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Frank: We were at Principal Studios in Münster near Senden. This was our second album recorded there (a renowned studio where bands like Die Toten Hosen, Donuts, H-Blockx, and many more have recorded).
Lizal (Ramtatta): Your plan was also to return more to the punk roots on the new album? It’s always difficult to walk that fine line of evolving while still keeping your roots, but I think the mix of old-school punk rock, metal, and sing-along anthems has turned out quite well on the new record. There have also been many accusations in the past that you were too much of a Deutschrock band. How did you deal with that?
Frank: Well, that partly comes from the fact that we played concerts where you could say that maybe you don’t need to share the stage with everyone. But that’s how it is at big concerts; for example, when you play at Wacken, you can’t check out all 140 bands playing there in advance.
Lizal (Ramtatta): So you mean in relation to the whole "gray zone discussion". I wanted to touch on that later. I was specifically referring to the musical aspect; I know many "punks" who think very narrowly.
Frank: We never really felt that was a big deal; we just kept making our music. We often received feedback from fans that "Schwarzes Blut" was the best album we ever made.
Lizal (Ramtatta): Yes, I still find that unmatched.
Frank: Exactly for that reason, we took this album as a template and thought about what exactly makes this album special. It has punk and metal influences and a certain speed, and we tried to "modernize" this method and implement it on the new album.
Lizal (Ramtatta): How do you handle your own influences in terms of songwriting? Are you all quite different in your personal music tastes?
Frank: It ranges from extreme Deutschpunk to extreme metal, and we all actually don’t just lean in one musical direction.
Lizal (Ramtatta): How did the work on the new album generally unfold? Was there a so-called head of the band, or are you all equally creative?
Frank: Actually, only Maik and I are actively creative.
Maik: We also have a producer since the last two albums and can enjoy the luxury of being able to write a lot in the studio. So it’s not the classic way of going into the rehearsal room first and putting all the songs together and then quickly recording them in the studio, as most bands do. We have the luxury of being able to write a lot in the studio with the help of our producer. The initial processes only involve the two of us.
Lizal (Ramtatta): How long can you take your time? Don’t you have any time pressure, as is usually the case when you rent a studio for a week?
Maik: No. I mean, it takes time if you want to write very good songs, especially good lyrics. That all takes a lot of time. Frank is responsible for the lyrics, and we took a lot of time this time. There’s no set number of days where it’s like, you have to be done by then! We gave the album a lot of time. The most we might say is, hey, in 2 or 3 weeks we should have everything recorded. But we take our time with songwriting. We do prepare some things at home, but the final songwriting happens directly in the studio. There’s a difference between a sound engineer and a producer; the sound engineer records everything the band provides, while the producer also adds his input. You have to be open to that.
Lizal (Ramtatta): What has been the most surprising feedback you’ve received about the new album so far?
Frank: Yes, the most surprising thing was that there were very few negative comments. Overall, we were very satisfied with the feedback on the album.
Lizal (Ramtatta): Now I also want to specifically address your video for "Traum von Freiheit" because I not only really like the song but also the visual implementation. Who came up with the idea? You must like the lesbian scene too, right?
Frank: Yes, definitely, haha. We definitely wanted something special that isn’t so "standard"?
Donald (Ramtatta): Did you come up with the idea to implement it that way, or did you hire a company to come up with creative ideas?
Frank: Yes, we first discussed a bit with the record label and the people who would pay for it. But it wasn’t like they said, you go to a film crew, and they’ll create a cool story out of it. They ultimately just implemented it. I think the message in the video of saying "Hey folks, we’re doing this together" came across very well. We succeeded in that.
Lizal (Ramtatta): What happens when the BETONTOD tour is over? Are you involved in other music projects?
Frank: Not me, but Maik occasionally is.
Maik: Yes, I’m mainly on the road with BETONTOD. I make music with other people, but that’s not really current at the moment. In addition, I always do some jobs. I give a lot of drumming lessons.
Frank: I also have label work alongside BETTER THAN HELL RECORDS, which is our own label.
Maik: That’s also a kind of luxury to have. Sure, we could live off it, but if you have to live off it, there’s always a constant pressure if an album flops or a tour doesn’t go well. We all have jobs that allow us to invest a lot of time in our band, and that’s a great luxury.
Donald (Ramtatta): So you all still have your jobs alongside the label and the band?
Maik: Yes, everyone has their own things going on privately. I just happen to have a job related to music, and one of us is a househusband. That works out well because we’re not 18 or 19 anymore and are in the middle of life, so no more school or training. If we want to tour, we can go on tour, but we don’t have to, unlike other bands that do it professionally and have to make sure they have something to eat at the end of the month. Fortunately, we don’t have that pressure, even financially.
Donald (Ramtatta): So you also have a certain "financial" peace that you can enjoy?
Maik: Yes, and on the other hand, we don’t have jobs where we have to dread going in every day.
Lizal (Ramtatta): Now back to the topic of "gray zone accusations". I had to listen today, hey Lisa, what’s up, why are you going to BETONTOD? How do you deal with all these accusations, and what do you have to say about it?
Frank: You know, when you’ve been around for 25 years, come from punk rock, and don’t have a single line in your lyrics that could be interpreted that way (unless you tell me otherwise), and you also make the appropriate statements on stage, and you’ve stood on stage with people who could be considered gray zone....
Lizal (Ramtatta): So you’re referring to the situation with Frei.Wild; I didn’t really know how they ticked until about 5 or 6 years ago...
Frank: Yes, then you can’t do much more than try to stay away from such bands in the future, which is not easy nowadays because you always have to check before you confirm festivals which bands are playing.
Donald (Ramtatta): How do you proceed in such a case? Do you still play there, or do you say you’re staying away and cancel?
Frank: If a promoter asks us, it can happen that you get booked relatively early and not all the bands playing at festival XY are confirmed yet. We also play at the Spirit from the Streets scene festival because we know the promoter well. But if something were to play that would be gray zone for us, we would also cancel.
Donald (Ramtatta): So you wouldn’t share the stage with "controversial" bands anymore?
Frank: Of course, we’ve played with various bands in the past and said, hey, let’s play anyway, we’ll stand there, play, and make our statements against the right.
Donald (Ramtatta): As far as I know, you once played at G.O.N.D. with Frei.Wild, and that’s the concert that has stuck with you, right?
Frank: Yes, of course, we wouldn’t do that again; it’s a small process you go through. We’ve thought about it.
Donald (Ramtatta): That’s actually the core problem, that people only see the flyer "hey you played with this and that, but don’t see or hear that you made statements against the right on site?"
Frank: Yes, we wanted to make that very clear with the song "Geschichte" on the new album: Watch out, folks, we stand clearly against the right and see ourselves on the left side. That’s definitely clear to me.
Lizal (Ramtatta): Some people go so far as to say, hey, a band played on that stage X years ago, and they later outed themselves as Nazis. So don’t play in that club....
Frank: Slime also played at Wacken in the same year as Frei.Wild, but honestly, are they now a right-wing band because of that?
Donald (Ramtatta): I find that with some bands, people turn a blind eye, while with others, they come down hard.
Maik: Yes, I find that no one said anything about Slime or the Kassierer, who also played there, and no one got upset about it.
Lizal (Ramtatta): The hammer only seems to fall on smaller bands....
Frank: It’s theoretically okay for anti-fascist groups to think about it and say, watch out, folks, don’t share the stage with various people. But I also have to say that this should happen in personal conversations and not from a distance. And it’s been a few years since we stood on stage with those bands, but we’re still partly in conversation.
Lizal (Ramtatta): What do you remember from your early days with BETONTOD? Was the punk scene back then better, or do you find today’s time better?
Frank: Yes, it was quite interesting on this tour when we talked to ZAUNPFAHL. We grew up with those guys, and we played somewhere in Hoyerswerda in a small basement, slept on some couch at night, and it was great. We took all that with us, and it was a nice time when we played in small settings. But it’s something completely different when you suddenly play in front of a horde of people and then remember how it all started. That’s really cool, just like it was a great time back then that you wouldn’t want to miss.
Lizal (Ramtatta): Yes, now the people will probably come back saying, hey, that’s too much, you’re commercial, and you could make your records cheaper, etc... You’ve worked hard for it too.
Frank: Yes, but those are also the people who wear Docs, Converse, and other brands. I always find that funny.
Lizal (Ramtatta): Yes, ideally, you should be so DIY that you’re only dressed in your Jesus sandals and your tote bag.
Donald (Ramtatta): The drummer of BETONTOD wears flip-flops!
everyone laughs
Lizal (Ramtatta): After the TRAUM VON FREIHEIT tour? What do you have planned for the future?
Maik: In summer, several festivals are coming up for us (Deichbrand, Open Flair, Nova Rock, Summerbreeze, Rockharz, Spirit from the Streets). And then in autumn, there will be a larger club tour.
Donald (Ramtatta): Mainly metal festivals?
Maik: Not all of them. Deichbrand is like a small Rock am Ring, where everything is mixed.
Lizal (Ramtatta): How do you feel about the atmosphere? Are mixed festivals better, or are the pure punk shows better?
Frank: The problem is that there are no big punk festivals anymore, except for Ruhrpott Rodeo, Punk im Pott, Back to Future, Resist, etc.... but then it gets tight.
Maik: You reach new people at mixed festivals and more people who might also get excited about your music.
Lizal (Ramtatta): So guys, thank you for the interview, I’m looking forward to a great concert and wish you continued success with your festivals and gigs this year and for your future with BETONTOD.
