Interview: POWERWOLF: The death of the last wild wolf - STALKER MAGAZINE inside out of rock´n´roll

POWERWOLF: The death of the last wild wolf

The German-Hungarian collaboration Powerwolf has delivered a strong second album which convinces in every way. Therefore the five guys are in party mood and so it wasn`t surprising that organist Falk Maria Schlegel was still in the aftermath of the wild CD release party when he called me but let`s get down to the facts...

Falk, Powerwolf are a quite new band and most people won`t have heard of it. So could you, please, describe yourself at first!
I live in Saarbrücken, Germany. Of course I live Powerwolf 100%, hehe. No, seriously. In real life I work with disabled children. This, of course, also helps on stage because if you already have to amuse a group of people in your job then it`s much easier to open up on stage. Otherwise I invest a lot of time in Powerwolf. I spend quite a lot of time with the others guys in the band.

For you personally, what`s the meaning of music?
I have to differentiate that. When I listen to music, then I have to get something out of it. I need harmonious melodies and catchy hook lines. For example, if I listen to something by Tool then I wonder if I really need that for six minutes. When I make music myself then I rather care about a good coherence. I don`t think that one riff should be smothered by another. For me, it`s important that a song works, that everything just fits. Our songs are supposed to be fun and entertaining.

Would Powerwolf and a political message get along?
I don`t think so. `Though we take music really seriously Powerwolf is about entertainment and so politics and sociocritical stuff wouldn`t fit.

Your new record is called „Lupus Dei“. What does the title mean and what`s the relation to the other songs?
The title is Latin and it means „The Wolf of God“. Spiritual experience is very important for us and so we decorated, for example, the studio with our stage props like backdrop and displays so we could get the right vibe going. We came up with the title when last year the last free living wolf (in Germany, the ed.) was killed – that`s also what the title song is about. The wolf is important for us – we, so to speak, turn out our wolfish side.

What`s the part of the other band members when writing songs?
We always write our songs together, during the rehearsals. Someone has an idea for a riff or a melody and then he brings it along to the next rehearsal - we always have a recorder on. In that way, we had, when we went to the studio, 20 songs from which we could then choose. We only use songs, though that are so catchy that they are still in our heads at the next rehearsal. If it`s not the case with a song then it`s not any good.

For the new album you did some recordings in a church. Could you explain, how this came about?
When you sit in a studio for several weeks then that typical studio atmosphere gets on your nerves at some point. Then fun turns into work. While recording we had the idea to work with a church choir and so we found a 30-strong choir who wanted to help us. We didn`t want the choir to sing in the studio because the atmosphere that a church choir creates wouldn`t come across that well. You can`t really simulate the echo of an old church in a studio that`s why we tried to do the recordings in a church. Initially, we had some problems agreeing on a date because the church is still used for weddings and things like that. The actual recordings were eventually made in January and this in an unheated church. You can imagine that it was bitterly cold. Some members of the choir were so worried about their voices that five of them quit; the other 25 did a great job.

I give you now some terms, please give a short comment about it! Let`s start with King Diamond.
A great guy with an awesome band. I like the album „The Eye“ best. He`s definitely one of our influences.

WASP
Blackie Lawless! Awesome metal! I`ve seen them live in 92. The coolest thing for me was in what sick angle the drummer played his double bass.

Manowar
They have a great show, that`s for sure but they are not my favorites.

Horror
It`s the favorite genre of our singer, not mine, though!

MP3
It`s perfect for promo stuff but I`m rather traditionally minded. I still have a discman.

Heavy Metal
Just awesome!

Finally, what are your plans for the near future?
Now we have to do more interviews and stuff like that. In the summer we will play Summer Breeze and maybe some other festivals as well. In autumn we`re planning to go on tour but I can`t say anything more specific right now. There are some negotiations still going on at the moment. If it shouldn`t work out, we will play some club shows on our own.

Thank you for the interview, Falk! Good luck with your new album and see you on tour!

Author: Timo Päßler, transl. Kathleen Gransalke, photos: Powerwolf
Date: 2007-05-15

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