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KONTRUST – Between stage and reality
After a decade, they are coming back on the metal scene with some brand new and quite convicing work.
A disappointed look to society is very well merged with the usual party mood and ready to have some fun. No matter what the new elements are bringing to the music, they are still loyal to their unique sound. To deep dive their crazy and talentful creativity, we’ll let them indroduce their last album “Madworld”.
Here the italian version translated!
Hi all, Good morning, How are you Guys ?
Manuel: Fine thanks!
Julia: Good, we’re in celebrating mood!
You’re celebrating the two weeks time since your last album came out. I guess it’s always satisfying for a band when some new music is released. Are you in Austria right now or you’re travelling round ?
Manuel: At the moment we are in Vienna, where most of the band is located. Some of us live in the country side but basically all of us re in Austria right now.
Home sweet home then ! Let me start from the first question, about the new album Madworld. Which is the idea behind this work? Which are the elements from which you have started building this record?
Manuel: First of all “Madworld” is the first 100% self – produced album of Kontrust. It has been almost a decade since our last work and in this period of time we had the time to tour a lot, experience and observe a lot. The result of our impressions and experiences is now reflected and summed up into the album, as we noticed that the world was getting completely nuts, so there was never a doubt when we decided to call it Madworld.
Yes. For sure a lot of things happened in the last 10 years, just take the Covid 19 pandemic as an example. For every band and every human being it has been quite a challenging experience to go through and everyone of us came out different as before.
Manuel: Sure, I really like the fact that Kontrust always tried to learn from their personal experience and really put the finger into the wound to raise some important topics for our society.
There are indeed many even apocalyptic scenarios painted within your new songs, I can think of “The End” for example.
Manuel: it’s quite an epic and dystopian song as it covers a lot of different topics the world have to deal with. This really reflects what the album really is about.
As artists do you somehow feel some sort of responsibility in dealing with themes of this relevance? Perhaps in duty to not turn a blind eye to the contractions of our society?
Manuel: I don’t want to say that an artist should be forced to speak about this topics, but who else should do it if not artists ? I think we definitely felt this kind of responsability.
Maybe artist are the only ones able to express with complete freedom. Of course it’s not a matter of forcing artists to do dramatic songs but I think that sometimes a song can express important topics even if some listener can also be disturbed in a way by those songs. In my personal opinion these are the best songs, the ones capable of touching the right nerve.
Manuel: Konstrust are always know to be a festival band, which always loved having an happy party mood. But of course it’s always a double edged sword. There are ups and downs for everything including our music that can express also this kind of double type of message, mixing positive energy songs and critical topic to put that finger in the wound, as I was saying before.
I understand your point. There are also important differences in the band with the arrival two new members, whom you have actually already had the opportunity to introduce during your last live concerts. Today with us we have new vocalist Julia who along with Joey, the new drummer, represent some of the new additions to your new work. Julia welcome! How was your first studio recording experience with Kontrust?
Julia: Well, of course it wasn’t my first time recording in the studio but I can say that I am very happy to work with them as their have a great personality and also very professional people which is also a very important element. I’m just enjoying every aspect of recording songs together from studio sessions to reharsals or just going out to have some beer as good friends and having fun. I think also Joey think the same.
And Manuel, from your personal stand point, as an historical component of the band which are also the main changes that you experienced in writing new material with new people?
Manuel: I can totally return Julia’s compliments as we are very glad to have both her and Joey on board. Especially with Julia it has been a great as she has a very beautiful and powerful voice. For us this opened some new possibilities to explore some new dimensions musically. Not also from a live concert point of view but also in studio. I think all worked out smoothly. Also on a personal level as Julia mentioned all are worked out flawleessly and I believe that the result really speaks for itself.
I think it’s always very difficult for new artists stepping in and on going project like Kontrust that has already released many albums. “Big shoes to fill” also vocally, as fans are usually in love with previous singers so it’s diffciult for long term fans to appreciate a different voice and accept tha changes. I think in this case Julia’s voice still allows you to sing old songs without worrying they’ll sound in a totally different way as well as new ones, so it has been a very good choice in this case.
Manuel: I think Julia is a chameleon in this sense and she can really adapt to every sort of genre.
Julia: Thanks Manuel, from my side I can tell that when I got to know music of konstrust I listened of course to vocal lines in particular and I realized that my voice was very similar to previous singer’s one. Many fans are also confirming this by listening to our live concerts.
Then I think that for you Julia, coming from the Ukraine X-factor, maybe this kind of experience may have helped you as a training on how to sing different types of songs. In this kind of programs you are usually asked to sing different genres and explore all different areas of your voice, isn’t it right? Do you confirm it?
Julia: Well, yes I understand your question and I can tell that that’s true but my experience comes also from more that 20 years as I worked as a Restaurant singer and in that kind of experience really gives you this kind of strenght and flexibility to your voice. You’re asked to sing everyday and to stretch your vocal range to do what your asked to sing. Also private lesson helped me a lot in approaching Kontrust music.
I think it’s always about exploring different areas which it’s clearly an element which is always present in Kontrust music, so for this reason I think you can really fit into this project. Coming back to the album I can see that the playful part of your music is still present and this is something that never changed no matter which topics are treated in your lyrics and how heavy the subjects and the sounds could be.
Julia: Well in today’s mad world I think you really have to stay crazy in a way, beacause it really saves you from that sort of negativity. Staying crazy could help us all to avoid this kind of feeling.
Manuel: The positive energy and colorfulness as well as the rich variety in music has always been an important part of Kontrust sound that was never boring, not even when treating heavier subjects. It has always been diffucult to be pun in a box giving a proper label to our style. We always listened to all different types of music letting them inspire our songs with completely freedom and for sure this will never change.
I agree and I’d like to quote a famous italian artist that ones wrote “the world it’s so bad that we’ll never get tired to laugh at it”. I think that we reallt have to find a way to enjoy it as we are all forced to live in this mad world anyway. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to change it but as long as we’ll be able to give different points of view at least we’d be able to live better with it. Let’s go back to your inspirations, which are your main influences ?
Manuel: Writing the Madworld songs, especially during Corona Pandemic twoand a half year ago, I’ve personally listened to a lot of electronic music and also pop and hip hop stuff. And those kind of influences are definitely hearable in our last record. Especially electronic ones you can find among rock and metal ingredients. We listened to any kind of style really. This inspirations don’t come only from music but also from other art forms like cinema and sometimes also television. But it’s something that really comes naturally.
Julia: Yes, you just really have to stay open and let it insipire you. Of course you can’t force this process.
I’d like to highlight some question on a specific song which is “Lederhosen Overkill”. (For those who don’t know Lederhosen are a traditional costume also widespread in northern part of italy like in Südtirol). I also know that you usually wear lederhosen on stage for your live performances.
Manuel: Yes, as you correctly said lederhosen are traditional costume also used in Bavaria and South Tirol and as you mentioned since our video for “Bomba” song came out, this costume also become our landmark so we started wearing them on stage. “Lederhosen overkill” is an omage to our stage outfits but at the same time it also represent this double edged sword I was stalking before. As our costumes and symbols may become a prison in a way. Then it’s also a matter of confortability, Can image how difficult could have been for us to wear them during the summer ?
Yes maybe you just don’t want to get stuck with your masks and symbols, which is quite an important topic to deep dive once you are able to scratch the surface of this song. Let me now ask you, which are your favourite songs of the album and why ?
Julia: I think my favourite can be “Pulling” just by listening to the record, but while performing live definitely “I can’t control it”.
Manuel: Well I kinda had an hard time when I was deciding with the label which song of “Madworld” would become a single. And back then this was a difficult choice but for now my favourites are “Rock to out of space” and “Black soul”. For “Rock to out of space” I think it really represent this new electronic elements in the sound, mixed with our usual happy mood and atmosphere. “Black Soul”, it’s the heaviest song in the album and I really love its groove, it was also the first song we produced in the album.
This really reflects how heavy can your music be. Personally I really appreciate “Phisically like you” mainly because it really gests stuck in your head being also the first song of the album.
Manuel: I decided to put this song as first one as it really represents the clear connection between the old Konstrust sound and the new one.
I totally agree, and I see that for the moment you still haven’t planned some tour but can you share with us some anticipations about it ? Which are the plans for that ?
Manuel: The tour planning is now in progress, but we’re definitely working on that and we are looking forward to this new live concert season.
Maybe you will perform in Italy. We just said before that we all need to stay crazy so if you are looking for crazy people you’ll be finding those kind of crazyness in my country for sure.
Manuel: Good to know Loris ! We’ll give Italy a chance for sure as we always had a great time when we performed there.
Manuel, Julia it has been a pleasure to talk to you and just let me wish you “viel gluck for die album!”.
Manuel: perfectly pronunced! So “Grazie mille”.
Your pronunciation it’s fine too!
Julia: Cool, thanks Loris, have a nice day too!