How did Kanonenfieber start?

We were all friends of Noise, he just asked people he wanted in the band. I only knew him, I didn’t know the other guys, they were all his friends.

Why are First World War themes relevant in music now?

The one thing we can always be sure of in life – is that there will always be war. It’s unfortunate of course, but it’s the irrefutable truth. Mankind will always wage wars. It’s an urgent theme, it’s always prevalent, it’s always present.

Despite your band’s image, you often refer to the current war in Ukraine. Why?

We chose to do that because we were all shocked when it all happened. We had many decades of peace in the European area, and there is suddenly a new war. This war is the nearest, and we, as Germans, try to help a lot; we probably see it as a responsibility to try to help.

What role does your cultural background play in shaping your band themes?

A lot, as Germans we always have this topic that we shouldn’t be talking about.

Some people mistake your band’s themes for the Second World War…

We always made it very clear that it has nothing to do with World War II. It should be obvious; the uniform is completely different. The whole imagery should be very clear, but people always get things wrong. We always try to make sure we are not glorifying war. We just try to show the horrors of it.

Do you find it challenging to combine the sensitive topics of war with the brutal nature of metal? 

This is actually a perfect fit. Metal is always about the worst stuff in life: shattered existences, agony, hate and death, just the worst that’s coming out of humans and mankind. The worst that’s coming out of mankind is war. Metal has always been an ugly thing and war is always the most ugliest thing.

What do you hope your listeners get from you image and themes?

We try to warn of that brutal reality. We want people to be aware that it’s something to be prevented at all costs. But people just don’t get it, probably.

How do you see the future of Kanonenfieber?

We see how it’s growing bigger and bigger. We are trying quite hard to make it bigger, to spread a message, to get the message out to the people. I mean, it’s still way fewer people who think that we are doing the bad thing than people who think we are doing the good thing. That tells us that we are on the right path.

Did you join the band because you were just asked to or because you shared a passion for the same thing?

We always had the mutual love for the same music, the same styles of metal.

Have you been playing with someone else from the band in other projects?

Gunnar and I are going to do a project together. We have already recorded stuff, and we also have Hans on it. So, our bassist, our drummer, and me. There are always projects that we are doing together. I did some stuff with Noise in the past that we will hopefully be releasing someday.

What other side project has Noise done?  

There are actually a few. You are probably talking about Non Est Deus. That’s just Kanonenfieber in different clothes… Non Est Deus is just like a war between religions, each religion is trying to fight one another, pointing out how stupid it actually is.

How do you rehearse? Do you use more tech stuff or live instruments during rehearsals?

Live instruments. We all rehearse in one room, just like it should be, honest real music, no fake stuff, no zoom meetings.

Do you think Kanonenfieber will use tech stuff in the future or only live?

We have samples and pitches that cannot be reproduced live; this is stuff we have to play from the tape. It’s always going to be real instruments. I mean, there would not be a need for a live band anymore, and I would lose my job.

What was the most memorable moment for you since the creation of the band?

We have a lot of shenanigans; we always have a great time together. I think it’s the most important part, as a band, to get along well. Especially when you are trapped in something like this (referring to the tour bus) for three weeks.

Do you sometimes get disagreements? 

No, you have to think of it like being a Tinder match that came out of nowhere. We didn’t know each other, and the flame, after 2.5 years, is still exactly the same as it was on day one.

So you never get into misunderstandings?

Maybe someone gets pissed about some meaningless stuff, but all in all, we never really had big arguments. It’s always just about having fun together, being grateful for all this stuff. It’s better to be here instead of behind the stupid office desk.

And you never have disagreements about what people should do and play? 

No, it’s all Noise’s decision. When we play live, each of us does some extra stuff here and there, it’s not that we are strictly forced to do what was on the album. We always spice or change it up a little. On ‘Waffenbruder’ from the new album, for example, there is a solo from the guitarist of Heaven Shall Burn. In between tours, the Summer Festival run and a tour with Amon Amarth, we had like three weeks to learn the new album. So what I did was creating my own version of the solo just out of lack of time.

How did you feel before your very first performance, how did you prepare for it? 

For the first gig there was a little nervousness but we’ve all been on stage so many times. Except for Noise, he wasn’t that experienced in live music, or performing live, especially not as a singer. I’ve been on stage since I was 15, I’m used to it. But the first big festival we had was in Mexico, that was seven months after we started playing live. We started on April 2022, and that festival was on the 4th of December 2022. There were bands like Slipknot, Pantera, it was the first gig for Pantera in 21 years. All those bands like Megadeth, Anthrax, and we were on that festival as well, so we of course were like: “Oh my god, this is insane.”

What were the main difficulties for you when you were on stage? 

I’m always worried about the technology aspect. What stresses me out is if the tech stuff isn’t working. I can’t change anything about that. Either it works or it doesn’t. Sometimes you go on stage, like it was with Non Est Deus, that was a worst gig I ever had. Like after the second or third song, the in-ear phones didn’t work. I had to play the entire gig and I didn’t hear anything.

Is it only Noise who does vocal stuff on the album, or do other band members do attempted vocals? 

Attempted vocals! Nice that you say that! It’s only Noise, on the album everything is him. On the live performances – Gunnar and me, we also are doing vocals.

How long have you been playing guitar? 

I have been playing for 22 years now. Yeah, I know, I should be better, right?

What’s next for the band? 

Actually, Noise already has a plan. For the next album there’s going to be big surprises. We’ve just released the second album, so of course we will focus on that for a while. There will be a lot of shows and big festivals again next year, I can already tell you that.

What’s your least favourite song to play? 

My least favourite song used to be Dicke Bertha, because I think that long slow part is a little drawn out. It’s not a bad song by any means, don’t get me wrong. I just don’t understand why so many people consider it their favourite one.

How do you stay inspired and not get burnt out? 

Beer helps a lot and the guys from Panzerfaust, who we are on tour with, they are so funny and awesome, they really inspire me – to drink more beer!

Do you share Noise’s passion for war themes, or is it mostly about the music? 

Yea, for me it’s about the music. I was a soldier myself, in Bundeswehr. I mean, I do get that it’s interesting. For me, I’m learning more than I used to know. Unfortunately, I know a lot about WWII, it’s what you as a German should know about. I didn’t know much about WWI, now I know way more but I’m absolutely not an expert. But I was, of course, always interested in the military. That might sound stupid, but I aways thought ‘You should know how to shoot a gun’. Not because of violent reasons, but because of the situation we are in right now. Or that Ukraine is in right now. It is naïve to think that you don’t have to defend yourself. You always should know how to defend yourself.

What do you expect from today’s concert?

Again, a lot of beer. They already filled the entire backstage with beer… Of course, you don’t drink every day. In Germany, you have a thing called Feierabendbier. That’s when you’re coming from a hard day’s work home, and you just sit down, relax, have a beer – so it’s a German thing. It’s more or less the same with the aftershow. I never drink before the show; I never drink during the show. None of us drink during the show, only after.

What do you think you can expect from the fans today? 

I’m a little sad each day when we are finishing the set, that we’re the last band and that the night is done. People are leaving, we’re packing our stuff, we’re taking down the stage, and that takes a lot of time. There is an hour after the show when we still have to do some work. And, of course, everyone is already gone, so we don’t see any people. That’s sad. I’m always happy to interact with people… When we were in Utrecht, Netherlands, there was a super-sweet girl; she made a knitted mole and gave it to me. I’m always glad to see stuff like that. And I’m always happy to talk to people.

Kanonenfieber has only two music videos. Is there another one on creation?

Probably not for this album, but in the future of course. The next album is going to have quite a few music videos.

What was the reaction of you parents when they found out that you are in a black-metal-war-band?

That sounds so brutal! Black-metal-war-band: “Omg, my son, you’re never going to see any testament!” It’s actually quite funny. My mother doesn’t like metal at all, but my father is the one who brought me into metal. His favourite band was always Black Sabbath, and I really liked Black Sabbath when I was a kid, so that’s how I discovered metal.

Do you listen to anything except for black metal?

Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Only RCHP?

Yeah. Metal is quite versatile itself. That’s enough variation for me.