1,Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Hi there, thanks for the interest!Since the recording and release of the new album nothing really happened, to be honest. A little bit of promo work, some interviews, but that was it so far. Some gigs are coming up and the reaction we got to the new album were without exception positiv.
2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
2: The new album has more Heavy Metal elements in general in it and the Black Metal elements are even stronger 80s inspired (Bathory, Tormentor, Slayer, Mercyful Fate) than on the last one.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the new release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?
3: I think the aim when you make new music should always be that it is better or at least on par with the stuff you released in the past. I would'nt neccessarily say that the new album is better than the last one, but it is definitely different. The subjects we deal with are mainly dark sorcery, the barren lands of Fals ( see next question) and the things we have the feeling envoke the Black Metal FEELING.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'The Fals'?
4: The word "Fals" is an original creation that initially had no specific meaning. This turned out to be a stroke of luck for us—certainly by the time of our first album—because it allowed us to imbue the word with meaning ourselves. In doing so, we built an entire world and storyline around the term. "Fals" is both a land situated far beyond the Grave of the Moon and a guild of dark mages that took the name for itself, styling itself as "THE FALS." Our debut was a concept album that explored the world of Fals and its inhabitants through a continuous narrative. The lyrics on the second album also revolve around this theme, though they do not form a single, cohesive story.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
5: A part of the inspiration of the new album and it's artwork come from a painting called "The Magic Circle" by english painter John William Waterhouse 1886. That painting stirred up such a deep feeling within me that I sort of build the title track around the scene. That witch was also the initial inspiration for the cover artwork. Khaos Diktator design captured our vision behind it in a perfect way, so we are really happy with the outcome.
6.Out of all the shows and tours the band has done so far, which one stands out the most?
6: We did no tours yet. The best shows are of course always those where you can get the crowed going. Remeber Necrobutcher: "Come on Leipzig, are you dead??" But all in all we had some inspiring evenings.
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
7: There are no tour offers, and I guess there won't ever be, but we try to play every show worth playing, so if someones hits us up and the conditions are right there's little chance that we say No, haha.
8.The new album was released on 'Undercover Records', how would you compare working with this label to other labels that you have worked with in the past?
8: Undercover beliefs in our music, which is the most important part. They do much of the business stuff that no one of us likes, so that's good, to. And they are Metal Die-Hards like us.
9.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black and underground metal?
9: To be honest, the few reactions we got were consistently positive. Every reviewer kind of agrees that the album needs more than one or two spins to take effect. But once people catch on and understand our intentions, they really get a kick out of it.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
10: Good question. We really don't know yet. But in fact we will decrease the Black Metal elements that hint beyond the 80s even further. Maybe a little bit like the latest Malokarpatan album, where you have nearly zero BM-riffs but through the whole atmosphere it creates it comes across as a Black or Black Heavy Metal album nonetheless.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
11: I listen mostly to what you could describe as REAL Metal. My fave bands are Manowar, Darkthrone and Bathory. Currently I listen a lot to 90s Mercyful Fate, Black Sabbath stuff like Born Again and Dehumanizar, the new Darkthrone Pre-Historic Metal and the Blessed Death - Kill Or Be Killed album, which is so fucking great.
12.Does Occultism play any role in your music?
12: Yes, kind of. The conceptual narrative of the debut album *Beyond The Grave Of The Moon*—released in 2023 via the now-defunct label TeufelsZeug Records—depicts an intoxicating journey through hostile landscapes in an alien realm and era. The sole ruler of the ancient mages' guild known as "The Fals" craves power and omniscience. His morbid obsession drives him to ally with dark forces—forces that, in turn, demand sacrifices. The concept centers on exploring the question of who or what "The Fals" actually are. It is a tale of steel, mist, and blood.
Bel’ranaar is an ancient, now-destroyed city; Tar’naht is a mountain at whose foot the witch featured on the cover of the current album, *Where Cold Steel Gleams*, holds her domain; and Xar’Ghol was a ruler of Bel’ranaar who perished during the city's destruction—yet a beast of his own creation still lurks in the city's deepest catacombs (the opening track of the B-side).
It is somewhat akin to taking the lyrics from the debut Candlemass album and Celtic Frost’s *To Mega Therion* and placing them within the world of Darkthrone’s *Kathaaria*.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
13. Thanks for the interview, good questions! Check out our latest album if you are a fan of Darkthrone, Bathory and 80s and very early 90s (Black) Metal in general.
Bandcamp: https://thefals.bandcamp.com/album/where-cold-steel-gleams
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