Bavarian Drudensang are a quite mysterious and very unique band combining icy black metal with Bavarian mysteries. Not only the music is something very special but also the band behind, wearing special Krampus masks during their live rituals and being anonymous. Lately they have released their new EP "Geysterzvvang" via Folter Records which is a logical continuation of their first full-length "Tuiflsrijtt". Vocalist / bassist Krámpn brought some more light into that mysterious band, answering my questions. Enjoy reading and, if you still don't know the band, check their albums!

Michael

Photo Credits: NecroHorns

Hails Krampn, I hope you are doing fine! Drudensang is still quite unknown in the black metal scene although you already released a very good full-length ("Tuiflsrijtt") and lately a superb EP ("Geysterwvvang"). Maybe you can introduce the band a little bit more to our readers? 

Drudensang isn't a project seeking for attention. We're a tool, a vessel for what burns within and through us: The gloryfication of the devil, devouring darkness, macabre shadows of death. Our music is incantation and sacrifice at the same time – it shouldn't please, but have an effect. Who listens doesn't just encounter us but also something which is older than us.

I already said to Joerg that I don't really understand why you didn't release a complete album but an EP…what were the reasons for this step?

A work does not follow a plan, but the rhythm it sets itself. "Geysterzvvang" was too heavy to hold back and to standalone to be part of an album. We don't publish anything out of calculation, but because it forces us – and sometimes the deep abyss and the darkness gives birth to a shorter, but all more concentrated grimace.

You deal a lot with Bavarian saga and the nature in your area. How important is this folklore for you?

It's our blood. These stories, these forests, these mountains aren't just mere backdrop – they are the body from which we were born. Humans believe folklore is a fairy tale. Truth is, they are encrypted memories to what still haunts us. When we sing from these myths and legends, we sing from our origin and ultimately of the inevitable end.

A very special character you deal with is "Krampus" and you also dress like that. What makes this saga that special?

The Krampus is not just a folklore figure for kids to smile about. He is the grimace of the devil, the black beast that haunts every human soul in their sleep. He is the proof that fear and pleasure, punishment and salvation are inextricably linked. We're part of it and we don't wear the mask as a sort of show, but to embody him: the horror that is closer than you think.

Like Alice Cooper says that Alice is a character he is acting on stage, is this something similar to what you do?

No. We don't play a role. What we do on stage is a ceremony, a communion with our gods, a celebration in their honor. The rapture, this dehumanization that we assume when we detach ourselves from this reality and immerse ourselves in our world is not a show but an invocation. When we're on stage, we aren't just Drudensang – we are vessels through which the Krampus, the devil, and death itself talks.

Apropos these special masks – I've read that you are also the owner of Bavarian Krampus Arts. Does that mean that you create your masks on your own and if so, how do you do that?

Yes, the masks are created together with our carver S.P. through our thoughts, ideas and visions, similar to a Drudensang work, born of fire, horn, blood and sweat. Every cut is a wound, every notch is a curse. They are more than costumes – they're totems through which the ancient powers see. When we wear them, we don't wear masks but a face that was always there. However, this has little to do with Bavarian Krampus Arts. With Bavarian Krampus Arts I design Cover Artwork and Logos for other Bands and Projects.

Your lyrics are kept in German, mostly in a Bavarian dialect. I can imagine that it is a very fitting thing to sing in the language the folklore is about but don't you think that it might be a little obstacle to gain more popularity?

If popularity would be our goal, we would sing in English. Our texts are incantation and summoning. This only works in the language from whose soil it grew. The dialect is no obstacle, but a weapon which sharpens the ritual and makes it more real. Who wants to understand must dive deeper than words.

Musically you have a lot of symphonical, almost cinematic elements in your music that make it like an auditive trip through the snowcovered Alps. How important is creating this atmosphere for you as band?

The atmosphere is no accessory, it is the core. The music must sound like a storm in the Alps, like the crack of bones under ice, like the breath of the devil in your neck. Without atmosphere only raw Black Metal remains. Only with atmosphere gospel becomes a ritual.

Photo Credits: Lovodium

Listening to the aforementioned albums, I would say that Satyricon (the opening riff in "VVydergaenger" sounds a lot like "Mother North") or Emperor are your main influences. But maybe also Metallica when I listen to the intro of "Tuiflsrijtt"? Apart from this, what would you say are the biggest influences on you?

We don't really let ourselves be influenced by other bands, but of course we can't prevent this from happening subconsciously. Of course we hear Bathory, Mayhem, Dissection, Metallica too, Iron Maiden, Sodom and Morbid Angel or The Devil's Blood, but the biggest influences aren't mostly musically. Equally important are the church bells, the howl of winds, the voices of the Rauhnachts-Masks. Our biggest influence is the silence of the mountains that always smells like death.

Which five albums are a must-have when you are banned to a deserted shack in the snow-covered Bavarian mountains?

Bathory – Under the Sign of the Black Mark Dissection – Storm of the Lights Bane Funeral Mist – Salvation Krater – Urere Celtic Frost – To Mega Therion Even these five will fall silent, for the snow has a mightier voice.

Next month you are going to play at Damnation Fest in Oberhausen together with Primordial and Beherit. How excited are you about that?

Excitement is the wrong word. It is more like hunger. To share the stage with Beherit and Primordial means to mix blood with blood. We don’t go there to play a show, but to lit a ritual. And everyone who will be there, will either be consumed – or leaves the hall never to be the same again.

And now, the last words are yours!

To the devil be our glory! The devil's march goes ever on!

Thanks for the interview!!

Stay morbid!