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Interview
by SashaS
10-6-2005
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| Caliban |
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Catalogue raisonné
Toward Download 05: Caliban
It’s not unusual to have a band named after the wild and deformed slave in Shakespeare's ‘Storm’ but it ain‘t your everyday occurrence: Caliban are five German musicians who despite their young age are already seen as veterans of the European metal-core scene. Formed in 1997 (under the name Never Again) Caliban signed to Lifeforce Records after recording a two song promo tape.
Countless tours all over Europe including a few support gigs for bands like Morning Again, Earth Crisis and Cro-Mags strengthened their reputation and got them an ever increasing army of Caliban ‘apostles’. Initially seen as mix of Slayer, Poison the Well and Hatebreed by the critics, Caliban didn't jump on the metal-core bandwagon just recently but rather lead the way defining the genre at home and internationally.
The full-length debut album ‘A Small Boy And A Grey Heaven’ (1999) was followed by ‘Vent’ (2001) that was picked up by Imperium/Howling-Bull Records in Japan which led to Caliban being invited to play at the famous Beast-Feast 2001 in Yokohama together with Slayer, Pantera, Machine Head, Biohazard and mighty Morbid Angel. ‘Shadow Hearts’ (2002) was followed by ‘The Opposite From Within’ last year, their first album for Roadrunner.
The band from Ruhr region comprises of two guitarists, Denis Schmidt and Marc Görtz, Marco Schaller (bass), Patrick Grün (drums) and fronting them - singer and our man with the answers - Andy Dörner.
Very early on in your career you visited Japan and then, the USA; were there huge differences in initial reactions?
“There were and always are and mainly due to the size of the venues; crowds there are more fiery, aggressive, instantaneous; Japanese tended to listen, find out before reaction but when they do - it is madness, really wild. Japanese also always come to see the band, before and after the show, and they all want to have pictures taken with you.”
“Americans tend to talk more and ask about the band, plans, the usual things, very friendly chat. Nothing really heavy…”
Do you get asked about your political preference by the Americans, like whether you support their President?
“No, they usually don’t ask me that; I don’t like Bush, I don’t like what he does and can’t believe how he got re-elected. I don’t know anybody who likes him…”
There are no more heroes, idols to look up to: look at Ozzy, after ‘The Osbournes Show’ he turned into a Homer Simpson of metal!?
“It is said, you are right… I don’t know what happened with Ozzy, he’s got enough money not to do that. I don’t know what being rich means but I think that money isn’t everything. Ozzy was an idol for plenty of kids and now he is a caricature of himself. I’ve not met him but after the TV shows you have an image of him which has got nothing to do with the real man, the legendary musician.”
“You respect him for his past but the later stuff he’s done… I feel I have more respect for Slayer because they are the oldest musicians I’ve ever met. They are great guys and I really like them very much.”
Have you heard rumours about yourself?
“Some, and not very nice ones. There was nasty one about the things I do to the girls but it was only a rumour.”
Have you started practicing Rock’n’Roll lifestyle, such as wrecking hotel rooms, being sick in unusual places…?
“No, haven’t smashed a room yet… We’ve broken few things but breaking everything in a hotel room is something we’ll leave for later! I was sick only once on stage, after having drunk a way too much, and never again! Getting smashed after the show is fine but never before!”
Your album’s been out for a while; have you been working on new songs?
“Oh, yes; the first will be a split-disc for our old label (Lifeforce) and after the summer we should start working on our next album for Roadrunner. We have songs but we have had no time to work on them and the time is getting very short… We hope to finish the album by the end of the year and have it out early in 2006.”
Andy Dörner is a vegetarian and atheist but has a carnivorous appetite for hard hitting music that will shake your world when you encounter them at Download 05.
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Caliban play Download Festival’s ‘Snickers Stage’ on Sunday, 12 June 2005.
SashaS
10-6-2005
Caliban’s album ‘The Opposite From Within’ is available now on Roadrunner Records
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