Interview Midnight Calling Lite (August 2007)

REPTYLE - Deathrock as it`s finest

MC: Reptyle has been around since 1999. Were the late ‘90s a good time to start a Goth rock band? What were some of the challenges that you faced at that time?

Zulu: Well, it definitely felt like the right time to start a Goth band back then (which probably means that it was a bad time, technically speaking). There was a very distinct sense of fed-upness with the so-called alternative music mainstream, so the natural step was the radical one: Go back to the roots and found the band you’ve been missing. As for the outer environment, I don't see a huge difference to today. Maybe it was a bit easier then to get gigs, since the underground live scene outside the big cities was virtually dead at one point since. There seems to be something of a revival now, though. But the main point is what kept us going then and now is our own Private share of madness...

MC: In another interview you made the excellent observation that Gothic rock has evolved just like other genres. Over here, its funny how the voracious critics of Gothic rock like to claim that it’s "dead" or "clones", yet they tend to be fans of club EBM and Industrial Dance bands which certainly don't set any standards of originality. Have you seen the same kind of double-standards in your area? Or is there more of a sense of co-existence between EBM and Goth fans?

Zulu: Well, I have little to add to your observation. Back in the nineties, it became somewhat commonplace to regard goth rock as dated, regardless of how it actually sounded - e.g., I've just been listening to the 1995 album from Dream Disciples, and there just is no way to describe that album as sounding old fashioned (by 1995 standards, of course). Other genres just don't appear to have that image problem - if any electro pop band today sounds more or less like Depeche Mode in 1990, who will complain? Of course, in a way the whole debate seems a bit pointless to me, since music for me isn't about reinventing the wheel - it's about good songs, good style and emotional force. I think the issue of developing a recognizable style is important (I don't like clone bands myself), but that's got nothing to do with 'innovation'. Take Type O Negative: You can immediately recognize their sound from out of a million, but the ingredients are all from the 70s and 80s.

MC: What relationship do you see between traditional Gothic rock and the new Deathrock? Do you think Deathrock is sort of successor, or are they distinct from each other?

Zulu: Personally, I've always thought of the difference as being historical and geographical - when a band comes from California, you're more likely to sort them in the death rock drawer, when it' from the UK, the first choice of label is Goff - but I don't think there is much of a difference in substance. E. g., we're normally called Goth, while our compatriots from Murder At The Registry are normally labeled death rock, but music wise, I don't see a categorical difference. And, of course, I see little point in dividing and sub-dividing the whole thing by introducing ever new tags - "sub zero post grind blues" or whatever ...

MC: Reptyle is living proof of evolution in styles, for example, I see a difference between say, material on “Monochrome”, and “A High and Lonely Place”, yet there is still clearly the same foundation. What sort of factors determined the musical directions you have taken?

Zulu: I guess evolution is the right word. We don't do grand conceptual decisions, like: "OK, now that we made that California-style concept album on the Industrial Revolution in Ecuador, lets do something more surfy and religious" - whatever, you get the idea. Looking back, of course you see patterns of development. I guess it's fairly obvious that A High and Lonely Place was very epic, very introverted, very closed, whereas Consequence is more varied and open, more of a collection of songs than a radio play. And of course you do things for a reason, if subconsciously. One reason probably was simply that we'd done the one thing and just wanted to try something else. Another that we wanted to do songs more specifically for the stage, songs that really work live. Obviously, the old quirky moods still come through, now and then...

MC: YOu played the Carneval Noir-Party with Miguel and the Living Dead last month. That must have been an awesome show! How was it? I see you're doing an after party at "Pagan Love Songs" with R.a.l.f. and Thomas Thyssen next month. How long have you known them? Have you worked with them before?

Zulu: Yeah, that was a helluva night... The Pagan Love Songs show with Frank The Baptist was fun, too. I think we first met the Thyssen bro's back in '01 when they brought Cinema Strange over, whom we then supported. What can I say, they still like us (tall order!) and we still like them - cheers and kudos here!

MC: Your lyrics are very deep, where does the inspiration for them come from? In the lyrics to The Scourge (Martyr's Song, pt. 2) is the "lonely man on the way to Vienna" an allegory, or based on any historical era, say WWII or the Cold War, for example?

Zulu: A French philosopher once said that it's impossible to write anything without being inspired by other writings. So, generally, there are lots of books in there – systems theory and the Bible, mainly. Movies (Scandinavian neo-comedy, 1984, with the odd Fulci for good measure) and dreams are important, too. A High and Lonely Place was mostly about dreams, The Scourge being an example - adding a serial killer storyline and some befuddled half-memory of a night journey to Vienna, ten years ago.

MC: What sort of stuff do you listen to? What are some of the band’s other interests?

Zulu: Right now, I'm knee-deep into Trouble (the Chicago doomsters) after Seeing them live last week. That's what rock'n'roll is to me! Apart from this and the bands I already mentioned, Shriekback's Oil & Gold album is on my current play list, plus the new one from Paradise Lost. I guess if you asked the others in the band, they'd name other bands, but nothing radically different - some goth, some metal, some pop, some of it new, some old, but mostly ancient. Other interests? Black masses, of course. And green ones. And purple ones, sometimes...

MC: What are your plans for the upcoming year? Are you going to tour the US anytime? When will your new CD be released?

Zulu: Now that Consequence finally is out, we're looking forward to presenting it live - starting with a special release gig in a couple of weeks at the Guitarmen of the Apocalypse party here. Reactions to the album have mostly been good, so far, so we’ll see what happens... we haven't had an opportunity to play the US yet, but of course we’d love to. Since we've had some good responses from over there, we're not totally pessimistic. But again, we'll see what comes to pass...

MC: What are some of the best events to attend in Europe?

Zulu: Can't say much about Sweden or Portugal, but if you come to our town (which is all that matters), there's always the Guitarmen of the Apocalypse party I mentioned above. You already named the Thyssen brothers' Pagan Love Songs, which continues on an irregular basis. As for festivals, I'd like to direct your attention to the 'Burgnächte' event in eastern Germany, which is a small but very special goth and Death Rock festival, normally in late summer/early fall.

MC: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Zulu: Thanks a lot for your interest! (And,of course, your patience in waiting forthe answers...) I hope we'll see some of you live, sometime, on one or the other side of the sea. Take care!

Aiden