- Welcome to Rockallica! What made you become a musician? Do you come from a music family? Did you follow music studies?
Hello, thank you…. No, I don’t come from a music family but I studied music a few years ago….
- What was your incentive to form Black Reuss?
I was in bands for over 20 years and on tour and I loved being on the road with my friends. I really enjoy working in a team. But with Black Reuss I wanted to know if I could do it all by myself. But most of all, I wanted to make music that comes 100% from my inner self. As close to me as possible. This is all about me, and it’s completely different. I decide and I stand behind everything. When you work in a team, you always must compromise. That’s cool too, but I wanted to do something completely different here.
- Do you think of Black Reuss as a band or a personal project?
Black Reuss does come across as a band musically, it’s a classic band setup, but it’s a solo project. I play all the instruments, write the lyrics and sing. Except the drums everything is played by me. Composing, arranging and producing is all done by me. For the vocals recordings I work with Roberto Deluca at his erreDIelle studio, for the mixes with Roberto Macis at Solid Twin Studio and for the mastering with Giovanni Versari at La Maestá Mastering Studio. For the drums, I could inspire Diego Rapacchietti from the legendary band Coroner to play them on my last album Journey. And we recorded the drum with Tommy Vetterli (also Coroner) in his Newsound Studio.
- Your first album was Metamorphosis. This one will soon be re-released by Sliptrick Rec. Do you believe the album succeeded its goal to enter Black Reuss into the music map?
Of course, it depends on what you mean by music map. Black Reuss is a small project and will probably remain so. But I think I was able to contact a few people and I am grateful for that. And so far, it’s getting a little bigger every day. I’m curious where the story will end up.
- How much did you evolve as a musician and composer in your second album Journey? Are there plans for a Journey re-release from Sliptrick too?
Definitely, for me it was a step forward. Journey is the better album. Of course I’m not yet where I want to be and there’s still a lot I can do better, but it’s going in the right direction and with every song I record. Journey will be released on Sliptrick in October, which is very exciting.
- When you listened to music as a young man which bands did you find inspirational? Do you find inspiration in modern music?
I have been influenced by many artists. My musical horizon is very broad. I
listen to everything from classical to jazz, from alternative rock to metal, from
doom to stoner rock…from electronica to urban. But rock is my thing. That’s
the music that touches me the most. Something just happens there. But there
are also artists who are not only great musicians but also great people. When
someone is very authentic and lives what he’s doing, it’s very inspiring and you
can hear that in the music. Of course, modern Music is inspiring as well. I am not the kind of guy, who runs around saying that everything was better in the past.
- What is your favorite instrument to play and why?
This is still the guitar. It was my first instrument and I still love it. Especially in rock and metal, the guitar already has a meaning. And it’s a versatile instrument that allows you to put your personality into the playing and the sound.
- How does the creative process roll for Black Reuss in the making of a new album?
My process is such that I usually compose the music first. I start from a mood that I want to translate musically. Then I make the lyrics and add the voice at the end. I also always do a pre-production first in which I also incorporate a lot of spontaneity. I then try to capture that in the final production by re-recording everything. Usually with a certain distance to the pre-production. I consciously dont listen to them for a few weeks, so that I can go to the recordings with fresh ears, so to speak.
- Metamorphosis and Journey complete half the concept you have in mind. What’s next? Can you also tell us a few more things about the Black Reuss concept?
The concept describes my life flow. There are 4 chapters. Metamorphosis,
Journey, Arrival and Death. My goal is to arrive in life where I am mostly happy and
where I have created an environment where my values are respected and lived.
Journey describes the path to the point where you have arrived to that. Journey is
probably the most important chapter, because in fact, there is always a journey
when you are developing. Certain aspects of journey are repetitive. So…. I think even
when we are arrived, the journey continues, maybe to new destinations and wishes.
Or when you experience rejections, then sometimes you need to start again, as some things in live are like circles or up and downs, if you prefer. So the next album will be arrival and the last one, for this concept, will be death.
- Do you know anything about the Greek rock/metal scene? Any bands you appreciate?
I’m sorry, unfortunately not. I hope I can catch up and listen to some Greek bands. Best live in Greece…
- Thank you for the interview! Are there any chances we will get to see you live on stage with Black Reuss? Please close with anything you want to add.
I have to thank you. Now, there are no live shows planned. We’ll see, maybe I’ll do that too in the future.
My final thoughts… Do exactly what you want and do it well. Follow through with
what is close to your heart and persevere.
Official Website: www.blackreuss.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/blackreuss
Instagram: www.instagram.com/blackreussmusic/
Youtube Channel: www.youtube.com/channel/UC9UG6Rfa93ldqXiP3D6kVyA
TikTok: www.tiktok.com/@blackreuss
Black Reuss – HOLE
