1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?
Flo:No time to rest, thats for sure. We are very busy at the moment rehearsing for upcoming shows and theres a lot going on behind the curtains as well. I´m also collecting ideas for some new songs already.
Michael: The recording of “Consilivm” was a very intense time for every one of us, but now we are warmed up and ready to go further. Everyone is highly motivated.
2.You have a new album coming out in May, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Flo:„Consilivm“ is a big step forward, in my opinion.“Atramentvm“ was kind of a premonition.The new material is more diversified and we wanted a bit more depth in it. As far as i can impartial describe „Consilivm“ is a healthy mix between Black and Death Metal with a lot of high speed blasts and some pitch-black melodies. Our first Output was more direct and simple but i think effective in its own way.
Michael: For I was not involved in „Atramentvm“ the change of the vocals to a more death metal kind of style is surely striking. Also the whole atmosphere has altered in a certain way and everything is growing to something original and recognizable. We are very satisfied with the outcome.
3.Your lyrics cover a lot of anti religion themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your hatred for religion?
Flo:Religion itself isn’t the big problem, its mostly the way how people execute their way of beliefs. I don’t mind if people are having idols to worship, in fact I think there is nothing wrong with it when people are having something to belief in which give them strength. I have only a big problem with all the brainless sheeps who follow their made-up gods into paradise and are willing to kill for it for their own salvation. Look through our history in Europe. The christians, for example, killed thousand of people on their holy crusades. Nowadays half of the priests are pedophiles and in the east they „carbomb“ the shit out of each other. Everyone is trying to put “his“ god on the top as the one and only to belief in, like its a damn race.Thats not how religion is meant to be in my opinion. So fuck that…there is no god who approves this kind of „holy warfare“.
Michael: You must differentiate between a personal spirituality, which I can totally understand, and an organized religion as an ancient instrument of social control. Even today you can see highly educated people turn into primitive cavemen in a second when you face their dumb fairytales with simple logic. This is pathetic. The greatest achievements of modern society were only possible because we almost get rid of this shit. And it makes me sick when I hear someone speaking about the „heritage of our christian occident“. Even centuries after the age of Enlightment this stupidity is still an issue.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name ‚Theotoxin'?
Flo:Theos means God in greek, Toxin = Poison. As i said above , gods are poisoning the minds of the people and let them do only destructive and horrible things.
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
We played a few months back at the Blasphemer Fest in Austria. It was a brutal show at a very well organized festival. I´m proud to say that our live shows are intense and we are very exact when it comes to our live performances. Theotoxin sounds like its played on the album. No compromises, no fake shit just a wall of blackened brutality.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans once the new album is released?
Flo: No Tour yet, but we are a live band and we absolutely enjoy our live shows. We have some fixed live dates and some are in queue. Next big Event will be our release show for „Consilivm“ at the Vienna Metal Meeting along with Marduk, Abbath, Nifelheim and many more.
7.The new album is coming out on 'Massacre Records', can you tell us a little bit more about the deal you have signed with this label?
Flo:Massacre asked us about releasing „Atramentvm“ but they couldn’t know that we already had finished the recording sessions for „Consilivm“. So we talked about it and so now the new stuff will be released under the banner of Massacre records. I was at Massacre a few years back with Zombie Inc., were is was active as a drummer too, and they did a great job. So i was happy about the signing and hope that our new piece of hate will be spread like the plague.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black and death metal?
We did the distribution by ourselves, so it was hard to reach people that easy and not to drown in a flood of upcoming bands. But i think we managed that very well. We shipped a lot of all over the world and the feedback was always very positive. Also the reviews were always very good. So i guess some people out there liked „Atramentvm“.And we are very thankful for any support. Its not that easy nowadays.
9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
Flo:I myself quit all of my bands when i started THEOTOXIN. I wanted to focus on one thing. Before i played, as mentioned, in ZOMBIE INC., RAISING THE VEIL, MOLOKH, SEEDS OF SORROW just to name a few. At the moment im only active as a studio drummer for THE NEGATIVE BIAS. A year ago I also joined my mates in DISTASTE. But my main band is THEOTOXIN.
Fabian our guitar player plays also in ANOMALIE and Joachim also played with me in ZOMBIE INC.
Michael: I am still the vocalist of HORNS OF HATTIN, but this band is currently on hold. My brother Martin just left DISMAL LUMENTIS, where he played the guitar for a long time. We both are playing metal since almost 20 years now.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Flo:I think we found our sound in „Consilivm“. Very natural, brutal and direct.About the songwriting: sounds cheesy but i write what i feel, so it brings diversity into the songs.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays/
Flo:I cannot deny that the old Belphegor were a big influence to me. Our first album were often compared to Belphegor or sometimes Behemoth. Honestly im getting a bit tired hearing that but on the other hand there are worst comparisons.But with „Consilivm“ this will change i hope cause , as i said , we found our sound on the new record i think.
About listening music…I am very open minded and honestly i don’t listen that much metal anymore. I grew up with that kind of music and same as Michael i also started listening to metal around the mid 90s. Clearly I have some bands I can always listen to and of course I m still interested at the new scene and I don’t deny that im also listen to new stuff, but not with the same intensity anymore. I studied drums and guitar a few years back at the university and during my studies i had to play a lot of different styles which kind of opened my eyes a bit.Diversity is the key.
Michael: We have some different tastes and influences within the band and I think this is a great advantage. It’s also because of a certain age gap among the members. I started listening to metal in the mid 90s and most of my favorite albums, which I still hear, are from this period. But I always try not to lose the overview about what is going on in the scene today.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
Flo: Short answer: The gym and my dog.
Michael: There are so many other interests and far too little time to pursue them all.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Thanks for the support, give „CONSILIVM“ a listen we but a lot of details in it which can be missed at the first run.
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