1. ColdCell was launched around 2012, in some way it emerged from the ashes of the band Atritas. Why did you decide to form Coldcell and put an end to Atritas? Were they two opposite musical concepts? Why did you choose the name? from ColdCell?
S: We started as a direct follow-up from Swiss Black Metal-institution Atritas, but the intention was to leave that part of our musical “career” behind and create something new and fresh.
The line-up for some years remained the same as in Atritas except I was introduced as the new vocalist. Therefore, it was the best moment to sail to new shores. New member, new concept, new logo, new sound. Step by step, ColdCell evolved, losing members and gaining new ones.
ColdCell stands for the coldness that we sometimes carry within us. A cold, lifeless cell that is no longer able to live and love.
ColdCell stands for a cold cell in which we see ourselves imprisoned. A cell from which we try to break out or into which we have voluntarily isolated ourselves.
2. You have just released “Age of Unreason”, your fifth studio album, how has the writing and recording process of this new album been? How do you think the sound has evolved with respect to your last album? What brands of instruments have you used in the process?
S: The songwriting itself is a close cooperation of bassist “In” and guitarist “Ath” who are the core creative force behind ColdCell. After composing and arranging the music to their liking and when deemed good enough it is presented and discussed with the rest of the band in rehearsal. They have a long history of working together and quite a skillset and good taste that we almost always are drawn in at the very first presentation.
I guess the sound evolved with us. We are listening to a bigger variety of music as we did ages ago. It’s a progress we don’t want to cut off by boundaries.
We are using instruments from brands like Ibanez and Gibson and the amps for the record are the 5150 from Peavey and, if I recall correctly, something from Mesa Boogie. The pre-recording of the guitars was done with a Kemper Profiler amp.
3. Your black metal has a strong component, let's call it dark, everything sounds dark and dense, the duration of the songs allows them to flow pastily, enveloping the listener in a feverish state of drowsiness, decadence and much, much darkness, how would you describe the sound of the new album for those who haven't heard it yet? What bands or styles have a direct influence on you?
S: Your words for describing the sound are quite fitting.
When by playing and listening we get the feeling of a deep pull towards a mesmerizing or hypnotizing atmosphere we try to embrace just that - and then break free and let go into a rage. As influences, everything from doom metal to post-rock/metal comes to mind. So we took our black metal heritage and grew from there. Some of us are frequent Roadburners, so maybe something from that spilled over into our creation of music.
4. Your theme fits perfectly with what you convey with the music, a gloomy and sad atmosphere and lyrics related to the decline of humanity. Where does the interest in this theme come from? How do you think these lyrics fit into a style? more related to Satanism? Does the music adapt to the lyrics or vice versa?
S: For the lyrics I’m always taking notes and gathering thoughts on various topics in an easily confusing collection. When working on a song I always try focusing on a specific topic or thought and sometimes I stay true to the original idea. But as it is a progress and I very often struggle and fall into a rabbit hole the final output might be something different. My mind is a brutal place at times or a maze I get lost in. In some parts the lyrics are explicitly my thoughts on a topic, in other parts I try adopting a different mindset to stimulate a thought in the listener or myself. Satanism as a philosophical concept is very interesting to me, but we try not to follow any religious belief system so I try avoiding any religious terms.
But anyways, we think the music goes first and the lyrics and my vocal expressions add the final touch.
5. The collaboration appears on the album both in the lyrics and in some songs by Ines Brodbeck. At what point was the decision to make these collaborations made and what do you think it has contributed to the final result of the album?
S: We decided to add something completely different to our album to challenge ourselves and the listener. On other albums we always had guest vocalists because (I am very lazy and did not want to do everything alone) it adds some tension and a different approach. Ines did this one song “Meaningless”' in which she had total freedom on rewriting my lyrics and to find her voice she would seem fit. And it turned out very intense, I think.
6. You have worked with Victor Bullok for the recording, mixing and mastering of the album, what do you think Bullock has been able to contribute with his work and why did you decide to work with him?
S: We worked with him again because he did a great job the other times. He is a very talented musician playing with Triptykon and with Dark Fortress and very professional at mixing and mastering. He is an easy person to work with and every album that was produced by him sounds just great to me.
7. Gian Andrea Signorell appears as the designer of the album cover, a cover that is somewhat ambiguous in terms of his interpretation. What does this cover represent and how does it relate to the content of the album?
S: To explain art is a dilution of its meaning. You need room for interpretation to trigger a thought. Better to uncover nuances in its complexity thinking about it rather than get an explanation of what one should think.
8. You have changed record labels, the album has been released by AOP Records, what is the reason for this change? What do you think being linked to AOP Records has meant for you, in terms of promotion and visibility?
S: With the last label we only had an agreement on one release and that worked fine.
For this album we got in contact with AOP and in regards to direct communication it just fits perfectly. We speak a mutual language literally, because it is a German label, and artistically.
What we could hope for in a record label is that we get a bit more renown and more people get to listen to our music.
9. Have you already started the live presentation of the new album? What can your followers expect from your concerts? Which bands would you like to create a small mini-tour with?
S: We have not yet started playing the album live but will start in autumn. We are trying to create a distant and eerie atmosphere on our live shows, no interruptions by endless chit chat just the music performed to our liking. I would like to play with bands that are professional and interesting to watch. I am not going to call out band names here, I dislike them all the same.
10. The band comes from Switzerland, a country with a good base of extreme metal, just to name a few Samael, Hellhammer, Celtic Frost or due to a certain affinity with you also Schammasch, what is your opinion of the black metal scene in your country? What bands from your environment would you recommend to us?
S: I am a German import to this outfit and not authorized to judge, but try Bölzer, Malphas and Aara from Switzerland and Thron, who are friends of mine albeit from the southern German area.
11. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What happened in your lives that pushed you to want to be musicians?
S: For me it was, boring as it may sound, Metallica. But sooner than later I learned that in metal you can dig very deep and find very interesting and moving sub-sub-sub-underground music. Fell into a rabbit hole of black and pagan metal and just learned to enjoy (sorry, I mean hate! of course, I don’t feel any joy) the powerful and sinister soundscapes. And at some point I needed more than just to listen to it, but I think there was no trigger moment.
12. What album represents for you the essence of black metal? What latest albums have you bought?
S: The essence of black metal I find in Celtic Frost, Darkthrone (old!), Gehenna, Dødheimsgard to name a few. Latest albums I bought are “Wolvennest - The Dark Path To The Light” and “Devil Master – Ecstasies Of Never Ending Night”.
13. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for ColdCell fans this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
Cheers and thank you.
S - vocals, lyrics
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