Angels & Enemies - Interview

Hey, Breathing The Core fans, here we bring you a new interview to the Metalcore band Angels And Enemies from Germany. We have nothing more to say, so enjoy this interview and also like their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1.Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that? 

Well the main idea behind the name (besides the Fact that it has a nice ring to it ) was that we had the feeling that it describes our music pretty well.You know we have both, melodic atmospheric parts in our music aswell as really heavy and aggresive parts. One representing the “angel” and the other representing the “enemy”. But it’s also symbolic for the dualism in all of us, that we have to face every day. 

2.Why did you want to play this genre? 

I always loved the Raw emotion in metal and hardcore songs. It was always so redeeming for me to throw on an aggressive record and simply shout along releasing all the tension and anger that I had inside of me while growing up. And I suppose this kind of feeling is the feeling that inspires most people who play in this genre. 

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed? 

No we didn’t. At least not all of us. Our two guitarists Dirk and Steffie both played in a nu-metal band called 10 Fold B-Low before and formed “Angels and Enemies” back in 2007. But Jakob(Bass) Gerrit(Drums) and me joined the Band at a later state about two years ago, after most of the old members left due to personal reasons. Most of us met online the first time. 

4. Each band member favourite band? 

Tough question dude, since I listen to a great variety of music, from all kinds of metal to classic rock over to hip hop and even some pop-music, depending on my mood. But if I have to pick one it would be Bleeding Through, these guys(and girls) music helped me through a lot of hard times in the past, but im also a big Trivium and Staind fan. As far as I know Steffies favorite Bands are Parkway Drive and Bring me the Horizon. One of Jakobs favorite bands is Korn since they were the ones who introduced him to heavier music but he also listens to a lot of while she sleeps. As far I know Gerrit is a big fan of periphery and Dirk… well he doesn’t have a favorite Band, there’s just too much good stuff out there. 

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs? 

Well for me personally my biggest inspiration is life itself, and the inner demons I, and everyone else has to face in their everyday life. But besides of the things that go on in our own minds, theres also so much bullshit happing in the world and in other peoples life, that really depress me. It’s that kind of stuff that inspires my lyrics the most. Picking up a pen and writing it down really helps to ease my mind. 

6. Where was your last gig? 

It was in a small town called Emsdetten near Münster, where we played a Festival gig amongst other bands, I think the main act was “His Statue falls”. Even though the Festival wasn’t that big and the weather was quite Bad we had a great time there. The crowd had so much energy and really gave us lots of good resonance. It was great fun for all of us. Since then we have been writing and recording our new EP “Willkommen zurück” which we released in December last year. We even filmed a music-video for the title track which was a totally new experience for all of us. So we did’t have that much time to play shows but now we’re back on track again and will play at the “Sputtenmosh” Festival in Münster, hopefully we’ll see a few familiar faces there. But there are also several other concerts on their way, and at the same time we’re writing our new full-length that we will hopefully release later this year 

7. Where would you like to act? 

Well, it would be a great honer to play at the big Festivals such as Wacken Open air or The With Full Force Festival one day, but I guess that’s kind of utopic . For now I would say every Show we play, with a good crowd who appreciates our music, would be perfect for us. 

8. Whom would you like to feature with? 

I think it would be great to play with a bigger band like callejon who also plays a similar style of music with german lyrics. I suppose we would attract a similar Fanbase and could gain a few more fans. But besides of that I also have huge respect for these guys and have been following their carrer for quite some time now even while they were still underground. It would be an honor for me 

9. Whom not? 

Mhh… Not many to name there. We have respect for everyone who enjoys playing music. I just think that playing with a country or pop band would’t be a good idea but mainly because we would scare people off 

10. Any of you has ever suffered from stage fright? 

Any tip for beginners on how to beat that? Haha I know that our guitarist Steffie has great stage fright. I never really had that problem though even though I’m by far not as experienced as she is. That’s probably because screaming in a mic sounds like shit to most people anyway as long as I’m not sick there’s not that much that can go wrong, and if I mess up somewhere most people would’t recognize it anyway. And that’s probably the best way to answer your second question the first few concerts newcomers play have bad sound mixing anyway, and most people won’t even know your songs, so if you mess up just don’t bother. Most of the time the live sound maskes every mistake anyway. And even if it doesn’t most people won’t even notice. And if you know that your good at what you’re doing and if you have a good feeling about it, there’s no need to be afraid anyway, so just keep practicing ‘till you can be shure that you’ll do a good show. 

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

Haha I guess it would be lame to mention the same Bands I mentioned before wouldn’t it? I guess the first Band that introduced me to the Vocal style I’m doing now was Bullet for my Valentine, back in the day when they released “the Poison”. I guess I was 12 or so at that time. Before that I only listened to Hip Hop and all sorts of Nu-Metal. I guess the first two Linkin Park records also had an impact on the way I try to write my lyrics. I remember reading an interview by them where one of them said “We don’t try to write about situations. We try to write about the Emotions in these situations” That sentence kinda stuck with me, and still affects the way I write my stuff today. I know that Dirk was hugely inspired by Iron Maiden back in the Day, but later on got hooked on Soilwork which inspired him in playing the way he does today. 

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for? 

Since I haven’t been a member of the Band for too long there aren’t that many weird question people asked me, but I bet Dirk und Steffie know lots of funny stories. But I DO know my weirdest reaction to a question a fan asked me. One night while I was partying with a few friends of mine in Cologne in the Live-Music- Hall. A girl came to me and probably recognized me from a concert or so, a asking me if I’m the singer of Angels and Enemies. I was so fucking drunk at that time, I had a hard time to even stand up straight. And instead of simply answering or talking to her I just pushed her aside and ran to the Bathroom to throw up. A few seconds longer and I would have puked right in her face Guess I screwed that up big time, huh? 

13. What do you think of your fans? 

I think it’s a great thing that people enjoy our music. It’s awesome to be supported by people who can relate to the stuff I’m singing about and feel the same, especially when were on stage and see and feel the energy that some of these kids have. Music can really connect people and that’s probably the best part about it. 

14. What do you think of our site? 

I think its great especially because you also give smaller Bands the opportunity to present themselves and help them with their careers. It’s getting harder and harder for Bands these days to get the recognition they deserve. Most of all because labels won’t sign them as easily as they used to, since most people simply download records instead of buying them. So it’s really great to have a platform like yours that also supports the underground. We wish you and your site the best, thanks for interviewing us. If you have any further questions feel free to drop us a line. there will be a few mistakes here and there since