[VLRK]: "Both very relieved and satisfied. It was a tough job getting it all done, but we got there and the result is great!"

What was the reason for your generally to make music?

[VLRK]: "I guess it all started out in the beginning out of curiosity and expanded into a means of expression and progression (both in music and also in many other ways). As it stands now, music is my means of releasing emotions & ideas in a creative way. It has really become a very prominent element in my life."

On my opinion the sound of Grendel got more hooklines in the sequences. How do you see this? Is there a certain progress?

[VLRK]: "Absolutely! 'Prescription : Medicide' is most definately a big step ahead, compared to the EP by means of complexity, composition, power/energy and lyrics. It's also a far more open, honest and personal album, reflecting a lot of my personal views towards current day issues. It contains a lot of personal anger & fear, giving it a particular edge that goes far beyond the previous albums. The reason for progressing? Well, it basically comes down to the old saying: Practice makes perfect. Apart from that, I have also been experimenting with new sounds, structures and styles. This definately gives Grendel's current music more depth and diversity."

How does a song become real. How is the process?

[VLRK]: "That is often something very spontanious. First of all I always work on the basis for tracks, then when something inspires me I write the lyrics and gather samples, followed by adapting the track to fit both samples and lyrics. Everything must fit perfectly and reflect the right atmosphere. Inspiration can come from either personal experiences or issues circulating in the media. As soon as something has a sufficient impact on me, it has to be released into Grendel's music."

What are the songs on your new album about? What does the album title mean?

[VLRK]: "The 'Prescription : Medicide' is a criticism towards the new world we live in with it's hypocrisy and underlying madness. This is, of course, quite a broad area to work in and many elements are covered on the album, amongst others: Power struggles, finance and religion heavily mingling with politics, the continuing spread of propaganda and disinformation, and the 'war' waged on 'terrorism' by governments who have only very recently supported/appointed fascist regimes and performed actual state terrorism. We are definitely heading for a very strange world, if we are not there already. The album's title is a reference to a term created by Doctor Kevorkian in his active period of life. It was to be a very humane & cooperative method of euthanasia for the terminally ill, both physically and mentally. What must be clearly understood about this method is that it was a prescription, thus being of free will for the patient (as soon as this is not the case, it becomes quite something different). Within this practice everything was performed with full cooperation of his patients, so it remains a prescription. One of the points I've tried to get at on this album is misunderstandings and prejudices towards this treatment. There is a strong devide between euthanasia and genocide related issues, which a lot of people fail to notice. And with saying this I must strongly state that we are very much against any form of non-cooperative death, such as genocide or executions."

For you as an artist: what are your feelings, when you switch on the TV for the news and see things like the new terror in spain? Do you reflect your feelings in your songs?

[VLRK]: "Sure it does. Such acts of terrorism are only a consequence of someone else's decision, so it definately makes me think of the whole sequence of events. Where did things go wrong and why? What motivates both sides? These thoughts often provoke me to write about it and try to work it out as far as possible. Better to discuss and vent these thoughts, as it often starts a discussion which can enlighten. It also gets it out of my system, which is relieving. Apart from these thoughts there are, of course, all the emotions that take place. Same counts for those too."

How did the people so far react when they heard your new album?

[VLRK]: "All the feedback I've recieved to the new album and the reviews I've read have been very good! It definately motivates me to progress even further."

Isn´t it hard to survive for electrobands like you. There are many newcomers. How can somebody survive in this genre as a newcomer? How do you see yourself? Are you also a newcomer?

[VLRK]: "From what I can see, Grendel has become (within only a few years time) quite an established name within this new stream of harsh EBM acts. To survive this, progression, will, dicipline and identity are the main factors. So if a band has these, survival won't be a problem. But believe me, we will never surrender!"

Something really wired is the last song on your bonus CD, the coverversion of “Zombie Nation” from the equalnamed band. How did you get to this song?

[VLRK]: "I knew this track for quite a while (even before it became a big club hit) via the electro genre and loved it immediately. It just has that sublime simplicity, making it stick in your mind for ever. We had been performing it live for quite some time and started recieving so many requests for it's release that we decided to release it in some way. I spoke about this with NoiTekk and they agreed, cleared all the legal issues and that was that. It turned out to be an excellent choice, as "Zombie Nation" is currently becoming quite a hit on darker dancefloors world wide."

What is planned in the next weeks andf months? Are there gigs, perhaps also in Germany?

[VLRK]: "At the moment we are preparing for gigs in Germany (amongst others the Emmo.biz & WGT festival), Spain and Switzerland plus a European & USA tour later this year. Apart from this I am currently working on new material, but nothing concrete can be mentioned about this just yet. If people would like to stay up to date with both our music and concert dates, keep an eye open on http://www.grendel-base.com."

How will be the setup? Will you use also “alternative” instruments like guitars or drums to give the sound more pressure?

[VLRK]: "At the moment we are only doing live synths and vocals, but additional drums is something to think about for some time in the future. But as for now, we are staying with our current setup."

At least: if you have a wish for free, what would you wish?

[VLRK]: "I wouldn't wish for anything else than the best of luck for everyone."

Thank you for the interview!

[VLRK]: You're welcome & thank you too! :)

Homepage Band: Grendel
Homepage Label: Noitekk

(Interview geführt von Nuuc)