Caliban

German metal veterans Caliban are heading to our shores for the second time in August, with local hardcore kings Her Nightmare in tow.

Patrick (Drums) was good enough to give us the following interviews…

By Cameron Chambers 

Can you please us your name

and what you do in Caliban? 

Patrick - Drums 

For those that aren’t familiar

together, any significant line up changes, etc… 

Caliban came together in 1997 and started

as a school band with the name “NEVER AGAIN”. After recording our

first demo we got signed on LIFEFORCE REC. Then we decided to change

our name in CALIBAN and recorded our first album. After a few years

and hundreds of shows later we were signed on ROADRUNNER REC in 2004.

Now we had the chance to tour with bands like machine head, in flames,

play bigger festivals and be on the road all the time. In all these

years we had some line-up changes, cause some of them noticed that a

life on the road can be harder than it seemed. In the last years we

toured the whole world and were very busy bringing our music out to

the people. 

The Awakening was released

anything you’d do differently looking back on it? 

We are very happy with the awakening.

The album turned out great and looking back we wouldn’t do anything

different. TA were another step forward and most of our fans are very

happy with the album. We were a lot on the road to play all the new

songs live and of course we are very happy to have the chance to come

over to oz to perform and to tour.  

The album’s title is fairly

on The Awakening? 

All the lyrics are written by Andy our

singer. His thing is to write about personal things and feelings he

had in the last years. The lyrics on the later albums were more dark

and sad. On the awakening it seems like he is seeing the light at the

end of the tunnel. Hahahahaha............. 

The release of The Awakening

think it impaired how the success of the album? 

That was a very bad thing, cause all

our fans in the states already had our album when it came out. But then

we were very busy touring Europe so we couldn’t go out to the states.

A lot of things went wrong and we are very sorry for our fans in the

states.  

Your last couple of records

affected the intensity and energy of your live show? 

No! Our shows are still hard and brutal.

We had clean vocals on all our albums. Sometimes more, sometimes less.

But our intensity on the shows is still the same. The people like to

sing along with us before they have to mosh again. J 

Caliban

difference between the two markets/audiences? 

First of all, the market and the

scene in the states are the biggest, I would say...the people/audience

are way more brutal then the guys back home or Europe, it looks always

like a big fight...and sometimes, more often then in Europe, there are

real fights and we have to stop our set, I hate this, but it’s the

way it is...

Given the sheer number of metal/hardcore

Caliban to break through over there? 

Yes I do...it’s hard for a German

band to get well known in the states, because you have to tour there

all the time, even as us band, otherwise the people will forget your

band, but that’s not possible, because we have to tour Europe and

other countries, too...right ; )...like you said, there are tons of

metal/hardcore bands...our advantage over the us bands is maybe that

the people don’t get the chance to see us so many times, that’s

maybe one point why the shows are mostly packed ; ) 

Your most recent recorded output

would take this direction? 

I don’t see it this way...our

intension was to take the best parts of the recent albums of Caliban

and put it on the awakening and so we did : ) so for us it was a “normal”

way of progression...we don’t write our music for any market or label!!! 

Your last Australian tour saw

your headline shows in August? 

More songs, more aggression, more

mosh and flying bodyparts ; )

on the Gigantour we don’t had

so much time to perform our music/set and now we’re back as the headlining

band with more time...so I hope you guys will enjoy this... 

Are you going to be playing

here in Australia? 

We’ll see...but I think there

will be something for everyone’s taste...old, semi-old and of course

the new stuff. 

Once you wrap up the tour you’re

for the rest of 2008? 

After this Asia tour we will play

some more festivals in Germany and after that we’re maybe doing a

short Canada tour...and in between we’re writing the new album...it

should come out early next year and studio time is around October November...so

keep your ears and eyes open ; ) 

Just a quick final five questions

to finish up with… 

Favourite place you’ve travelled

to?  

On holiday : Toscana

On tour: Moscow

Favourite album at the moment?

Calexico-Feast Of Wire

Most ridiculous thing you’ve

done for a buck? 

Never happened, any suggestions

; )  

Most embarrassing onstage experience? 

One time, I was sooooooooo drunk

I lost my microphone and it took forever until I found it...same show,

I announced a song we just finished...it happened 2 times and I almost

fell of the stage..Dont ask me what I said in between the songs, cant

remember a thing...I think that’s enough embarrassing for one show... 

Any experiences with crazed

fans or over zealous groupies? 

A shut mouth catches no flies... 

Any parting words? 

Everyone of you who read this

has to come to our show in your area...otherwise you cocks or boobs

will fall of ;)  seriously, thanks for your time and reading this,

hope to see some of you on a show, maybe there is some time to hang

out, have a little chat or whatever...take care, Caliban loves you*

Thanks for your time! 

For all things Caliban head to their Myspace page.