Oliver Nikolas

AM : I’ve known the band since the release of “Memorandum”, a masterpiece of doom/gothic metal like early Anathema/My Dying Bride, and when I hear the new album, I think the band has not only had an evolution, but a revolution, how do you explain that your music has changed so much ?

Oliver : Hi, thanx, yes we like these bands , but what can I say, we grew up, we get older and older and we changed the drugs we use to compose! There is only one question-do you like cocktails? If yes try the “filthy notes” cocktail. You get it at the tabledance bar of Billy Idol, the barkeeper is Ville Valo! This cocktail gives you a terrible hangover but the night is yours! Hahaha!

AM : How did you get the opportunity to work with John Fryer ? How was the work with him, he who has worked with such big bands as Paradise Lost, Depeche Mode, HIM,…

Oliver : Yes, It was great! He got our last record AVE END from our publisher and he likes the stuff on it, so he came from England just to listen to the new material at our fuckin rehearsal room and said “OK-please blow me away”. We played some titles of the record and after 3 cans of coffee – only for him – he said “lets do it” and “you have 20 days”! It was an adventure to work and live with him for 20 days-he is simply strange, He don’t know anything about sleeping, drinking beer or freetime! We always went to the same restaurant, eat something in 5 minutes and we had no time to drink something because he wanted to go back to the studio! We had to work at morning till midnight or longer every day and he don´t heard anything about the word Sunday! So, a hard job, but a great work- thanx john for this masterpiece!

AM : It seems that the expectations from your label, in terms of succes are great with this release, so what do you think about that ? What do YOU expect with this record ?

Oliver : Nothing! Perhaps more beer, better hotel rooms and more Jägermeister! But if I learned something in this musicscene than - that you can´t expect anything! We did our job-we recorded the best gothrock record I´ve ever listened in my whole fuckin life! Now the business shit is going on! We did our part the rest is, I don´t know, labelbusiness!

AM : There’s already a single out, great one btw, how did you decide which one would be the first single ? Do you plan other singles ?

Oliver : John and the label had a brainstorm and said that “again it´s over” is the best title for the first single, so we said OK! I love every song on this album and in my opinion every song deserves to be a single! In the next couple of days we shoot another videoclip – another single? -I don´t know- the label has to decide these things!

AM : How about the making off this clip for “Again it’s over”, who did the scenario, was it a nice experience ?

Oliver : At the beginning we had fun, but after 10 hours playing the same song ever and ever in February in a big old factory without heating it s a shitty hard job! It was fucking cold, the filmcrew and make up artists wears boots and winter jackets and we perform ever and ever only with this thin shirts at our bodies! I´ll never forget the flu I have now for the rest of my life! Hahaha, but the clip is great! And in my opinion it´s very funny and interesting to look “behind the scenes” you can see us breathing because it was so cold! The Videoclip and the “making of” is included as bonus at the limited digipack editon of “filthy notes”-so check it out!

AM : Are you planning festival appearances or an upcoming tour, do you like summer festivals ?

Oliver : Yes, we love the summer festivals! We play a lot of Gigs here in Germany till October and in December we play a new tour through Europe - so see you there!

AM : Last but not least, our ritual question, ask yourself what you want and give the answer, please :)?

Oliver : Why you can´t eat fruits for the rest of your life?
At our tourings through Germany, France, Turkey and Mexico somedays we had nothing to eat and only beer in stock! So you drink and drink and drink. At the next Burger-restaurant you stop and you eat so much because, perhaps you got nothing again for the next two days! After the Tour and the Festivalgigs I´ve got an allergy to all the “healthy” stuff! I can´t eat fruits, or salad or stuff like that! But it´s better than it would be turned around hahaha!

AM : Thanks for your time and all the best for 2006, stay heavy !!!

Oliver : Thanx for the interview! Cheers bye