BOOMERANG
I had a long time to
listen such an interesting band from Germany, like BOOMERANG. A band that
made me feel like I was listening Heavy Metal for the first time. So this
is our second interview with Christian, which seems to be a great person
and also has a good taste of humour (just check out the answers that gave
me in the hard questions). No more to say, go straight for the interview.
1.FIRST OF ALL MY CONGRATULATIONS
FOR YOUR GREAT
ALBUM! IS ANY SONG INCLUDED HERE
TAKEN FROM YOUR
PREVIOUS DEMOS OR ARE THEY ALL
NEW COMPOSITIONS?
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Thanks for the flowers! Only one song
(the cold one) is taken from our demo. We took it because after finishing
the demo we changed the vocal-parts of bridge and refrain. And we wanted
to document it like it is played live.
2.THE ALBUM'S TITLE IS "WEAVEWORLD".
DID YOU TAKE IT
FROM CLIVE BARKER'S GREAT BOOK?
DO YOU LIKE READING
FANTASY LITERATURE? IF YES, NAME
SOME OF YOUR MOST
BELOVED BOOKS AND AUTHORS.
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You are right. This is the title of
the book and the song text is a short summary of it. I am more in love
with horror books than fantasy. Clive Barker is something between I think.
My favorite authors are Preston/Child, Graham Masterton Dan Simmons and
Joe Donnelly. Try the book “das Jesus video” from Andreas Eschbach a german
author, this is really great. (Attention: Don’t take care of the movie,
because it is totally bullshit!!)
3.YOUR MUSIC, IN MY OPINION, IS NOT
100% TEUTONIC
METAL, CAUSE YOU ALSO HAVE MANY
INFLUENCES FROM THE U.S. POWER METAL SCENE. DO YOU AGREE? HOW EASY IS IT
FOR YOU TO COMBINE GERMAN AND U.S. POWER METAL? DO YOU THINK THAT BANDS
LIKE RUNNING WILD, OMEN, GRAVE DIGGER, WARLORD AND BLIND GUARDIAN HAVE
INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE?
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We don’t think that we play a typical
style in any way it is just Heavy Metal.But you are right that I like the
US-Style even more than the German-Style(but that is only my opinion).
We play the music we like best. You will get influenced by every music
you have ever heard, so the above mentioned bands are also a part of them
but I think they are not the main part.
4.I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS YOUR INTENTION
BUT YOUR ALBUM HAS A STRONG EPIC FEELING. DO YOU AGREE? ONE OTHER THING
IS IN SONGS LIKE "LIKE BLACK LIKE WHITE" THAT I NOTICED A SENSE OF HUMOUR
ON HOW YOU PLAY YOUR MUSIC. DO YOU THINK HUMOUR IS IMPROTANT TO THE HEAVY
METAL MUSIC?
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“Humouros Epic Metal” I guess that
was never done before…But to answer your question, it was never intended
to be “epic”, it just happened. Somebody once said, we lack the “mystic”.
We considered that for years, and then we unburied the hatchet and went
on warpath….just kidding, we really don’t know how to create “epic” feeling,
or “mystic” feeling-whatever that is, I think this happens only in the
ears of those who hear it. It’s nevertheless a great compliment, because
it puts us on the same list as Omen, Manilla Road and a whole lot of great
bands. It’s the same with the funny parts: Things just happen, if you try
and be scientifically funny and think about a joke you are not funny anymore.
Its all just weird ideas coming and going, some stay, some are dumped.
A little laugh here and there is not bad anyway. Helloween had a lot of
funny parts back in the old days, Bands like Adolf Castle from Russia are
also funny as hell (check “Really Crazy Germans”-its just brilliant AND
funny) or think of Spinal Tap. Nowadys a lot of bands and fans as well
take themselves and their music far too serious. Do you think Hammerfall’s
“Glory to the Brave” was more than a “lets have fun, beers and make an
album” thing? Or check an old interview with Cronos. All this over the
top imagery had always a little smirk.
5.IN GERMANY YOU ARE ONE OF THE FEW
BANDS THAT DOESN'T TRY TO PLAY HAPPY METAL, LIKE HELLOWEEN. WHY DO YOU
THINK THAT THIS KIND OF MUSIC BECAME SUCH A TREND AND BANDS LIKE EDGUY
EARN SUCH A RE COGNITION THAT THEY DON'T DESERVE (THIS IS MY OWN OPINION)?
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Edguy are not that bad, neither are
Stratovarius or Rhapsody. They created something unique and new. You don’t
have to like it, true, but they play an important role. It’s those clones
that pop up in the path of success without musical talent or inspirations
I could do without. They are mostly a part of the music business’ cash
machinery. It’s true, that they are nearly pop. “Easy listening Metal”,
but no one forces us to listen to it, or to buy their records. If the majority
likes them, they shall have em.
6.FROM YOUR EMAILS I UDNERSTOOD THAT
YOU ARE IN TOUCH WITH SOME GREEK METAL BANDS. DO YOU LIKE ANY BAND FROM
MY COUNTRY AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE GREEK METAL SCENE?
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Yes. Greece is great. We got a lot
of support from your country. Greg from Eat Metal Records/Singing Swords
Fanzine did a lot for us, also a lot of greek fans ordered our CD via the
internet. You also have a lot of great bands such as Reflection (greetings
to Stathis) or Battleroar. I met the guys at Cologne, their self titled
album rules. Dream Weaver has also recently released a great album. I am
a huge fan of Flames (they rule, thrash metal from hell, but I still need
the second and fifth album), I still search Nigel Foxxes solo album as
well as Clairvoyant, Vice Human, Denial Price and a lot more stuff. You
have tons of talented bands, I hope the scene in Greece appreciates it.
We would love to play in your country some time in the future.
7.YOU ARE ALSO FANS OF THE GREEK MYTHOLOGY.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THE SONG "SHORES OF ITHACA" IS ALL ABOUT?
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The title has nothing to do with the
text itself. It is a synonym for “coming home after a lot of trouble” as
it was for Odysseus reaching the shores.
8.THE CD "WEAVEWORLD" IS SELF-FINANCED?
IF YES, WHY?
HOW CAN THE FANS GET IT? ARE YOU
IN A SEARCH OF A
LABEL? DID YOU HAVE ANY PROPOSAL
FROM A LABEL?
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That’s a lot for one question. First,
Weaveworld is totally self-financed, but we had some help of Trance-Music,
who got us a distribution (don’t know if it is germany-only or in whole
Europe) helped us promoting it and helped us with that legal stuff like
GEMA. But we are still in search of a good label partner for distribution,
promotion. We also want to release some Vinyl seven inches in the near
future and need a label partner therefore. For “Weaveworld” we didn’t concentrate
our campaign on labels, we sent more than 200 promo CDs to mags, fanzines,
small underground mailorders etc. We concentrated on the underground, because
that is where the metal really lives. The next album will be sent to labels
in the first place, perhaps we can secure a deal, which would help us a
lot. The postal fees are high, a lot of time has to be invested, a label
would be a big help. We had no offers yet. Perhaps sometimes in the future.
If people are interested in purchasing our CD, they can go to the order
form on our website www.boomerang-metal.de. We send it for 10 e plus 2
e postage. In Germany you can order it in every record store with a computer.
Or you can ask Greg from Singing Swords in Athens, he has some CDs from
us for sale if you live in Greece. We have even some small quantities at
friends in the US and Brasil, but its far from a real worldwide distribution
?
9.IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO CREATE A
MOVIE BASED ON
YOUR MUSIC AND LYRICS, HOW WOULD
IT BE AND WHICH
DIRECTOR WOULD YOU CHOOSE?
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I think it would be something between
FROM DUSK ‘TIL DAWN and MONTY PYTHON. QUENTIN TARANTINO!
10.YOU ALSO COVERED A RUNNING WILD
SONG FOR THE
TRIBUTE ALBUM. WHICH SONG DID YOU
CHOOSE AND WHY? DO YOU KNOW IF THE TRIBUTE WILL EB RELEASED AFTER ALL OR
NOT?
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Sorry but we were not asked to take
part on a Running Wild- Tribute album. There was some rumor about us on
a Running Wild Tribute, but we have really no idea about this whole project.
11.DO YOU HAVE ANY PLANS FOR LIVE SHOWS?
WHAT SHOULD THE METALLERS EXPECT FROM A BOOMERANG LIVE SHOW? SHARE SOME
OF YOUR EXPERIENCES FROM YOUR LIVE SHOWS WITH US...
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We play quite frequently in some local
clubs here, but cancel more frequently big gigs due to freaky incidents
which allow us not to play. To be serious, our life performance could be
better, and more often. Axel is a very charming vocalist with lots of funny
announcements, but we have to be a lot better for the big stages. And we
no real “Show” to date. No explosions or naked women (too expensive) we
could only afford to wave an inflatable Morningstar and a plastic scythe
from Halloween. We had some blood once, when Axel was hit by Thomas’ guitar
on stage (actually he was hit on the forehead). He bled like hell. After
the gig we brought him straight to the hospital to sew this cut (6 stitches)
but the people thought it was all part of the show…
12.WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO SOMEONE THAT
DOESN'T KNOW YOU, IN ORDER TO INTRIGUE HIS INTEREST? WHICH IS YOUR MOST
APPEALING ELEMENT ACCORDING TO YOU?
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Axels fat belly. Very sexy to some
people with a weird sexual orientation…..just kidding, I think we might
appeal both to fans of speedy thrash metal and “epic” (as you said) metal.
Our tricky alternating vocals by Thomas and Axel are pretty unique. But
for the rest, just check us out on www.weaveworld-metal.de,
there you can get some soundsamples.
13.IF YOU WERE A FLY, WHERE WOULD YOU
LIKE TO BE AND
WHY?
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As flies tend to be attracted mainly
to shit, Ozzy’s toilet would be great. There we could eat the “Diarrhoea
of a madman” Must be heaven for metalflies.
14.IN WHICH MOVIE SOUNDTRACK WOULD
YOU LIKE TO HAVE TAKEN PART OR HAVE COMPOSED?
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Some porn would be nice. Or any old
pirate movie with Errol Flynn. Or something by Quentin Tarantino.
15.THANK YOU! HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
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You didn’t ask, why we have such a
silly name. Thank you a lot for that ! And thank you for this interview.
A big hello to all greek fans of our music and stay humourosly epic ! Our
next album will be out spring next year. There will be no experiments,
but more speedy parts, more melodic parts, even more parts which might
be considered as “epic”, to put it short: The same but better !
Nikos "William_Kidd" Parastatidis
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