WarWolf have with The Apocalyptic Waltz Delivered a second album very quickly and of high quality. While the band has presented the album on stage several times, one good review after another continues to come in. So much positive feedback was given to the singer Andreas von Lipinski to talk about the differences to the debut, the artistic concept, band democracy and the difficulties in choosing songs.
Andreas (Soundmagnet.eu): Congratulations on the new album and all the feedback. You’ve had each other since the debut album Necropolis not given much time. Were you so motivated by the positive feedback or was it because you were flooded with so many ideas?
Andreas von Lipinski (WarWolf): First of all, thank you. If you consider that vinyl production takes around four months these days, then half a year quickly passes before the release date. We have The Apocalyptic Waltz It was written just five months after the debut was released and was completely recorded in two months. Once Frank and I are in the right songwriting mode, it just flows out of us.
We’re not afraid to write melodies as long as they don’t sound too cheesy, because we’re not that into that. It should just remain heavy metal and not be pop metal.
Andreas: On your debut you followed NWOBHM and the sound of Iron Maiden Indulged in the early 1980s. The Apocalyptic Waltz On the other hand, it sounds a bit more mature and independent. Can you confirm and understand that?
Andreas von Lipinski: I can fully confirm that. On the first album we really wanted to sound 100% like Iron Maiden and we set a lot of limits for ourselves. At The Apocalyptic Waltz we let it flow more. OK, we have that Maiden Don’t leave focus, but let’s be honest, every band sounds like any other band these days. For us it was always about having fun with what we do, seeing real classic metal fans rocking out at the gigs in costumes and partying with them.
That’s why we tried to incorporate our strengths from days gone by. We played a lot of different guitar melodies, sometimes a little more playful. What us from Iron Maiden What’s different on the album, for example, are the very melodic choruses with beautiful choirs without sounding too epic and polyphonic singing. We’re not afraid to write melodies as long as they don’t sound too cheesy, because we’re not that into that. It should just remain heavy metal and not be pop metal.
It makes no sense to make everything sound completely “retro”. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t sound like this fat, uniform sound.
Andreas: Album number two not only sounds a little different in terms of content, but I also think the sound is a little different. The vocals stand out even more and the individual instruments sound more differentiated. Is that my subjective perception or did you consciously change something?
Andreas von Lipinski: Definitely, because on the first album the lyrics were actually pure cliche lyrics about vampires, werewolves and all that stuff. But it was still fun. On The Apocalyptic Waltz But at first glance they are cliché texts. It would be too much to go into detail about all the lyrics here. Suffice it to say that each text relates to a personal or global topic. People who also deal with the lyrics of the records can take a look at them and think about how they can interpret these lyrics. They even refer to political things, but without being political, because in my opinion politics has no place in heavy metal, but it does have a place in punk, thrash metal or alternative rock.
In terms of sound, we tried to go a little more towards the present, the drums are more similar to modern productions, the guitars are a little tidier and the vocals are more forward, as is the case with many mainstream releases. However, there was not a sung note Autotune processed. The singing is almost raw. It makes no sense to make everything sound completely “retro”. Nevertheless, it shouldn’t sound like that fat, uniform sound that most bands use.
Every time we decide to write only ten songs so that they all fit on vinyl and then we end up with too much material.
Andreas: The new album is long again at around an hour and doesn’t fit completely on the vinyl. You have decided on an enclosed CD. How difficult was it to select or sort out the track list and was it democratic?
Andreas von Lipinski: Every time we try to write only ten songs so that they all fit on vinyl. A double album for a band of our status would simply be too expensive to sell. Of course we always do a few more songs and then we end up with too much material (laughs). We will then decide democratically. Nevertheless, there are always some dissatisfaction with the choice of vinyl. But when all the songs are on the CD, everyone is happy again. In general, the band climate is extremely good. It’s completely normal that everyone has their favorite songs and fortunately different songs are preferred. This also shows that we all have different tastes, and the selection of songs for the three singles starts again from the beginning (laughs again).
Andreas: From the cover artwork to the band image to the slightly different looking logo, you have refined everything. Plus one vinyl color for everyone and no more color games. Please tell us about the creation and your thoughts on the “surroundings”.
Andreas von Lipinski: After Frank presented the as yet untitled title song, we all immediately had those waltz vibes from the beginning in our heads. I remembered that we once did a demo in one of the previous bands called Apocalyptic Waltz. It fit so well that, also with the inspiration from Chris Bolthendahl, it immediately became clear where the musical journey, the cover and where the lyrics would go. The dancing one WarWolf in the middle of a ballroom was immediately present. In addition, the idea came to immortalize an element of each song on the cover. However, we needed a cover artist who knew his craft and also had the right style. We found him in Uwe Jarling, who has created tons of paperbacks, DVD cases and much more. In our opinion, he implemented everything perfectly and at the same time adapted and pimped up our logo.
With so many colors on the cover, we worked together with our label Metalapolis thought, it makes sense to choose the vinyl in just one color – something calming in transparent dark blue. By the way, the LP is limited to 300 copies and there is no black vinyl this time. In addition, we have now included the complete CD instead of a download code. This means that the vinyl buyer also has the opportunity to hear all the songs directly and does not have to download anything from somewhere.
Basically, we don’t record any songs that I couldn’t sing live or that we wouldn’t want to play live.
Andreas: Songs like Rivers of Blood and Kingdom of Fools are definitely not easy to sing. Can you tell us which tracks will be available live?
Andreas von Lipinski: Basically, we don’t record any songs that I couldn’t sing live or that we wouldn’t want to play live. We could play every song from the two records live at any time. But since in our position we usually only play gigs between 45 and 60 minutes, we try to use the songs that are best received by the audience live. We are currently playing the three new singles from the new album Spawn Of Hell, Legacy Of Salem and The Flying Dutchman. For longer gigs of an hour or more are also possible The Apocalyptic Waltz and Van Helsing`s Dream included. But this is not fixed and can change at any time.
Now it would only be nice if we could land a few more gigs for 2024 in these difficult times.
Andreas: How satisfied are you with your result after completing it and are you already bubbling up with thoughts and ideas for the next album?
Andreas von Lipinski: Basically we are very happy with the album. Nevertheless, of course musicians wouldn’t be musicians if they didn’t think afterwards that they could have done this or that better or differently. But the good reviews tell us that we did everything right. In addition, the vinyl goes away like sliced bread.
I think in January we’ll start writing songs for the third album in a row before taking a breather. I already have a story in my head that will run through the entire album. This time it will be a concept album, so to speak. But let’s first see what others think of it. Now it would only be nice if we could land a few more gigs for 2024 in these difficult times for live performances. But with thirteen appearances this year, things are looking pretty good.
Andreas: Thank you for the interview and all the best for your work on the third album.
Also on Soundmagnet.eu
Album Review – WarWolf – The Apocalyptic Waltz
Interview – Battlesword, asked by Axel and Lars
Album Review – U.D.O. – Touchdown
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