The German black metal band Gleichmacher, ventured on a tour around Europe together with the Swedish Ultra Silvam, that tour ended with some dates in Spain where they were joined by the Galician band Balmog.
The Germans presented Kränkung, Fall, Verderben on stage, self-released in 2022. With a Black Metal that nowadays some call atmospheric, a term I don’t quite agree with to define “Kränkung, Fall, Verderben”. And I do not agree because Gleichmacher prove to have a good range of influences with which to give more life to their Black Metal.
We talked to T.A after their performance in Madrid, where their show was a haunting and inmersive experience. I’m very struck by the fact that your album was self released in various formats. I have always defended that with the possibilities and platforms nowadays it’s a bit easier to do everything yourself without the need of economical support from labels.
How did the tour [Sine Labe Concepta Evrope Tour 2023) came to happen?
Well, this tour was kind of a cursed project. It came about through multiple canceled tours before. I had booked a tour for us in March 2020 as well as a tour for Ultra Silvam and Reveal in April 2020. And i remember it was that Friday the 13th in March when I talked to some of the promoters of our tour about the possibilities of cancelations and border closings due to the covid epidemic. A few of the promoters told me they can’t guarantee if the show will happen or if we’re going to make it out of for example Switzerland or Austria. So we had to cancel the very day we were about to start the tour. Same ofc happened to the Ultra Silvam and Reveal tour.
I met both bands back in February 2020 in Leipzig for the Sinister Purpose festival, and we were all quite happy about the turn-out so far. Yea, and the rest is in the books. Two years later i booked that tour again for us and this time with our friends in MANNVEIRA. And one week before the tour started, me and Andi (singer + guitar player) got covid for the first time. So again we had to cancel and Mannveira did the run all alone. So this time i wanted to go bigger and make it up for the lost possibilities and since the guys in KRINGA told me hey had such a good time with BALMOG for a few shows in Spain I thought – why not. I hit up Lois asked the Ultra Silvam guys and started working on it. And guess what. I got covid the second time just the Sunday before tour start. But this time we weren’t canceling again. I wear a mask and was ok right after the beginning. So thats besecally thats the story
Best and worst moments from this tour
This is a hard one since this tour was just an overall great momentum for all of us. We, as a gang with Ultra Silvam and later with Balmog too, functioned just perfect from the first to the last moment.We had better shows and not so good ones, but we never had a really “bad” moment, I think. Sure, lots of hang overs, times you hated the bus, crappy food or three beer tickets. All that stuff, but we found a way to work it out for us. So if i had to pick the best maybe a night in a very small village in Spain in a small DIY Venue, but the vibe was crazy and people were on fire. The show was crazy, the drinks endless, and we danced a lot that night.
You run Absurde Rituale, present it, when, how and why did you start it , the working ethos, how many shows you put etc, who do you usually work with, how is your local scene
I started to set shows back in my early twenties. I lived in a Squat like project in the German, Polish border city Görlitz. I met ppl who would set all kinds of different shows and a little festival. Impressing for me was who they were connected with all over Europe and how they made things work with that DIY ethos. Thou it wasn’t high level venues or else, it was always fun and a very welcoming atmosphere. Bands would come from all over to that small town. Back then it was still a big thing when bands came from, i don’t know, Spain or the UK or else. It wasn’t common. And ppl would show up, even though it might not be exactly their music. When your friends went there, you came along. Since the scenes was very small, you had the Skins showing up to metal shows and the other way around. Punks, Hip Hop kids etc. all hung kind of together. I wanted to participate and soon began to book my own shows mostly Hardcore Punk, Crust, Grind that kind of stuff. After moving to Dresden later, I felt like I wanted to bring the whole thing to a more professional level. Sure I wasn’t professional at all and still I am not, but I felt giving it a name and a logo would be good. So in 2015 Absurde Rituale was born. I found this guy from LA who drew these minimalistic little logos and asked him to do one for me, and since then it has been like that.
After all these years, lots of shows and tours it’s beginning to grow more and more, and I am on a point where to decide where to go next because I am starting to handle things which I have to explain to German bureaucracy on one point. But I am not in a position to live or make any money off it, so it’s tricky. Since It’s still just me running it all alone, it doesn’t make it easier in many ways.
I am trying to keep it with the DIY spirit. I am happy of bigger bands giving me their trust to work with me, but I am not a professional, in a way where i need to do it to earn a living, and honestly I don’t want to be. I don’t see myself looking at music though numbers, sales and excel tablets. I know ppl working on that level, and it seems kind of sad. I don’t want to lose touch to what i love, and that’s the music i promote. Therefore, I mostly set up shows and tours I personally like and don’t do stuff which might work financially but doesn’t speak to me at all.
My very first show under the banners of ABSURDE RITUALE was CRUCIAMENTUM & CORPSSESED and ANTLERS and that was when I first got in touch with Daniel from KILLTOWN Bookings. Since then our relationship got closer, and I set up lots of the tours he is bringing. I drive a lot of tours for him as a TM as well. I, too, work with SWAMP Bookings from Berlin, who I like because of their very varied rooster and overall nice people working there. And of course, I directly get in contact with bands I like to have playing in Dresden or tour with. All the tours I did so far was basically me contacting the bands if they would be down for a run.
Regarding the local scene. I have a very ambivalent take on it. Since I am playing in a band myself, I am a promoter and foremost a fan of all kinds of music and live events. I can understand the different positions some may have on why they are not attending shows and things like that. Some say it’s the prizes, some just focus on that one club they always go to. I think I could talk about that for hours, but to make it short. I have good times and I have bad ones. Luckily I work with a venue called CHEMIEFABRIK here in Dresden, which supports me big time and without that support i wouldn’t have been able to set these shows more than a year. The local scene sometimes seems lazy and fed up. But i don’t want to complain, I enjoy all the shows I am setting, and I have a core of ppl who always show up. In the end that’s what it’s about, and maybe some young kid likes that stuff too and feels like it’s time for them to start something similar. That’s all I could want. Keeping it alive and rolling. As I stated before I wanted to participate not just consume, that’s why I am doing what I am doing.
How is metal concerts business in Germany? For example, many tours skip Spain because poor attendance, or in the Norwegian case, same most of the time plus the country being so expensive it makes it non-profitable. Whats your take on this
As I can only speak for my little underground bubble, I feel the scene nowadays is very alive and full of energy. Many new bands, new project genre bending music and artists. For a youngster who might just getting into metal or Punk and anything related to it, l feel the times couldn’t be better. Specially Living in Germany.
Talking venues, the options range from little underground squat cellar to bigger DIY clubs with decent prizes and ofc the real big Venues where you can get your dose of metal. That can be cursed and blessing, I think. Sometimes it seems like an overdose of bands and options. Besides that, being in Germany mostly guarantees, you will have the chance to see one of your favorite bands. If they’re touring in Europe. Specially our area, which means the triangle of Leipzig-Dresden-Prague-Berlin.
When it comes to why bands rarely show up in Norway or Spain, guess it has multiple reasons, but the geographical and financial ones are for sure the important ones. As a band on tour, u most likely have to cross Germany, but u don’t need to cross Norway or Spain if you don’t aim at going there. And in order to fill your tour economy it is for sure good to play Germany- austria-switzerland-denmark these countries. You will get a decent fee and sell merch. Personally, I love to do these “adventure” tours. Like going to Portugal or down to Turkey, traveling the Balkans. Go places, which won’t cover a lot financially, but the show will definitely be killer. At least that’s my experience.
“I wanted to participate not just consume”, i feel this is a very powerfull statement because, if more people would have this mindset maybe local scenes wouldnt be slowly dying or tours wouldnt skip some countries. Any thoughs that can develop this further?
I always felt it’s the task of the older generation to share and give away some knowledge and responsibilities they gained. But too many people done it for their own benefit and later scoop their little hole in the scene to never come out again. Fixing themselves jobs and shit. That way, it’s always harder to fill this very position with knowledge and a vital successor after that person is finally gone. I like to give u a good example which inspired me and already more people I told about this.
Last year i was on tour with MORTIFERUM and CEREBRAL ROT. We played Zagreb and that night i sat with one of the older promoters and had a nice chat. He told me about why they have chosen a very young and maybe not as sophisticated and “ready” local support band for that show. And he said. “We rather give the support slot to younger bands from here instead of the local heroes since we want them to experience that moment, that stage and everything around” he also told me, and that’s what really struck me, “we let all kids under 18 years in for free.” He said he wanted them to see how the club, and everything around, runs and what it takes. How much fun it is, but also how much responsibility. It’s not just an idealistic dream he had with no outcome. He said the scene got very vital and young throughout the years. Of course there is more to it like a strong birth cohort, social background etc. But that’s what he could do. and what kept their scene healthy. I wish we had that kind of mindset here a bit more and not just in the DIY Punk or Tekkno scene. But again, too many people care for their own social, and sometimes financial, benefit on the back of a subculture. I dont believe its just our scene where that hapens.
You mentioned DIY and thats What caught my eye About Gleichmacher when i was writting About the tour. “Kränkung Fall Verderben” was self released on vinyl, CD and merch. I know for a fact this is an economical effort since i started running a label myself. Why did you guys as a band choose this path instead of knocking label doors for some money/promo support?
Simply because we were too busy to write and practice, and we felt that way we have the most control and overview. We still think, even though it’s a lot of money we have to invest, it is the right decision. That doesn’t mean we aren’t open to work with a label, but we put ourselves in a position where we decided it must feel very good for us. There are a few labels I could see us working with. Practically, we don’t need a label nowadays. In the end, the direct benefit will mostly just be a good distribution, which we can also handle and make it work though playing live and deliver a good show. I feel that’s the best way to get your stuff sold anyway
Musically Gleichmacher it went from very raw sounding to a quite polished sound, was the recording and production process DIY as well?
Yes. We recorded the guitars with the help of our friend Anton in our rehearsal space. He brought high quality mics, knowledge, and a lot of emotional competence hahaha. The drums C. recorded himself as well as ST. did with the Bass. Different to the sound on our demo and split as IAM is the better quality of gear we used: And the fact that we recorded the instruments each for themselves and also doubled them. On the demo and split we recorded the guitar and drums live together and only the bass later extra. But all the recordings were in the end mastered by Javi Felez from Moontower Studios.
First impressions for me while listening “Kränkung, Fall, Verderben” was that i got strong Norwegian influences, but; after many listenings i got more finish black metal vibes out of it. I’m probably wrong since i don’t know it all, but i think and would say the current german black metal sound is quite similar to What is done in Finland.
I keep hearing that, but I can surly say finish BM is not a very big influence to none of us.Its rather, Finnish Death Metal or Doom which would spin on my record player. Same counts for Norwegian BM. As much as we love the older Norwegian Stuff and got into BM through these records personally, I can say that URGEHAL was one of my awakening experiences. That scene had reached its peak quite a while ago. I am not saying there aren’t any great BM bands from Norway anymore, but besides DJEVEL, WHOREDOM RIFE and a few of their Side projects, there isn’t a lot, at least what comes across to me. But to be fair, i don’t really focus on Norwegian BM at the moment. When it comes to musical horizon expansion.
I am confident to say that DISSECTION and DAWN and that era of Swedish BM has the longest lasting Influence on us. We are very much drawn to their songwriting and the mix of styles. The wide range of Death Metal and Black Metal with Doom and melodic parts and and and. It’s very interesting to see how complex that stuff was. About the German scene, I can’t say too much because; again it’s the older stuff which I really like. I don’t feel too attracted to most of the newer bands. Often they seem to follow a mechanical path. Be a bit spooky, hide behind weird robes and speak an English which you don’t understand yourself. It worked before, so why not again. Of course there are a few very captivating contemporary projects though. They mostly exist behind the comments section and stories in Metal magazines. You got to go and find them.
“Kränkung, Fall, Verderben” for me it can be hipnotic thanks to well-developed atmosphere in the songs. This was a shared impression after your show in Madrid. What do you think it takes to make interesting music that doesnt get drowned in a sea of copycats?
Thank you. I am glad you enjoyed it that way. As cliché as it might sound, but stay honest and true to yourself. To your skills and even more important your lack of skills. Don’t try to recreate things you don’t understand, and you need more than your own musical talent for. If you don’t pressure yourself to sound like band x you will create your own unique take on what you feel and consider the music you like. I think most of the outstanding records in this world mostly came from individuals who just didn’t know better or didn’t have the technics but the idea and the soul to create something out of it. These copycats might have the wider publicity and also might drive the bigger tours in a moment, but their expire date is very soon. Just think of all the MGLA copies out there.
Now that you mention finish doom, i get some very doomy passages, like in the beginning of Katharsis and adds an extra dimensión to the canonic straight forward black metal, would be interesting to see a full song worked in this way or even a full album. Would this fit in Gleichmacher or maybe can spawn a new Project?
A. and I (as the main songwriter) are very clear about what GLEICHMACHER is and will be. A Black Metal project. I personally do have some other more Death Doom styled ideas for some other projects in the future. But GLEICHMACHER will always be Black Metal. Which doesn’t mean we will stretch that concept whenever we can. As you mentioned, we do have some doom parts as well as some Death Metal vibes which we like to enhance. But in the End it’s our passion for Black Metal which keeps us doing what we do for so long now.
And if you mention finish death and doom… i have to ask for a list of your favourite albums hehe
Offf there is a lot. It changes with my mood but to name a few : Xysma – Fata Morgana , Abhorrence – Abhorrence , Skepticism – Stormcrowfleet, Vorum – Everything, Galvanizer – Sanguine Vigil. But surely there is way more. That’s just off my head now.
Last question, What is the next step for the band to keep developing and growing from the DIY perspective?
That’s a very good question. Something we are discussing a lot. Because if you try to keep it DIY but still spend a lot of money on merch or bus rental or records and also make some cash, you have to find a way to explain it to the tax company. So it’s harder than some might think. To keep it DIY. The question is if to form some sort of legal entity or try to keep it under the radar. Nothing is fixed yet, but we definitely have to make our minds up. For now, we focus on writing a new album. We have some interesting offers and plans for touring next year. Let’s see what happens. So far we are happy how things turned out for us the last year. Now we will put all our energy into writing the second album.
You can check out Gleichmacher’s full photo gallery right here:
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