There seems to be a special relation between Lacrimosa and metalheads so in the context of the release of “Revolution” where Mille Petrozza (Kreator) and Stefan Schwarzmann (Accept) appear as guests Metal Kaoz submitted a series of questions to the band’s mastermind Tilo Wolff and received the following answers. Check ’em out!
Hi Tilo and thank you for taking some time to answer to Metal Kaoz questions. I’d like to congratulate you for “Revolution” that I think was released in autumn, a most fitting season for Lacrimosa. I was wondering: did you choose to release the new album this season on purpose or just happened?
TILO WOLFF: You are right, autumn is also my preferred season for the release of a Lacrimosa album; in fact Lacrimosa was born in autumn – I wrote my first song for it in November 1990! So if it is possible I try to release my albums in autumn.
So, how long did it take you to create “Revolution”? Is there a concept or main theme behind the album?
TILO WOLFF: You know I always write music and lyrics just how I feel to do it and not with the focus on any forthcoming album. Then after some time when I feel that I’ve been expressing what was on my mind, I look at the songs and bind them together for an album and mostly together they tell a story – together they follow a concept which is not implied deliberately but is a consequence from the fact that the songs were written in one period of time and therefore were born in one state of mind. Now the first song that I wrote in this period of time and that appears on “Revolution” is “This Is The Night” which I wrote back in 2009 in Bejing when we were still touring with the previous album “Sehnsucht”.
What about the album’s cover artwork; who is the artist and what was your input in its making?
TILO WOLFF: Always after binding the album together, I try to visualize the music and make a sketch from it. This one I hand over to Stelios Diamantopoulos who is a great artist from Greece living in Switzerland and he makes the final drawing. We work like this since over 20 years now!
You had Mille and Stefan as guests in “Revolution”; first of all, how did you work with the two of them, and second did they record all the guitars and drums, respectively for the entire album?
TILO WOLFF: It was pretty funny how this started. Mille was visiting me at my house and I played him the song “Revolution”. And right after the song ended, he asked me if this would be the final version or if I would like him to play the guitars once more. Of course we gave it a try and the result was just brilliant, so I asked Mille if he’d like to play also some other songs as well which he fortunately did. After this I remembered that two years ago on a festival in Poland I met Stefan Schwarzmann and we agreed that time to do something together one day. So I called him up and right away he was into it and we had a great time recording those songs!
I think that the use of ‘live’ guitars gave the album a heavier sound; so, was this in your intentions when you asked Mille to participate in the new album?
TILO WOLFF: Well, we always record our albums with ‘live’ guitars but the straightness of Mille’s way to play fits just perfectly into this album!
Will you make a video clip for a song from “Revolution”? Are there any candidates for this? Maybe for “Irgendein Arsch Ist Immer Unterwegs” featured in the short clip posted in the band’s official site?
TILO WOLFF: Yes, we recorded our show in Berlin, Germany and as we speak we are cutting a video clip out of it for the title song “Revolution”! This is about to be seen on our website and youtube channel within these days.
It seems to be a special connection between Lacrimosa and the Metal fans; why do you think there is such a ‘relationship’? After all, Lacrimosa is not a Heavy Metal band, right?
TILO WOLFF: Maybe because I was always into Metal and this influence is to be heard in my compositions and productions on our albums, even though we don’t fit into the common Metal clichés.
Is there any chance to get Lacrimosa live in the US? I think you have never played live here before. US is a strange market and on top of everything, a US tour is really demanding due to the between shows traveling and the high expenses.
TILO WOLFF: Since we have done many tours through Latin America, China and Russia, we are familiar with traveling long distances, but right, we never played in the US so far. If there will be a chance one day, of course we will do it!
What are your touring plans for “Revolution”? You have only announced live dates in Germany; so what about the rest of Europe?
TILO WOLFF: So far we have played with “Revolution” in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. In January we will be in Spain, followed by Russia in March. After that we are planning to play in Asia and in Latin America again, but we have no fixed dates yet.
There is an awesome dark atmosphere on the album, so my question is how you can get in such mood and sing, while isolated in a recording booth?
TILO WOLFF: I recorded my vocals all by myself in my own studio which gave me the possibility to let loose completely. No one is there to spy on me…
Are there any differences between “Revolution” and any other Lacrimosa album based on your perspective? What did you do differently in this album that you’ve never done it before?
TILO WOLFF: The recordings were more intimate and since I recorded many parts in my own studio without anyone around talking into it, I had the chance to concentrate on the expression of each and every note and could really dig deep into the songs!
Are there any projects in your working schedule? Do you have any update about Snakeskin?
TILO WOLFF: Now doing the video then organizing the next shows and if I find time in between I will write new songs for Snakeskin because I really feel like I need to do it. I only hope I find the time!
You have also collaborated with Kreator in the “Endorama” album, so are there any other Metal collaboration in the near future?
TILO WOLFF: There is nothing planned with a Metal band so far, but I will do something with an electronic band from Switzerland soon. Anyway, if the right band comes with the right idea I won’t say no. I love music and if I am touched by the music of a band, there is nothing better to do than joining their music!
Lacrimosa has already passed the two decades mark; are there any thoughts to celebrate this occasion with a special release or even a live show?
TILO WOLFF: There are plans but nothing is sure yet…
During the last decades many music related biographies came out, so have you ever thought of writing something about this long journey with Lacrimosa ?
TILO WOLFF: Yes, many times but then I always discover that if I spend the time writing a book, I don’t find the time writing music. So I always come back writing music instead of a book. Writing a book is like looking backwards, writing music is the view into the future. I go for the future!
Tilo, these were my questions! Feel free to add anything I forgot to ask. Hope to see you live on stage soon!
TILO WOLFF: Thank you, Dimitris for this conversation and thanks to our audience in the US who is patiently supporting us!
© Metal Kaoz 2012, Dimitris Kontogeorgakos
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