.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
Jens: Killing Suzy started after the break-up of Sun of Sadness, the former Band of our Drummer and our Keyboard Player. After several people came and gone, the current Line-up assembled in 2014, with me being the last addition.
Ambra: All members of the band are Cologne-based so that is the place where we live, where we party and - of course - where we rehearse on a more or less regular basis. Some of us share really a long time together in the whole music stuff.
2.In February you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Jens: Loud, dirty, a bit melancholic and bitter-sweet. If you want a genre we like to call it "Dark Schweinerock", others might call it "Gothic-Metal". We really don´t think much about our genre and how to fit in, as we make the music for us and just follow our own tastes in music.
Ambra: I think you can hear on the album, that most of us had their "musical socialisation" back in the 90ies.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Ambra: I am the one in the band who is responsible for writing the lyrics, and I enjoy that the guys give me plenty of rope concerning the topics. I tend to try words fitting to the general mood of a song, which results in quite different matters. Most are about existential problems with the incorporated contradictions in humanity (like "Aphelion" or "Everybody dies"): fear, anguish, deprivation, the pain of being alive, growing old and die at the end. Some pay homage to lyrical idols (like "Sisters"), and some are just very personal and are part of my very private process of mental coping with loss and grief (like "Lament in Prediction").
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Killing Suzy'?
Jens: There is a dark and sinister secret about who is Suzy and why she has do die... it is to much of a horror story to share.
Ambra: Yeah... and you shouldn't visit a dark alley in Cologne where rumors tell of an anonymous grave in the vicinity of our rehearsal rooms...
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Ambra: Every gig of ours is simply hilarious :-) No, honestly, our stage performance resembles the way our music was recorded: plain and simple, no unnecessary glamour or glittery costumes. Just five guys on a stage playing their music and enjoying every second of it.
Jens: As we are all very old and lazy, we have not played that many shows yet. For me, our release party earlier this year was a pure blast.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Jens: We will see what happens. As we all are working and some of us have family, playing live is sometimes a bit difficult. A full tour would be nice, but I think not very realistic.
7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Jens: Yes and no. We would like to work with someone, but it would depend on the conditions.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of gothic metal and dark rock?
Jens: We only got a few reviews, but they were all really, really good. Thank you all for that!!
Ambra: And we receive very warm personal comments after gigs or on our facebook page through fans from all over the world. We were very happy to have a special on the canadian underground radio "Women of Metal" who even nominated us for their monthly bandpoll. There has been a very kind review from singapore and one from Brazil, so I hope to think that there are at least some guys out there who like our music a bit.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Jens: We are busy writing our second album right now. Musicwise, it will be a "natural" follow-up to "Everybody dies, darling". Maybe a bit darker and moodier, but that might just be my opinion.
Ambra: It will be a lot heavier as well, don't you think? And the lyrics get a lot more political.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Ambra: Our musical influences are very different. Seb, our keyboarder is deeply rooted in the gothic genre, while Gerd (drums) and Ralf (Guitar) are more like old school heavy metal guys. All of us share a passion for Dark Rock. I myself am very much into the whole nu metal / hardcore stuff, but you can find me going nuts over an old ACDC track as well. Oh, and of course as a soprano I like the symphonic metal genre as well.
Jens: As most music was written by our Keyboard player and before I joined the band, I can only say that I hear a lot of old wave, industrial and goth bands in our music, seasoned with a lot of metal influences. Myself, I listen (among shitloads of other things) to everything that is dark, intense and gloomy, from Dark Ambient over Post-Punk to Black Metal.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Jens: Movies, Girlfriend, Games... Boring, I know...
Ambra: I am very interested in human (and primate) psychology, existential philosophy and medicine. But that may be related to my profession... In my spare time I love to read, make Yoga or go for one (or ten) drinks with my friend to the next concert of any band I can get hold of :-)
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Jens: Check out our music, support your local scene. Go to underground shows! Enjoy your life and respect others!
Jens: Killing Suzy started after the break-up of Sun of Sadness, the former Band of our Drummer and our Keyboard Player. After several people came and gone, the current Line-up assembled in 2014, with me being the last addition.
Ambra: All members of the band are Cologne-based so that is the place where we live, where we party and - of course - where we rehearse on a more or less regular basis. Some of us share really a long time together in the whole music stuff.
2.In February you had released your first album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording?
Jens: Loud, dirty, a bit melancholic and bitter-sweet. If you want a genre we like to call it "Dark Schweinerock", others might call it "Gothic-Metal". We really don´t think much about our genre and how to fit in, as we make the music for us and just follow our own tastes in music.
Ambra: I think you can hear on the album, that most of us had their "musical socialisation" back in the 90ies.
3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
Ambra: I am the one in the band who is responsible for writing the lyrics, and I enjoy that the guys give me plenty of rope concerning the topics. I tend to try words fitting to the general mood of a song, which results in quite different matters. Most are about existential problems with the incorporated contradictions in humanity (like "Aphelion" or "Everybody dies"): fear, anguish, deprivation, the pain of being alive, growing old and die at the end. Some pay homage to lyrical idols (like "Sisters"), and some are just very personal and are part of my very private process of mental coping with loss and grief (like "Lament in Prediction").
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Killing Suzy'?
Jens: There is a dark and sinister secret about who is Suzy and why she has do die... it is to much of a horror story to share.
Ambra: Yeah... and you shouldn't visit a dark alley in Cologne where rumors tell of an anonymous grave in the vicinity of our rehearsal rooms...
5.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
Ambra: Every gig of ours is simply hilarious :-) No, honestly, our stage performance resembles the way our music was recorded: plain and simple, no unnecessary glamour or glittery costumes. Just five guys on a stage playing their music and enjoying every second of it.
Jens: As we are all very old and lazy, we have not played that many shows yet. For me, our release party earlier this year was a pure blast.
6.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
Jens: We will see what happens. As we all are working and some of us have family, playing live is sometimes a bit difficult. A full tour would be nice, but I think not very realistic.
7.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
Jens: Yes and no. We would like to work with someone, but it would depend on the conditions.
8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of gothic metal and dark rock?
Jens: We only got a few reviews, but they were all really, really good. Thank you all for that!!
Ambra: And we receive very warm personal comments after gigs or on our facebook page through fans from all over the world. We were very happy to have a special on the canadian underground radio "Women of Metal" who even nominated us for their monthly bandpoll. There has been a very kind review from singapore and one from Brazil, so I hope to think that there are at least some guys out there who like our music a bit.
9.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Jens: We are busy writing our second album right now. Musicwise, it will be a "natural" follow-up to "Everybody dies, darling". Maybe a bit darker and moodier, but that might just be my opinion.
Ambra: It will be a lot heavier as well, don't you think? And the lyrics get a lot more political.
10.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Ambra: Our musical influences are very different. Seb, our keyboarder is deeply rooted in the gothic genre, while Gerd (drums) and Ralf (Guitar) are more like old school heavy metal guys. All of us share a passion for Dark Rock. I myself am very much into the whole nu metal / hardcore stuff, but you can find me going nuts over an old ACDC track as well. Oh, and of course as a soprano I like the symphonic metal genre as well.
Jens: As most music was written by our Keyboard player and before I joined the band, I can only say that I hear a lot of old wave, industrial and goth bands in our music, seasoned with a lot of metal influences. Myself, I listen (among shitloads of other things) to everything that is dark, intense and gloomy, from Dark Ambient over Post-Punk to Black Metal.
11.What are some of your non musical interests?
Jens: Movies, Girlfriend, Games... Boring, I know...
Ambra: I am very interested in human (and primate) psychology, existential philosophy and medicine. But that may be related to my profession... In my spare time I love to read, make Yoga or go for one (or ten) drinks with my friend to the next concert of any band I can get hold of :-)
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Jens: Check out our music, support your local scene. Go to underground shows! Enjoy your life and respect others!
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