interview: Booze Control

In February of 2019 the traditional heavy metal action tag team Booze Control (Germany) graced the fans with the album Forgotten Lands, another big step for the band. Getting bigger and better with each album and after ten years of laboring, they just keep writing catchy, memorable songs, all the while consolidating their fan base. This is album number four for them, but it looks like they are just getting warmed up. Don’t let this band out of your sight! Below is an exchange between the band and this publication.

Who is answering this interview?

David: This is David, singer and guitarist of Booze Control...

Jendrik: ... and Jendrik, guitarist...

Lord: ...and the Lord, drummer in the band.

Good job on FORGOTTEN LANDS! It is an impressive album!

David: Thanks, glad you like it!

Booze Control has finally returned after the 2016 album The Lizard Rider. Everyone in the band knows their responsibilities, you have more knowledge of recording, and many other practical aspects, but what about the process of writing songs? You have already written many rocking songs! Do you feel pressure to do better than Wanted, Don’t Touch While Running, Heavy Metal and The Lizard Rider?!

David: We sure have learned quite a lot since we started this band almost ten years ago, and on the songwriting side things go pretty smooth by now. We have found our identity as a band, we know what we are going for, and we feel comfortable diverging from that 'formula' to experiment and try new things without risking total chaos. Roughly half the song are, at the core, written by guitarist Jendrik, the other half by myself, and we finished most of the songs together. Our previous releases were the stepping stones to where we are now, so of course we are building on them, but there is no pressure at all. Speaking of the non-musical things like booking, legal, merch, we have also come a long way. As it happens, you mostly learn from your failures, so from the past we know what not to do, and it's always exciting to see what the future will bring. FORGOTTEN LANDS is released on Gates of Hell Records, a Cruz del Sur sublabel, which is very exciting for us since we love many of their releases.

How does it feel for a bunch of young kids from the city of Braunschweig to be making heavy metal for 10 years and four albums? It’s actually longer when you think about the band before Booze Control that was called Sheperd’s Guns! After all these years, are you happy with your standing as a band in Germany? Accept, Scorpions, and Judas Priest did not become successes immediately, either. How much further can Booze Control go, in your opinion?

David: It feels like a century, and it's filled with so many memories and so much experience that I wouldn't want to miss a single second of it. But I don't like to think about it in terms of "what did we achieve in 10 years". We were practically kids when we started, and we didn't know shit back then. We were just having fun, and kinda accidentally learned what it actually means and takes to play in a band along the way. And now, here we are. We're very proud of FORGOTTEN LANDS and couldn't be more happy with the result. It's hard to say where we'll be in a couple of years, and whether the success of any band today can even be compared to the bands you mentioned. There's a lot of bands popping up, and a lot of bands vanishing, some trying to break the cycle. I think here's a central question in the metal scene these days: What will become of the heroes of today in 10 years?

Lord: This is an important point and I'd like to mention friends of ours in this context. The Trveheim festival in Germany and the many, many other Heavy Metal festivals that sprung up all over the place over the last years are an incredibly important cornerstone, not only for us, as a band, but for the scene as a whole. Without shows to actually play bands like ours would be nowhere today.

Is it really true that Booze Control has had the same exact line-up since 2009? What is your secret to keeping the original team together?

David: Yes, the line-up is the same from the beginning. We all built this ship together, we're sailing it, exploring unknown continents, and maybe one day we'll find a nice haven to retire, or we'll be wrecked and drown. Anyway, it's our ship, we built it together. We have roles, for example Jendrik and me take care of the songwriting, but there is no hierarchy. We're a democracy, everybody puts in thoughts and money equally. Of course, there are disagreements, but we've gotten better at solving those, too.

Lord: There were a few years where it all looked kinda dicey because we were scattered all over the country, but we kept the train rolling and slowly but surely we've all gravitated back together, and with everyone acting like they matured a bit (even if we really didn't), we managed to settle in enough to be at a comfortable status quo. I think it also helps that we don't have one huge ego in the band, but are actually all able to step back if it is needed.

There’s a lyric video for “Attack of the Axemen”. Do you have more videos coming?

Jendrik: We did a full-blown video for 'Vile Temptress' from our last album THE LIZARD RIDER, and it was huge fun! We'd love to do more, but unfortunately, it's costly and time-consuming, so for now we have no big plans. We might do some playthrough videos of the new songs though.

What touring plans do you have for 2019? Do you have Seattle on your schedule for touring ha ha?! Have you played in Eastern Europe and Russia yet?

Jendrik: We won't play any real tours this year. We have a couple of nice shows and festivals all throughout Germany lined up though and might play a handful of international shows in central Europe. We'd also love to come to America for some shows, if you find someone to pay for the travel just say the word and we'll be there! I think the most eastern show we played so far was in Zagreb, Croatia.

Are you all professional musicians in 2019?

Jendrik: Oh no, there is not nearly enough money in this to make a living. We all have day jobs, most of us in IT-/Engineering-related fields. Except the Lord, who stars in 70s porn or something like that, we don't actually know how or on what he survives.

Lord: ...and if I told you I'd have to kill you. Joking aside, I believe the whole industry is changing in a way that makes the old school image we have of "rock star" unsustainable, but on the other hand I don't know a single person, in this band or any we've shared the stage with, who's in this for the money. Everyone is just a true as hell metalhead and we're all in for the music.

Where are some places where fans can hear your new and your older music?

Jendrik: You can listen to our music on almost all platforms. You can stream the album on Bandcamp, YouTube and Spotify or buy it digitally wherever you like. You can get music and merchandise directly from the band, which is always the way I would prefer personally. Of course, we'd be most happy to see you at one of our shows and have a beer with us.

Why do you think that it looks like Booze Control is getting better as musicians? How old were you all when Sheperd’s Guns began? The Metal Archives picture looks like you all might have been maybe 14-16 years old.

David: It looks like we are getting better as musicians because we still are! We have a tendency to include things just slightly above our technical level in the songs we write, so there is always something challenging in them. Over the years, this really helps you grow as a musician. I started making music with bassist Steffen in 2003 when I was 12 and he was 15 maybe. I was originally the drummer in the band, until we found the Lord in 2006, and then Jendrik in 2009.

In the songs “Doom of Sargoth” and “Cydonian” Sands Booze Control has never sounded so serious, epic and mature and it’s wonderful. I hope that you keep growing in your creativity and your confidence. One day there will be thousands of metalheads singing along to your songs in concerts!

Jendrik: Thank you for the kind words. Both of these songs have been in the works for a long time and now we felt they have reached a state in which we were happy with them and they fit the album. It’s always interesting to go back to older ideas and see where they lead to after a little bit of rest. And having a crowd sing your own words is probably the most rewarding part of being in a band. Hopefully there is much more of that in the future!

Do you have any other news?

David: Go listen to FORGOTTEN LANDS, you're not gonna regret it! Lord: Get out there, go see a band. Any band, the venues need it and you might even have a good time!

Thank you for your time!

David: Thank you, it was a pleasure!

Jendrik: Cheers!

Lord: Thanks for having us.

shop.boozecontrol.de