Festival report: Cry Me A River 2012, day one

Writing these reviews has really outstretched across a number of days and it’s rather intriguing that the places they are written on are insanely amusing. As this is being put on digital paper, my girlfriend and I are currently riding in the van of “Vestiges” on route from “New Noise" festival to their show with “Downfall of Gaia” in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. The dudes from the band were awesome enough to take us in and offer us their two free seats in the vehicle, everything being quite friendly and nice. I’ll be writing more about that in the upcoming festival and show reviews, so stick around if you are interested.

Once the warm-up show was finished and the venue was clean, it was finally time to grab some much desired sleep. Although I was sleeping on the floor and there were a lot of people still awake and talking in the room, I fell into deep slumber almost instantly and didn’t wake up until morning. I was one of the first to wake up that day and Vuk was quick to follow, so soon we were up and getting ready. The plan was to meet up with my tumblr friend Ina who was supposed to guide us to our ride. But until then, a hunt for a supermarket ensued, which we managed to find all the way back from where we arrived in Munster. Yes, apparently food stores are not so common in the city, or we were just blind and retarded, so the only place to grab supplies was at the train station. After a longish walk, killing some time and getting to the meeting place on time, we were settled in the car and on our way.

To put it shortly, the ride to Versmold was extremely fun and entertaining, but in the end we were late, so much in fact that we ended up missing the first two bands. At one point we were lost on the road, since we couldn’t find the correct turn and it costed us almost an hour of lost time. Once we got there we were all kind of drained and frustrated, so we took a little breather before setting up our tents. The second we arrived I (love you, added by my better half sitting next to me, review contributor) saw dear friend Stephan, the dude behind the “Automatic Suicide Machine” blog, so a big hello to him!

Seeing as how this was my first time at the festival, I guess that some venue descriptions are in order. Located in the beautiful countryside in Versmold, Germany, the entire “venue” is surrounded by blissful fields, huge trees and an overall lack of human intrusion in the land. I say “venue”, since this isn’t exactly a gig venue per se, because it is placed inside a restaurant/hotel/motel. The entire event occured on the ground floor of the building, which is composed of a huge stage room, a kitchen where people could go and grab their breakfast, a nice section dedicated to distros and band merch and also a back way out. “Out” is the above mentioned countryside, which was occupied by tents during the festival. It was absolutely awesome to spend the time between bands outside and just enjoy the greenery and the nature around the venue. The stage room was just a plain big room with no special design or layout, which actually turned out as perfect for such an event since it manages to house all the people attending the fest and give enough space for dancing and one more big table in the back that was occupied with merch.

For those of you who don’t know, the first day of “Cry Me A River” consisted of the following bands:

17:15 Crocus

18:00 Mio

18:45 Lentic Waters

19:30 Resurrectionists

20:15 Tempest

21:00 Lich

21:45 Titan

22:30 Alpinist

23:15 La Quiete

When I was finally inside the venue, I realized that we didn‘t miss seeing “Crocus”, but that the band actually cancelled the performance for some reason. “Mio”, however, already finished their set, so my entrance was followed by the sound of “Lentic Waters” who were already somewhere in the middle of their act. Honestly, I haven’t listened to this band prior to the festival, but the bit that I saw live was quite amusing. Their sound was very unique, something that could be freely described as a weird amalgam of screamo and blackened hardcore. Massive, heavy riffs were abundant, everything being quite chaotic, but at the same time really technical. Somehow, amid the mayhem they created, the band succeeded in executing outstandingly precise melodies and that managed to leave the biggest impression on me. Sadly I was still quite disoriented from the car ride, so I wasn’t concentrated enough to pay much more attention to the performance. Needless to say, this is a band you should definitely check out and you can do so on their bandcamp page found here.

One other sad fact of festival day one was that I missed “Resurrectionists”, purely because I just needed a break to regain my strenght. Thus, I spent my time with Vuk outside, if I remember well, drinking an energy drink and just chilling out. Lucky for me that I already saw “Resurrectionists” twice thus far... which doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t like to see them again. Some other day.

“Tempest” was next and I went to see them just so that I could respect Vuk’s flabbergasted state of mind concerning the band. I have to say that I am really happy that I got to see this band more than once. This performance definitely proved to me that the band can be unique and awesome on each of their sets. Much like on the warm-up show, they were radiating energy and passion, backed once again by insanely driving tunes. Each step of the way they were more and more intriguing, especially since this venue seemed to be far more capable of sustaining the enormous sound “Tempest” managed to create. I’m kind of pissed off at myself since I forgot to write down their set list and a lot of time passed now so I can’t remember it, but if memory serves me well they changed the list of songs they played when compared to the previous show. This little feature I really find cool, since most touring bands just stick to one setlist for the entire tour, which can prove to be a bit dull if you end up seeing a band more than once. So again I have to say, this is a project that always manages to impress and if my previous reviews about "Tempest" didn’t make you want to check them out, then this review definitely should.

Next band in line was highly expected by yours truly. Not only does “Lich” share members with “Battle Of Wolf 359“, but their recordings have been impressing me day after day ever since I heard about them. They managed to utterly live up to my expectations in concert and even successfully surpassing the quality of the recorded material. The entire set was just a wild unleashed beast, stomping and grinding everything in its path. A lot of people try to compare the two projects mentioned above and thus find flaws in “Lich”, but I seriously have to disagree. This band has an overtly different style when it comes to both its music construction and the flavor of energy and mood which is oozed during their performance. If people would just stop linking the two bands they would find out how both of them are truly amazing in their own regards. Overall, their set was highly entertaining and driving, which definitely signals a really awesome future ahead of “Lich”, seeing as how they have to offer a lot at the moment and also showing enough space for an inevitable growth.

Then came “Titan”, one of my personal black sheeps of the festival so to speak. I didn’t listen to them a lot prior to the fest and thus I went to see them live without an opinion, but from the very first tones they made I just couldn’t find enjoyment. It’s not that they sounded bad, but it just seemed I couldn’t find anything special in their performance and it ended up not being my cup of tea. Something similar happened to me with “Alpinist", despite the fact that I really love them on recordings at home. Maybe it was me being tired or distracted, but after a couple of songs I was tempted to go out of the venue. Luckily, both bands play on the upcoming “Fluff Fest”, so I’ll give them another chance to amaze me live.

The end of the evening was definitely reserved for the most, personally, expected and loved band. None other than “La Quiete”, screamo legends from Italy were planned as the closing act of the first day of the festival and just seeing their name on the timetable made me become completely assured that it will be a gig to remember. And to be completely honest, I find myself at a total lack of words to express my thoughts about their performance simply because it was truly mind-blowing. Witnessing songs such as “La Fine Non è La Fine”, “Raid Aereo Sul Paese Delle Farfalle” and “Metempsicosi Del Fine Ultimo: Nevrastenica Oscillazione Fra Poli Estremi”, yeah the guys love long song names, was an experience beyond perfection for my ears. One thing definitely has to be mentioned here and that is the fact that the band had some serious technical difficulties during their set. As much as I remember, there were occasional troubles with one of the guitars and with the microphone. But despite those mishaps, “La Quiete” endured and provided an absolutely astounding performance. It was amazing to see how the band stood strong against the unexpected obstacles, lashing out their very best at the audience and not losing an ounce of quality or amount of radiated passion in the process. My mind was just blown away. All those songs that I really love and which manage to make me shiver when I listen to them at home succeeded in doing the same thing live in concert, although increased a thousandfold. And there is really not much else I can say, other than show my endless thanks to the band for doing what they are doing all these years and for traveling from Italy to Germany to give us such a spectacle.

And in the end, regarding the “La Quiete” show, I have to give a truly negative shout toward certain members of the crowd, who proved to be the only bad thing that happened during the mentioned band’s set. Just standing randomly on the stage in front of the singer and following him around is not cool. At all.

Once the venue went quiet, Vuk and me hanged out a bit outside in hopes of sparking some kind of conversation with other people. Since we failed miserably, it was soon decided to just hit the tent and sleep. It was an awesome day and more was yet to come. Hope you enjoyed this write-up and stay tuned for my review of the second day on “Cry Me A River” fest!

Gig review: Cry Me A River Warm-up Show

Whoever visited this blog in the last week or so saw that I have attended the mandatory screamo festival in Germany, “Cry Me A River”, and that a review of the event was bound to happen. As I am writing these words and leaving a mark of that happening on the blog, I am riding the German railway yet again and currently watching a nuclear powerplant with my girlfriend through the window. This time I’ll be attending the “New Noise” in Karlsruhe, the epic one-day monster festival, featuring bands such as “Celeste”, “Vestiges”, “Downfall of Gaia”, “Church of Ra”  and many more. I have no idea when this review will be posted however, since I don't have regular internet access, but just sit back and relax, I have a lot of things to share with you all. 

To make it clear from the start, this will be more of a weekend-tour diary than just a plain gig review and thus the entire write-up regarding my weekend in Germany will be split in, probably, three reviews. I haven’t written anything proper in a while, so I’ll definitely explain various random things that happened along the way, which I hope the readers don’t mind and will find fun.

So, my journey started in the early morning hours of 28th June, somewhere around 3AM, when I met with my already mentioned tour companion Vuk. Our trek started rather smoothly, grabbing a ride to the “Nikola Tesla" airport in Belgrade, checking in and boarding the plane successfully despite my genious friend having both a sleeping bag and a regular backpack along, which is actually a big no-no for low-cost flying. Everything was fine and dandy until we were about to take off... because we couldn’t. Apparently there was some technical difficulty which the “engineers are trying to fix as soon as possible” and our flight was delayed for almost an hour. While the passangers were praying to their deities that the metal bird doesn’t crash and burn in mid air, the two Serbian passangers mentioned at the beginning of this write-up took a nap. Soon enough the mechanical issues were removed, but then we couldn’t take off because the Dortmund airport was busy and we wouldn’t be clear for landing. After numerous trials and errors, we somehow arrived to Dortmund almost two hours later. What followed was a rather fast map consultation at the airport and a desperate attempt to find an exit in the weirdly built complex. Once outside, our possible problems and torment with getting to Munster were eased by a random girl which Vuk asked for assistance. Thanks to her we were able to grab a bus, then ride a tram and then hop on the train for a couple of stations, all for a price of only a couple of euros. At that point, we decided to fill our lives with suffering and continue our road along the railroad tracks on foot. What ensued was almost two hours of scorching sunbeams, sharp rocks, thorns, nettles, sweat and fatigue, until we finally came to our senses and got back into the damned train.

At long last, we were in Munster. After briefly regaining our strength in a wonderful park near the train station, we continued down our path and soon we got to the “x” on our map. Before we actually approached the venue, we spent some time laying on the grass and being completely mesmerized next to the mind blowing lake, or was it a river I’m not sure, found close to “Baracke”. At this point I was dead tired and barely kept myself from slipping into a coma, since in the previous 48 hours or more I slept for three hours in total. My travel buddy was also drained, so we decided to keep our minds occupied with something and go to the venue. Until the first band started, a time which I can’t exactly remember, we were hanging in the courtyard, drinking “Club Mate” and anxiously expecting the vegan barbeque which was awesome by the way.

Okay, so it’s finally time to share some thoughts about the actual gig. It was held in the above mentioned venue named “Baracke”, located in Munster. After a nice fifteen minute walk through the city, you are greeted by a tiny building that houses the place. The exterior is darkly colored and decorated with numerous posters, but what definitely makes this place enjoyable is the fact that the lake/river is so near that it always drags your attention towards it and keeps you calm. Inside you will discover a rather plain layout of rooms, with a small greeting corridor leading toward the gig room, a bar and toilets. The small stage is fitted in the right corner and the rest of the place is big enough to receive a really impressive amount of people. Also, the entire space looks like a living room, since it has numerous couches lined up the left side and is brightly lit thanks to both the left and right wall being covered with huge windows.

First in row that night was the local band, “Resurrectionists”. As you all know, in case you read my review of their previous show in Essen found here, I have already seen them play albeit the band was lacking two members at the time. On this occasion however, they were prepared with a full lineup and ready to impress. I was definitely expecting them to be more aggressive and energetic now that they are accompanied by an additional female vocalist and another guitar player, but the way they sculpted their preformance in Munster was beyond my imagination. An enormously destructive wall of sound was created, continually beating your senses into a pulp. The way the band managed to instantly build a massive soundscape and keep it strong during the entire perfromance was really amazing to see and hear. No matter how chaotic they got to be, they kept the flow of their set steady and it really leaves you without a chance to breathe. Without any doubts it was an insane ride and with the full lineup their act was violent and fast enough to make you feel like you’ve been standing there for no more than ten minutes. Absolute enjoyment to watch.

After a small break the quartet from Florida called “Autarkeia” was up next. Described as “epic emo” on last.fm, their sound justifies the tag exceptionally well. Initially, I took a short listen to their recordings prior to this trip and liked what I heard, but I never fathomed that they would be able to surpass that amount of liking live in concert. Not only did they manage to beat my expactations, but they additionally took them that much higher beyond limits and utterly stun me. My utmost attention was grabbed the second their perfromance began, namely when the singer explained that their first song, “Saving Seeds”, is about the corporation known as “Monsanto”. In case some of my readers don’t read my tumblr page, my collage thesis is about this genocide-spreading, GMO producing corporation and I guess it is easy to understand why I was additionally intrigued by this band. Plainly put, “Autarkeia” throws everything at you when it comes to their performance. Slow and gentle buildups accompanied by humming, unexpected outbursts of violence, energetic and passionate screaming, complex and precise melodies with shattering crescendoes, this four-piece is able to make it all happen. Truth be told, their recordings seem mild and somewhat peacefull at moments, but live they are an unstoppable force to be reckoned with and definitely succeed in bringing up that “epic” tag into the spotlight. Songs “Never Quite Content” and “Cold Wooden” were also played, as well as a new song that came as a finisher and I remember that it was quite intense. All in all, this is a somewhat unknown band that you all should definitely check out, I promise it will be worth your time.

My mood was somehow turned upside down and ending up being not so good during the break that followed after “Autarkeia”, half due to exhaustion and half by some other factors, so the end result was both Vuk and me missing out on “Panzram”. Sorry guys, nothing personal, certain things are just out of control. Instead, the only two Serbian dudes present at the venue took their time to eat some lovely veggie burgers, one of them ending up whining and not eating the entire meal due to the food being too spicy. Relaxed and with full bellies, it was time to go inside and watch “Tempest”. After the quartet from Florida finished their set, I thought that there won’t be any more surprises of that caliber on the warm-up show, but “Tempest” flew in and swept me off my feet the moment I got up from the previous knock out. Rushing, aggressive sound backed by a truly energetic performance, the band definitely justifies its name. Before the festival, I listened to them and actually wrote a review of their benefit split with “Masakari”, which you can check out here, and I really loved their work. The first tones created that evening managed to instantly push that love onto an entirely new level. Not only is the core of their performance, the actual sound, extremely solid and strong, but everything gets shaken up by the insane amount of energy bursting from the band by visual means. The singer is a spectacle in his own right, not stopping for a single moment and always jumping around, headbanging, running into the audience and just radiating with all sorts of inspiring vibes that make the crowd either follow in a similar manner or just stand there smiling. I ended up seeing “Tempest” three times and not once was I bored or disappointed. Keep a close eye on this band, I predict that this tempest has no intention on passing any time soon.

Still barely breathing after the previous act, it was time for another heartstopping performance. “Battle Of Wolf 359“. Need I say more? I had the pleasure to see this band play last year on “Fluff Fest” when they made me become stunned beyond belief. Unlike their festival appearance, this was a show with limited attendance and thus had a more personal and intimate feel. Add to that the fact that the band announced that this and the “Cry Me A River” gig will be their two last ever shows and you have one intensly emotional happening. So in essence, to put it simply, this was an astounding performance. “Cyberdine”, “Survellier”, “We Can’t Go On Like This”, “End Times” and many more amazing songs were shaking the venue to its core with absolutely perfect execution and sound quality. The band always seems to have an uncanny ability to move the audience, since in total I saw them three times and not once did the crowd end up unmoved. Still, it seemed to me that the band didn’t really give all it got on this performance and that a massive amount of energy was saved for their last show. Curiously enough, they managed to impress even without going at it in full gear. Much like they spared actions, I’ll spare words and will write more about “Battle Of Wolf 359“ in the “Cry Me A River” review. Believe me, that was an absolute blast, to say the least.

After witnessing the previous two bands I felt absolutely drained of energy. There was still one band coming up and the only thing I was capable of doing was going to the front row and just blessing the band with my presence, since doing anything remotely concerned as dancing would be way too much for me at that point. Last, but absolutely not least, “Loma Prieta”. To be completely honest, I wasn’t entirely into their set both due to the aformentioned fatigue and the fact that I think “Baracke” wasn’t fully capable of supporting the massivness of their sound. Their recordings are extremely violent and noisy in their own right and you could just imagine how monstrous their sound is when performed live. There was just too much crackles and explosions that managed to entirely drown their melodic song sections, which in essence left me just staring at the band in a sea of noise. Luckily, I knew that I will be seeing “Loma Prieta” for four times in total this summer and I was assured that this wasn’t anywhere near their full potential.  And I wasn’t wrong at all.

The “Cry Me A River Warm-up” show ended with the last bits of distortion and chaos dying when “Loma Prieta” finished their set. Throughout the entire day I had millions of things I needed to sort out regarding this trip, some concerning the way Vuk and me will actually get to Versmold the day later, so moments after the show started being somewhat frustrating. By insane luck, good memory and my eyes being good enough even without glasses, I managed to recognize a person I briefly met in Prague last year and who ultimately paved a way toward cascading successes. Thus thanks to her I met one of my tumblr friends (small world is small), who ended up providing both rides to the fest, there and back to Munster, and one of her other friends even providing an entire tent for us. So many thanks to Theresa for hooking me up with the people she knows. Additionally, I’d like to thank the people involved with “Baracke” for allowing us to sleep at the venue and for generally being extremely friendly and involved with helping out the weary travellers. There is more to come, so stay tuned!

Gig review: Thou, Resurrectionists, Grinding Halt

This review comes extremely late due to various reasons. I've been taking some time to enjoy life a bit before some upcoming problems and also I waited quite a bit to recollect my thoughts about the gig appropriately, since it left a really magnificent impression on me. Additionally, it has been hellishly warm in Serbia these days and I can barely think straight, let alone find myself in an inspiring or creative mood, so this will probably be shortish.

The show seems to have happened ages ago, when it was in fact only ten days ago. On 13 June 2012 the venue called "Emo-Keller", translated to "emo cellar", hosted these three amazing bands. Not only was I extremely excited about seeing the live manifestations of these projects, but this was also my first time in Germany which increased the thrill that much further. After an hour or so train ride from the Netherlands, my companion and I arrived to the town of Essen. We took our time walking through the city, finally arriving to the venue which is located in a really nice and secluded location surrounded by other buildings and greenery. The very name of the place very well justifies the interior, since the venue is in fact a cellar. Once you step into the building, stairs await you on the right and they take you down to the gig space. A rather small, tight cellar with walls filled with writings, posters and stickers, one tiny bar and toilets. The lighting was quite nice, since it was really bright during breaks which was excellent for browsing distros and rather dim when the bands were playing, making a great atmosphere. No matter how the interior seems plain and minimalist, it provides everything you need for a diy show, including a great sound and enough room for everyone who attended. The funny thing is that although this is probably the smallest venue I have attended thus far it was packed with an insanely high amount of merch and distros. 

First in line was a local German band, the well known chaotic screamo project named "Resurrectionists". After a number of releases, some including splits with bands such as "Arse Moreira" and "Battle Of Wolf 359" to name a few, I am sure that everyone has heard of this act thus far. Even this blog has seen its share of mentioning their name in the form of an interview back in December 2011, which you can read here. In any case, their performance managed to live up to the awesomeness of their recordings and it was a true enjoyment witnessing them play, despite the band lacking one guitar player and one vocalist. All that aggression, speed and overall massiveness of their sound was transferred to "Emo-Keller" that night, being increased even further and coming out as a real chaotic beast. Their set was a true beating to the senses, flinging between being extremely dark and melancholic to brutally fast and pounding, making you feel surprised and unaware of upcoming tunes even if you know their songs all too well. Some of the songs which were played that night include "Schein Und Lüge", "In Der Stille", "Necropolis" and "451". I am looking forward to seeing them play on "Cry Me A River" warm-up and the actual festival, since I wonder how they will sound in a different venue. Although the show space in Essen fully supported their sound, there seemed to be a certain aspect of music you couldn't really discover and delve into amid the chaos, so I'm quite excited about future shows. And of course, seeing them with a full line-up. Nevertheless, this performance was quite intriguing.

A small break ensued which we used for digging through the distros, but soon enough it was time for the second act. "Grinding Halt" was up next and there is really nothing else to say other than the fact that they were simply breathtaking. This was their second show I was attending in a rather short time span, first one being in Arnhem and about which you can read here, and I honestly thought that there was no way that they could top that performance. They managed to do just that in Essen, pushing the scale of my liking for their music way up high. Although their recordings are amazing to listen to, their live performances seem to beat everything. The pissed off and rushing hardcore at home turns into a gigantic savage monstrosity of chaos and aggressive passion during shows. Their transformation is so thorough that the two can hardly be compared, which is by no means a flaw. Much like in my review of their previous show, it is quite hard to describe the amount of energy they amass during a particular set. Standing there in the front row and being soaked with those emotional waves created by the band, especially hailing from Mark who is continuously moving and throwing himself around the stage and into the audience, is something not for writing and is just needed to be experienced live. Much like "Resurrectionists", "Grinding Halt" will play on "Cry Me A River" and I am absolutely thrilled to see them for the third time, feeling quite honored to do so. Something tells me that this band still has a few aces up its sleeve and that they will provide an outstanding performance on the festival, which will definitely be the climax of my infatuation for their music. Absolutely no one should miss out on this!

Yet another break and then it was time for the guests from the USA to play. What to say about "Thou" that people already don't know? Simply put, Baton Rouge, Louisiana succeeded in giving birth to one of the most hardworking bands out there, the quintet continuously touring, doing shows and creating scores of astounding releases every year. After a truly impressive number of performances and a really admirable discography, there they were in front of me in Essen. Although I wasn't introduced to their sound from their very beginnings, my love for their work lingers and grows for a couple of years now and it was unbelievably exciting for me to finally get to see them live. From the very first moment when guitars started to buzz, screech and scream through the venue it became apparent that a true spectacle will transpire for the audience. This is probably the first band I ever saw that managed to set up a certain type of mood the very second it started to play. There was no introduction, no musical buildup to drag the crowd into the band's story, just an instant incantation entrancing the listener. I always considered "Thou" to have a completely unique sound which no other band has, but I never expected that they will be able to transfer that energy so fast and so strong. All that gloom, depression and dread found in their recordings was detonated in the venue, the senses left drenched in ultimately melancholic and atmospheric sludge...or doom or however people like to call it. For example, "Tyrant" completely blew my mind away, since the song was executed perfectly, but the sound and experience was increased a thousandfold with each song section shining under the spotlight. The atmospheric instances were eerie, the melodic parts extremely driving and the crescendo moments just came falling down like a ton of bricks. I could go on and on with describing what kind of an impression was left on me with their performance per song, but my review would end up being a true praise fest. Thus I will stop here, saying that this is definitely the band that gets the highest of marks in regards to making their set into a real work of art. Slowly, but surely, crawling into my top favorite concerts.
This review doesn't seem to need a special outro, seeing as how its length and description of sounds give a really full and complete circle. The only thing needed as closure is a definite plea to all readers to check these bands out, if you haven't done so already, and be on a lookout for future shows. Hope you enjoyed the read.
Additionally, I would like to thank both Bryan and Lars for being involved and concerned about where my girlfriend and me would spend the night, as well as all those wonderful German people who offered their help. And of course, thanks a lot to Christian and his roommates for providing us with an awesome place to stay.

Interview:Resurrectionists

Finally, the streak of Luka and me having no luck with receiving answers from bands is broken, thanks to this wonderful interview with "Resurrectionists"! Extremely happy that we got the chance talk to Björn and Lars, once again thanks for your time! Hope you boys and girls enjoy the read, it's been a while since the previous interview.

1. First I would like to thank you for accepting to do this interview. Please, introduce yourself and the rest of the band.

We are Björn , Sabine, Nils, Jojo , Lars and with us are most of the time Leia-Mae, Amelie and Jasmin.

2. A bit of a classic opening for the interview, so tell us the story behind the formation of the band.

L: Well , we discussed this a few times now. It seems like Björn had the idea to do another band and since he knew me and Sabine from being in bands together before and actually being in a band at that time with Jojo he just brought everyone together. the funny thing is - no one really know why and how Nils got involved - seems like he heard of it and showed up during the first practises and simply stayed in the band hehe...

3. Why did you choose the name "Resurrectionists" and what does it mean to you as a band?

B: “Resurrectionists” were people, who dug out recently deceased to sell their corpses for medical research. First of all the name sounded appealing to me and it is not too common. Plus nobody came up with a better idea. So you see there isn’t really a deeper meaning behind the name.

4. One can hear a score of genres and different soundscapes in your tunes. How would you describe the music you create and what are you biggest influences?

B: On how I use my voice my influences are more in the death and black metal genre. Basically I would describe us as a punk band or if you need a specification a grindcore band. On a show flyer we were once described as “steamroller”, what suits pretty well I think, hehe.

L: Personally we all have different musical tastes that range from old death metal to mid 90s emo - musically we are influenced mainly by grindcore/powerviolence and emoviolence... We love blast beats, but also this melancholic touch of bands like "Uranus" or "Orchid" and the heaviness of bands like "Buried Inside" or "Planks" to name a more actual one :)

5. Your lyrics are written in German, so tell us something about them. Who usually writes, what are they about and what inspires you the most?

B: Sabine and I are writing all lyrics for "Resurrectionists" and we always try to include English explanations to our records.  I would say my lyrics are more general and misanthropic. They tend to be dark and bleak and mostly with a negative outlook. I’m more influenced by literature or just by watching the news than by any other band.

6. You released a demo, an LP and several split records. Tell us a bit more about those releases, did they all have some specific ups and downs as far as recording went? Which one of those are you most fond of?

B: All of our records are somehow special for me, but both songs and sound on the split with "Lich" I like most. You are always happiest with your newest output, right!?

L: This is hard to tell - I really like the 12" because Stefan created this awesome artwork for us. And even though the recordings aren't the best that we have done, the atmosphere of the sound fits pretty well to the rest.

Then again I love the people and music of all our split partners so far and couldn't be happier with the choices we made!

7. The mentioned splits were with "Battle of Wolf 359", "Lich", "Merkit" and "Arse Moreira". How did all of those happen?

L: We have met the "Merkit" guys when they were on tour in Europe the first time and I really admired their passion about what they're doing. They definitely have the heart on the right spot and are working hard to contribute to and enrich the diy-punk scene (now with their new bands, zines and labels). It made perfect sense to me to ask em for a split release... same for "Battle of Wolf 359"... I know Sam and Derek for quite a while now and we're good friends... and it was obvious that we have to split a release with their new band "Lich" as well :)

8. Are you currently working on some new material? In general, what are your plans for the future?

B: I’ve written a small concept on atheism and right now we are writing songs for this. It might be released as a seven inch, but we will see what future brings.

L: We'll be touring with "Thou" for a week in June and play some festivals next year... we'd love to record for a bigger vinyl output, but I m really slow with writing songs at the moment...   

9. Some readers probably don't know that you also run a diy label called "React With Protest". Give us some brief info about it, with which bands you worked, records you released thus far, etc.

L: Sabine and I started the label 10 years ago with our friend Fabian as an attempt to support friends and our own bands... the first release was a compilation 12" called "About Life In A Dead World" that featured mainly local bands and bands we were involved in at that time... Up to now we've been part of 60 releases - you can find a list and more infos on www.reactwithprotest.org 

10. Similar to question number eight, what are your plans for the label at this point?

L: At the moment the BEAU NAVIRE/ REPUBLIC OF DREAMS split 7" is at press , planned is: TITAN 2x12", LENTIC WATERS / PLANKS split 12" and a new TEMPEST 12" before summer 2012...We just released the HUNGRY LUNGS 7" last week...

11. Being involved with label work and having a band, what are your experiences with diy ethics?

L: It works! We met and still meet a lot of awesome individuals and collectives that make it go on. Sometimes you get the impression that it s a real small core of activists, but then you meet someone else and you realise it's maybe just yourself that circles in the same periphery all the time...  If there wouldn't be these three letters involved I'd be just a metalhead with "extreme" political views I guess...

12. "Resurrectionists" features former members of "The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra" and "Arsen AKA König Der Monster". How do those people feel when they compare their involvement with those ex-projects and the current one? Is the process of creating music dramatically different in some way?

B: The process is the same since Lars is the main (or should I say only) composer in "Resurrectionists" as he was in "The Apoplexy Twist Orchestra". The rest is slightly different, because we are older and more experienced now, plus, when we play shows we always travel with Lars and Sabine's kids.

L: It was different with Arsen cause most of the music was written by at least three people but as Björn said already it's not a big difference to T.A.T.O.... since I'm not really the best guitarist I'm pretty happy we found another awesome drummer that can make the shit work ;)

13. Are band members involved in other music projects at the moment? I know that some play in "Ding Dong Dead", but the band went through some changes, correct?

L: Yes . Almost all members of "Ding Dong Dead" are now in "Lentic Waters" and we are sharing the same drummer. I am playing bass in a new band called "Republic of Dreams" with two of the loveliest people in the world... We recorded for a split 7" with "Beau Navire" which should be out in early January.

14. I'm interested about the scene in your hometown. Are there a lot of active bands, zines, venues where gigs take place? Is there anything that you love and/or hate about it?

L: Sabine and I are from the deepest countryside. We don't have a scene at all. The next town with a scene would be Mmünster... The most active band I know from münster is "Alpinist"...  These guys are also involved in a concert group that sets up shows in different locations there.

15. Similarly, what do you think about the scene in Germany as a whole? Do you have some favorite bands which you would recommend to the readers?

B: Everything changed a little over the years, but I think the scene is still vital and good. Bands worth checking out are: "Hungry Lungs" (!!!), "Planks" (although I think everybody knows them by now), "Alpinist", "The Gentle Art Of Chokin'", "Republic of Dreams", "Lentic Waters"…

16. Do you have some particular thoughts regarding diy music and the internet? Are you actively following some blogs or webzines?

B: Every now and then I stop by at the “Red and Anarchist Black Metal” blogspot, but not on a regular basis.

L: There s a nice blog about older canadian hardcore/metal/emo bands called howcantheyintendtoheal.wordpress.com that I've been following for some time ...

17. Time for you to ask a question!

What's the diy scene like in Serbia? Recommendations (bands? labels? groups?)

I've been asked this question before and have been bashed by the locals for my answer, since I (and a lot of other people, in fact) am quite bitter about the situation here. The scene is extremely weak, to none existent, in Belgrade at least. Novi Sad, the second biggest city, started building up a really nice scene and I predict some interesting projects bursting from there in the future. Bands which I would recommend are "Dazd" (in my opinion, probably the best band hailing from this soil, killer apocalyptic crust), "Reflections of Internal Rain" (whom you maybe already know), "Went", "Ground Zero", the Novi Sad newborn "Furtive Forest"...to name a few. There are several active zines and I am also considering to turn "Natures With No Plagues" into physical, paper media. I'd also like to point out one group of people doing a zine and booking shows based in Novi Sad, going under the name "Rebuild Collective".

18. Aside of work regarding music, do band members have some other hobbies, jobs/attending schools, sports, etc.?

L: Sabine is also working at an organic store and I'm mainly caring about the label. Björn and Nils are studying and Jojo works with kids at school.

19. Are members of "Resurrectionists" interested or support some kind of activism? Human/animal rights, ecology, etc.?

B: I think all of us are interested in left wing politics including animal rights, etc. to a certain extent, but none of us is an activist.

L: Most of us are part of a bimonthly vegan brunch group that supports different projects through donations...  I guess some of us would like to be more active, but through a mixture of being busy and lack of local activist groups that we feel comfortable with it has not happened so far...

20. The year 2011 slowly draws to an end. Which releases left a mark on you this year? And what are your all time favorites?

B: I’m a little lazy now and will just name the bands.

All time favourites: "One Eyed God Prophecy"; "Union of Uranus"; "Chokehold"; "Orchid"; "The Swarm"; "Emperor"; "Dissection"; "Entombed" (early); "Behemoth"; "Neurosis"; "The Cure" + the ones I forgot

2011: "Wolves in the Throne Room"; "Chelsea Wolfe"; "A Storm of Light"; "Tempest"; "Dead in the Dirt"; "The Devil’s Blood; "Anaal nathrakh"; "Rwake" + a few more

L: I got to know and fell in love with "Tempest" this year. Awesome new angry, dark and heavy Canadian band which will tour europe in 2012! "Thou" blew me away at Cry me a River Fest - couldn't  stop listening to random stuff of them for weeks. "Veloz", "Hungry Lungs", "Beau Navire", "Lich", "The Gentle Art of Chokin'", "Planks", "Lentic Waters", "Black Cobra", "Zann" are bands I enjoyed over the year as well...  plus a bunch that I can t think of right now. Forgive me I'm getting older...  

Classic: "One Eyed God Prophecy" -  s/t 12", "Jeromes Dream 10"",  "Orchid" - Chaos Is Me 12", "Acrid" - all of it, "Chokehold" - Content with Dying 12", "Union of Uranus" - Desaster by Design 12", "Infest" - mankind 7", "Earth Crisis" - Destroy the Machines 12", "Hellnation" - At War with Emo 5"

21. Once again, thank you so much for doing this interview! Do you have a final message for the readers of this blog?

B: Visit: leichenraeuber.blogspot.com there you can find all our records for free download. Thanks for your interest!!

L: Blogs are great - just make sure you give something back if you like it! Go to shows - show support! Keep the underground vital and alive!

Thanks for your interest.