Band: MEPHISTOPHELES
Country of origin: Germany
Style: black metal
Questions by: Kai Mathias Stalhammar
Answers supplied by: Jury (guitars) and Garvin (guitars)

Hi there, Jury! What have you been occupied with before I mercilessly made you answer this questionnaire? :) Anything outstanding happened lately?

Jury: No, nothing special to mention this time… the last days we’re occupied with writing new stuff for our forthcoming album, which will be recorded in early summer. Up to now we have 5 new and also great songs done, only 3 are missing, so we can proudly say that the last months were the most creative time we’ve experienced with MEPHISTOPHELES yet. Besides of that I’m quite ill… and the holidays are over tomorrow, that’s a very nice start into a new year (*laughs*).

Is Vae Solis the only edition of Russia's origin you was interviewed by?

Jury: So far, yes! Our promotion is quite bad this time, you know the situation with Last Episode as good as I do… We have a lot of problems with them and this album is for sure the last one for this Label. It’s very sad to recognise that we’ve done a really good job with “Modern Instinct’s Purity”, but the record company is doing less promotion than they could do… but we will keep the faith for the power of MEPHISTOPHELES, that’s one reason why we have written so much great new songs for the next album, nobody will beat us down, ‘cause we know the strength of our art! But to return to your question. We hope that some ‘zines in your country will show interest for “Modern…”, so it would be no problem answering to many people of your local underground connection. But I don’t know how many promo CD’s Last Episode has sent to your region… the best way for the underground is to download some samples at www.mephistopheles666.com. Try us out!

Generally speaking, how did it all start? I mean, where did you get that disgusting idea of becoming a musician? ;))

Jury: I always wanted to play in a metal band, ‘cause it is my passion since I was 10 years old! It’s my destiny.

Garvin: I started at the age of seven playing classic guitar. A few years later I changed for playing electric guitar and while entering MEPHISTOPHELES I got a bass in my hands for the first time. MEPHISTOPHELES pushed me very strong straight ahead, so I decided to study bass and piano at the university. The idea to become a musician is only the motivation.

What was the first guitar you bought? All in all, for long have you been playing until now?

Jury: My first guitar was a quite cheap one, namely “Shadow”, this babe was a bit orientated to the classical style of an “Ibanez” guitar. She’s done her job, these days you can easily see that she’s getting to old for me (*laughs*). Up to now I play since 8 years, starting as I was 15 years old. But I’m not this kind of guy who plays every day for some hours, I do it when we rehearse or if I want to write some new stuff alone. It’s flowing without any stress and without a “guitar-hero” master-plan of 2 hours per day… stupid!

Did you take part in any other bands before joining MEPHISTOPHELES? Which ones were these?

Jury: The only band I played in and that’s worth to be mentioned is AGARES. Our singer Eike joined the band, too. We played a melodic and fast way of death / black Metal. But we never got a deal, we only produced two demos with average sound, but good songs.

Ok, now finally off to MEPHISTOPHELES. It seems like you've done already two mistakes; first when coming to an agreement with Adipocere, second when inking a deal with Karsten @ Last Episode. And since it looks like "Modern Instinct's Purity" was the last CD you owed to LEP, wouldn't you like to go on independently? I mean, I never heard of a record company which haven't rip-offed at least a couple of bands. Therefore, don't you fear to be taken in once again, when signed to someone else?

Jury: It’s sad, but this “Rip Off” thing is a main problem for many bands who’re into the underground scene, 'cause many of the so called “true” labels with smaller size and abilities try to earn more money than they deserve, mostly with things the bands should not know... It’s true, we never got royalties without making any kind of stress to them. But I want to stop that theme, I could continue writing more than 5 sites about our business- shit.

Garvin: I think calling the deals “mistakes” is a little bit too heavy. The differences with a relationship to a record company and their point of view are fact, but without the two labels we perhaps wouldn’t owe the status we are considering now. The problem you are confronted with as a band is that you are not in the position to stick any contacts to 'zines, other labels or to influence playing gigs without making a step to the wrong side. This is the point where the company gives you more promotional opportunities. You get all the promotion in 'zines and on samplers as well as the opportunity to play live with bands which are more known than your own band. Of course we have to fear the future in relationship of new labels, but we have made our decision to search for a new company, which is probably in the situation to do something more in case of  promotion to push the band.

Jury: It’s true in some ways, what Garvin wants to say: Yes, they help us in some ways, but it is a fact that they do it not because of believing in our art, they do it to earn money for themselves! Like parasites… regardless of that, this time they did nearly nothing for us!

Regarding business affairs. What kind of terms should the contract indicate, and how the guys at the label should act, so that you'd be completely satisfied?

Jury: At first, it’s very important that our new label is very honest in all questions of which a contract and all outspoken promises deal with. We want to truly know what we can expect and deserve from this company. For sure, we don’t want a “Rip Off” Label, that only wants to earn money with OUR work, the deal must be fair for both sides. And last but not least, we want to spread our name, ‘cause we know that the legion of MEPHISTOPHELES has enough potential to kick the ass of thousands! What we do is our greatest passion, so we want to be noticed, success paired with the freedom of how we want to express ourselves is our goal. So the company must have the abilities to spread our work and give us the chance to play important gigs.

You must have gotten yourself acquainted with my review on "Modern Instinct's Purity". and consequently, agree or disagree with me when I'm stating it's "a good example of what MODERN BLACK METAL should be all about".

Jury: Your review for our new opus is very cool, and yes, I agree when you say that this is a good example for MODERN black metal. If we are black metal, then a newer form of it. But for us, it’s still MEPHISTOPHELES, we don’t give a shit for those who want to put us in a genre- cage. What you hear is only a true and proud expression of what the members of Meph stand for and what we are!!! We do not have the aim to do our music for being black metal / death metal or whatever. We just do what we like and want to do, for ourselves. But it’s clear that “extreme” persons won’t do some kind of pop music. We are aggressive, alcoholic and fuckin’ metal, that bastard  you listen to is our reaction to everything.

Actually, do you think such a definition as "modern black metal" makes sense?

Garvin: You have to look with a bit of distance on the expression “modern black metal”. It should not be understood as a creation of a new metal-style, it only describes our way of making music. You find elements of reunion trash, melodic and fast black and the agression of death-metal. Also Eike´s dirty and rough vocals. That´s why we couldn´t identify ourselves with the description  of a pure black- thrash- or blackmetal band.

Jury: Yes, maybe the crowd will call it “modern black metal”, but for us, it’s a unique style, it’s MEPHISTOPHELES!

How did you manage to play at Wave-Gothic a year and a half ago? It's sort of surprising, since to my knowledge this fest is mostly visited by those into gothic / dark wave / EBM... that kind of stuff.

Jury: We played that festival in the year 2000, which was the biggest year for the “Wave Gothic Treffen”, the whole event was never larger than that year. Because of this size, there were different music styles mixed together. In some tents or halls they played their typical “goth –shit”, but on other places you found only metal!!! We played this event with IMMORTAL, MARDUK, LIMBONIC ART, SAMAEL etc., only naming a few to make clear what this festival dealt with on the metal side. This festival was around Leipzig, so you can imagine how large it was. By the way, it was quite funny to pester and annoy all those “Oh, I’m such a beautiful witch” goth- girlies (*laughs*)

By the way, what concerns this "gothic" thing. I'm referring to your image, you see. The makeup you're utilizing, would fit some (fag)goth act better, than a black metal band which MEPHISTOPHELES actually is. don't you think?

Jury: We’re using NO real make up nor corpse – paint, we stopped doing those thing far before releasing our second album (must be at the fall of ´97 or early 1998)! So I don’t understand your question which considering MEPHISTOPHELES… MEPHISTOPHELES have NO image! I hate to look like a girly, make up is for woman, not for metal bastards. I like to use some utilities in a very careful way sometimes to get a more darker presentation of me, to express the moods within my mind, to look dead and pale. Far away from being gothic!

A bit out of topic: Jury, aren't you a Slav? At least, 'Jury Kowalczyk' doesn't sound like anything German.

Jury: Sorry, I’m German, but who’s really pure?

There're only few questions left, and here's one of them: please, introduce us all the guys who currently appear to be a part of MEPHISTOPHELES, marking out their DISadvantages.

Jury (*laughing*): Okay… but that’s only my point of view! Don’t think this is serious…

Hanno - He has a great talent in getting things become broken, like lamps, guitars, cars etc. And he talks too much, at the end it’s better for all if they believe only half of what he said…
 
Garvin - He looks very ugly and disgusting when he’s drunk, sometimes he can’t say what disturbs him.
 
Selphratus - He thinks that he’s the most beautiful guy in Meph (*laughs*)…. but he’s thin as a match!!!
 
Eike - He’s sometimes a bit of arrogant, thinking he’s the most clever of us, but he is stupid enough to believe his own imagination-stuff…
 
Christoph - He’s the “always good moods inside” guy, think it looks like he has no problems in life… disgusting!
 
Jury - I’m perfect!!! No, I think sometimes I’m a bit too “honest” in a bad way, sometimes it’s better to shut up and think twice before you speak.
 
Our band, ROSSOMAHAAR, had been accused in a nazi propaganda quite  lately. and even though it's sincere bullshit, I came across rather  interesting idea. If black metal is all about war, death and destruction  (wouldn't it be stupid claiming BM is equal to positivism? Hope you got  my point), then why so many of those who're involved in this movement  this way or another, do stand against any display of nazism? Isn't it a  contradiction...?
 
Jury: Black metal is a way to think for oneself, not to follow a leader. It’s to be your own master! Many people in the scene are strong and clever enough to know that, they have their own interests and points of view. This “war, death, destruction” thing can be seen in so many ways, everybody understands it in different ways… the important thing is death, that’s all about… my death and the hate of being a form of earthborn life! Destruction? Yes, maybe sometimes different ways of self-destruction…  The things are not as easy as they look at the first time. To be a black metal fan under the watching eyes of fascist groups would maybe mean the end of our not hidden, but proud standing non–conformity!

Thanks and fare thee well. Finish this interview the way you want.
 
- A massive hail to the hordes of Russian metallers!!! Thanx for the interview and your great support, we surely will keep the contact alive. Visit us at: www.mephistopheles666.com