suction

Hello there, who is answering my questions? How and what are you doing at the moment?

I'm Dennis and I am a "mess of incredible heights"... at lest at the very moment: Monday morning, 8:00 am, 2 strong espresso, still with an headache... I guess after all I am still on the sunny side of life AND I play the guitar in Suction.

Do you find the time to practice with Suction at the moment at all because of the Soccer World Cup in Japan/Korea? What's your favourite team and who will win the Cup in your opinion? Or aren't you interested in this kinda stuff at all?

I hope this won't insult you, but... I do not care at all about soccer (I guess this interview won’t appear on my site! No, just kidding – Stefan)! Of course I have got nothing against the game itself but all the hype that's created around the World Cup. I think it is just business! And sometimes the whole thing creates a dangerous kind of somehow newfound national pride - sometimes even with a violent result!

What's the latest news in the Suction camp? I read on your website that you finally found a new singer? What about his style compared to that of Mike, any big differences? How did you find the new guy and did he play in other bands before?

Yeah Silvio! He's our new singer and it's fun with him. He used to sing in a band called "Shapeshifter" some years ago. I listened to their 7" again after I met him at university and then asked him if he was interested. And he was! I like his style much more then I liked mike's. He is writing his own lyrics and he's got a really powerful voice with a lot of pressure. Check him out!

I know this one sucks, but please give me a short history of the band. How did you guys find together, did you play in other bands before etc. What are you doing besides playing in Suction?

We've been around as a band for almost 7 years now. But let us cut the first four years out ok?! Now we are Silvio (vocals), Nils (drums), Stephan (bass), Lars and me (guitars) and that's it. We are making our livings - some more, some less - some got real jobs, some just work to finance university, like I do.

Do you want to make the band or music in general as a full time thing? I mean can you imagine doing nothing but playing in a band? Or do you think you can go on playing in a band besides a daily life job? Do you think it's possible to combine those two things or do you think that it's rather hard to have a "real job" and a band?

I would love to make a living out of music, yes! But I don't think Suction has got the declared goal to do so, no! We are a hardcore-band and what's fuels us is our common interest in hardcore-music! Not even the hardcore-scene. Just the music. Ambitions within the band differ a lot because of various personal reasons! But we still love to play shows and to rock hard! And if there is anyone interested in the detailed system of our band visit one of our shows and talk to us! That would be great.

In the past there have been some comparisons to Shai Hulud, even your label Incendiary mentioned them. What so you think about that, does that get on your nerves or is it rather a compliment being compared to one of today's finest Hardcore acts?

It is a compliment, of course! Shai Hulud is one of the few bands each individual in Suction loves! Those guys are simply amazing! I could fill tons of paper expressing why one must love Shai Hulud... but I try to control myself now. Yes, I like the comparison because it is a big compliment but I don't really think it fits. They are on a completely different level. "A whole new level of sickness!"

You wrote a new song called "The downward spiral" that will be released on a compilation on Incendiary. I haven't heard this song yet, so please let me know if this song goes in the same direction as the stuff on "An image of fragility". Will that song be on your next record as well?

It's much better than our previous material! Really, I promise! Please take your time to download and check the song out!... Yes, the song will also appear on our new album - with Silvio on vocals, of course!...

Talking about a new record: When will that come out? Did you record some more songs besides "The downward spiral" yet?

Those details are somehow still covered in mist. But it will clear! And yes, we already recorded another song called "The urge for a change of scenery"!

On "An image of fragility" (that I like very much by the way) you included liner notes to every song. Who wrote them and why did you add them to the lyrics? Don't you think that people reading these notes might have had different interpretations of the lyrics when there wouldn't have been any liner notes?

Wow thank you! Well, people still may have different interpretations of the lyrics. We just thought that they might help to avoid difficulties in understanding and we simply wanted the notes for ourselves! Stephan and I wrote the lyrics and they all deal with more or less highly emotional and personal things. Things that might need some illumination?!

One of those liner notes impressed me very much, and that's the one for "Most precious resource". I think it's hard at times to have hope, what do you think?

That depends on your personal definition of things like hope and desire. No matter how bad I ever felt in my whole life, no matter how deep I had sunk to the bottom of my depression - there has always been hope for me! Always a desire to live on! Imagine the only thing stopping you from killing yourself was not hope or desire but just fear to do so... That must be more bitter than death!

And another liner note question: "An image of fragility" obviously dealt with an accident happening to a member of Suction. What about that, what happened?

The accident happened to me. I cut my arm and almost died. At least that's the most important fact. And I was terribly afraid. I thought I had messed up all my chances! I lost about 2 and a half litres of blood and my conscience. But I gained something I will never ever loose again: The certainty that I love life and all its abstract beauty! And I worship love and life every single day. Every day is a gift - please treat each day as such! let love rule!

What do you think about the current hardcore scene worldwide as well as in Germany? What would you like to change in the scene?

The arrogance! The ideas of being better than anyone else! The violence! It's just like how the white male upper-class wrecked our society and betrayed our hopes!

What about more shows in the future, is there any touring sight now that you have a new singer?

We would love to support Canada's "Taken" on their European Tour this fall or winter!

On your website there are links to some websites that deal with sXe. What's your opinion on sXe? Well, I am sXe, and I often had discussions with my friends about that, because they think that it's ok not to drink etc., but that it's kinda strange to give oneself a label like sXe or to mark your hands with Xes. What's your opinion about that and did you make similar experiences in your surroundings?

It's a personal thing. Of course, I like most of the topics sXe deals with but I don't like having a general label for a collection of useful ideas and beliefs. I don't like stereotyping. And I think it's bit weird if someone who calls himself an individual thinker but marks his hands with Xs just like thousands of others did before him! I don't mind anyone to show that he is sXe. I just don't understand them. And I think that there are too many kids who just follow a trend in order to feel part of a group and therefore stronger.

Ok, I guess that's all. Did you like this interview and do you have anything to add?

Yes, I liked the interview a lot! Thank you a 1000 times! Mad props to anyone's individual activity in our scene! p.m.a.