
1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
Hey Hey. Thanks for the interview and your time. At the moment I'm at home at the dining table, typing away on my PC and hoping the kid doesn't wake up. 😊
2. Let’s start with the boring basics. Care to explain to the unknowing precisely where in the world you emanate such an aura of evil from?
We come from Lichtenfels, Bavaria, Germany. That's near Bamberg, Nuremberg in case nobody knows what that means. We sit here from time to time in a quiet little room and think about how we can shower the world with mischief in the form of our music. 😊
3. Can you name some of the bands who you first really admired and helped shape your future in music?
That's difficult. For my part, I come from the punk/ Oi! area. That's why it wasn't quite as wild for me instrumentally, although bands like The Exploited were of course a major influence here. In the band, however, we are very broadly based in terms of tastes and origins. That's why a lot of ideas come together, but it can often be a bit of a mixed bag.
4. As a band from Bavaria, how has your local music scene influenced your development and growth as musicians?
Very much. We actually wanted to go our own way right from the start and distinguish ourselves audibly and stylistically from the other bands. For me, many bands today just sound boring and the same, have no recognition value and no unique selling point. But for me, good music is characterized by all these things. That doesn't mean that we are good or better than others, but definitely different.
5. Offended By Cellar has been active since 2020. How has your sound evolved over the years, and what has kept you inspired to continue creating music?
The inspiration or drive always comes in phases. We are quite relaxed about the big picture, but we already have clear internal goals that we are pursuing. However, we don't have a strict timetable as to when something has to be finished.
Over the years, the sound has turned very much in the direction of “pure metal”. My wife and I started making music as a couple at the beginning of the coronavirus. She had just left a punk band in which she played bass. But she always wanted to play guitar in a band and as I had already played drums in the past, we started again. Other members quickly joined and left, but they all left their mark. So it certainly took a while to develop our own style, but now we should have it.
6. I already listened to the songs a few times. Can you give us a glimpse into the creative process behind your music? How do you typically approach songwriting and arranging?
It's relatively simple. Our 2 guitarists have an idea, write the riffs and then I write the lyrics. Everyday life inspires me enough for that. It's sometimes crazy how many stupid people you're confronted with every day. It's easy to come up with something 😊
Sometimes I have a song in my head and then I have to tell our guitarists what to play and hum something to them 😊 Unfortunately, I can't play the guitar at all, so I could show them. 😊

7. Is every member of the band involved in the composition of your music and general artistic choices?
No. I'm not a friend of democracy when it comes to bands. You just get caught up in discussions. If a song is born as an idea and I like it, then it gets written. If the other 4 members of the band are still against it, then I'll give in, but that hasn't happened yet.
8. Do you face any problems recording your music or finding studios/rehearsal rooms in your area?
No, not at all. There's enough choice of studios. Rehearsal rooms are few and far between, but we've been lucky there too. However, it all has to be paid for and some musicians think they have to fill their pockets.
9. How do you define “underground” and where do you see yourself and your band in it?
Everyone has to define underground for themselves. For some it's a club show in front of 30 people, for others it's a 3-day festival in front of 5000 people. The important thing is to stand up for the cause and not for yourself. Unfortunately, many people use the underground to put themselves on a pedestal, which doesn't do justice to the cause.
I can't say whether our band is part of the underground. We're certainly not one of the Wacken headliners 😊
10. As a band, how do you navigate the challenges and demands of the music industry? What advice would you give to aspiring musicians based on your own experiences?
As we don't have that many points of contact with the industry at the moment, I don't have a clear opinion here either. We're trying to do our thing and have to see where that takes us.
I can only advise aspiring bands to do what they want to do and not play what everyone wants to hear.
11. How would you define your relationship to local promoters and, more widely, the German black metal scene in general? What would you like to see emerging in this microcosm?
The connection to local promoters is simply almost non-existent. You can either fit into a track and be booked for a show or you're left staring down the tube. If you have clicks, likes and followers, then you're somebody, regardless of whether your music is good or not. That's why I hardly ever go to concerts anymore, because everything sounds the same. Keyword: female fronted modern metal. You can chase me with that.
As a band, we organize concerts ourselves and try to book across genres and thus bring the different subs together. That's what we can do. It's getting some traction. Whether it has a future remains to be seen.
12. You´ve already played some shows, how has the reception been for your music so far? Have there been any standout moments or memorable experiences you'd like to share?
We've already played a few shows. There was everything from disaster to really good. We've learned from the bad ones, we've fed off the good ones. I've made the experience for myself not to go to a gig with prejudices. The gig I had the least expectations of was the one I remembered most positively and vice versa. The JUZ with free entry made the ceiling drop, an experience I would never want to miss again.
13. In your humblest opinion, do you favor streaming music digitally or prefer buying physical copies of cd’s, tapes and vinyls?
Vinyl only. Maybe tape. We all use Spotify, but that has nothing to do with soul.
14. What can fans expect from your upcoming debut album? Are there any particular themes or influences that you're exploring?
No. We play what we feel like playing. So there won't be an instrumental thread, but there will be a lyrical one. Where Offended is written on it, Offended is also in it 😉
15. Any tips for people visiting Germany this summer? Where do we go to listen to some really good music?
Sure. It's best to go to one of our gigs😊 No, Germany is very beautiful. Unfortunately, politics and people are going crazy at the moment, but you can certainly spend a few nice weeks here, with or without music.
16. We have reached the end of our conversation, is there something that you want to say still?
Thanks to you, stay healthy and go to concerts. There are so many good bands that are worth listening to and playing for gas and beer. You have to go there and not to the big event bangers.
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