Twinmusix got to speak to Steffen Kummerer from Obscura.
TM - Hi, this is Amelia and Elizabeth. Thank you for having this interview with us today.
SK - You're welcome.
TM - What are you excited about seeing in Australia?
SK - Since last time we visited the country, we decided to see a little bit more of the country. That's the reason why we booked 11 shows for Australia and New Zealand this time. We wanted to play to more of our fans, and see more of the country.
TM - What can fans expect from your Australian tour?
SK - Well, first of all, there are five bands every night. We have the two international bands with us, Obscura, and Fallujah from the United States, plus Australia's finest, Anoxia and Ashen. Every show will have at least one local band. The whole idea of the tour is that it's a community-driven death metal tour. That means every band, first to last, gets treated the same. We would love to see people come early, and support all the bands, and also give the local bands the respect and the audience they deserve.
This is the whole idea. And on top of that, Scott Carstairs, the guitarist of Fallujah and I will offer free guitar clinics at, I think, almost every show. If you or any of the fans play an instrument, it doesn't matter if it's guitar, bass, drums or anything, and you're interested in talking to touring musicians, about gear, studio recordings, or anything about bands, just pass by. It's for everyone who is visiting the concert. The whole package is really cool, and we hope there will be some packed houses as well.
TM - That's a really cool idea. I like that.
TM - What can fans expect from your set list?
SK - We are touring supporting our most recent album. It's called "A Sonication", which is a little bit more melodic, than the previous ones. But of course, since we don't play Australia every day, it's a mix of at least one song from the catalogue, like one song per album, plus a selection of the new songs from A Sonication. So it's a cool mix.
TM - Do you have any pre-show rituals that you do before you go on stage?
SK - Everyone in the band is a little bit different. We have one person who is just having a beer and having a good time. We have one guy who is more into getting into a different mindset and sitting down, doing some stretching, some sports. Of course, the drummer is warming up.
I have a certain routine that takes around one hour to just prepare all the gear. Even if it's already prepared, I go through everything a second time, and this is quite helpful.
TM - Do you have any new music coming out?
SK - A Sonication was just released early last year, and the tour is laid out until mid-2028. So I think we might start writing new music around next year.
TM - Awesome. I was going to ask you about A Sonication. How have fans responded to it, and what was your writing and recording process?
SK - Fans always respond completely differently. There were some melodic songs, or let's say songs that are more melodic than previous songs, that were a little bit strange for all the tech dev nerds. But on the other hand, it opened big doors for the band. So I think, all in all, it's a transition album. It turned out to be very successful, and I think the big pro of those songs on the new album is that they work so well in a live setting because they were written for that.
The writing and recording, on every album change a little bit. So this particular record was recorded in different studios in Europe, and then we sent all the files to Studio Fredman in Sweden.
Fredrik Nordström also worked with Inflames, Dr Nuclearity, At the Gates, and Dimmu Borgir, and a million other bands you might know. But in the end, everything came together at Studio Fredman.
I am not sure what we will do for the next album. Maybe we will be going back to being old-school and record everything in one studio.
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would you choose, what song would you choose, and would it be in your style or their style?
SK - I would love to see Bruno Mars trying to play Silver Linings. I think it would be super groovy, super funky, and I think it would have a certain sexiness. I think it would be a big hit.
TM - Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?
SK - Yes. We are really excited to be coming back to Australia. It's the third time for us in the country, and it's by far the biggest and longest tour.
Again, if you would like to support the entire scene, come early, watch all the bands, and bring all of your friends and enjoy some death metal with us.
TM - Thank you for having this interview with us today, we appreciate it.
SK - Thank you.