With the release of Melting Sun, Lantlôs progresses into new musical territories and directions, which resulted in a beautiful release. We are proud to be able to publish the in depth interview below with mastermind Markus Siegenhort that was originally conducted by Yänn Mondragon for New Noise Magazine.
Yänn: Let’s go back to the past, do you remember what your motivations were when you created Lantlôs back in 2005?
Markus: I wanted to make emotional German black metal and I wanted to make something special and new. I wanted to make the most dedicated music I can come up with.
Yänn: Is creation a true cathartic need, a way to let yourself go…or is it just your love of music that leads you to write music?
Markus: It's weird - I feel like I have cathartic urges almost all the time. I hate being awake and too close to my life, work and everything that just "needs to be done". I feel like living in some kind of bubble in a blur, more or less floating from one place to another. I feel like I live inside myself for the most part of my life. I don't have too many wishes or goals, or direction. It's weird. It’s like being in a dream. And that's what my music is about. So, well it's hard to draw a line where music starts and life ends.
Yänn: I’ve read that you experienced something quite disturbing when you were 17 and that the way you see life had changed from then on. Can you tell me a little bit about it?
Markus: It's called derealisation. It's a disorder that makes you sense the world and your surroundings in a very weird and distant way. It feels like you watch everything you do and feel on a TV screen. Like having some sort of "filter" before your eyes and soul. You walk on different soil, trying to make your way. Everything is kind of "robotic" and foreign. You can't explain this. It's almost like a terrible horror trip on a drug. It was the most intense, hardest and worst period of my life.
Yänn: In that same interview, you mentioned you have a very ‘personal’ relation to reality. Can you tell me those such particular emotions that you sometimes feel in detail?
Markus: Haha, I think I answered it already in the questions before, because this is such a big part of my life and music. I feel awkward or weird all the time. Being in several places but never where my body is. I'm a dreamer and I try to escape from everything as often as possible. I don't feel comfortable with seeing how everything actually is - there has to be more. Feelings are my blessing and curse - I often need to follow them and I live in my world rather than participating anything else. It almost feels like they are bigger than I am. I'm not trying to tell that I'm depressive or someone so special - I'm often told I'm a funny and easy guy. And I try to be that way, work hard on myself to be a good man and try not to value any man or thought. But I feel so disconnected to matter and most people, without wanting to whine around. It's just how it is. I don't feel superior or better, but I know that it's a gift to feel yourself, your life and your thoughts so intense, even if it is hard sometimes. So what’s "reality"? It's a thing connected with struggle and obligations for me in the first place.
Yänn: Even if the music you’ve been currently writing does not contain any black metal elements, could you nevertheless give us your own definition of this kind of music and what it means to you? What has black metal taught you philosophically and artistically speaking?
Markus: Before everything: black metal used to mean a lot to me, but with getting older and changing, it reminds me of so many things of myself that I don't want to be part of my life anymore. It's negative energy. I try to avoid that as often as possible. When I think back of myself listening to black metal or dark music in general, it's almost like I think of a friend. So many things changed so drastically in my life... that's not who I am anymore. Though, I don't feel ashamed or hate black metal or anything. I did not decide "I will stop reflecting and listening black metal". I think my friends and I were cool together and we had a great time back then. The music suited our perception on life. The whole black metal thing meant a world to me. It was the first serious music I really consciously listened to and sensed a feeling of "home" and understanding. I felt connected. It has taught me to reflect myself.
I think it will come back one day, but for now, I rather listen to new music.
Yänn: You have worked together for a long time with Neige from Alcest. Why is not the case anymore today?
Markus: Nothing really special - we changed in sound and he lacks time!
Yänn: Does Melting Sun represent the beginning of a new era for Lantlôs, like a new cycle?
Markus: I don't know. Like I told you, my music is my life and my life is my music. Melting Sun is another step to get closer to myself and I feel like I have reached a new state/level in my life. So, Melting Sun is rather the outcome of that new level than a new era for Lantlôs, if you know what I mean? I don't decide. I do what I feel best. And what I feel best changes all the time when it comes to music. Just listen to all the albums I did - they sound very different from another. All the albums are about certain groups of feelings I strongly experience in different periods of my life.
Yänn: Melting Sun immediately draws our attention with its bright, colourful cover. Without listening to the album, we feel that Lantlôs has never so much leaned towards the sun. Is the sun today more agreeable to watch than the darkness to you?
Markus: Yes! 100%! I don't see sense anymore in keeping stuck with your own darkness. Try to open your eyes. There's lots of light in the world, in people and finally and most important in yourself. It's all about yourself. If you feel pity for yourself, you will see everything as vein, dark and pointless. If you stand up and fight against all the shit that drags you down, you will see light. And you will see the brightest light growing inside yourself. Just to keep up with this kitsch metaphore.
Yänn: Lantlôs is beyond recognition on Melting Sun. Are you aware of it? Aren’t you afraid your fans might be confused?
Markus: Yes it's different, of course. But I don't feel that Lantlôs is beyond recognition. I rather feel that Melting Sun is natural progression. It's not like this comes from nowhere or so... just listen to all the past albums. They have always been very different from another. Agape has some songs/parts that point a finger towards Melting Sun. For the fans - well, what else should I do? Record a 2nd .neon? Of course, I think it must be frustrating for people to see a band they like turning to something they don't. But what can I do about it? I will never make an album sounding like one I did before. It's important for me. And for everything not liking the idea - I can understand. But this won't change how I feel about my stuff.
Yänn: Even the production is very different from your previous albums: less blunt, bright and warmer, the way you approach the sound confirms that the music doesn’t borrow anything from black metal…do you agree?
Markus: I don't know. Who cares anyway? Listen and like or don't!
Yänn: Does that change of music direction show that you’ve changed as a man? Does it show that the way you see people, the world by large is not the same?
Markus: Yes! Like I told you, I work hard on myself and try to be the person I can.
Yänn: Do you remember the state of mind you were in when you started writing Melting Sun?
Markus: Yes! I was living in a small village in the south of Germany, when I wrote the first song – ‘MS I: Azure Chimes’. Far away from civilization, so to speak, haha. It was that time when I lost that reality disorder and depression and everything was sort of brightening up. I met new people, we were often outside, chilling by the lake, on the mountains or at some forlorn castle in the summer, being high all the time and experiencing the summer in a very calm, comforting and ethereal way. It helped me a lot with seeing things differently and is definitely the most important impulse for Melting Sun.
Yänn: Can you please explain the song writing process of Melting Sun in more detail? From the first note written to the sound mixing phase?
Markus: Inspiration comes as it comes. I had a lot to tell and felt something in my chest all the time. I was not having a real job, keeping things up with doing some music jobs, factory labour etc, so I was free to go to the studio anytime. I have my own studio where we recorded Melting Sun. I often went with the dog in the morning and getting sort of high. Some ethereal flashes or waves, I can’t explain it. A thick and viscid feel, bright, warm, distant and weird. And on those trips I meditated these flashes and directly went into the studio. I also experimented with some substances to make these flashes even bigger. So yeah, I was pretty much high all the time. Like being in this weird bubble. I really can’t explain it. Just listen to the album. Every second is about exactly that feeling. For the songs - they just sort of happened. I went to the studio, concentrated really hard on these flashes and played the guitar and experimented with sounds. Nothing too concious, nothing too logic. Just out of the mood.
Yänn: About the song writing process of Melting Sun, did you approach it as usual or did you change some details in the way you work? Did you come across some hardships to assemble all the pieces of the puzzle? If so, which ones?
Markus: Actually the way of writing songs did not change, rather the message. I never constructed music and always did what I felt best. Same goes for these songs. And like I told above, the songs just sort of "happened".
Yänn: You’ve worked entirely on your own on this album or did you have some outside help? Are there people who contributed to Melting Sun you would like to thank?
Markus: We did everything ourselves in my studio "DO-Studio" in Rheda. We did everything on our own except for the mastering and the artwork. I definitely want to thank Pascal Hauer for his beyond sick artwork, which is definitely one of the best artworks I've ever seen. So many details, so much passion. Please give him a like at his Facebook page. The master was done by Philipp Welsing from Original Mastering. I can definitely recommend this guy too. Last but not least, I want to thank my friends Philipp Dombrink and Lukas Jahns for the documentary they did on Melting Sun, which will be released with the special book edition of the album.
Yänn: If Melting Sun is a journey, can you describe me its beginning, its movement and its completion?
Markus: It's an inner trip. Of flush, fluffy clouds and weird shadows. It doesn't move, it's an ode to an absolute feel of the ethereal spirit of substances and summer. It's standing still and glorifying a moment of bliss. It's a deeper reflection of making feelings the biggest thing on earth.
Yänn: Do the lyrics of Melting Sun stem from emotions that you have felt through the hardships and the joys related to existence or is it a fiction built upon some literary or philosophical references? If so, can you tell me which ones?
Markus: It's just visions I had that fulfil the music. I didn't write even one sentence or word with the intention of logic or so. Its images rowed one after another. No sense, no direction, just images evoking feelings.
Yänn: Do you think you will perform Melting Sun on stage? What does live music represent to you? Is it some promotional obligation or a means to make your music live beyond the records?
Markus: Oh yes! 2014 will be our year! We're working on a tour in late 2014 and we will try to play as much as possible to get our music spread and see places, meet people and have a good time.
Personally, I have to admit that playing live now to me means a lot of pressure. I have to get used to standing in front of people. I don't feel so comfortable to be in the centre of interest. And I also have to say I rarely enjoy live shows from other bands, too. Concerts sound shit almost all the time. I'm an audiophile. I rather enjoy listening to music in front of my studio speakers and LISTEN. Nothing but listen to clean tracks. For music from other artists, concerts are less personal to me and somewhat hectically. Going to concerts for me is more about meeting people/friends than the music. But well, like I said I'm talking about other artist's concerts now, not my own. On stage I want to give 100%, the best musical performance I can give and make the songs sound biiiig, this is why it means pressure. But that's kind of a good thing too, huh?
