Sombre Arcanec

I will not introduce one of the best Black Metal bands. I will just give you the opportunity to shine some of their secrets…

Goebbels: Hails Man! To start off, could you tell the readers that are unfamiliar with Fäulnis something about your debut and development towards the band that you are now?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Fäulnis... risen from dirt, puked all over the public, adored and spit at. Awakened in 2003 in Seuche's (me) shape, a threesome in 2009 with N.G. and P.H...

Seuche's shape a threesome in 2009 with N.G. and P.H and now with N.N. and M.R.M…A bunch of five fucked up bastards.

A summary: Five records and a film adaptation, all for the one and eternal subject, The Eternal Grey: ‘Verfall Eines Individuums - Eine Trilogie: Escalation - Delusion and Death.

In details: 2004 ‘Cholerik – Eine Aufarbeitung’, followed by a personal breakdown and nearly split-up. But in 2005 ‘Letharg - Portrait eines psychischen Totalausfalles’ increased interests from the in- and outside. The concept of ‘Gehirn Zwischen Wahn Und Sinn’ was recreated a dozen times. Meanwhile, we recorded a 7inch named ‘Kommando Thanatos’ and picturized ‘Letharg’, released on a DVD called ‘Gehirn Zwischen Wahn Und Sinn’.

“Gehirn...”, the second part of the trilogy, has its focus on the everyday-grey, insanity between concrete, white walls, long aisles and a brain ere to Exitus. Psychical breakdown in metropolis…

Goebbels: Fäulnis means Putrefaction. What is the idea behind this choice and how you manage to make your music a concretisation of this name?

Seuche(Fäulnis): FÄULNIS is about the decay of a human mankind, described by the visualization of an individual person, called „Der Protagonist“. He is the main-character of the trilogy... a try to have some distance between me and the psychological content of my lyrics.

Goebbels: Before entering in details, congratulations on “Zwischen Wahn und Sinn”. It is strangely refreshing in a time where gold bands such Immortal, Limbonic Art, Satyricon etc try to find their resurrection and win new listeners. How do you look upon that yourself?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Thank you! But I don’t dislike the mentioned bands at all. Ok, I only like „Pure Holocaust“of Immortal, only know „Moon in the Scorpio“of Limbonic Art, a great Album. I like the „new“Satyricon: this minimalistic dark style. But all these bands work on a complete other level than FÄULNIS. An important fact is that earning money via music is their job. Music is not a job for me, I am freer. So, I have more possibilities to experiment new something in music… huh, needn’t to make sure a Special sale-rate. I already hate all these music-industries-bullshit-problems. I don’t want to change...

Goebbels: And how were the reactions from the press and the fans so far?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Very good generally, actually for “Gehirn zwischen Wahn und Sinn” we got the most positive reactions in the history of FÄULNIS, even from foreign countries. I’m proud that the most people can understand the meaning of the album and feel the grey spirit of everyday-disturbance.

Goebbels: If I am correct, Zwischen Wahn und Sinn means “A Brain between Mania and Sense”. It seems really related to the band name. So, can you give is us more information about this title?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Difficult! The title is a German Play with words. “Wahnsinn” is insanity or madness, if you divide thisbinto “Wahn” and “Sinn”, you have two words with a nearly opposite meaning. The exactly aware use of the physical-term “Gehirn/ Brain” instead of for example “soul” have to be a symbol for the distant character, some sort of an anatomizing album-character.

Goebbels: When did you start with the song writing for the album and how did the song writing process look like?

Seuche(Fäulnis): From the release-date on two years ago I started writing songs for the second part of the trilogy. My working-process is a whole chaos. Sometimes I write the lyrics, and then I try to find the music. Sometimes, I have a riff at first. Sometimes everything is adequate, sometimes nothing works. Sometimes I have some words in mind and build everything else around them and so on. Lyrics are so important for me that sometimes good riffs were sorted because they didn’t transport the special feeling.

In the end, listening to finished songs is a really personal wonder.

Goebbels: The music has always been very erect and honest and you never denied melodies in your songs. Every one contains its memorable parts and shows your capacity to work as a unit. What do you have in mind when you are writing the tunes? I mean, to me it sounds as if the atmosphere you create in the songs has to summon a vision!

Seuche(Fäulnis): Of course, every song lives from the atmosphere I had in mind while writing it. Besides my chaotic style of creating music, the first thing is the idea…mmm…a special feeling or theme I want to reconstruct.

Goebbels: Your composition is a mix of Black Metal, Ambient and even Noise which gives to you the picture of an extremely diverse taste in music. It smashes the stereotype of "kvlt" narrow-mindedness in the realm of underground German and even International scene. How you manage to make all those things homogenous?

Seuche(Fäulnis): First, I didn’t start writing the album with the intention to make a Black Metal. The basics of FÄULNIS are Black Metal, right; it’s my favourite music since years and dark Metal is very suitable to my thoughts. Moreover, I hate boundaries! I listen to a lot of different styles, mostly raw Metal, Doom or Punkrock but also some electronic styles and so on.

What is “kvlt” nowadays? Rhetorical question..

Goebbels: The problem a band as Fäulnis can face is the fact that puritans and old Black Metal fans have difficulties to enjoy the complete album, because it goes in contrast with all the Scandinavian artistic direction. Are you aware of this and will there be some changes in the future?

Seuche(Fäulnis): I don’t make music to satisfy puritans. Of course, FÄULNIS is situated in the Black Metal scene. I started with a more Black Metal-ish style and I contacted Black Metal-labels to promote FÄULNIS, to play Lives with Black Metal-bands and to make changes to be on one level with more listeners...ahm, I hope I don’t have to accomplish that!

Goebbels: FÄULNIS has its own future!

Goebbels: More than that, I am enjoying the audibility and the richness of tempos. We can find slow, mid and even oppressive-ones. But, am I wrong when I say that they are just the same expressions from totally different angles.

Seuche(Fäulnis): Yes. The tempo-thing is a bit strange. “Trümmer” was planned as a fast song, but sometimes it depends only on the drums. N.G. plays as a bit ironical behind-the-camera-view: “Gehirn..” should had been much more faster but my drummer plays in a Doom-band (check out Ophis!) since some years and now he is infected by slow-motions. In any way, I will plan some faster songs in the future.

Be prepared!

Goebbels: The whole part of the atmosphere refers to a schizophrenic device and the use of ambient elements increases this face. Had you some fears when you chose to include some Ambient with a Melodic Black Metal?

Seuche(Fäulnis): No, why? The thought behind it was to have an hour without silence and the whole songs are so connected in a united experience. Some long noise-parts are boring for some people, but everyday-live is not a colourful party! It’s not Pop music!

Goebbels: My favourite song is Weiße Wände and I am so curious to know if there are stories behind this guys who vomit here and there? What is the aim of this disgusting use?

Seuche(Fäulnis): It’s me in my bathroom and I wasn’t vomiting. It’s about pills, some water and the aftermath. I wanted to include some realistic parts to empathize the concept. The meaning of “Weiße Wände” (White walls – of the living room) is disgusting – starring at concrete white walls, motionless, the white burn your eyes, your body numb - day after day...

Goebbels: Another reason for the band success, except for the musical skills of course, is the incredible variation of vocals. Has this ever provoked controversy among listeners?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Yeah it has, not very much on “Gehirn...” but in the past the vocals were the most criticized part of FÄULNIS. I’m not a good vocalist. I only try to transport as much feelings as possible by shouting, screaming and whispering. It’s not technical. It’s just an emotional outbreak.

Goebbels: The lyrics of Zwischen Wahn und Sinn have always been written in your native tongue, German and I think that it combines well with the atmosphere. So what function does this have within the framework of Fäulnis and the band's albums? Does it serve as a metaphor for a certain original talent, or is it just that you are able to write stronger lyrics in German, lyrics that fit your vision to the world better?

Seuche(Fäulnis): German is my native language; any other language can’t give me the possibility to write my thoughts down with the intensity like my native tongue do. That’s it! I don’t like the English-language very much, especially as it is mainly used in music to be more hip…

Goebbels: This question follows from the one prior to this one: what represent a band such 'Lifelover' for you? There are real similarities in the composition and even in the use of clean vocals with a native tongue?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Lifelover creates a perfect style to impress young girls in their depri-rebelling phase. Ok I can´t deny that their style has a fine innovative touch and I like some songs, especially of “Erotic”. But I don’t think that there are many similarities between Lifelover and FÄULNIS. Finally, FÄULNIS have fewer groupies, haha!

Goebbels: Who is responsible for the lyrics, what subjects are included and what do you want to bring across with them?

Seuche(Fäulnis): I write all of the lyrics. As I said, FÄULNIS describes the grey in life, trying being realistic and to ignore these funny suicide-clowns. It’s about experiences, thoughts, and the dark side of me. Compensating and trying to learn by dealing with my inner-thought is very important in this case.

Goebbels: Oh yeah! I did not find any homage to Anti-Christianity in your lyrics. Am I wrong when I think that nowadays Christianity and religions are easy targets and we have to take a wider enemy?

Seuche(Fäulnis): The real enemy is much more complex. Anti-Christianity or religion is not my cup of tea. I’m atheistic and religion hasn’t a place in my life.

Goebbels: And if the sentence regarding Satanism as symbolism doesn't describe your band, what does Satan signify to you?

Seuche(Fäulnis): The evil in mankind! There is more wide philosophical meaning for sure, but even Satan doesn’t belong to my daily semantic. In the past, I was very fascinated by Satanism and Occultism but nowadays I have other signs to deal with…

Goebbels: Currently, we notice the increase of NSBM bands. So, what is your vision to the combination between politic and music in general and Nazism in particular?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Bullshit!

Goebbels: What are your expectations? Do you think that the scene will cleanse itself?

Seuche(Fäulnis): The “scene” can do what they want to do.. Black Metal and other subcultures will be always susceptible for extreme opinions. First Satanism, now Nazism... what’s next?

Goebbels: Tooki Yo HooteL, haha !

Goebbels: A lot of bands say that they are happiest when playing concerts and being out on the road. Is it all worth it when faced with consuming gas station food, travelling in a van with a bunch of sweaty dudes and hoping to make some money night after night? Do you think that Fäulnis is reserved to studios or it can be a live experience?

Seuche(Fäulnis): We played two gigs this winter and it was very impressing. Yes, I like playing live, screaming in the stage, beer...

Goebbels: Are there specific musicians and/or bands you would like to work with in the future?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Some friends’ maybe... No specific names, just some persons giving FÄULNIS some special influences.

Goebbels: Do you have any future splits in mind at this point?

Seuche(Fäulnis): FÄULNIS will record a split with Aschefall from Berlin/ Germany!

Goebbels: If you had to compare the current state of black metal to a symbol, an object, a myth, or anything for that matter, what would it be? Does it have a future besides entropy and fleeting shadows of the old-school glory?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Of course! It has a future and like any other scene there will be further developments. I don’t know! My focus is actually not on Black Metal or any other scene.

Goebbels: What musical directions to do you see future releases taking? Since "Zwischen Wahn und Sinn" is a pure success. Do you think you'll head further into that direction or make a return to outright carnage?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Let’s see what the future will bring!

I started composing “Endstation”. I don’t really want to tell anything about the style of music but it will be different. For sure, I will compose “metal”-specific music in the future as well but “Endstation” will be much more experimental. Don’t expect some lame two-fingers Ambient, that's why I don’t want to talk about it in details, now. So, one point should be told: The whole project will be released only on vinyl (labels get in touch!) and as a total free download and not just as some
Mp3-Files, but an adequate presentation, of course with printable artworks and an extensive PDF with the whole FÄULNIS-story included.

Goebbels: Thanks once again and please take this opportunity to add anything else you feel is important and hasn't been covered?

Seuche(Fäulnis): Thanks for supporting FÄULNIS! If you, the reader, are interested in FÄULNIS, you can download our stuff for sure, but if you like it, buy it! Ask for distributors in your country or get FÄULNIS-Stuff at www.sickblackart.de! I am not talking about commerce. I am talking about fairness for all the hard working musicians/ artists out there! Regards to Tunisia!

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