Germ (Interview 2013)

\r\nGerm are one of these bands that you fall in love with from the first seconds. Although they just made their second release, the ’’Loss’’ ep, the mastermind behind the band is Tim Yatras, a person you probably know him from bands like Nazxul or Austere. In this project, he combines sounds from Black Metal to Brit-Pop!!! Obviously not something ordinary. My advice? Don’t make the mistake and miss one of the best releases of 2012!!!
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\r\n1) I would like to congratulate you for your new ep ’’Loss’’. Germ as a concept exist from 2003. How come your first release was out on 2012?
\r\nTim: I guess it was just a combination of not having the time, or the drive to really push the project forward. I had an EP recorded and ready for release in 2006, yet I just never got around to releasing it, as about the time I was getting ready to release it, we began work on the first Austere album, so that kinda took my focus off Germ. That kinda thing has happened quite a bit over the years actually. \r\n

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\r\n2)...and after 9 years of silence, you made not one, but two releases. Were all these songs the collection of tunes from all these years?
\r\nTim: Yeah, everything was written from 2006 - 2010, and recorded between 2009 - 2012. There’s not really any "brand new" material on either of those releases, unlike what will be on the next album. \r\n

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\r\n3) Ι fell in love with the ’’Loss’’ ep from the first minute. In my review, I wrote that this album is melancholic, magical, experimental, dark, epic, atmospheric and gothic. Do you agree and what feeling do you want to create to the listener?
\r\nTim: Thanks for your kind words! I can’t really say if I agree or not, but if that is what you get from the EP, then I’m more than happy. As for what I want to create for the listener, I don’t really think about that. I want to create something for myself, and it just comes down to what other people can take from it.
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\r\n4) The influences of Germ can be from brit-pop to black metal, from electronic to classical music. How do you manage to combine all these different elements?
\r\nTim: I’m glad you have mentioned Brit-Pop, as I don’t think many have mentioned it yet, and it is a big influence for me. I didn’t really worry about what people would say about it, and I guess that is how I managed to combine them, by not stressing about the outcome.
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\r\n5) If you had to choose the artists that influenced you the most, who would you say?
\r\nTim: Hmmm... I guess some of them I could mention would be Noel Gallagher, Varg Vikerness, Jean Michel Jarre and Yoshiki Hayashi. I guess that’s probably pretty random, but all those people are big influences for me, of course among many others.
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\r\n6) Germ are very progressive. Especially if you compare them to Nazxul and Austere, your other quite known projects. Do you feel more artistically free with Germ?
\r\nTim: Yeah, I think the biggest reason for this is because I’m the only member. I don’t have to worry about what other band members will say, or anything like that. I can just do something that comes from my heart and is not filtered through anyone else’s emotions.
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\r\n7) Tell us some worlds about the lyrics.
\r\nTim: The lyrics are all very personal to me. On the debut album there were a lot of ’spacey’ metaphors and things like that used, but on the EP it’s more straight forward lyrically. Some of the topics dealt with are things like, grief, pain, loss, depression, addiction among others.
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\r\n8) Who do you think will be the fans of the band? You are too black metal for the pop audience and too pop for the black metal audience.
\r\nTim: I have no idea. I guess there will be a few people who like it, and a lot of people who don’t haha!
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\r\n9) I haven’t yet heard your debut album. Is there any significant difference with your ep?
\r\nTim: Not really, I think both releases are quite similar stylistically. For me, those two releases can be considered the first chapter of Germ, and beginning with the next album we start a new chapter.
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\r\n10) I read that lately you are behind many J-pop and K-pop releases. What is in this scene that you find interesting?
\r\nTim: I think especially J-pop in the late 80’s through to early 00’s was filled with many great bands and artists. I’m not a huge fan in the direction that music is going nowadays, though. In my opinion it’s becoming too "Western-ised" and losing some of what made it so special in the past.
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\r\n11) Do you have any plans for live shows with Germ?
\r\nTim: I am considering playing a few live shows in Australia later this year. At the moment nothing is confirmed, though. If I play them and it works out well, then maybe I’ll consider some international shows in the future, but for now I can’t say...
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\r\n12)  What other experimental bands, like yours, do you like? Which are your favorite Australian bands?
\r\nTim: Funnily enough, I don’t really like experimental bands that much! As for favorite Australian bands, I’m pretty much out of touch with any kind of "scene" here. However, I just heard some advance tracks from the upcoming Vagrond album, and they sound pretty good. Also from what I have heard the next Drowning the Light release should be a good one.
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\r\n13)  Who is responsible for the cover picture? It is very unique!
\r\nTim: On both releases so far I have worked with Graf von Feigur from Erebus Studios on the artwork. I’m very pleased with the work he’s done.
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\r\n14)  When do you think we will see the next Germ release?
\r\nTim: I have actually begun recording the second full length album just yesterday. It will be a long time before it is complete, but I’d like to think we can see a release in the second half of 2013.
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\r\n15)   Thank you very much for the interview. The last words are yours.
\r\nTim: Thank you for the interview, and to those who read it. Keep an eye on www.facebook.com/germofficial for any updates!
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\r\nDr. D. \r\n

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