Todesbonden feature interview with Laurie Ann Haus
(conducted May 2009)
(interview by James Edward Raggi IV)
First things first. When I came up with the LotFP name, I had a specific person in mind as the inspiration for the name. Since starting the zine, only one person out there in music-land matches that image almost exactly: You. How creepy is that? :D
That is mega creepy, but flattering at the same time.
The booklet in the new Todesbonden album states that Jens Bogren engineered, mixed, and mastered the new album. Did you guys actually go to Örebro?
No, we were lucky to be able to send the files to him remotely online.
If so... a bit far to go for this sort of thing, isn't it?
Yes, it is, I agree. But I would do it for Jens if I had the funds to support it, he is a genius.
(I've been to that studio... pretty good but not intercontinental flight good. :P) If not, how could he engineer an album across an ocean?
We sent him the raw .wav files and he worked with them in his studio. There really isn't much of a difference where we record the tracks just as long as the files he receives are high quality well performed ones.
Todesbonden is one of those bands that I think falls into a "metal" category through default - its metal influences put it there even if so much of the material has nothing to do with metal. Tell us what the term "heavy metal" means to you, and how conscious of it you were in making this album.
Yes metal is only one of our influences. Metal means to me music that uses distorted rhythmic guitars, intricate style drumming with the use of double bass pedal. I am not elitist about what I term metal, however, I have seen some categorizations of heavy metal that I don't really understand in the past. To each their own I guess.
Tell us about your favorite album of all time.
Wow that is really hard because I don't have just one favorite. A really great album to check out would be Anathema's Judgment. That album makes me cry when I hear it. The lyrics are heart wrenching with beautiful melodies and vocals.
Tell us about your favorite album of right now.
I have been listening to various songs by Imogen Heap a lot recently. She has the best unexpected melodies and such a unique talented voice. Very good with vocal control. Also, her lyrics are very good as well.
Tell us about your favorite album cover.
This is a hard question since I haven't really paid all that much attention to album covers. I tend to like digi-packs that are made out of organic material with metallic paint on it.
Should a band be a concept in itself, with band members conforming to that concept, or should a band's sound change and be significantly influenced by any change in lineup according to the talents and preferences of new members?
I don't think that there are any shoulds about any type of creative endeavour. That is up the people that create it individually. It is what it is. Ofcourse when certain members from a band part ways it makes it impossible at times to mimic the sound that they contributed if they have a very particular style.
When I talk about "music," I include all facets of a band's output: Instrumentation, lyrics, singing, production, and I even consider visual presentation to be important in relation to the actual sound. Which of these factors do you think is most and least important for Todesbonden, and why?
I think that all of these are very important. However, I do think that the way that a band 'looks' to be a little less important then all of this. I wish that less focus was put onto the outer shell of a person but to ignore the power of visuals is a mistake also I think.
For Todesbonden, are the lyrics there to fit with the music, does the music support the lyrics, or both, or is there some other relationship between concept and sound in your band?
Mostly we have been writing the music first and I write the lyrics after. So I would say that I match the lyrics to the music rather then the other way around. However there are times that I have lyrical ideas or feelings that I want to put forth and I will enhance the melody to match that feeling.
When you buy an album, are you more purchasing an entertainment product or are you being a patron of the arts? Explain your answer.
I do think that it is important to support the artists that you love so that they can continue to do what they love to do. However, with that said, I don't tend to buy CDs unless I really like the artist to begin with.
Is it more important for your band to impact a young listener like no other band has ever done, or to satisfy a more seasoned and mature listener? Why?
My hope is that our music will impress all different age ranges from young to old. I would like to aim to speaking a universal musical language rather then fall into a box of either young or old. I feel equally as satisfied when a young child likes us as when an elderly person does.
Should the "music journalist" be serving, first and foremost? Labels, bands, or fans? Do they best do this by promoting the music they are covering, or being critical and suspicious of it?
Very interesting questions. Reviewers should have a loyalty to the fans first since their job is to review a project fairly. Their desire to please a band or a label would not be reviewing but commercialism. I would hope that music journalists could keep their minds fresh and not get jaded by getting so many 'similar' musical projects. I know that this is close to impossible since there tends to be trends in music giving way to a ton of copycats. However, keeping a patient fresh open mind each time they get a new package should remain as long as they plan on being a fair reviewer. Many reviewers throw in a terrible review here and there just to make their reviewing style seem fair and balanced. I find this ridiculous. Don't destroy a bands hard work just to be self serving. This is dishonest reviewing.
Tell us about the last revelation you had just thinking about (not playing or listening to) metal.
I guess I don't fully understand this question. I don't tend to think of the subject of metal outside of the subject of instrumentation very often so I am not sure what to think of it. Heavy guitars and double bass drumming would sound very good here is about the extent of my metal revelations.
To finish up... what five albums, that you suspect readers wouldn't know about, would you recommend?
Get ready for some rather non-metal suggestions here, although they are rather popular suggestions they are favorites of mine:
Niyaz - S/T
Joni Mitchell - Blue
Imogen Heap - Speak for Yourself
Spirites Consort - Wing’d With Hopes
The New World Renaissance Band - Where Beauty Moves and Wit Delights
Any final words?
Thank you for the thoughtful interview. Very good questions.