"Angizia: A world of their own

Michael Haas conversed with Nofar for www.avantgarde-metal.com

Only the name itself should make your mind rumble. Saying Anzigia is unique and border-shaking is to say the least. Let alone the words, the music stands for itself, a wacky world to dive in. In order to try and solve some of the mysteries behind all of this, I called upon the mastermind behind this ensemble to investigate some more. Welcome to the bizarre world of Michael Haas and Angizia.

I think that Angizia is an indescribable project. When I introduced it to people, they naturally asked me, "what the hell is it?" and I replied: "well, it's... theatre metal", so that plain mortals can understand, and they've said, "Oh, so it's a rock Opera!" and afterwards I haven't managed to explain, nor define Angizia. What do you think of people's efforts to define Angizia? Can you define it? Do you even want to?

The main problem in describing Angizia for other people is connected with the matter, that we didn't pursue a certain musical style in the course of our 10 years and 6 albums lasting existence. For many Angizia friends our last album "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" was a brilliant radio play with morbid demands, for others it was a special kind of "musical theatre" with many figurative and narrative moments and for others it was a rock opera with influences from jazz, circus music, dramatic musical, classic and klezmer. I am not that satisfied with all these tons of simplifications, which many of so called "original labels" use to explain the music of their bands in magazines or for promotion flyers. Believe me, I hate proclamations such as "They sound like the old Dark Funeral and the new Dimmu Borgir!", "They are the musical brothers of Cradle of Filth" or "They sound like Burzum and Darkthrone!". The principle is very simple. Labels wish to inform, that their new signed band sounds like all their other bands. But that's the point and for sure a "music-economic" problem for music such as Angizia, Devil Doll or Korova, which is not reducible to one simple word or a thrashy compare. Bands such as Angizia, Devil Doll or Korova have defined and invented themselves and are not to categorize in shitty drawers, which are necessary to guarantee full and fat label wallets. I am sure: All these bands are not appropriate for labels of these "modern times", which just search for bands that have a very similar style, but a different name. That explains, why Angizia is not that interesting for money horny labels. From an economic and profit-oriented view Angizia is really uninteresting.

Angizia was always bound to my special visions and influences and my ideals to tell bizarre stories with bizarre singers and instruments. The bizarreness of Angizia could be explained with 20 or 30 words, but nevertheless so many people react the same, nearly boring way: "What the hell is that?" I don't like all these well meant bold and eye-catching terms such as "theatre metal", "rock opera", "classic metal" or "metal with classical influences". To say it much easier: I don't really like to explain Angizia for the masses. Angizia is done to express original and unrecoverable music. If Angizia dies, a whole musical drawer is lost. That's it.

Speaking of definitions, I had the impression that you're some sort of super-artist: write music and plays, sing, conduct the ensemble etc. How do you capture yourself, within and out of the Angizia complex?

Well, all these things you have mentioned are neither difficult, nor supernormal or outstanding. That's a normal thing for so many artists. It's a circumstance that comes with my certain urge to realize my own plays. That gives kind of "supervitality" and Special Forces for all these creative works and tasks. Singing, realizing and performing my own figures is really easy, also making music to a theme which I have fired in my brain or explaining special intentions to other musicians and singers. Conducting the ensemble for sure is the most difficult job, because there are so many different dates, persons and characters to handle, that I often had to spend 3 or 4 hours a day for telephone calls and about 20 hours a week to canvass all the musicians, singers and painters with my car for improving all these details, which are necessary to make the whole thing perfected. Yes, indeed - that's the most difficult job in Angizia.

Stressing out your point on Angizia being "unprofitable" for labels, that might explain why only the two first albums delivered through Napalm Records roof', while all the others came to the world by your own label? Was it your decision, breaking to a label-free road, or the "market demands" led to let go? Along the way, did another labels pursued interest or did you wanted to keep Angizia forever independent, in Speight of possible signing?

Well, keeping Angizia independent in retrospect for sure was the best decision for "39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann" and "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" (our last two albums). I am absolutely convinced of that. We had the absolute and unrestricted power to make unalterable and uncompromising music, epic and in general INDIVIDUAL ART. Suddenly there was no "know-it-all"-labelboss with daffy ideas and continual improvement suggestions, neither related to music, nor to layout, promotion and distribution. If I compare Angizia to times, where we had been signed to Napalm/Records, we now really had the unique possibility to escape from this compacted and "always the same and in one direction"-thinking of Napalm, which certainly wasn't the best thing for Angizia itself. Napalm was an interesting label for Angizia, when they had been smaller and "(in the full sense of the word) more "independent". This time (1995-1996) they supported many original bands of the 90ies (Angizia, Korova, Abigor...) - and they really had "soul", time and will to encourage there "beloved music". But as soon as they have seen their chance to have a big slice of the suddenly existing and expecting money with "underground-music" by promoting uncomplicated, flat and "naked-wife-and-tits"-music they lost all their privileges and forgot all their bands from the "starting area". That's a phenomenon they share with many other labels worldwide. So many labels wished to grow or "expand" and really shared any trend, a wife with big tits on oafish covers could originate. Angizia and other bands all of a sudden became "most unwanted", but ought to have get a special promotion for a different segment of music and music listeners. Of course we didn't join these shallow trends and of course we hadn't been ready for musical compromises with efficient simplifications and boring chords or arrangements, which became a trend throughout all music styles in this new millennium. On the contrary, we have developed our music in a really incomparable direction and improved our work day for day - a long way off music, which was announced by suddenly omnipresent (but once individual oriented) labels in the years 2000, 2001 or 2002.

But I have to compliment Napalm for their (it seems so) successfully economic development. In this regard Angizia and Napalm went different paths in music - and both Napalm and Angizia did a respectable job, I think. Of course I couldn't comprehend their new orientation - "to keep with the time and every possible trend", but to be honest Angizia after "Das Schachbrett des Trommelbuben Zacharias" didn't match with Napalm's label policy and all these gothic similar releases. Angizia is deep, bizarre, morbid and unconventional music and has included very interesting impulses (polka, klezmer, jazz, rock, metal, classic, radio plays, modern theater, circus music...) which weren't that optimal for "angry or pure erotic music". "Gothic metal", such as Napalm pursued after Angizia, Korova and Co. I have disliked for its basically flat and simple outputs. I never felt thoughtfulness in this music, but of course, it way very easy to consume after 8 hours work a day or especially for relaxation. Angizia in no moment of a 10 years lasting existence was done for relaxation.

So Irene Denner and I hat to discuss a new situation in 1998, shortly after Napalm/Black Rose had released our last album ("Das Schachbrett des Trommelbuben Zacharias") in this co-operation. And we decided to keep Angizia alive without the financial support of an interested label and without a functioning distribution or sales network. "I did it my way - and it was an important way for Angizia." - Independent from many money horny labels of nowadays.

Of course we all the time searched for suitable labels, who would share and support our ideals and this very special "bizarre music style" (the whole shebang) - first and foremost because of the fact, that we would have got anymore possibilities for our albums and much more time and money for our studio work. I really had the slight hope, that there will exist a few labels, which are really ready for Angizia, ready for our music and ready for our intentions - but of no avail.

We really experienced hard (not to say "very hard") times while being absolutely independent. In this situation you are independent from everything and we managed every step ourselves with no financial help from any label or distributor. Angizia - that means 12 or more professional musicians, which we had to finance. No one in Angizia was kind of "nonprofessional". This luxury - collecting professional artists for Angizia - had cost much money, which we had to pay ourselves, but it's a most important thing of Angizia to convey my plots and stories for you listeners with brilliant musicians.

Today I am really tired of all these labels who "love our music", but have no courage to release this "beloved and special stuff". In process of all these years (especially in the new millennium) I became really disappointed from many people, working in this "so original and noncommercial underground", because they once proclaimed "that Angizia is one of the most outstanding bands ever" and with this thinking they also promised "all the world and his wife" to support Angizia - adequate and extensive. And what happened - many of them forgot their thoughts and jumped on all these trendy wagons, which have driven in another direction. Many of these self-appointed "trendsetters in underground music" of today destroyed various original bands from the past by supporting this special plagiarism of crappy and shitty bands, which flooded countless magazines, fanzines and websites and beyond that all the brains of magazine readers and music listeners. THE SIMPLIFICATON OF MUSIC WAS AN ATROCITY AND FOR SURE "THE DEATH" FOR THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF QUALITATIVE AND ORIGINAL UNDERGROUND MUSIC. Sure I have respect for the financial success of some underground labels and it's indeed legitimate to earn money with superficial music, because that's the will of some 100.000 listeners. But it's sad enough, that many original bands disappeared as a result of "craven label policy".

Even an interesting narrow segment of interesting labels has missed the chance to present really original music (and beside Angizia I could name 10 other bands with a similar destiny). To be honest: For me it's an inconceivable outrage, that bands such as Devil Doll, Korova or Angizia couldn't be supported from one of these "great, new and original labels, which much more than other labels support individual art and especial music!" O yes, I "haunted" the label strategies of some labels and all their pseudo-artistic stuff, which they released in the last 4 or 5 years. All in all meaningless music - and many bands out of this "new generation" proudly announced in interviews, that they have been big fans from Angizia, Devil Doll or Korova. That's very ironic.

Regarding Angizia's unique blend of influences, can you describe the main artists that gave you inspiration and spiritual guidance, if so? Moreover, I must ask you about the Jewish influence, both in music and in some epical motives - well, as a Jew that somehow connect to this cultural world, I was a bit astonished within the first listening and it remained quite an enigma for me. Can you shed some light upon it?

I think there are not really special artists which influenced me in my work for Angizia. I have written my plays with the intention to launch an absolutely new "music style" for a serious audience. I had so much inspiration to do that, but there also have been so many elements in Angizia, which descended from artists such als Irene Denner, Cedric Müller, Emmerich Haimer or Gabriele Böck. Of course I had the last word, but with all these mentioned artists, especially with Irene Denner and Gabriele Böck I always felt united for the same aim - "presenting a completely unusual and inimitable musical creature." We pulled together and have worshiped our own creation.

In the last years Angizia was a small firm, consisting of Irene Denner and me in economic and artistic belongings. I also think, that there had been so many irreplaceable artists for special Angizia albums - for example Christof Niederwieser for "Das Tagebuch der Hanna Anikin", Aliosha Biz for "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" or Krzysztof Dobrek and Jochen Stock for "39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann" - cause they have surrounded basic Angizia elements such as the singing of Irene Denner or the authoritative piano play with unique individual singing, acting or playing (an instrument).

In the last years I personally found inspiration in Klezmer, Circus Music, Classic (especially Russian composers such as Kabalewskij, Schostakowitsch, Tschaikowsky, Rachmaninow, but also Schumann and Brahms), mostly perfected Jewish music and Russian folklore. I absolutely admire incomparable spoken voices (Otto Sander, Klaus Kinski, Ignaz Kirchner, Meret Becker...) and absorb special soundtracks and in particular scores from John Williams (MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA, SCHINDLER'S LIST, MUNICH). I think, there exists just one leading violinist - namely the jewish musician ITHZAK PERLMAN - who is able to transport such an emotional power for the score of a movie such as "MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA". If any other musician would play the solo for the leading theme of "Memoirs of a geisha", you would definitely hear that. Watching and feeling Perlman's intensive violin play makes me highly infected - in this case I watch special movies sequences 100 times. In such moments I go in trance.

Well, for Angizia in special it was not difficult to dip into special (musical) cultures. Our 3rd album "Das Schachbrett des Trommelbuben Zacharias", but also "Das Tagebuch der Hanna Anikin" have been very Russian oriented. "39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann" and "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" on the other hand had been dedicated to the Jewish soul in music in main parts of our compositions. I think, from 2001 to 2004 I felt like a Jew because I was interested in so many Jewish themes, superficially "Jewish music and films", that I felt the decision to involve similar elements for "39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann" and "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel". Jewish music touched my soul - and I have enjoyed it to compose Jewish themes for my own plays. The clarinet and violin solos for "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" have been transported by mostly perfected instrumentalists, thus they became so much vigorous and emotional.

Remaining in the influences area, aside from the musical characteristics, Angizia is also correspondent with the great tradition of theater in Austria, as I see it. Do you agree with that? Can you point other (theatrical, lyrical) influences on which the concept of Angizia was conceived?

Angizia is not really corresponded with the traditions of Austrian theater. Maybe it was pure chance that some parts of "Die Kemenaten scharlachroter Lichter" sound like Austrian operettas, but although the theater itself maybe is the most important vigor in Angizia, we are not comparable with typical "musical plays" or "Austrian dramatic art". Angizia is a very lively project with very wacky and extraordinary voices and instruments. I think, they would be too wacky to include them in repertories of our opera houses here in Austria. The medium "Theater" is obvious in so many sequences of Angizia's music, but the "Austrian theatre tradition" especially is connected with a conventional, classical and proper idea of "Theatre". Angizia is neither conventional, nor proper. Lyrically I tried to create non-typical librettos for non-typical plots. I don't think that Angizia follows a certain tradition, neither in music, nor in lyrics, but we surely embodied a special type of "crazy theatre" for almost 10 years.

Lyrically, how did you get the ideas for the plays?

I think I am much more cinematic than epical thinking and working - thus my lyrical work is bound to many theoretical pictures and paintings I set together to the whole thing, while searching for the most perfected conception. I am a critical cineaste and really intrigued with so many different films and theatrical plots - therefore my main inspiration is cinematic and not really lyrical. Possibly I proceed much more like a film director and not like a dramatic adviser. In any case I first of all complete my plot and in the course of the finished plot I write my libretto. Furthermore I am not in permanent search of new ideas, while creating a new Angizia play. Lyrically (and I speak from the libretto itself) I always think in theatrical monologues and dialogues. This way enables a more dramatic orientated art and allows most lively and omnipresent figures. Angizia plays are typical for its (social and vocal) interaction between central characters of a story. And they are only well done with different and interesting figures. Before a story is ready, I need my honest faith in interesting characters such as a weird Jewish organ grinder or a chess playing Russian drummer boy. It's for sure my most important aim to develop and process unaided and independent ideas, figures and stories. This is the first step in creating something special. I never glom ideas from other plots, plays or stories. That's idiotic and boring!

The main theme behind "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" is the tightrope walk between death's conscious melancholy and its ironic sarcasm. I wished to create a surrealistic story with bizarre figures and their lively characters in the scenery of Königsberg's cemetery after the 2nd world war. I believed in the force of a metaphysical world and a more satirical access to "death" and its related themes. It's one author's most interesting "role", when he has the possibility to show one figure in two lives: Elias Hohlberg, organ-grinder and protagonist of "39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann" came to death within the story of our 4th album, but relives a really dreadful, but characteristic existence on devil's foggy and marshy cemetery within our 5th album "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel". I wrote his bony stature and corpse in a bizarre story round black puppets, childlike themes such as rocking horses, marionettes, children rhymes, but also wished to create a stage for the protagonist's nostalgic and sorry view on his earthly living and existence. Thus the drama of this story is a classical one, but associated with lots of shudder, evil, sarcasm, irony and morbidity. I think, the morbidity of "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" is the most characterizing specification of this 5th Angizia album. The main inspiration for "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" was the third and surrealistic act of "39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann". I wished to create a whole story round a dead and buried organ grinder, which shouldn't be too severe or serious in the sense of "Dead is cruel and evil!" or "A cemetery is always calm and certainly a place for eternal rest!" The story is always written with a certain wink and I always had the intention to hide many nostalgic and cunning elements behind the main story line, which have to be discovered from the listener when devouring this 75 minutes. Of course THE DEAD itself is a main and omnipresent figure, which has place in each chapter of this play. But it's the same in love songs, or not? Here "love" is the main parameter of the lyrical approach. So a listener shouldn't knock against the partly doomed and sarcastic lyrics of "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel". Every Angizia work had to do with dying, the death and his consequences. With the first albums we have shown a more limited and poetic access to the death of protagonists such as Konstanz Bürster ("Die Kemenaten scharlachroter Lichter"), Hanna Anikin's mother ("Das Tagebuch der Hanna Anikin") or Elias Hohlberg ("39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann") - and I have to repeat a statement of the Austrian actor and theatrical director Paulus Manker in this connection, who once meant: "Every serious artist needs a proper relation to death and its soul!"

Always a hard and tricky question - what's your favorite Angizia album, and why?

Definitely "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel". It's the most courageous and intractable album, because of the fact, that the plot itself is more controversial, peculiar and narrative than other Angizia plays. It's so difficult to stage and experience a figure in calm and quiet moments (only voice or voice and piano...) during a musical work with aggressive and "rhythmical rock-jazz-and-circus" music - the interesting opposition to enable an album with bizarre and quiet narrative elements and figures on one side, but also loud, florid and very lively sequences on the other I implemented with "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel". I know it's kind of untypical, unpopular and "noncommercial" to offer different spoken voices between complex, dramatic music - but "Ein Toter fährt gern Ringelspiel" I did in the thought of a completely inefficient and uneconomic musical existence. It took so much time, money and energy to realize this album that I am really proud of the 76 minutes lasting result with which I can identify in every single moment while listening. Maybe it's a common principle of an artist to identify with the latest work best.

Well, I think every Angizia album has raised different expectations and there are really various opinions concerning the favorite Angizia album of our listeners. I noticed that within a questionnaire in our website's guestbook (www.angizia.com). Personally I am convinced, that "39 Jahre für den Leierkastenmann" was the most important Angizia album, because of the fact, that we pointed the way, which we wished to go in the new millenium (more crazy elements, very eccentric voices...). More than that we experienced in new studios, with new musicians and arrangements and a more theatrical and "circussed" way of (musical and lyrical) thinking - independent from any label or label strategy. "Die Kemenaten scharlachroter Lichter" for sure was one of the most audacious debut albums of an upcoming band. It was such a complex and baroque styled play with a fantastic 17 years old piano player, who was able to transport every single thought of my extensic baroque plot. It was a fantastic work with so many idealistic musicians and artists. In this connection it shouldn't be forgotten, that we had been no 20 years at all at this moment. And many contemporaries in the 90ies released Seattle-Rock or in any case music in honor of their big paragons such as Pearl Jam, Paradise Lost or Metallica. "Die Kemenaten scharlachroter Lichter" however was an independent release and so many musical journalists couldn't comprehend what we wished to implement with this "new-kind-classical music-rock". O yes, I remember really strange Angizia-reviews in this time. I also enjoyed "Das Tagebuch der Hanna Anikin", which especially in Mexico was the most beloved Angizia-Album ever, because I often evoke the fantastic cooperation with Christof Niederwieser, an outstanding singer and one of these great personalities in the avantgarde-metal underground.

"Das Schachbrett des Trommelbuben Zacharias" itself was Angizia's most beloved album in Russia and Ukraine. In 1998 I dedicated Angizia's music to the Russian soul of music. It was my personal approach to a Russian motivated plot and the symbolization of Russia's society thinking with a simple chess board. And Angizia sounded so special and rare on this album. "Das Schachbrett des Trommelbuben Zacharias" was a very important chapter in our own era.

In general I have to say, that I always searched for new and exciting musical and lyrical elements with every new Angizia album, which should contrast pleasantly from former works. But in any case a listener had to feel: This is (a hundred per cent) ANGIZIA - and nothing else. So I have to stress, that no Angizia album was done to compare it with other Angizia works in "quality" or to locate a special "improvement" as we always worked for the intention(s) of a play and the individual story itself. I loathe the poor fact, that so many bands just release modifications of their last works (the same ideas, the same sound, the same lyrics...) to have a constant audience and a steady inquiry. That's really mind-bending and artistically uninteresting.

I've understood that the band is currently frozen. Any particular reason for this status? Any intentions of bringing another score? Are you active in other musical / literary / theatrical frames?

Angizia is currently frozen, because of many different things, but in general familiar, economic and temporal reasons. I don't know if I should like, love, deny or refuse this status, but it's a fact, which was brought with the problems of independent existing. I am proud of having released intensive albums through my own small label "Medium Theater". But I reached the point, where I had to say: My next work would be once more a very costly, extensive and for sure outshining release, which I am not really standing at the moment. In Angizia in process of time all became bigger, larger, more intense and expensive and for sure more energetic. It's nearly impossible to release a 6th Angizia-album with own financial resources and it's less promising to find a label, which has will and courage to realize a similar project. It's much more unimaginable to find a label in the nowadays, which we couldn't find in the past. Otherwise I am not sure, if I am ready for dealing with one of these money-horny people, which present their stuff as "pseudo-original" instead of more or less well done plagiarism. I am not active in other musical, literary or theatrical frames at the moment, but I have some conceptions for more literary orientated projects (with or without musical participation). In fact I don't mind, if 100, 1000 or 10 000 people listen to my plays. Angizia albums wouldn't be less good or professional if it would be just 10 listeners world wide. CD sales have nothing to do with musical quality. But that's an attitude I won't share with any label boss of the nowadays.

How did the Austrian metal scene accept Angizia?

In the 90ies the Austrian metal scene consisted of Abigor, Summoning, Korova and Golden Dawn... and maybe we had been part of this scene. But that wasn't really important for our own development. In fact Angizia was accepted from all these bands, especially from Korova, Abigor and Summoning - and otherwise we also appreciated all these bands and projects, which all had been part of Napalm Records. I really had pleasant contact with Christof and Moritz from Korova, Thomas, Peter and Michael from Abigor/Summoning and Alex from Amestigon, with which we released a split album for Napalm/Records in 1995. At the end of the 90ies I found deeply friendship with Jochen from Dornenreich, which today most probably is the most popular Austrian metal band. The Austrian underground "lived on" important personalities and many interesting and very different projects. Each of these projects has given this underground an individual note - and it's sad enough, that bands such as Korova do not exist anymore. Today it's for sure impossible to speak about a "scene". There are so many meaningless bands, which often disappear shortly after being founded. Angizia and Korova especially often had main problems to convince thousands of Austrians with their really eccentric music, as both collectives still had been busy to pull their original ideas through a "nonoriginal" music scene. To be honest: Angizia has much more fans in Mexico, Russia, Greece or Canada than in Austria itself. Angizia's music is very provocative, sulky, obstinate and thoughtless original - and more than that our music demands serious musical empathy and precise listeners. That is all in all reasons enough for many conventional listeners to buy more shallow music instead. Angizia is strenuous, but qualitative and most professional. I never felt to be part of a "metal band". Angizia in no time of a 10 years lasting existence was a "metal band".

Since we're dealing with Avantgarde metal, can you describe what this concept means to you? Who are your favorite acts within the genre?

I think Angizia is a logical representative of a project "beyond the border". Our unadjusted self-centeredness and the conscious distance from musical categories developed our music much more "avant-garde" than adapted to musical trends or standards - above all we used instruments in a nearly unusual way. We stressed classical instruments in rock-like musical sequences and connected classical singing with eccentric voices. My plots are as good as inappropriate in every METAL context and our arrangements have nothing to do with any other existing musical project. They are peculiar and unadapted. Some people say they are out of place in a musical "pseudo revolution" which is full of sex, Satan, gothic, evil and in general clear and simple words (for the masses). That's mainstream and I don't know how to shape "mainstream music"!

"Avantgarde" in any case is a conscious distance from traditional listening and composing habits. An Avantgarde musician evokes discords and dislikes every fuckin' search for more harmony in an arrangement to sound more plausible for 100.000 listeners. Avantgarde (metal) bands need courage for atonality and have to be provocative, innovative and stylistically confident. That's it.

Angizia is AVANTGARDE MUSIC, but no avantgarde metal band. Metal is a category, which we didn't belong in 10 years of our existence. Metal is dominated by guitars - and we used e-guitars at best differently and consciously neoteric or "non-metal-like". My ultimate Avantgarde metal bands had been ARCTURUS (in the first place), ULVER, VED BUENS ENDE, possibly THE KOVENANT (in times of "Animatronic"), DEVIL DOLL (in very special moments of their fantastic music) and for sure KOROVA. From all present "Avantgarde metal" substitutes I just honor FANTOMAS and DORNENREICH. Most of so called "Avantgarde metal bands" of the nowadays cannot touch my soul at all, although there exist of course several well done projects with great musicians and interesting music. I always prefer the original - and all mentioned bands and projects are unique and unrepeatable. Even this is a very important fact of AVANTGARDE MUSIC.

I really appreciate the intention of Christof and Katja to forward a conception for avantgarde music and I deeply support the whole idea of "avantgarde-metal.com" It's an important platform for all these bands that can or could meet the requirements of "avant-garde music". It's a collection of the most significant "avantgarde-metal-bands", which themselves could bear up against this so fuckin' boring and adapted music hype, which apparently is and was so much interesting for the commercial orientation of music labels and managers in the last 10 or 12 years. But I am sure: The underlying quality of Avantgarde (metal) bands and many appreciable projects beyond the border the major part of mankind will comprehend in 20 years at the earliest. The fixation of many labels and magazines on catchy tunes and all these transparent trends perhaps is understandable in cause of economic strategies, but it's dissembling and laughable at the same time, in which determined manner all these labels and magazines have destroyed the "real quality" of music and underground: - THE AVANTGARDE.

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