And once again our Latvian friend Evita Hofmane of P3lican webzine (P3lican Webzine) is coming to help us with spreading a Gospel of Doom! There will be a promising event in Riga – festival Antithesis III with Evoken, Ophis, Frailty and Evadne as a line-up; Evita did choose to support German giants of death doom with this soulful interview. Welcome Philipp Kruppa, master of Ophis....Aleks Evdokimov.
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What do you think – somebody is really reading those interviews with bands before they go to the shows? And how about you? Do you read interviews with a bands before the gigs?
No, but I read them afterwards. It is interesting to read interviews with bands that you just saw live. I don’t know how your readers handle this. As long as they read it SOME time, I don’t bother that much, haha.
12 years of doom – it’s quite much or it’s just short intro?
I think it is somewhere in the middle. Surely it is not a short intro, because I can not imagine that this band will last 30 years or more. But then again, when we started, I couldn’t imagine that OPHIS would last 12 years either – and yet we did.
As one wise man once said – the lowest and the highest points are most important ones. Anything else is just in between. So, which were the highest and the lowest points for OPHIS so far?
Highest points so far were the release of „Withered Shades”, our second tour through Europe and the show at Madrid Is The Dark Festival. Lowest points were when we had to fire our last bass-player and each time I thought the band was finished, due to some internal or external bullcrap. At least, that’s my opinion, the other members may have different thoughts..
If you could distance from fact that quite a lot of music and lyrics are created by you, what do you think –what could have been your feelings and emotions while you were listening to OPHIS music?
I hope I would get the same feelings as when I listen to other great Doom bands: to be at one with yourself and all your misery, drowning deeply into the music and realise that pain lets you feel alive!
Creative people are different. How could you describe yourself as a creative personality?
I think that many people just spend hardly any time to reflect themselves and the importance of values. That’s the whole difference. That’s also the reason for them not being creative. I think anyone who can reflect himself and his culture and society in a certain amount can also be creative. But these people don’t, so they are also not creative, although they could be if they would not be too lazy to think. I try not to be like this. If I am successful in that, I can not judge.
You recorded OPHIS demo CD „Empty, Silent, Cold” all on your own, so tell me – in some kind of way it’s easier to do everything by yourself or not?
No, I don’t think it is easier. Of course, when you record a release all on your own, there is less potential for tensions or issues, but apart from that I find it much easier to record with a band, because you don’t have to work as hard and the responsibility is shared by everyone, instead of lying solely on your shoulders. It was good for me to work on OPHIS alone at first, but this necessity is over, and I prefer working as a band a lot more.
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OPHIS have recently released 2 CD compilation „Effigies of Desolation” on Cyclone Empire Records. Can you tell us a little bit more about that stuff?
Cyclone Empire Records originally wanted to re-release our debut album „Stream of Misery”, with some bonustracks added. We discussed the idea for a while and then decided instead of doing just a mere re-release, let’s make it a compilation of our early releases. So we not only added some unreleased recordings from our archives but also our sold out first EP „Nostrae Mortis Signaculum”. This is also the reason why we gave it a new name and exclusive artwork with an extensive digi-package. We wanted to make it a high-value release, and I think it turned out satisfying. At first we were unsure if anyone would care at all about it, but the first reviews just came in, and the ratings are still as good as they were back then. So obviously, both records stood the first test of time. And thus, re-issuing them seems vindicated to us.
I have never been to Doom Shall Rise fest and to be honest it’s pretty hard to imagine festival where only doom metal bands are playing. So, please, can you give me some notion how it was this year for you guys and for audience as well? Doom has risen now?
Yes, Doom has risen, it was the last Doom Shall Rise Festival ever. It was a very big honour to play this festival as co-headliners. A festival with only Doom bands is maybe not as tiring and slow as you might think. They had a lot of different bands there, many of them playing doomy rock, or Stoner / Sludge stuff, so it was very mixed stylistically. Generally speaking I like Doom festivals very much, also Dutch Doom Day or Doom Over London..
How doomed is life in Germany – both literally and metaphorically?
Germany was soothed by wealth in the 60s and many people still think it will stay this way. But society is going downhill pretty fast, the social decline is very visible. The working conditions here are currently as bad as never before since the second world war. Also education suffered significantly in the last 15 years. The worst thing is: the financial crisis is over, the economy is making huge profits again – but the normal people still earn much less and jobs are getting more rare every day. So there is a huge drift between the social layers, and it keeps growing. There is money coming in, but it goes only to the rich ones. In Hamburg, every fifth child is considered being „poor”. Unfortunately, this also means that extremist parties and organisations gained more following in recent years too. Not a good development. And currently, I do not see an end to this. The problem is: if you want to emigrate – where to? All western european countries suffer from these problems as well.
What doom is for you? Not so much as a metal style, but if we speak per destiny? (Of course, at some point it just comes together, that’s why we are doing this intie with you.)
Doom means the inevitability of bad things. And they are inevitable, right?Mankind is bound to suffer, it is their destiny. They created it themselves. Doom Metal deals about that fact, so as you said, they come together at one point.
What’s your favourite quote about nihilism?
I have to be disappointing: I have no favourite quote about nihilism. I don’t even care for the philosophical definition of the term. To me, nihilism means that nothing in life has a determined higher purpose. We are just here, and every sense we add to life is just our own, and it is just fictional, because you determine the value it has. Things as good or bad do not exist, those are terms made and defined by society, but in the end, everyone defines it for themselves. Money for instance is the highest principle for almost every person on the planet. But it has no real value, it is just paper that people chose to give a value. It is all just a fictional thing.
This is one of my faves: „Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to was never there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. Where is there a place for you to be? No place... Nothing outside you can give you any place... In yourself right now is all the place you've got.” – Flannery O’Connor. Do you like this? Any comments?
Pretty good summary of the word. I agree. Especially with the last sentence.
What does death mean for you? Is this an end or it’s just a new beginning? And if you could choose, which version you would prefer more?
I am very sure that death is the end, and nothing else. The reason why people believe in afterlife or reincarnation is – in my opinion – that they are so afraid of death and of having lived their lives in a wrong way, that they cling to the thought they’d get another chance. Many people know unconciously that their lives are empty, dull and void of importance. With believing in an afterlife, they get the chance to „fix that later”, i.e. after death. And they cannot imagine to not exist anymore, because they take themselves way too important. That’s why they believe they will exist forever in some way. I don’t think so at all, and I consider it as a weakness.
How high is suicide rate in Germany? And what about depression? How many people are suffering from that kind of problems? Just your personal opinion, no precise statistics needed, but you can add some if you wish!
I heard the suicide rate in Germany is average, but in my awareness it is pretty low. I only know very few people who commited suicide. But I think nevertheless depression is VERY common in Germany. You see that in the dullness and the common rudeness here in this country. Many people are grumpy, fatalistic, pessimistic and very unkind here, which is in my opinion a sign of not being happy with your life. But people here choose to silence those emotions with alcohol, mindless parties and empty, easy-going plastic-culture events that prevent them from having real feelings and from thinking. Bread and games!
You have been on tours with other doom bands before. Can you tell me, please, how differs atmosphere in the tour bus where are only gloomy persons inside if we compare with one where - for example – thrashers or blackers are?
Well, since I never toured with thrashers or blackers, I cannot compare the atmosphere in their tourbusses with ours... All I can say is, that in tourbusses with Doomers, the atmosphere is probably not as dark and depressive as you may think. And the reason for this is simple: in an artistic way, all doomers have a lot in common, and therefor we understand each other and get along. We all suffered our bit in life, and we reflected it. Doom is quite mature music. So the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. Doomers are often (not always of course) a bit more self-confident about their music than blackers, so we don’t have to start stupid competitions of „who is the most evil in this bus”, haha. But: there is not that much partying going on too.. probably we are too introverted, haha.
Can you give us some good musical recomendations? Maybe, smth from Germany what’s really worth to hear? And, btw, do you know what kind of music Angela Merkele prefers most?
Doom bands from Germany that are worth to listen to: DUST, AHAB, BST, BLACK SHAPE OF NEXUS, O.68, SWAMP CORPSE (well, at least if they finally managed to release something, haha). Angela Merkel only loves to listen to the sound of money rolling in while gasmask-wearing leather slaves whip her ass. That’s music to her ears.
What do you think – how we’ll listen to the music after, let’s say, 25 years? Only digitally? Is there any future for cassettes, vinyls etc.?
Right now, vinyl is very popular as an anti-trend towards digital music. I think it will last for some more years, but in 25 years, it will probably be gone. It is the older generation that still sticks to vinyl and tapes. The younger ones will not re-discover it. When the older generation is gone, so will be the vinyl. Sad future.
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What do you know about Latvia? Have you ever been here?
Never been there before, so that’s the reason why I am looking VERY much forward to this show! To be honest, I don’t know much about Latvia. Unfortunately, the former east-states are mostly unknown here in west Europe. Many people and media don’t pay much attention to them, which is very sad. That is why you don’t get that many information. But I will see for myself!
Three things we must now about your fellow band Evoken?
1: they kick ass, especially live. 2. Their vocalist is among the best ones in Doom 3. They post waaaay to much stuff on Facebook, haha.
Your favourite songs from those bands repertoire you are going to play with?
My favourite EVOKEN- songs are „Tending The Dire Hatred”, „Orogeny” and „Antithesis of Light”. I hope they will play them on the tour. If not, I will bug them every night until they do so, haha. I am not that familiar with EVADNEs repertoire yet, but that will change after the tour!
Maybe you have some questions what you would like to ask to our latvian bands you are going to play with here in Riga this June?
Sure, I’d like to know more of the local Metal scene – what genres are popular, and which attitude towards Metal do you generally have? I assume you are more into the real feeling than the overfed masses in the west?
Here’s answer of Edmunds from Frailty:
-Latvian Metal scene is not as developed as in Western and Northern Europe, not even close. Each band works in its own particular genre, so there is no traditions of, for example, Latvian Black Metal or Latvian Death Metal. Among the Latvian auditory the most popular are the most extreme genres of Metal like Death, Black and Doom Metal, although other styles are popular (mainly Folk and Thrash), too. We have strong post-metal/hc scene, however it is regarded as somewhat inferior by the oldschool metalheads. I cannot answer about the so called "real" feeling of Metal, but I guess, that it is thought to be in sympathy for more oldschool approach to this music. The modern things like metalcore and now immensly popular djent music has no real hold in our community, and it is enjoyed mainly by adolescent listeners, and no really strong bands have emerged in these genres. In concerts, people still prefer an oldschool looking band with long-haired masculine musicians dressed in black or army clothing and playing some evil sounding riffs accompanied by intense drumming, not skinny boys jumping around and making wierd rythms on their 7 or 8 string monstrosities and calling those atrocities Metal! I hope it stays so for years to come and maybe someday we will reach the level of our foreign friends, who have been doing it for decades. The heritage of USSR oppression is still strong and the acceptance of the Western values and attitudes torwards the Rock and Metal music is still in its early phase.
Can you tell me about the happiest day in your doomed life?
I could, but maybe people under 18 read this, so I can not tell you, haha.
What is the main dictum you have learned during these years about life and music as two inseparable things?
I have learned that FOR ME music is the only art-form that that can reflect every aspect of human life. People may strongly disagree, but this is what I learned for me. Music is the catalyst of existence. Without music I would have killed myself long ago, I kid you not.
Have you seen one of our promo videos with Ophis music? Do you enjoy it? Get thrilled? So, I hope, you are coming, guys?
Yes, we have seen them, and we laughed a lot. It was very funny and original. No one ever did that before. We should use them as intro-tapes to our shows, haha. Thank you very much for them! We are thrilled about Riga, alright!
Ophis | Facebook
Ophis | Official Website
Latvian version of interview is here: P3lican Webzine
No, but I read them afterwards. It is interesting to read interviews with bands that you just saw live. I don’t know how your readers handle this. As long as they read it SOME time, I don’t bother that much, haha.
12 years of doom – it’s quite much or it’s just short intro?
I think it is somewhere in the middle. Surely it is not a short intro, because I can not imagine that this band will last 30 years or more. But then again, when we started, I couldn’t imagine that OPHIS would last 12 years either – and yet we did.
As one wise man once said – the lowest and the highest points are most important ones. Anything else is just in between. So, which were the highest and the lowest points for OPHIS so far?
Highest points so far were the release of „Withered Shades”, our second tour through Europe and the show at Madrid Is The Dark Festival. Lowest points were when we had to fire our last bass-player and each time I thought the band was finished, due to some internal or external bullcrap. At least, that’s my opinion, the other members may have different thoughts..
If you could distance from fact that quite a lot of music and lyrics are created by you, what do you think –what could have been your feelings and emotions while you were listening to OPHIS music?
I hope I would get the same feelings as when I listen to other great Doom bands: to be at one with yourself and all your misery, drowning deeply into the music and realise that pain lets you feel alive!
Creative people are different. How could you describe yourself as a creative personality?
I think that many people just spend hardly any time to reflect themselves and the importance of values. That’s the whole difference. That’s also the reason for them not being creative. I think anyone who can reflect himself and his culture and society in a certain amount can also be creative. But these people don’t, so they are also not creative, although they could be if they would not be too lazy to think. I try not to be like this. If I am successful in that, I can not judge.
You recorded OPHIS demo CD „Empty, Silent, Cold” all on your own, so tell me – in some kind of way it’s easier to do everything by yourself or not?
No, I don’t think it is easier. Of course, when you record a release all on your own, there is less potential for tensions or issues, but apart from that I find it much easier to record with a band, because you don’t have to work as hard and the responsibility is shared by everyone, instead of lying solely on your shoulders. It was good for me to work on OPHIS alone at first, but this necessity is over, and I prefer working as a band a lot more.
OPHIS have recently released 2 CD compilation „Effigies of Desolation” on Cyclone Empire Records. Can you tell us a little bit more about that stuff?
Cyclone Empire Records originally wanted to re-release our debut album „Stream of Misery”, with some bonustracks added. We discussed the idea for a while and then decided instead of doing just a mere re-release, let’s make it a compilation of our early releases. So we not only added some unreleased recordings from our archives but also our sold out first EP „Nostrae Mortis Signaculum”. This is also the reason why we gave it a new name and exclusive artwork with an extensive digi-package. We wanted to make it a high-value release, and I think it turned out satisfying. At first we were unsure if anyone would care at all about it, but the first reviews just came in, and the ratings are still as good as they were back then. So obviously, both records stood the first test of time. And thus, re-issuing them seems vindicated to us.
I have never been to Doom Shall Rise fest and to be honest it’s pretty hard to imagine festival where only doom metal bands are playing. So, please, can you give me some notion how it was this year for you guys and for audience as well? Doom has risen now?
Yes, Doom has risen, it was the last Doom Shall Rise Festival ever. It was a very big honour to play this festival as co-headliners. A festival with only Doom bands is maybe not as tiring and slow as you might think. They had a lot of different bands there, many of them playing doomy rock, or Stoner / Sludge stuff, so it was very mixed stylistically. Generally speaking I like Doom festivals very much, also Dutch Doom Day or Doom Over London..
How doomed is life in Germany – both literally and metaphorically?
Germany was soothed by wealth in the 60s and many people still think it will stay this way. But society is going downhill pretty fast, the social decline is very visible. The working conditions here are currently as bad as never before since the second world war. Also education suffered significantly in the last 15 years. The worst thing is: the financial crisis is over, the economy is making huge profits again – but the normal people still earn much less and jobs are getting more rare every day. So there is a huge drift between the social layers, and it keeps growing. There is money coming in, but it goes only to the rich ones. In Hamburg, every fifth child is considered being „poor”. Unfortunately, this also means that extremist parties and organisations gained more following in recent years too. Not a good development. And currently, I do not see an end to this. The problem is: if you want to emigrate – where to? All western european countries suffer from these problems as well.
What doom is for you? Not so much as a metal style, but if we speak per destiny? (Of course, at some point it just comes together, that’s why we are doing this intie with you.)
Doom means the inevitability of bad things. And they are inevitable, right?Mankind is bound to suffer, it is their destiny. They created it themselves. Doom Metal deals about that fact, so as you said, they come together at one point.
What’s your favourite quote about nihilism?
I have to be disappointing: I have no favourite quote about nihilism. I don’t even care for the philosophical definition of the term. To me, nihilism means that nothing in life has a determined higher purpose. We are just here, and every sense we add to life is just our own, and it is just fictional, because you determine the value it has. Things as good or bad do not exist, those are terms made and defined by society, but in the end, everyone defines it for themselves. Money for instance is the highest principle for almost every person on the planet. But it has no real value, it is just paper that people chose to give a value. It is all just a fictional thing.
This is one of my faves: „Where you come from is gone, where you thought you were going to was never there, and where you are is no good unless you can get away from it. Where is there a place for you to be? No place... Nothing outside you can give you any place... In yourself right now is all the place you've got.” – Flannery O’Connor. Do you like this? Any comments?
Pretty good summary of the word. I agree. Especially with the last sentence.
What does death mean for you? Is this an end or it’s just a new beginning? And if you could choose, which version you would prefer more?
I am very sure that death is the end, and nothing else. The reason why people believe in afterlife or reincarnation is – in my opinion – that they are so afraid of death and of having lived their lives in a wrong way, that they cling to the thought they’d get another chance. Many people know unconciously that their lives are empty, dull and void of importance. With believing in an afterlife, they get the chance to „fix that later”, i.e. after death. And they cannot imagine to not exist anymore, because they take themselves way too important. That’s why they believe they will exist forever in some way. I don’t think so at all, and I consider it as a weakness.
How high is suicide rate in Germany? And what about depression? How many people are suffering from that kind of problems? Just your personal opinion, no precise statistics needed, but you can add some if you wish!
I heard the suicide rate in Germany is average, but in my awareness it is pretty low. I only know very few people who commited suicide. But I think nevertheless depression is VERY common in Germany. You see that in the dullness and the common rudeness here in this country. Many people are grumpy, fatalistic, pessimistic and very unkind here, which is in my opinion a sign of not being happy with your life. But people here choose to silence those emotions with alcohol, mindless parties and empty, easy-going plastic-culture events that prevent them from having real feelings and from thinking. Bread and games!
You have been on tours with other doom bands before. Can you tell me, please, how differs atmosphere in the tour bus where are only gloomy persons inside if we compare with one where - for example – thrashers or blackers are?
Well, since I never toured with thrashers or blackers, I cannot compare the atmosphere in their tourbusses with ours... All I can say is, that in tourbusses with Doomers, the atmosphere is probably not as dark and depressive as you may think. And the reason for this is simple: in an artistic way, all doomers have a lot in common, and therefor we understand each other and get along. We all suffered our bit in life, and we reflected it. Doom is quite mature music. So the atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. Doomers are often (not always of course) a bit more self-confident about their music than blackers, so we don’t have to start stupid competitions of „who is the most evil in this bus”, haha. But: there is not that much partying going on too.. probably we are too introverted, haha.
Can you give us some good musical recomendations? Maybe, smth from Germany what’s really worth to hear? And, btw, do you know what kind of music Angela Merkele prefers most?
Doom bands from Germany that are worth to listen to: DUST, AHAB, BST, BLACK SHAPE OF NEXUS, O.68, SWAMP CORPSE (well, at least if they finally managed to release something, haha). Angela Merkel only loves to listen to the sound of money rolling in while gasmask-wearing leather slaves whip her ass. That’s music to her ears.
What do you think – how we’ll listen to the music after, let’s say, 25 years? Only digitally? Is there any future for cassettes, vinyls etc.?
Right now, vinyl is very popular as an anti-trend towards digital music. I think it will last for some more years, but in 25 years, it will probably be gone. It is the older generation that still sticks to vinyl and tapes. The younger ones will not re-discover it. When the older generation is gone, so will be the vinyl. Sad future.
What do you know about Latvia? Have you ever been here?
Never been there before, so that’s the reason why I am looking VERY much forward to this show! To be honest, I don’t know much about Latvia. Unfortunately, the former east-states are mostly unknown here in west Europe. Many people and media don’t pay much attention to them, which is very sad. That is why you don’t get that many information. But I will see for myself!
Three things we must now about your fellow band Evoken?
1: they kick ass, especially live. 2. Their vocalist is among the best ones in Doom 3. They post waaaay to much stuff on Facebook, haha.
Your favourite songs from those bands repertoire you are going to play with?
My favourite EVOKEN- songs are „Tending The Dire Hatred”, „Orogeny” and „Antithesis of Light”. I hope they will play them on the tour. If not, I will bug them every night until they do so, haha. I am not that familiar with EVADNEs repertoire yet, but that will change after the tour!
Maybe you have some questions what you would like to ask to our latvian bands you are going to play with here in Riga this June?
Sure, I’d like to know more of the local Metal scene – what genres are popular, and which attitude towards Metal do you generally have? I assume you are more into the real feeling than the overfed masses in the west?
Here’s answer of Edmunds from Frailty:
-Latvian Metal scene is not as developed as in Western and Northern Europe, not even close. Each band works in its own particular genre, so there is no traditions of, for example, Latvian Black Metal or Latvian Death Metal. Among the Latvian auditory the most popular are the most extreme genres of Metal like Death, Black and Doom Metal, although other styles are popular (mainly Folk and Thrash), too. We have strong post-metal/hc scene, however it is regarded as somewhat inferior by the oldschool metalheads. I cannot answer about the so called "real" feeling of Metal, but I guess, that it is thought to be in sympathy for more oldschool approach to this music. The modern things like metalcore and now immensly popular djent music has no real hold in our community, and it is enjoyed mainly by adolescent listeners, and no really strong bands have emerged in these genres. In concerts, people still prefer an oldschool looking band with long-haired masculine musicians dressed in black or army clothing and playing some evil sounding riffs accompanied by intense drumming, not skinny boys jumping around and making wierd rythms on their 7 or 8 string monstrosities and calling those atrocities Metal! I hope it stays so for years to come and maybe someday we will reach the level of our foreign friends, who have been doing it for decades. The heritage of USSR oppression is still strong and the acceptance of the Western values and attitudes torwards the Rock and Metal music is still in its early phase.
Can you tell me about the happiest day in your doomed life?
I could, but maybe people under 18 read this, so I can not tell you, haha.
What is the main dictum you have learned during these years about life and music as two inseparable things?
I have learned that FOR ME music is the only art-form that that can reflect every aspect of human life. People may strongly disagree, but this is what I learned for me. Music is the catalyst of existence. Without music I would have killed myself long ago, I kid you not.
Have you seen one of our promo videos with Ophis music? Do you enjoy it? Get thrilled? So, I hope, you are coming, guys?
Yes, we have seen them, and we laughed a lot. It was very funny and original. No one ever did that before. We should use them as intro-tapes to our shows, haha. Thank you very much for them! We are thrilled about Riga, alright!
Ophis | Facebook
Ophis | Official Website
Latvian version of interview is here: P3lican Webzine