Interview to LED TO ROT (Germany)

1. What are your origins surrounding extreme music- as far as when did you get into the style and how did you started to finally pick up an instrument and playing?

A Robb: I grew up with metal. At some point, I started playing guitar and making my own music. A lot of black metal at first, but then also some modern metal. It just sort of happened that way.

Passi: I think it started very similarly to other extreme metal fans my age (34), back in the mid-2000s with bands like Slipknot and Eisregen. My way to death metal and all the other subgenres started with the MySpace deathcore era, with Whitechapel, Carnifex, and Suffokate for example. As a musician, I started trying to do extreme vocal styles around 2010, and I still try to get better and find more variations for my vocals.

2. What is the scene like in your area (Bavaria)? Is it important that there is some sort of local scene for a band to develop or can a band still exist in a vacuum of no scene/no bands?

A Robb: We actually have a very large metal community here in Bavaria. We are just one band among many.

Passi: The scene in my area (Baden-Württemberg) is kinda small but cool; some of the venues or bookers even work together for better shows and bigger acts. I also do death metal shows voluntarily. In my opinion, for bands in my area, an active scene is important to help finding an audience.

3. Talking about your demo “Concrete”, I must say, the production is quite solid. What kind of sound were you going for and how do you feel about the final outcome?

A Robb: Thanks. Those were actually my first mix productions that I did myself. I wanted to create a sound that was a mix of death metal/core and hardcore. It took me quite a while to do it. Nowadays I would approach it differently.

Passi: Im really happy about the outcome, Robert did an awesome mix and mastering and it slaps.

At first I was looking for more of a brutal raw caveman slam sound, but as you can hear, the ep changed to a more technical sound and different varietys of metal styles in the process. Much better then i expected.

4. Can you tell me a little bit about the album cover, and do you think art work is important to public perception and branding for a band?

A Robb: Passis job :D

Passi: The cover art is hand-drawn by a good friend of mine, Eric better knowns as El Tumor. He's an awesome artist from Augsburg. I told him about the song "Concrete" and my ideas behind it, and he already had a drawing of the grotesque face. And my first thought was, "Yes, this is the face of fear, panic and horror.” so it was perfect.

5. What are the most challenging aspects when writing a song and how do you go about the approach?

A Robb: It depends. Sometimes I have an idea of ​​how it should sound, and sometimes entire songs develop from a guitar riff. But the biggest challenge is sometimes the implementation.

Passi: The most challenging thing for me is to transform the idea for the song into actual lyrics and also to not sound like anybody else.

6. What are your musical influences that contribute significantly to the songwriting?

A Robb: Without naming any bands, I have many musical influences. From punk and metal to core, pretty much everything is there.

Passi: I don't know exactly, but I think it depends on what bands I listen to while I'm in the writing process. Which can range from jazz to rap over punk to black metal.

7. As a musician, how mandatory is the process of coming up with new ideas or incorporating new influences as opposed to staying within the style you are known for or that you are most familiar with?

A Robb: To be honest? We're always trying to improve without sacrificing quality. At least, I'm trying to refine our style.

Passi: I was always a fan of crossover genres, and I also get annoyed and bored very fast of listening to or playing the same sounding music over and over again, so it's essential to come up with new stuff.

8. What is your creative routine? Is there some piece of gear you wouldn’t be able to work without?

A Robb: That would be going too far, I think. But I've built up a small music studio over the last few years. I often have an idea that then gets turned into music. I can't really describe it exactly.I like to try new things, and then the ideas come automatically.

Passi: Maybe a pen and a notebook/journal because I hate writing songs on my phone or computer.

9. You are an independent band, are there any difficulties in Germany for such an act? Tell me a bit more about the scene in your area.

A Robb: Being an independent artist is always tough. It's always a lot of work to reach people, write good songs, and stand out from the crowd. But that's actually similar in other regions and countries as well.

Passi: The problem with being independent is nobody is doing the work for you, including promotion, sharing stuff, making profiles on every important music page and also the administration of all that. While working at a full-time job, it's nearly impossible to stay on the algorithm.

10. It seems like deathcore as of late is almost a dirty word. The scene, the trends, the saturation, the band names…what’s your opinion on that?

A Robb: Deathcore is simply a genre that has evolved over the years. There are many big artists who have established themselves, but also tons of smaller bands that can easily keep up.

Passi: A lot of shit is going on, that's true, but to be honest, I don't have the time to think about it.

11. What do you love to do in your free I like to try new things, and then the ideas come automatically. when you are not busy with music these days?

A Robb: My day is pretty much always full. I go to work like everyone else, and I also play games and have two dogs. Things are pretty quiet here. We live in the countryside, after all.

Passi: I'm a big fan of PC gaming, playing exit games with my husband, taking walks with our dog and doing sports, I also read lots of books and comics.

12. What would you like to see Led To Rot accomplish that you have not been able to achieve yet?

A Robb: That's a simple explanation. We're not really interested in reach or fame. We just want to make music and hope that some people like it.

Passi: I would really love to find a full live setup to play with and record a full album.

13. Thank you! I want to give you the final words.

A Robb: Thank you for your time and stay tuned, we are currently working on new material

Passi: Support small bands and local shows, fuck racism, and stay hydrated.

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