by anyone. A universal emotion, which bounds every
repressive and desperate feeling together. It’s exactly similar to the
painting. It would be a moving one, it would rotate just like the deep
sense of our concept: mankind will fall, again and again…
12. IF YOU COULD INVITE FAMOUS MUSICIANS TO PARTICIPATE
IN YOUR ALBUM WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
It would have been QUORTHON of the mighty
BATHORY! How proud would we’ve been, if the creator of our sense of Black
Metal as music was involved. He’s dead know but his achievements live on
within many bands and also within us…RIP
13. WHICH WORDS DESCRIBE YOUR MUSIC THE BEST POSSIBLE
WAY? WHICH PHRASE CAN SUM UP IDEALLY THE BAND'S HISTORY?
It’s APOKALYPTIC BLACK METAL for our music
but pay attention. For history it can’t be anything else then: “Veni, Vidi,
Vici”!
14. IF SUDDENLY ELECTRICITY CEASED TO EXIST DO
YOU THINK HEAVY METAL MUSIC WOULD DIE? COULD YOU REPRODUCE APOKRYPHA'S
MUSIC IN AN ACOUSTIC WAY?
Oh yes, it would die. Heavy Metal has to be
played live! It has to be played loud! Louder than hell! The true sense
of Heavy Metal would be lost. According to APOKRYPHA, the distorted guitars
are the main point in our music, the feeling of the sound would be gone.
Acoustically played it will sound nice, but the whole created atmosphere
would be definitely gone.
15. THANK YOU! LEAVE YOUR MESSAGE TO THE READERS...
Apokalyptic thanks for this special interview.
We hope to have found some new fans and therefore friends in Greece. Perhaps
we may have gigs down there one time, just leave a message at www.apokrypha.de.
Christine Parastatidou
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