My Inner Burning: Un posibil concert in Bulgaria

Am stat de vorba cu Torsten Sauerbrey, chitaristul formatiei My Inner Burning, o tanara speranta heavy metal de pe plaiurile Germaniei si am aflat cateva detalii despre albumul de debut si, printre altele, despre existenta unui concert neconfirmat in Bulgaria.

Toate acestea si multe altele le puteti afla singuri din interviul de mai jos.

My Inner Burning face parte din noul val de formatii care au aparut in ultimii 3-5 ani. Spune-ne cate ceva despre povestea din spatele acestei formatii. Stiu ca grupul a inceput sub numele de The Core asa ca de ce ati ales alt nume?

Am schimbat numele pentru ca erau deja prea multe formatii cu acelasi nume si am vrut sa evitam orice dificultati cand am lansat un album. Sa schimbi numele trupei dupa ce lansezi un album este mult mai grav decat sa il schimbi inainte sa se intample ceva important in istoria formatiei.
In afara de asta filmul The Core nu a fost asa de grozav si multa lume ne-a intrebat de ce am ales numele asta cand filmul era atat de prost. ;-)
Am cantat cu totii in alte formatii in trecut asa ca, deci My Inner Burning este o formatie relativ noua, toti avem experiente din alte formatii in care am cantat inainte.

Stilul vostru muzical este adesea descris ca fiind "diferit". Nici eu nu am reusit sa il incadrez intr-un gen anume din cauza influentelor. Cum ai descrie sound-ul My Inner Burning?

Intr-un fel este "diferit". Cred ca este grozav sa creezi un stil unic pe care nimeni altcineva nu-l poate descrie. Asta ne face unici si ne distanteaza de toate celelalte formatii. Deja sunt prea multe trupe care suna toate la fel si sunt satul de asta. Nu numai ca am reinventat roata dar am facut un mix intre stiluri diferite care ne placeau tuturor. Desi nu am creat ceva complet nou, am incercat sa combinam chestii traditionale cu stiluri moderne si cumva sa ne cream stilul nostru propriu. In principiu este doar genul de muzica pe care vrem sa-l auzim cu totii si sa-l cantam. Asadar nu am simtit nevoia sa categorizam muzica noastra si sa ne limitam la anumite genuri sau stiluri.

Desi barbatii din formatie par orientati mai mult inspre heavy metal, Becky are un look mai mult industrial gothic, ceea ce ar putea explica cateva dintre influentele din muzica voastra. Ce imi poti spune despre asta?

Asa cum fiecare dintre noi are influente diferite si asculta alte stiluri muzicale, asa si Becky are stilul ei de a se imbraca, de a canta si de a compune muzica. Dar in afara de faptul ca este fata nu este nimic care ne diferentiaza de ea. Suntem cu totii axati pe heavy metal si asta e motivul pentru care cantam acest gen de muzica.

Ce fel de muzica a influentat My Inner Burning de-a lungul anilor?

Pai, dupa cum am zis mai inainte cea mai mare influenta asupra noastra a fost [muzica] heavy metal in general. Tuturor ne place muzica, energia pe care o creaza si desigur, intr-un fel modul de viata. Este mereu intr-un anumit fel un mod de viata pe care il iubesti. Din punct de vedere muzical, mai ascultam si stiluri non-metal. Lui Becky de exemplu ii plac si chestii country si gothic.

Cum este primita o noua formatie pe scena metal? V-ati confruntat cu un public care prefera sa asculte formatiilor vechi sau ati intalnit un public mai deschis la minte?

Ca formatie noua trebuie intotdeauna sa mergi pe drumul cel greu si sa te stabilesti in randul formatiilor "mari" si "batrane". Dar sa fiu sincer, de la primul concert nu am avut probleme facand asta pentru ca intr-un fel suntem capabili sa ne transportam energia si iubirea pentru cantat live catre audienta. Fiecare show pe care l-am facut a fost un mare succes pana acum. Chiar daca erau 30 de oameni in public care aplaudau si ne incurajau ;-)

Care au fost lucrurile de care va temeati atunci cand ati inceput aceasta formatie? Fiecare grup nou porneste cu asteptari dar si cu teama ca nu va fi considerat suficient de bun sau va fi desconsiderat din cauza infatisarii, stilurlui si asa mai departe.

Cea mai mare temere pentru mine personal a fost ca formatia nu va reusi sa transmita acel "ceva" audientei. Chiar daca toti din grup iubeam ceea ce facem, tot trebuie sa fie ceva ce va place auditiei.
Daca sustii show-uri live si formatia nu este in stare sa "puna pe jar" audienta intotdeauna va fi plictisitor si mediocru. Iar pentru mine personal nu este nimic mai rau decat sa fii plictisior si mediocru. As prefera sa fiu in cea mai detestata trupa din lume decat asta, ha ha.

Albumul vostru de debut a fost bine primit de public si de critici. Care sunt principalele centre de atentie la acest material si la conceptele din spatele lui?

Vroiam doar sa facem un album care sa fie cu adevarat convingator si am avut un start bun pentru o formatie noua. Cateva dintre piese erau deja scrise cand formatia nu era inca intregita. Asadar se poate ca asta sa fie unul dintre motivele pentru care varietatea dintre piese este atat de mare.

Spune-ne cate ceva despre piesele de pe discul "My Inner Burning". Cum au fost compuse si care sunt cele mai bune parti?

Becky si cu mine am compus piesele, in afara de piesele pe care deja le scrisesem inainte ca formatia sa inceapa. Am schimbat cateva demo-uri. Acum eu ma concentrez pe compusul muzicii iar Becky lucreaza la liniile melodice si la versuri.
S-a dovedit a fi un concept de compus bun pentru noi pentru ca avem timp sa incercam idei diferite si sa le inregistram, fiindca Becky are un mic studio la ea acasa si eu la fel. Principalul obiectiv a fost sa cream melodii catchy bune ce te atrag de la inceputul piesei.

Cum planuiti sa va promovati albumul de debut? Aveti un turneu in plan pentru fanii vostri? Am citit cateva cronici de concerte foarte bune...

Momentan exista planuri pentru un turneu dar inca nu iti pot spune ceva concret acum. Inca avem cateva optiuni dar doar ne uitam peste ele sa vedem ce ni se va potrivi si daca are vreun sens din punct de vedere financiar.
Intre timp avem niste concerte de club aici in Germania si in Europa. In februarie am plecat intr-un mic turneu prin Grecia pentru o saptamana, ceea ce a fost foarte distractiv. De asemeni avem o oferta sa cantam in Bulgaria in luna mai. Speram ca asta va fi confirmat in curand. Deci, vezi tu, o sa avem multe interpretari live. Cateva concerte la festivaluri asteapta de asemeni sa fie confirmata...asa ca fiti pe faza!

Atunci cand compui muzica noua, care sunt influentele tale? Ce iti ghideaza mainile in procesul de creatie? Si cum este implicat fiecare membru in acest proces?

Practic nu exista influente asupra mea atunci cand compun muzica. Incerc sa ma eliberez de tot si doar sa ma ascult pe mine. Atunci cand cant niste rifuri sau piese pe chitara mea trebuie sa ma captiveze din start. Daca o idee este buna sau merita sa o inregistrezi iti dai seama de asta rapid. Dar uneori si inregistrez chetsii si le ascult cateva saptamani mai tarziu si ma gandesc "de ce am inregistrat porcaria asta?!". Daca o idee inca te prinde dupa o vreme in care ai uitat de ea, atunci trebuie sa fie cu adevarat buna. Celelalte chestii ajung direct la gunoi.
Fiecare membru vine cu ideile proprii in procesul de creatie muzicala. Unele sunt doar lucruri minore la care lucram in studio dar in final faceau piesa mai buna. Toata lumea are idei pentru celelalte instrumente sau parti vocale. Iar cand o idee este buna lucram la ea si o integram in piesa.

Ce sperati sa obtineti in viitorul apropiat? Ce se pregateste pentru My Inner Burning?

In viitorul apropiat ne-ar placea sa cantam intr-un turneu in sprijinul unei formatii bine-cunoscute aici din Europa. Daca totul merge bine am vrea sa cantam in cadrul unor festivaluri mari. Lozul cel mare ar fi pentru noi daca intr-o zi vom scoate suficienti bani cu formatia pentru a ne castiga existenta. Dar asta o sa mai dureze, banuiesc. ;-)

Cand o sa vedem noi materiale?

Inca lucram la noi piese dar albumul nostru are doar 6 luni [de la lansare] asadar inca mai este putin timp. Poate la inceputul anului 2011 o sa avem materiale bune suficiente pentru a inregistra urmatorul album.

Pai, asta a fost tot! A fost o placere sa scriu acest interviu si va urez un drum lin in carierele voastre! Daca e ceva ce ai vrea sa adaugi, suntem ochi si urechi!

Multumim pentru sprijin si pentru timpul acordat interviului cu noi!
Ne vedem undeva pe drum!

EN

My Inner Burning is part of the new wave of bands that appeared in the last 3-5 years. Tell us a bit about the story behind the band. I know the group started off under the name of The Core so why did you choose another name?

We changed the name because there were already too many bands with the same name and we wanted to avoid any difficulties when we released an album. Having to change a band name after the release of an album is much worse than changing it before anything big happened in the band´s history.
Plus the movie The Core wasn´t that great and a lot of people asked us why we chose a band´s name when the movie was that bad. ;-)
We all played in other bands before so although My Inner Burning is a rather new band we all have experiences from other bands we played before.

Your musical style is often described as "different". I, myself, couldn't place it in any stable genres because of all the influences. How would you describe My Inner Burning's sound?

It somehow is "different". I think it´s great to create an own style which nobody can easily describe. That´s what makes us unique and separates us from all other bands. There are already too many bands that all sound the same and I´m really sick of it. Not that we reinvented the wheel but we did a mix of different styles we all liked. Although we didn´t create something completely new we tried to mix traditional stuff with modern styles and create our own genre somehow. Basically, it´s just the kind of music we all like to hear and play. So we didn´t feel the need to categorize our music and limit ourselves to certain genres or styles.

Though the guys in the band seem more heavy-metal oriented, Becky has a more industrial gothic look, which could explain some of the influences in your music. What can you tell me about that?

As each of us has different influences and listens to different musical styles Becky also her style of dressing, singing and creating music. But apart from the fact that she is a girl there is nothing that separates us from her. We are all heavy metal based guys and that´s the reason why are playing this kind of music.

What sort of music influenced My Inner Burning over the years?

Well, as said above the biggest influence on us was heavy metal in general. We all like the music, the energy it creates and of course somehow the way of life. You can´t just only listen to metal music. It´s always in a certain way a kind of living that you love. Musically we also listen to non metal styles. Becky for example also likes country and some gothic stuff.

How is a new band welcomed on the metal scene? Did you encounter a public that preffers listening to the good 'old bands or have you met a more open-minded crowd?

As a new band you always have to go the hard way and establish yourselves among the "big" and "old" bands. But to be honest from our first show on we had no problems in doing this as we are able to transport our energy and love for playing live to the audience somehow. Each show we did was a big success so far. Even if there were only 30 people in the crowd cheering and applauding. ;-)

What were the things you feared when you started off this band? Every new group gets off with expectations but also with the fear that they won't be considered good enough, or will be desconsidered because of appearance, style and so forth.

The biggest fear for me personally was that the band didn´t manage to transport the little "something" to the audience.
Even if we all in the group loved what we were doing there still has to be something that the audience must like.
If you are playing live shows and the band isn´t able to "inflame" the audience it will always be boring average. And for me personally there is nothing worse than being boring average. I´d rather be in the most hated band in the world than that, haha.

Your self-titled debut album was well received by the public and by critics. What are the main focuses on this material and the concepts behind it?

We just wanted to do an album that was really convincing and made a great start for a new band. Some of the songs were already written when the band wasn´t even complete. So maybe this is one of the reasons why the variety between the songs is so big.

Tell us a bit about the songs on "My Inner Burning" record. How were they composed and what are their best features?

Becky and me wrote the songs. Aside from the songs that were already written before the band started We were exchanging some demos. I now focus on the writing of the music and Becky works on the vocal lines and lyrics.
It has proven to be a good writing concept for us as we have the time to try different ideas and record them as Becky has a small studio at her home and me, too. The main focus was to create good catchy melodies that grab you from the beginning of the song.

How do you plan on promoting your debut album? Do you have a tour in store for your fans? I've read some pretty good concert reviews...

At the moment there are plans for a tour but I can´t tell you something definite right now. We still have some options but we are just checking them out and see what will fit to us and if it makes sense financially.
Meanwhile we are doing some club shows here in Germany and Europe. In February we went on a small tour through Greece for a week, which was great fun. We also have an offer to play in Bulgaria in May. We hope this will be confirmed really soon. So you see there´s a lot of live performing on the way. Some festival shows are also still to be confirmed....so watch out!

When you compose new music, what are your influences? What guides your hands in the creation process? And how is each member involved in this process?

Basically there are no influences on me when I write music. I try to free myself from everything and just listen to myself. When I play some riffs or melodies on my guitar it has to catch me right from the start. If an idea is good or worth recording it you realize it very soon. But sometimes I also record stuff and listen to it later after some weeks or so I think "why did I record this crap?!". If an idea still ctaches you after a while even when you´ve forgotten it then it must be really good. The other stuff goes directly into the trash can.
Each member brings his own ideas into the music creating process. Some are just minor things we were working out in the studio but in the end they were making the song better. Everybody has ideas for the other instruments or vocals. And when an idea is good we are working on it and integrate it in the song.

What do you hope to achieve in the near future? What's in store for My Inner Burning?

In the near future we would love to play a tour supporting a well-known band here in Europe. If all is going well we would also like to play some big festivals. The jackpot for us would be if one day we can make enough money from the band so that we can live from it. But this will still take some time I guess. ;-)

When will we see some more material?

We are curently working on new songs but our album is only 6 months old so there is still a litle bit of time. Maybe in the beginning of 2011 we have enough good material to record the next album.

Well, that's a rap! It was a pleasure writing this interview and I wish you guys a smooth road in your careers! If there's anything you would like to add, we're all eyes and ears!

Thanks for your support and taking the time to do this interview with us!
See you on the road somewhere!

Astaroth Priestess vs. My Inner Burning