Class: Welcome to the Sonic Seducer interview with dear Pi to my left.

Pi: A wonderful good day!

Class: Err... I'm-

Pi: Who are you again?

Class: I am Class Grenayde, and…

Pi: …we are from the band Lord Of The Lost.

Class: Exactly. And we want to answer the questions that we got from Sonic Seducer, which will hopefully be as interesting to you as to us.

Pi: Well.

Class: Well.

Pi: Here we go.

Class: Question No.1 :

 

 

Q: Swan Songs III has recently been released. Is a release day still something special for you after so many releases?

 

Class: For me: definitely yes, although every release day can be different and this one was very special, or actually rather the day after the release. I somehow summarize this to one day, with our concert…

Pi: Yes. There were so many special things in this day. This may sound now as if we were super special… but of course, we did our very first worldwide Livestream concert, with which we celebrated the release of Swan Songs III, and I think all of us were… actually I can only talk for myself here -all of us were more excited than at a normal concert, because we had never done something like this before, so this has been a very special release, especially in a very special time, I don’t need to explain any further why, and because we – for me it felt like that -  the album has been finished for such a long time already before the release day, so we were moving in completely different spheres already.

Class: Yes. But we all were really keen on it, because we hadn’t played any shows for quite a while.

Pi: That’s true.

Class: And we weren’t allowed to do anything for quite a while, or actually we still aren’t allowed to do anything, that’s why it was very special. It was special that we were allowed to meet with the ensemble in compliance with all security guidelines known to us, and that we were also able to work with external people who also provided the technicians from the house and so on. And to play a cool show – I think it was cool – we found it cool – that was a real highlight. Even though of course, from a pure technical point of view, on the release date we had the rehearsals, on the day before.

Pi: Yeah right.

Class: But for us it was like one day that lasted 48 hours.

Pi: That weekend was a cool release day!

Class: Badass shit.

 

 

Q: How were the reactions to the album from the fans and the media? Do you follow the feedback of the public?

 

Pi: Well… at the end of the day, if you release an album, you are usually very convinced about the product, otherwise you wouldn’t release it, but of course you are still very interested in what the public says and how the reception to it all is. So one can say: of course we follow it, it would be nonsense to not follow it.

Class: You must nevertheless approach the matter with the necessary mental distance, because of course you also have a completely different relationship to the album than a common fan, or for example a person, who did not yet listen to the full album entirely but already believes to have a legit opinion. Which happens pretty often these days. People want to have an opinion very quickly, just to be the first ones to say something about it. Seen from this point of view, you have to approach it with distance and you must not always take everything to heart, so if an album is loved, it is hated just as much. You have to find a middle way there. But nevertheless, I believe that after all these years we can also very well attribute negative criticism and not perish from it.

Pi: And also always turn it into something positive somehow. What remains at the end of the day is always that we're doing what we are up to and also in this case I would dare to say that the feedback of the public was very good.

Class: Definitely.

 

 

Q: The Sonic Seducer September edition is also available along with an exclusive vinyl EP that includes 4 piano versions of Lord of the Lost tracks. Since Chris and Gared recorded these versions on their own, we are interested to know how you both, as quasi "outsiders", feel about these 4 tracks.

 

Pi: We are talking about these two thingies here, namely this one. As you watch this video, you also know, what magazine this is - the Sonic Seducer. And in this special edition…

Class: The current one for us.

Pi: The current one for us. You maybe know this strange guy there on the cover, it’s Chris, who is strangely enough also on this cover here – and this vinyl EP is what we’re talking about. Chris and Gared have recorded piano versions of the songs “Loreley”, “Amber”, “Unfeel” and “Agape” for this one. And we should comment on these songs. They did it quite well, I'd say.

Class:  I am actually always enthusiastic about it; Chris and Gared are a well-rehearsed piano/vocals duo...

Pi: One could think so.

Class: ...for almost 10 years, since Lord of the Lost has been around, the two of them have been doing this on various occasions.

Pi: They are good solo entertainers. Duo-entertainers.

Class: Definitely. And seen from this point of view this is simply a safe bet. (The phrase "es ist 'ne Bank" for something being a safe bet literally translates to "that is a bank.") and always works out really well. 

Pi: Exactly. And I’m very sure, all of you who have got these vinyls -Class and I both have the golden marbled version – I think it will give you a lot of pleasure.

Class: Well.

 

 

Q: There are many publications, rarities and merch items of Lord of the Lost by now. Do you still have an overview of everything as a band? Is there a band archive where you collect everything?

 

Class: First question, if we have an overview. I’d say yes, because…

Pi: Really? an overview… wouldn’t that mean that we, if we generally have an overview,  just now out of the cuff are able to name everything.  

Class: N-yes that could work. My current problem is that there’s a few merch items, which may not be in the online shop yet. I could put my foot in it now.

Pi: That’s true. We could look into the future now – but we won’t do that, because we are not sure … there’s definitely quite a few nice things coming your way.

Class: But- Let’s put it that way- better answer… or maybe it’s not a better answer but maybe... - we are currently implementing so many interesting and various merch ideas - so we hope to lose the overview at some point.

Pi: Yes. Right now, out of the cuff, we lost it already.

Class: And there’s some kind of archive. Each of us has- or has not - his own kind of archive. I just recently had a huge box which contained pretty much everything, like magazines, albums, and I also have a pretty big pile of Lord of the Lost T-Shirts from the very first day till today, which I definitely am not going to put away even though I don’t wear them anymore...

Pi: Not by any means!

Class: ...because at some point your entire household is full of T-Shirts, but… what was I going to say? Maybe at some point I give them away, to someone who feels like hanging them on display or maybe even to wear them.

Pi: Yes. Or for a good matter or whatever. But let’s put it that way: All of us have our own personal archive, as Class already said, which contain rarities – I always get to think of the tissues in this case.

Class: I just recently needed to use these because I didn’t have any other tissues.

Pi: See? At some point they will be very valuable. But anyhow. I think, this answers the question. 

 

 

Q: On the current Sonic Seducer magazine CD there is also a cover version of "Dominion" (Sisters of Mercy) which you recorded together with Clan of Xymox singer Ronny Mooring. How did the collaboration work out?

 

Pi: I can tell from my point of view, that I haven’t been there when the vocals were recorded. In this case the guitar recordings were done remotely by me, which was a very relaxed collaboration then. I rather want to say something about the final product -that we’re very proud about it. It has become something really nice. Best regards to Xymox here – and also to the boys from Sisters Of Mercy.

Class: Yes.

 

 

Q: What are in your opinion the requirements for a good cover version? Are there bands you would never cover?

 

Class: This is a pretty extensive question.

Pi: Yeah.

Class: I’m thinking, if one should … certain...

Pi: Right, because we ourselves are not “innocent” when it comes to covering. Our “Bad Romance” Cover, “This Is The Life” and so on and so forth…

Class: I simply think, if someone does a cover version, they should always stick to the style of the band, who does the cover.

Pi: In their own style.

Class: Exactly. That you-

Pi: Definitely.

Class: That you preferably diverge from it, because I think, the closer you stick to the original version, the more boring it will be to listen to. Usually it is almost impossible to “beat” an original version.

Pi: I don’t think I have ever heard a cover version which was better than the original. Sometimes there are cover versions, where you think, this is the original, and then you notice "No, wait".

Class: Or there are songs where you don’t like the original version because you don’t necessarily listen to that kind of music, so you say “Yeah, it’s cool as a Metal version, but beforehand it was ….” So, the typical a bit restricted way of thinking, like “Yeah, I listen to Metal, now that this comes as Metal, I like it.”

Pi: But then it is a good cover version also, somehow. At least then you know your fan community and you made it for them, so to speak.

Class: I found it awesome for example, I mean, if I briefly- I have recapitulated… an awesome cover was Alien Ant Farm “Smooth Criminal”.

Pi: Yeah. That one is really cool.

Class: That really hit the spot, it was super groovy.

Pi: Yeah. And it’s something totally different compared to…

Class: Yeah. It sounds exactly like Alien Ant Farm have sounded, I think they don’t exist anymore – and still it is a cool song. Or now that I think about it some more, also Michael Jackson, funnily: Chris Cornell “Billie Jean” -that’s the name of the song, right?

Pi: The song is called "Billie Jean", exactly. Did he cover it? I don't know.

Class: He covered that one, in a super sad, calm, melancholic way. Really badass.

Pi: Chris Cornell.

Class: So, these are two songs where I think… I cannot say that the cover version would be better, but interpreted so differently, in such a fantastic way - by the respective band.

Pi: Is there a band that you would never cover? I can immediately think of two.

Class: I think, right now there are many bands that I cannot imagine to cover.

Pi: For me it would be Guns ’n’ Roses, I would never cover them...

Class: That's right.

Pi: ...never cover them, this can only go wrong, and covering Marilyn Manson... is somehow...

Class: Yeah, that would be stupid, too.

Pi: …difficult, I mean in what direction would you let that go? Of course you can cover it, but …

Class: Yeah, you’re right. But there I get to think, that Marilyn Manson had good intuition for cover versions.

Pi: Sorry, but his most successful songs are cover versions.

Class: Yes, but look: “Sweet Dreams” – really cool.

Pi: Awesome.

Class: And “Tainted Love”, which is a bit industrial… these are two super cool songs. And then again it is not so easy to make cover versions which are really really successful.

Pi: Sure. Hats off.

Class: And honestly – you can’t blame him for that either.

Pi: No, he did it just right.

Class: And the songs are also really good.

Pi: This.

Class: This.

Pi: Thank you.

 

 

Q: As Chris appears on the back title of the Gothic Fetish Calendar 2021, even this one could be a part of a well assorted Lord of the Lost-Archive. Please tell us your favourite image from it.

 

Pi: Our favourite image? Well, there’s a lot of very sexy women – all women in this- humans in this calendar are sexy – but we don’t want to pick a favourite one out of these ladies, that could lead us wherever – into hot water for example – our favourite image is Chris on the back.

Class: BAM!

 

 

Q: You have a very fast release rhythm compared to other bands. Now you are already busy with the next studio album. Where does this enormous tempo come from?

 

Pi: Yes, we are already head over heels – we are not just a little bit busy with the new album, but we are already up there in the production, but that is another matter. Where does this enormous tempo come from? 

Class: I don’t get tired to repeat that actually from the very first hour, Chris is simply always active...

Pi: He is always active, yes.

Class: ...and he is a cornucopia of ideas and output and creative power, like no other, and which I have  never seen in another person -  I don’t know Helene Fischer though – she is said to be…

Pi: I don’t know her in person either.

Class: She is supposed to be similar.

Pi: Good for her.

Class: There are people, who are like sharks… if they don’t move and move ahead, they would simply die.  

Pi: This moving ahead, this unintentional standstill, it’s like a spark that comes from Chris, and that lights a campfire, and that campfire is our band, then, and that is soaked with petrol, and gets poured there.

Class: And we have been on fire since time immemorial…!

Pi: We love what we do, we don’t like standstill at all, and creativity – wherever it may come from – it’s just there.

Class: Yes.

 

 

Tour life has always been an important part of making music for you. This has become impossible now because of Corona. As you have planned your next Ensemble-Tour for April 2021 already, you are probably optimistic, though, that there will be a return to normality possible soon, aren't you?

 

Class: I find this question a bit difficult, as I am optimistic in this respect, as I think the way I approach the crisis, things work quite well with wearing a mask, keeping distance and also not going out among others unnecessarily. Even though I'm meeting friends like Pi, I make my contribution, so things become better. I also see, that many many people, like when I go past them in the car here on the Reeperbahn, don’t care. This makes me pessimistic then, because right now nobody is able to “remove” Corona, it’s only each and every one of us, together with each one that we are in contact with. And I believe, that it will go forward, and I also hope that… the problem is… I don’t know, who has the biggest faith in mankind, but sometimes people are like “What I cannot see now, I don’t care about.” But then, unfortunately, we have to hold out a little longer and say every day, Corona is right here on our doorstep - no exceptions.

Pi: Sometimes – or rather pretty often we humans are stuck to this kindergarten mentality, like “No, this is mine, nobody shall take this away from me!” -and so on. The problem is, the habit that we have, for example, we want to distance ourselves - I'd say - from people who reject the masks and deny the whole thing- this habit by people… it is like with separating trash. It only works, if everybody does it, but one person has to be the first one to do it and you need to keep doing it and more people need to realize that it is important. And now it is happening on a much more badass level, because there are millions of existences depending on it, and I want to add to these very negative words, that I am optimistic nevertheless, that next year it will start again with touring, our Ensemble tour in April, which by the way –

Class: I saw that earlier.

Pi: …is taking place in the cities – I need to read upside down now – Hamburg, Mainz, Wuppertal, Munich and Berlin; that is, as I think, optimistic, but I just say “It will work out.” I believe in it. Strongly. And it will be very nice.

Class: And I think – I also speak on Pi’s behalf here – that we are optimistic in the respect that we are also endeavoured to do the right thing to set an end to this pandemic, and this only works with motivation, and motivation by optimism and – of course we will make it. But we can only make it, if we all together make our contributions to it.

Pi: Right. And in this spirit we close this interview.

Class: It is over already?

Pi: It is over already.

Class: That went fast!

Pi: And it did not hurt that badly.

Class: Nope. It was nice with you!

Pi: It was nice, thanks a lot, stay healthy, we were Pi and Class from Lord of the Lost.

Class: Good bye. See you soon.

 Pi: Bye. 

 

 

Translation: Margit Güttersberger

Proofreading: Jari Winter