Frigoris Interview with Occult Black Metal Zine [August 8, 2016]
Posted by Nick Skog on Tuesday, August 9, 2016 Under: Interviews
1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
As “Nur ein Moment…” is our first album that was not mixed at the same place as it was recorded we mainly worked with different technicians to find the best possibly mix for the album during the last year which we found with Daniel Heyn.
2.You have a new album coming out in August, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from thestuff you have released in the past?
I think sound wise we finally established a good identity for Frigoris on our last album “Wind” so I mainly focused on further developing this basis. I improved my songwriting while adding some more elements from Doom Metal and Post Rock. The result is a more rounded and complex album with lengthier songs that still inherited the soul of Frigoris.
3.This is the first album to come out in 3years, can you tell us a little bit more about what has been going on during that time frame?
We played a lot of live shows to promote “Wind” but this is not the reason it took us so long to release our next album. “Nur ein Moment…” was already finished in late 2014 but we took a very long time with the mix of the album to guarantee a good sound for the material.
4.The lyrics on the new recording are a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the song writing?
What differed from our normal songwriting was the fact that this time the lyrical concept was the first thing that was sketched out. Normally I think about lyrics when the songs are finished. This made the songwriting a bit more complex as I needed to find a mode where the music fitted the lyrics but the lyrics didn’t interfere with the freedom necessary for writing good and interesting music. It turned out very satisfying but exhausting.
5.In the beginning the band had more Pagan orientated lyrics, does Paganism still have any role in your music?
Real Paganism was only featured in our very early songs – our demo and a few early songs of “Nach dem Krieg…”. In that period I was still very young and didn’t really care about the lyrics too much. I let myself inspire by the bands I listened to at that time which were mainly Pagan Metal bands and so it came naturally to me to also write about those topics. Since the later stages of the songwriting to “Nach dem Krieg…” the only thing left that might be associated with Paganism is my use of nature metaphors and at the very latest with “Wind” I have nothing Pagan in mind while writing lyrics.
6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Frigoris'?
Frigoris is Latin and means “of frost”. Its meaning for the band changed with us over the years and nowadays I would associate the coldness of society which I reflect in the lyrics and music with it. Frigoris is a means to comment on our world in different ways and as my view of it changes so does the meaning of the band’s name for me.
7.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Our stage performance has improved a lot over the years and I’m very happy with the line-up we gathered since our latest addition Maximilian in early 2013. We found a good routine and are able to perform a good show every time we enter the stage. Especially our shows last year were great and we had a lot of fun with our fans and with the other bands at Heathen Rock Festival, Wave-Gotik Treffen and the Grabkabinett shows.
8.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
We are planning a few single shows at the end of the year which will be revealed soon. We made a longer live pause to concentrate on the finishing and release of “Nur ein Moment…” but we will play more regularly next year.
9.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
“Wind” received great responses worldwide by fans and press but we know that we play music that does not appeal to a very large group so it is hard for us to get live shows outside of Germany at the moment. The progress is slow but steady and we grow with time and hope to reach even more people with “Nur ein Moment…”.
10.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Caradras and Infesting Swarm are near to finishing new releases that will hopefully come out next year and Iapetos is planning some of their very few live shows in the next time.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
My songwriting is far from perfect so I will try to further refine it. At the same time I think that our next release may contain one or two experiments on the outer rings of our musical range as well as a bit shorter songs. But luckily (or unfortunately) I can’t change who I am and so the typical Frigoris sound will still be heard on every future release.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
During the time when the new material was written I did listen to a lot of Porcupine Tree, Anathema and Katatonia and actually didn’t really listen to black metal at all – with a few exceptions like Deafheaven. This is a development for a few years now although my listening is quite balanced at the moment and lately I grow fonder of a few old loves like Nagelfar again.
13.What are some of your non musical interests?
Music is a very time consuming hobby but I use a lot of time reading.
14.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thank you for the interview and a very special thanks to all our fans that supported us for so long!
In : Interviews
Tags: frigoris interview nur ein moment occult black metal zine black metal post black metal atmospheric black metal
