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
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