BAUMBART interview online!

The German band released their debut album "To the Shores of Nórthór" lately. So, I think its time to learn more on them, I interviewed BAUMBART for.

You can listen to their record while reading the interview below. :)

01. Hi BAUMBART! First of all, can you explain us why this band name ? Is it related with the writer J. R. R. Tolkien ?

Marc: That was Julian's idea. We decided this very spontaneously and, although we are big Tolkien fans, it does not really relate to his stories.

Julian: Well, as I started thinking of possible names, I could not really come up with anything. Finally I memorized my nickname “Baum”(=tree) that was given to me, because I pretty much suck at sports. I combined that with Marc's nickname “Bart”(=beard) , that time he was the only one  wearing a beard, and so formed Baumbart.

Marc: And this name was perfect, since it was only us two back then ;)

Severin: There were also plans to change the name since our style changed a lot after Nýdrógr, but we could not really come up with anything and finally decided to stick to the old name.

02. Can you describe us the elements used in your band logo ? Who got the idea ?

Marc: This was a spontaneous decision as well. We were already present on facebook when Nýdrógr was worked on when Dominik Schäfer noticed us and sent us a draft. We liked it a lot and decided to buy his artwork. The letters remind us of runes and the whole style just fits our name. Dominik really did a brilliant job there!

03. Back in 2011, you released your first demo on Youtube. How was it perceived by the listeners and reviewers ?

Nico: Anton’s brother sure liked them ;) (everyone is laughing). No, we did not actually get a lot of feedback.

Severin: Considering the views and the likes we received on YouTube, it seems like the people liked it overall.

04. This year was released the debut album for the band entitled “To the Shores of Nórthór“. Can you describe us the music for this record ?

Severin: Our music has changed quite alot since our previous records. Overall it has gotten more quiet and melodic. Due to the removal of our distortion lead guitar it is now much more acoustic-heavy.

Marc: Additionally, I don’t write the songs on my own anymore and Severin brought a lot of variety to them. We also do the arrangements together during our rehearsals, which was not always the case.

Anton: Our recording technique has improved and the songs themselves are a bit more challenging.

Julian: All in all there is something of everything in the songs now.

05. Is Marc. A. Brode the one behind the concept for the album ? Can you tell this concept ?

Marc: The story takes place in a world which is also present in tales and books I write on my own but we also discussed it together and made some changes to the original.

The story is about the adventures of a seafaring nation called Thousandsprings who accidently found a huge amount of a valuable copper ore. This gives them the chance to achieve great wealth. Unfortunately the nearby nations are poor, so they finally decided to choose the far away Nórthór, which is occupied by dwarves, as their trading partner. The way there is, however, long and dangerous and thus a journey into the unknown begins. It has everything: storms, war, dragons and a second moon ;)

06. This album has been released in digital on Bandcamp but you plan to release it physical once the artwork will be. What’s new with it ?

Julian: Well, it has a booklet of course and you get to see pictures of all of us. And the lyrics! There will be no bonus tracks however. 

Marc: The main reason for the physical release is that we like to hold our music in our hands, and still have the possibility to reach a lot of people with a digital version.

Nico: Besides there are lots of fans who prefer a CD over a digital release. The artwork and booklet design has been completed. And we will announce the physical album release soon.

07. What do you think of the Pagan/Folk Metal scene in Germany and Europe ? 

Nico: It feels like in Europe there are alot more folk metal bands than in other areas. The scene is pretty big, probable due to local history involving Teutons and Vikings.

Marc: I agree on that. There is a lot of cultural awareness concerning our history.  Sadly people tend to associate especially the German scene with National Socialism. Of course, there are some extreme right-wing bands but that doesn’t mean every band that sings about their ancestors is having such thoughts. Personally I think there are some prejudices to get rid of in order to restore the reputation of the pagan scene. Additionally we have to dissociate from those bands.

Severin: I think folk/pagan material is coming into fashion. I mean pretty much every metalhead is wearing one of those Thor’s Hammer pendants. The bands themselves are also becoming more and more popular.

08. Have you already shared the stage with some folk metal bands more or less known ?

All the Baumbart members: No.

Severin: Well… (he is chattering for some minutes but it comes down to some of the band wanting to go on stage and some others don’t)

09. Lyrical themes for BAUMBART mean to be focused on what ones exactly in time ? Norse Mythology, Fantasy… ?

Marc: I cannot set a specific time for this. Our fantasy world has a lot of influences, some things taken from ancient times, some from the Vikings in the early medieval era and some from the golden age of piracy. Basically this world has its own history and timeline, separate from ours. 

10. The next question is for everyone. What is your favorite band above all and why ?

Nico, Julian & Anton: Damn, that’s a hard one.

Marc: Ensiferum, definitely ! Their music is the perfect mixture of Folk, strength and emotion.

Severin: Hard to answer… I cannot name one band here because it changes from time to time. I like Power and Melodic Metal like Sonata Arctica, Amorphis and Cain’s Offering. Melodic Death Metal like Children of Bodom or Norther is also with my favorites. Basically I like bands that have a unique style and excellent musicians.

Nico: I don’t want to name a single band here. I have more of a weekly favorite depending of what album I recently bought or discovered. I like a great variety of music not only metal. A lot of my favorite artists can be found in folk/power metal and hard rock or any kind of groovy metal. If I have to name some I would go with Ensiferum, Equilibrium, Orden Ogan, Motorjesus and Jorn. Besides that, I admire musicians like Eric Clapton or Zakk Wylde.

Julian: I cannot name a single band here either. Overall I listen to a lot of Folk Metal or Folk Rock since I like the sounds of flutes and violins.

Anton: One does not simply answer such questions! If I had to name a band, Hypocrisy would probably be my first choice here.

11. What do you plan promoting this debut album ?

Julian:  Facebook, YouTube and Bandcamp!

Nico: Besides that, our fans and friends have contributed a lot to spreading our name and getting us some attention. Meanwhile some bloggers and magazines have contacted us which is a really great thing for us!

12. Have you played in other bands before BAUMBART ?  

Severin:  None of us, really. Marc and I did a little side-project besides Baumbart but that can’t be called a band ;)

13. How long do you play your instrument ? Have you taken lessons for ?

Marc: I play the guitar for six years now. In the beginning I had a friend of mine helping me out, later on I studied it on my own. I am not that skilled but it suffices for the rhythm parts. For two to three years I mainly focus on vocals and made quite some improvements on that side.

Nico: Since my childhood. I don’t know exactly but it has to be more than 10 years now. I started taking lessons for acoustic guitar in a public music school. Half a year later I switched to the electric guitar and took private lessons for that. I probably had private lessons for about one or two years. After that I did not play the guitar for a long time before I decided to join Baumbart and give the acoustic guitar another shot.

Julian: I was attending a music school for about a year. Afterwards I took keyboard lessons for two years and a half, but until I joined Baumbart I did not play the keyboard for a long time.

Anton: I started playing the bass guitar about one and a half year before I joined Baumbart, so now it has to be around 5 or 6 years. I never took lessons.

Severin: I am playing the piano for 14 years now. 13 of them I have had private lessons. Two years ago I also decided to give the guitar a shot and learned everything I know on my own.

Marc: And yet you are better with the guitar than everyone I know, haha. Nothing new here, since you are better than everyone from the band with their corresponding instrument :)

Severin: Shortly before I joined Baumbart around one and a half years ago I also started playing the drums also learning completely by self-stundy. 

14. Do you have some concerts booked ? Spread the dates here. :)

Severin: Not yet, but we are currently trying to convince the other band members of giving a concert a shot.

Marc: Some of our fans really do want to see us live, though ;)

15. Do you have some words for the Community of Sword Chant ?

All the Baumbart members: We would like to wholeheartedly thank Krissy and the whole Sword Chant community for supporting us. For bands like us it is just such a great opportunity to get recognition. The underground work is really important for young and small bands which don’t have the money and the connections to be professionally promoted. Thank you a lot for your support, your work, your time and the chance to reach people out there! Keep it up!