Interview mit Martin Schulman von Centinex

Hi and thanks a lot for taking time for this interview! How are you doing?
I’m fine, sun is shining and the spring is here.

Since the last album, the bands lineup has once again changed on all positions (except yours) – how did this happen?
We released the previous album, DOOMSDAY RITUALS, in 2016 and when the promotion for that was done, with all the festivals etc we did during that year, I decided I need a small break from Centinex in order to concentrate on Demonical, my other band.
So the whole 2017 and 2018 went by without much happening in the Centinex camp and during that period we mutually also decided that the other members in the band should step aside and I should find a new line-up for the next recording.
There was no drama or anything involved, we just decided this together due to different reasons.
So in 2019 I then started to look for new members and after some thoughts and tests this current line-up was nailed.

How did you find the new members and put together the new lineup?
On guitars there is Jörgen Kristensen, a guy I have known for some years. He was actually my one and only choise for the guitarist position, he has been in my mind since several years as I knew he would fit into the band and share my vision both musically and mentally.
Henka Andersson is the new vocalist. Didn’t know him personally beforehand, but knew the guy has been active in the scene since the early 90’s collaborating with various bands, so I figured out he has the understanding and the old-school mentality needed.
Florian Rehn is the latest addition to the line-up. He actually joined the band about two weeks before we recorded the new album, we only rehearsed once with him. I was working with another drummer during the fall and the thought was that he would be a permanent member in the band and do the recording but a few weeks before we entered the studio I realized things won’t work out on the personal and musical level. So I had to tell him to leave and instead I gave Florian a call and asked if he would be interested to join. Luckily he was.

Is it tiring or refreshing to start again with a whole new band?
It’s refreshing, otherwise I wouldn’t do it. Of course it might be a little bit hard to get to know new people, rehearse with them and so on but as long as you keep in mind that the changes will turn the band to the better it is worth it.

Did that influence the making of „Death In Pieces“?
No it didn’t as I had the whole album written and ready before I started to look for new members.

The name is very clichéd – is that the intention?
Maybe it is but must everything always be so deep, artistic and „mature“ all the time? After all, it’s only fucking rock n roll man!

Also musically the album is very typical for the genre – where do you see the strengths of CENTINEX, with which you nevertheless give the genre something new?
I don’t care if it is typical or not as long as it is good. I have never claimed that I want to re-invent the wheel, I do the stuff I like and enjoy and if others like it as well that’s a big bonus.

The sound is again completely different than on the last two albums – much clearer and more direct, I think. Are you satisfied and did you want to do something different than on the other two albums?
In my opinion it is not different. This is the third album since our comeback in 2014 and for me the style of the „new“ CENTINEX has been intact since then. Actually „Death in Pieces“ was recorded, mixed and mastered in the same studios and by the same people we worked with on „Redeeming Filth“ (2014) so for me it’s just a continuation of the path.

The artwork is also very different from the last ones. How did it come about?
Different? The artwork on this new album was made by the same artist as we used on the last one – and same technique – so for me it’s not „very different“. Well yeah, the colours are different but that’s about it.

Are you planning concerts, so that you can play shows again sometime?
Of course we are but that Corona shit fucked up all our plans. Most of the summer festivals scheduled for 2020 are postponed to 2021.

What do you think about streaming concerts as they are currently played by many bands?
Yeah it seems to be very popular to stream shows during these times but that’s not really for us, we prefer to play in front of a real audience.

To what extent does the Corona crisis affect you personally, as a private person or as a musician?
As a private person it doesn’t affect much ‚cause I don’t hang in bars or socialize with people in normal times either. So things have been pretty cool here, me and my wife have isolated ourselves in our vacation home in the semi-wilderness. I have everything here, my home studio etc, so I don’t complain.
From the musician point of view the most fucked up thing is of course all the canceled or postponed shows and tours.

Thank you for your time and answers. Finally, a short brainstorming session:
Donald Trump: I keep politics out of music.
Grave: Love their debut album.
Covid-19: It really turned the world upside down.
No festivals in 2020: Really sad but that makes 2021 even stronger.
Your favorite album at the moment:  After the Fall From Grace by SAVAGE GRACE.
CENTINEX in 10 years:  Still kicking ass.

Once again thanks for your time. The last words are yours – is there anything left you want to tell our readers?
Thank you all for your brutal support. Stay deadly!

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Publiziert am 28. August 2020 von Moritz Grütz