Interview

Deaththrasher (Jan 2005)

DT: Hello SABINE, How are you?.... when did you start playing?
Andabata: SABINE starts playing at 1994, CHRISTIAN eleven years ago. CARSTEN starts playing bass at 1993. ALEX starts singing about 2 years ago and OLIVER about 1 year ago.

DT: Who put the name of the band and why?... who designed the ANDABATA's logo?
Andabata: CARSTEN founded the band as an one-man-project in 1997. So he is responsible for both - name and logo. He is interested in latin and found the name in a dictionary. ANDABATA is the latin word for gladiators with helmets without visor. So they fighted blind.

DT: What topics do you consider in your songs and who writes the music and lyrics in the band?
Andabata: Our songs cover many different themes. Some are about history and their meaning for today, like Vlad Tzepes the impaler or the Inquisition. Others are about actual stuff, like Deathrow and such stuff. But we have also songs about mystics and legends like the gods of the egypts or the christians. Also we write songs about the themes that our unspoken in our time, like blood, death, killing and so on...
The lyrics are written by every member of the band. The music is composed by CARSTEN. But every member of the band has a veto and the arrangement and the structure of the songs are created by the whole band. So no song can be created without the whole band.

DT: Do you think that wearing chains, blood, make-up and all that stuff is important for you image?
Andabata: Definitly not, because it doesn't fit to our music and we don't want to limit music in paintings or such stuff. In our opinion we make music - our music - not because of clichés. We make our music because we want it.

DT: Are you into Serial Killers?... tell me your opinion about TED BUNDY, RICHARD RAMIREZ and CHARLES MANSON?
Christian: I find it very fascinating in some points, because it's very interesting what's going on in the minds of those people. But I think it's not something to imitate.

DT: Which was your best Show with ANDABATA?
Andabata: The best gig in the actual lineup was our gig in the MIKADO-CLUB in Nürnberg / Germany. The crowd, and we too, were going insane. The atmosphere was fucking great.

DT: Tell us all about "The Door To The Other Side" please.
Andabata: The "The Door To The Other Side" was the first trial to do a band with two basses, a drum and three different voices (and nobody played guitar)! On the CD all parts were played by CARSTEN, because at that time ANDABATA was still a one-man-project. It's - in our opinion - a good, hard album. Even if the time to record and the money for equipment and so on wasn't too good.

DT: How do you describe your style?... what topics do you consider in your lyrics?
Andabata: We think that actually our music is influenced by Death and Black Metal. But because of the two basses and the - intentional - missing guitar, our music sounds different from others. The question whith the lyrics we answered already.

DT: Which do you prefer?

ACCEPT or SCORPIONS?
Andabata: ACCEPT!!

GOTHENBURG or FLORIDA?
Andabata: CHRISTIAN prefers Florida because of the Death Metal scene! CARSTEN and ALEX think the same. OLIVER likes Gothenburg because he likes other cultures at all, especially the history of whole Scandinavia.

HELLOWEEN or GAMMARAY?
Andabata: We don't like one of them.

RUNNING WILD or ANGEL DUST?
Andabata: No one knows what to say, but CARSTEN likes RUNNING WILD.

ASSASSIN or PROTECTOR?
Carsten: PROTECTOR!

IRON ANGEL or TANKARD?
Andabata: TANKARD!

KREATOR or SODOM?
Andabata: Whatever. We like both. But... Sabine preferes KREATOR!

PC or MACINTOSH?
Andabata: PC. OLIVER don't like both.

DT: What CD's / bands have you been listening to lately?
Christian: THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER: Unhallowed.
Carsten: MARTYR, COMEDIAN HARMONISTS, MACABRE, DEATH, MORBID ANGEL, ANNIHILATOR.
Alex: CRYPTOSY, SIX FEET UNDER, IMMORTAL, DARKTHRONE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, ...
Sabine: the last CD I buyed was the 'Live Kreation' of KREATOR
Oliver: METALLICA: Black Album. CRADLE OF FILTH: Nymphitamyn.

DT: Tell me your opinion about ANTON SZANDOR LA VEY and THE CHURCH OF SATAN please.
Christian: In some ways allright but pretty fuckin' mad.
Oliver: In my opinion LA VEY was a very smart guy! I expecially like his book "The Satanic Bible". It describes the meaning of live. I like to live my life this way. He absolutely describes the way I think. If you wanna speak with me thou contact me : oliver@andabata.de

DT: What do you think about LORENA BOBBIT?
Andabata: Who the fuck is LORENA BOBBIT???

DT: Are you a STAR WARS fan?
Oliver: FUCK YEAH!!! CHRISTIAN also.
Alex: ...
Sabine: I like to watch the movies, but I'm not a fan.
Carsten: Hell yeah!

DT: What can you talk me about "Never Ending War"?
Andabata: The lyrics tell the story about the war between good and evil. Cause of the musicians of that time music is something between death and Doom Metal. Besides, we have a video for the song "The Prophecy" on it.

DT: Your fave European bands?
Christian: Fuckin' MAYHEM!!!
Oliver: MARDUK
Carsten: COMEDIAN HARMONISTS
Sabine: DEINE LAKAIEN
Alex: IMMORTAL

DT: Were you into Punk Rock? What do you think of the Punk Rock Scene of the Late 70’s?.
Christian: I wasn't even born at that time. I'm not into Punk Rock anyway.
Oliver: The same as CHRISTIAN sayed. At this time Punk is not that what it should be. (Rio Raiser is the only Punk I know)
Carsten: When I think of Punk I think about EMILS, AMA or some songs of WIZO.
Alex: I don't know. Anarchy???
Sabine: I don't the scene.

DT: We mention a name, and you give us your thoughts

Christian: 

ABSURD - Fuck off Nazi Punks!

DEATHROW - ???

DESASTER - I listen to it some time.

DESTRUCTION - German Thrash Metal Gods!

FINAL BREATH - well.. good live show

MINOTAUR - ???

PARAGON - sucks

PHILOSOPHER - The song from Death rocks

PRIMAL FEAR - Smells like teen spirit (ha, ha). sucks!

DT: In what musical direction will ANDABATA be heading in for the next production?
Andabata: The next CD (hopefully coming in 2005) will be much faster and harder than "Never Ending War". There will be no more Doom Metal, now we have some Black Metal influences instead.

DT: Your last growl for DEATHTHRASHER's readers?
Andabata: Check out http://www.andabata.de/ an our new CD coming out soon. Visit our concerts and stay fuckin' Metal!!!

 

ARMANDO MUTILATOR