Ohrenfeindt   

                                                                                                      Date: 22 October 2013  

 

 

MM: Welcome to the Metal Gods Meltdown

Band: You're very welcome! In fact, we have to thank you for giving us some room here!

 

MM: We love your album, its brilliant, would you do an English version sometime…please?
Band: Thank you very much indeed for the compliment! As we're a German band performing the major part of our shows in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, we think we'd better stick to German. And as Rammstein have proved, German works for people outside of the German language area as well as it does for those inside as long as the music's loud. ;-)

 

MM: It's bluesy and rocking and very catchy, do you have a personal favorite track on the new album?
Band: Actually all of them. Ask a mother of twins which one she likes better. I guess, it is pretty much the same kind of decision when it comes to songs you've written. There are some you prefer to play live, others you'd rather like to listen to, that kind of thing, yes. But I love all of them.

 

MM: I have heard it said you are just copying AC/DC's sound.  I think you are so much more than an AC/DC sound alike band.  Do you get annoyed or feel it’s a huge compliment when people compare you top those Australian Legends?
Band: The latter - we feel honoured by the comparison as AC/DC have always been an important influence on our music. By the way, that also applies to Rose Tattoo, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Nazareth, and Rhino Bucket, just to mention a few.

 

MM: What motivates you and influences you?
Band: As for the music, I've already mentioned some influences above. Lyric wise, it's more or less life itself. I simply write about the things I see, about experiences I make. Life close to the Reeperbahn, in the middle of Hamburg's red light district, provides some material in this regard, I can assure you. :-D

 

MM: You admit you are huge AC/DC fans in any case, so what is your favorite AC/DC song and album?
Band: My favorite albums are "Highway To Hell", "Back In Black" and "Fly On The Wall". My favorite song changes every once in a while. Right now, it is "Walk All Over You".

 

MM: Bon Scott or Brian Johnson?
Band: Both are fantastic lead singers in their own right. When I was younger, I preferred Brian due to his awesome sound, then I liked Bon better for his great lyrics. Next to being a brilliant frontman, Bon was a poet. Today it is 50/50, I think. 

 

MM: You have been around for a while as a band, why is it only really now we are learning about Ohrenfeindt here in the UK?
Band: I guess that is because we're sticking to German lyrics which made it a bit difficult to comprehend our stuff for Non-German-speakers in the past. But today, I believe, this kind of limitations tends to vanish.

 

MM: What can the fans expect from an Ohrenfeindt gig? 
Band: Two hours and more of pure, dirty, sweaty, smoky, loud rock n' roll fun!!!

 

MM: Have the band ever played here in Britain? 
Band: Not yet. But we'd love to!

 

MM: Another German band called V8 Wankers had a porn star in their last video, would you consider doing something raunchy and racy, for one of your videos? or have you done that already? 
Band: No, we haven't. We would, probably, if the song requires that. A video should always reflect on the song. If you try being raunchy just to get some attention, you'll pretty soon end up with being boring, I guess. So far, we haven't felt that the songs we picked for our videos require any video of that kind.

 

MM: I would love to go to Germany one day, where would you recommend for the best beer, food, music...etc?
Band: For beer either go to Bavaria or the very North. The coast in the North is great, if you're more into the mountainside, go to the South. The food can be great anywhere, each region has its own special kind of meals - we usually like it rich and healthy with lots of potatoes and meat. Music: see the big cities like Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Munich, or Stuttgart.

 

MM: Do you go to Oktoberfest? 
Band: Not really. Although we're very popular in Bavaria. I wonder why we've not been there yet. Personally, I've been there once or twice, but today my time budget really is an issue.

 

MM: St. Pauli is supposed to be amazing place and have an unusual football team fan base; do you follow and support St. Pauli F.C?  
Band: Of course we do. I for one am a proud holder of a season ticket. I get one every year - and they're hard to get.

 

MM: Germany has many amazing Metal and Hard Rock bands, why do you think that is and do you have a personal favourite German band? 
Band: That's a hard question as Scandinavia, the UK, Australia, or the US have lots of amazing bands as well. I think, there is a certain, very popular type of melodic metal German bands like Helloween or Gamma Ray have created. And then, there's Kreator. And, of course, the Scorpions - and many others. However, we're more into British, Australian, and American bands than into German bands. However, we all dig Rammstein.

 

MM: Silly question, what first got you into Hard Rock / Metal? 
Band: There is no such thing as silly questions, only silly answers. ;-) I tripped over AC/DC, Kiss, and The Sweet records early on. I guess I was about ten years old. I liked them from the very start: the outfits, the guitars, the energy, the great choruses ...  

 

MM: Who would be your ultimate bands to share a stage with? 
Band: AC/DC would come in first. We've already played with Rose Tattoo and Nazareth, Led Zeppelin are not active anymore, Aerosmith would be a ball, so would Slash. Just to mention a few. ;-)

 

MM: Three words to describe your band? 
Band: Straight, honest, hardworking.

 

MM: Most strange thing you have been asked by a fan?
Band: Oh, there have been so many strange questions in all those years, I wouldn't know which one to start with. The weirdest was probably the almost 7 feet tall guy who asked me to close the buttons of his pants in a restroom. When I took a closer look, I saw that one arm was missing and his remaining hand had only two fingers. That explained the somewhat awkward request.

 

MM: If you were god for a day what four things would you change in the world?
Band: First: sufficient supply of water and healthy food for everyone. Second: the best education possible for everyone. Third: the best possible health care for everyone. Fourth: free ice cream for musicians all over the world.

 

MM: Final words to say to your fans and our readers? 
Band: Take care of yourselves and of those you love. If you drink, don't drive. Be good to other people - start with buying an OHRENFEINDT album. ;-)

 

Interview by: Seb Di Gatto