Slaughterday don't need big introductions for everybody who is firm with the German OSDM scene, I guess. With "Dread Emperor" Bernd Reiners (vocals, drums) and Jens Finger (guitar, bass) they once again have released a superb death metal album which for sure is one of the best albums in 2026 (read full album review here). I had the pleasure of talking with the two charismatic guys via Zoom to talk about their latest output. Enjoy reading!

Michael

Hey, how are you doing? Still that cold at the coast or is it getting warmer?

B: School can take place again!

Yeah, I read about it. A lot of days school didn't happen.

B: Yes, it was a catastrophe, very bad.

J: A bomb cyclone!

During new year we were at the coast, too and when we drove back home I needed two hours for 40 kilometers because there were no snow plows anywhere and also the first fifty kilometers on the highway were full of ice and snow. But spring is coming.

So my first question: Jens, do you built yourself a monument with the new album title? "Dread Emperor" and Temple Of Dread….

J: Well, the album title swirled around in our heads for some time and we really didn't think of Temple Of Dread. But the term is pretty cool (laughs).

What is your intention behind the title?

B: First of all I have to note that we were the first with "Dread" because we had this song called "Church Of Dread". After that came Temple Of Dread and then "Dread Emperor". And so you can look forward to the new title of the upcoming Temple Of Dread album. But I won't reveal it here, haha.

What? I thought that there wouldn't be a release in 26!

J: Ah well, I think it will be this year. The record is done (laughs).

B: You asked about the title. Well, it is the guy on the cover artwork. This is the Dread Emperor whom we depict there metaphorically, as some sort of horror figure because it is a death metal cover. It is meant as a metaphor for the instrument of dread and how mighty dread can be, for example to control other people or to make them go insane. It is also about inner fear and external fears that has an effect on people. For all this the Dread Emperor is the representative, the ruler of all that.

So, you didn't think about that the guy could have been orange with some tousled hair?

B: No, that was something we avoided. I guess that people get to hear enough from all these persons and we as a band don't want to get involved into that. For us it is meant more timeless. People should still have a relation to that figure in 10 years. Maybe there are other things that scare them, there are other persons who are important and there may be other fears, not only certain persons but also some specific situations, fear or war or technology, a lot of things. This is a huge topic of our time and so this has actually nothing to do with Putin or Trump. Of course who says that he fears this situation in Ukraine or these guys can interpret this. It is meant to be this way, it is a metaphor and everybody has different fears and we don't want to project our personal fears onto others.

Well, getting old is another fear the one or the other might have. "Dread Emperor" already is your sixth full-length. Are you aware that Slaughterday exists for thirteen years or do you wonder how times flies?

J: Well, actually it is our fifth full-length. I know that in the promo text is written that it is our sixth one but I guess they took "Abattoir" as another full album. It was meant as an EP with a running time of 30 minutes and for some this already counts as a regular album. Personally I am absolutely surprised how fast the time goes by but the older you get the faster time passes. I am still feeling that this is my new band and when I think about it this is an extreme long time. But it also depends on the person you are talking with and because we are older you don't really notice that it is such a long time. But when you share the stage with bands that are a little bit younger they think that you are an older band and then I always think about that we just started with Slaughterday.

B: I also wonder in retrospective how many songs and lyrics we wrote together. Each time it sounds quite remarkable and if you look back and consider that our original plan was to do one record together and still we are here. Well, on one side it is very sad that time passes by so fast but on the other side you are proud that you are still there. You have seen a lot of bands come and go in that time who started with us and did three or four albums and vanished after that. So I think it is pretty cool that we are still on board and that we are still having fun and being motivated to continue.

J: I remember when we started, somebody wrote that we are the old men that give it another shot, haha!!

B: Haha, I don't remember that! But it wasn't completely wrong, haha!

Well, how old are you if I may ask? I would guess around 50? I become 49 this year, so we all kept well for our age.

J: 50.

B: I become 51 soon. I mean you keep yourself young with music. Listening to music, meeting other people, talking about music…you are permanently 16 to 18 years old when you do that. This is a piece of your youth you keep for yourself with that, also through the band. This is quite important, not only as a sort of balance for our work but also because of that.

Yep. When I consider that it is already 3 ½ years ago that we talked to each other the last time and we talked about Covid and all this stuff, a lot of shit has happened since then.

Musically each album became more sophisticated and "Dread Emperor" has become a really great piece of music. Did you have a specific aim when you started writing and recording the album?

B: No, we are really well prepared when we go to the studio. Maybe there are some nuances if somebody has a great idea or Jörg (Uken, the producer; M.) mean that we could change something here or there but these are just some little things. We always intend to do something but throw it overboard regularly. We let ourselves drift and it doesn't make any sense when we plan to sound gloomier, faster or more psychedelic what I think was the line of approach for this time. It turned out to be the opposite, total catchy and somehow we had great passion for all that while we wrote the album, that all is catchy and the refrains are matching. But this wasn't the original plan.

You just mentioned Jörg and you have been in his Soundlodge Studio as always. Do you talk to each other or does each other know what he wants and it all works like some sort of clockwork?

J: I think this time we didn't talk too much about it with him. We made an appointment and recorded the drums at his studio and we didn't tell him how the drums have to sound. He records it all like it sounds.

B: We talked to Jörg in the studio, haha!

J: Yes, but we didn't give him any instructions like it has to sound like Slayer 1984 or whatever.

B: Yeah, in this case we would get a good telling-off if we would do that. We know how we want to sound and we don't come to the studio and say that we want to sound like Death 1989 or when they recorded "Spiritual Healing" or anything like that. Jörg would tell us that we would have to play like them and it was some different equipment and time. Jörg knows exactly what to do and we are very well atuned. The only important thing for us was the bass sound. This had to be quite clear and good to hear and much more dominant than on the two previous releases. We said told it to him and I guess we realized it quite well.

J: Though we made some things quite different this time. For us it is important that we change some nuances so that it always sounds a little bit different from the previous album. It's an important thing for us that each record has its own signature sound. You hear a certain song and you can say it sounds like from this specific record. I think we always dealt quite good with this aim so far. Of course only in some nuances and so it isn't something big but for example I used for each release a different amplifier. Or we use different speakers or another guitar and bass. This time I recorded bass and guitars completely at home, before that we always recorded everything at Jörg which makes it all a little bit quicker because he can tune it all much better than we can. So I recorded everything at home and sent him the raw files so he could re-amp it at his studio with Mesa Boogie, I guess. So the difference this time was that we only sent the signals through the amplifier and not to record it directly. In the end it is all the same only the recording is different. I also used four guitars and not three like I used to do before and also a different amplifier.

Yes, you can notice it for sure. I think the production is clearer this time; "Tyrants Of Doom" was a little bit muffled in comparison. It all comes over a little bit punchier.

J: Maybe I played it all a little bit clearer because I had some much time at home to play it all until I was completely satisfied. In the studio you might say "okay, that's fine" instead of recording it again.

B: The sound is much more complete and with Slaughterday we don't want to do the things that disturbed us in the past when it comes to old-school death metal bands. These were things such as some sort of experiments and other things like that you couldn't differ the albums because of the sound, just like Jens said. Most bands have their signature sound in the studio, they have a signature guitar and amp and it all sounds the same, even if they use different studios. And like Jens said, we want that people can hear from which album the songs are.

So let's note: Jörg isn't Andy Sneap.

J and B: No!

B: And he doesn't want to be it. It is all too plastic for him, too many samples on the drums and this actually isn't his style and wouldn't match to us. That's not the term we understand for "polished".

My absolute fave on the album is "Dethroned". That one sounds, let's say Swiss. Was that intentional?

J: No, serisouly not!

B: No. "Dethroned Emperor" - I got aware of it later. Somebody wrote a comment under the lyric video and I thought "oh yes, that's right!". Of course you can make comparisons but I guess it depends on that Celtic Frost also were a little bit punkier on their old releases. Celtic Frost wasn't the working title, that was the Karloff song. Karloff is Toms band, he is our live drummer and it's some sort of black punk. Foo Fighters was also a name that Jens threw in if you don't think of the vocals and you imagine another production. It was more the punk song and also the most experimental one we had. We weren’t sure if we could do this one but in the end we decided that the song sounded great and would fit perfect on the album.

"Obliteration Crusade" sounds a lot like the last Black Sabbath album – doomy with a powerful guitar sound. Was it some homage to Ozzy?

J: Not consciously, as always. I personally find it quite exciting reading reviews when people write this riff sounds Carcass-influenced, here they are Bolt Thrower-influenced…in most of the cases this is wrong. Most time we wanted to do something completely different. But I understand where that comes from and this is unconscious. We didn't say things like "this is the Black Sabbath-riff" or whatever. Wait, I'm gonna show you something. (Shows me a sheet of paper with some handwritten notes) I don't know if you can read it but so does it look like when we make notes for our songs. "New Dawn 5" I don't know which song this is, do you know, Bernd?

B: Nope.

J: Starts with "Gore Bloody Scream beginning"

B: Haha, no, I can't remember which one this is!

J: I guess it's "Astral Carnage".

B: This might be.

J: Yes, may be. Just as an example. Our riffs have working titles, not the songs. They are called "Gore Bloody Scream" blunt G, blunt vary C… what else do we have? Obituary double bass, Celtic Frost D-beat and stuff like that. So does it sound here and we have quite often noticed "Autopsy groove" or "Mercyful Fate part" but Black Sabbath not too often, right Bernd? More often Candlemass.

B: Ah well, we also have Black Sabbath. I guess it's in "Phantasmal Death". There is a middle part where we had a part that was called Black Sabbath-riff or something like that. This also helps recognizing the riffs when you are at the rehearsal room and someone says here comes the Mercyful Fate-part. You don't have to think about it too long and it's better than saying "the one with the double bass" so that nobody knows what is meant with that.

J: Yes but quite it is quite noticeable that we have songs with Autopsy groove or Death part in it.

B: Candlemass!

J: Candlemass we also have quite often.

Yes, but that I didn't want to aks because it is too obvious. What is also obvious is the Protector influence in "Golem". Why didn't you ask Martin if he could contribute some vocals for the cover version?

J: That would be too boring if it sounds quite the same.

Well, maybe a guest scream or something like that.

J: Maybe the refrain.

B: Martin has heard the song and he likes it. So we have luck that he approved it. He said that it would sound cool and that everything is fine with it.

After 5 records you left F.D.A. Records and signed with Testimony. What is the reason for that?

J: That's quite easy. The contract expired and we wanted to try something new, we felt ready to depart to new horizons. I knew Testimony because of Temple Of Dread and was aware of that they do a good job. Thomas showed interest and so we said let's do it!

With that, there was the first Testimony Records Festival in Essen. I've heard from a friend that it was quite a blast apart from the fact that it lasted so long. What were your impressions?

J: It was great. I didn't think it was too bad that it took so long, the people were pretty tipsy in the late evening, haha!

B: Haha! And we had a good spot as co-headliner. There is always a certain point when the mood is at its peak and I guess when we entered the stage it was the right time. I think it was about 8.55 PM and the people were already attending the festival for four hours. Asphyx did also quite a blast that evening and they manage to activate also the most tired guys. But sometimes when you are the headliner you notice that the audience is tired and have to go to bed because most of them aren't the youngest ones any more. But this time everything was great, the bands were cool and most of it was some German underground death metal and we always wanted to play a show with Asphyx. It's really great that this worked out now.

Temple Of Dread I mentioned already. Jens, does that mean you are the lazier one of you both because you're only playing in one band?

B: Yes, haha!!!

J: First of all yes and I am quite happy with that. Honestly I don't need a second band.

Besides, do your students know what you are doing?

J: Yes, in principle they know it but they don't care too much about it. A few ones ask about it and some like it so much that they are following or talking to you but not really too much. Nowadays it is a different world. They also ask strange questions, today one student asked me if we were just on Spotify. They cannot imagine the whole business because they know music only from Spotify or YouTube.

B.: This is also more music for old people. The students don't care about it and cannot understand it. For them it's just some sort of noise as it was for my grandma or my parents. If I have had a teacher who said that he was playing in a thrash band I would have freaked out completely. That would have been my favorite teacher for sure. But for our students it's almost the same as if our teacher had said that he was playing in a jazz band or we're covering rock n'roll songs from the 60s. Most of them don't listen to metal, this is more or less an expection.

J: Although yesterday there was a student who showed me very proudly his new Immolation beanie and he told me that he was at Mayhem and Marduk.

Yeah, at my school it is the same. There is one student who listens to metal but the rest don't care about it. Final question, which albums are you looking forward in 2026?

J: The new Temple Of Dread, haha!!

B: You're happy!!

J: I guess it will be pretty cool.

B: I actually don't know what will come out this year. I only notice it via Release Radar on Spotify and I don't know a band I'm totally burning for that is going to release an album this year.

J: One album I have in mind, that's the new Harrowed.

B: Oh yes, that's cool.

King Diamond….

J: If there will be something….

B: I'm looking for to "The Second Coming" by Sadistic Intent which is announced for 35 years or so now, haha!

J: Obituary are working on a new album, at least I have heard so but I don't know if it's scheduled for this year.

What do you think about new Megadeth?

J: I like it as one of the few old bands they have done something good. The new Kreator isn't my cup of tea though.

Yes, I like it too. Only "Ride The Lightning" turned out to be pretty boring.

B: Would it be bad if you would tell Dave Mustaine that this song is the best one on the album, haha??? I guess the interview would be ended with that.

Yes, I think so! Thanks a lot for the interview.