Interview with: Graveworm

Hell on Fire: Hello Stefan and welcome to H.O.F, everything ok with you!

Stefan: Hi, everything great. Our new album is out now and we are curious to see what the future will bring to us

Hell on Fire: Can you talk a little about how everything started with Graveworm since the begining?

Stefan: Graveworm was formed in 1992. We are a death metal band who played a lot of coversongs from bands like cannibal Corpse, Napalm Death, Massacre and other. One day we got the chance to play at a local festival but our problem was that we dont got a bandname . So we took a dictionary and the first word we found that sounded suitable to us and to our music was Graveworm. After a while we introduced a keyboard in our band because we liked the german band Crematory and the melodies and atmospheric parts of their music. We started writing new songs and after one year during a local festival we get in contact with the german record label serenade records. After sign a contract there we recorded our first demotape and our first album. And now we are here with our seventh album and ready to hit the road.

Hell on Fire: So far you guys have great and amazing albums really well composed and surely already with a lot of road to keep alive a band name like yours, for you which was the album that gave you more pleasure to record and from the other side which was the more difficult 1 to be achieved?

Stefan: I think the first album was a pleasure because it was our first recording for every single bandmember. I think the most difficult was the last one. We wanted to do it perfectly and every single bandmember gave his blood on this record. :)

Hell on Fire: Yes of course the first one must have a special flavour! Going back in time to 2001, i know that you’ve made a cover version of Iron Maiden “Fear of the Dark” which was released on the “Tribute To The Beast” compilation, who had the idea for this cover and why this specific song?

Stefan: Was my idea. I like to cover songs. The most important thing in doing this coversongs is to make a real Graveworm song out of it. It makes no sense only to play the song in the same way and add a death metal voice on it. Fear of the dark is a really atmospheric and melodic song and one of my favorite Iron Maiden songs.

Hell on Fire: And you made it really well:)! Tell me Stefan, do you have or did you had any kind of singing classes? I ask you this because your voice is really great with lots of brutality and power on it and surely it’s not easy to preserve such voice as yours!

Stefan: No, I wanted to have it one day and so i went to school and ask there if it was possible to get some lessons. She asked me a lot of stuff and after one hour she told me to sing.. :) can you imagine her face went she heard me scream???? She only told me that she cannot help me..... I will never forget this.

Hell on Fire: (ahaha) I can almost imagine her face in shock looking at you! For you which is the best band/s of all time? Who is your favourite vocalist? Do you remember with which bands you grow up listening to?

Stefan: Iron Maiden will still be my favorite band. I grow up with the band. All of my friends where into AC/DC but I allways was attrracted by their coverartwork and their music, and Bruce Dickinson is still the best vocalist in the scene. The vocalist that gave me more inspiration was Lars Göran Petrov from Entombed. Really great shouter.

Hell on Fire: What do you like to do in your free times?

Stefan: I don´t have so much free time. I have a job , who fortunately has to do with music . I organize concerts in a club in my hometown. And then I spend alot of time for my band. Doing interviews, organizing concerts and getting in contact with people all over the world. And the other time that I have is for my family.

Hell on Fire: Talking a little bit about the last realease “Diabolical Figures”, how as been the reactions of the media and listeners so far? Are you happy with the final results of this album?

Stefan: The album is now out a few days and I don´t get any reactions from the media yet. I think I will get reviews in the next days. I´m really curious but for me personaly the most important things are the fans. I don´t care what medias think or write about the album. It´s better to get reactions from fans. That is what I need... hehe

Hell on Fire:Yes of course the fans reaction are really important! How do you descrive the sound of Graveworm? Most of the places i see a description of you guys are mentioned as making Dark and Mystic metal, do you agree with this?

Stefan: Yes that´s right. Sometimes i read about melodic black metal, but I cannot understand what Graveworm has to do with Black Metal. Maybe the voice but not the music. Dark metal is the best way to describe the music because you have more possibilities. You can found Death, gothic and other music elemnts in it.... Every member in the band listen to really differnt musicstyles and this styles influences the sound of Graveworm.

Hell on Fire: What is the meaning of the name Graveworm? Who had the idea of it?

Stefan: I think you get the answer on the second question. Graveworm - dictionary

Hell on Fire: Yes of course, so is exactly like you read in the dictionary, i see:) Talking a little about your country Italy, what can you say about the metal bands in there? There‘s enough supports in your country for a band to live only with music?

Stefan: Italy is still lost in the time I think. Promoters and so don´t work good. There are only a view bands in italy who got responses from outside Italy. Bands like Lacuna Coil, Labyrinth, Rhapsody and some others. The fact is we only played time in Italy outside our homecountry south tirol . That´s a fact that makes me think .....

Hell on Fire: Since the album “Engraved in Black” the Graveworm logo artwork was changed for much better, who is the person behind the design of it and the cover albums as well?

Stefan: When we get the record deal with Nuclear Blast the asked us if we wanted to chance our logo and asked a guy who made this one for us. But I can´t remember the name. Engraved in black was painted by christian Whalin. The last one , the coverartwork of diabolical figures was made by a good friend of us. Dani who is the owner of archetype design . He has done a lot of good stuff for bands like Behemoth , Illdisposed and others.


Hell on Fire: My cumpliments to him the artwork is really great! Now in the present you guys made again 1 cover version but this time of the band Police with the song “Message in a bottle”, once again i ask you but now for this 1, who had the idea for this cover?

Stefan: I wanted to do a coversong again on the new album, but the idea of that song was from Eric our guitarist. It was difficult to sing the song in the studio and I was a little bit angry about the resuclt, but I think now it´s a great song and I like it more than the original one.

Hell on Fire: Do you guys feel proud to have 2 huge labels as Massacre Records and Nuclear Blast supporting you? Are they an important piece in Graveworm tours and everything connected to recordings? I ask you this because lots of people still don’t know what a label do for a band!

Stefan: Of course we are very proud of it. It´s easier to work with professional labels. You only have to concentrate in writing songs and the rest will be done by the labels. I think this days is really hard to record an album without labels. You can make it but it´s hard. Internet and so will help you to promote your release.

Hell on Fire: If 1 band is right now in the begining which is the best advice that you can give to them?

Stefan: Never give up. As I told before is really hard for a band because no one cares about you. Bands nowadays have a great chance. They have internet and there is really easy contacting people , promoter or music agencys. You can promote your music and your band with facebook, myspace and other sides. But you must have the will to do it.. that´s the most important thing. If you like your music and your band don´t give up

Hell on Fire: Indeed really good advice! For you Stefan which was the best concert/s you gave so far?

Stefan: Our best concert was Summerbreeze last year, Playing in fron of 10.000 people is a great experience. But I like small club gigs too.. because you feel the energy of the crowd. When you play on big festivals the people don´t come to see only you but to see other bands too. On small club gigs the people comes to see you and you feel that.

Hell on Fire: Can you share some concert dates so far? What do you wanna say to those that always support Graveworm since the begining?

Stefan: We will play on some festivals like Metalcamp, Samfest in Romania, and some smaller festivals in Germany. I hope we will go on tour at the end of the year to promote our new album. To all the fans who supportet us the last year and since the beginning I wanted to say thanks becasue without the fans we are nothing. And we know this.... we are proud of our fans.

Hell on Fire: Thank you very much Stefan for you words and time for this interview, i which you guys all the good luck for you performances and next albums to come!!!

Stefan: Thank you very much for the chance to make this interview ..... and to all readers : Hope to see you live on the road.




By: Nightshade

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