
1. Hello, my friend, nice to have you at Rotten Pages 'zine. How are you doing today? Let's get the lay of the land first. Where are you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
Sven: Thank you for having us!
Kai: Hi, we are in our rehearsal room in Solingen surrounded by our equpiment. There are some Heavy Metal poster, our backdrop and a self made life-size Frankenstein manikin. It is an old industrial building and it is really hot in here at the moment. Luckily we have a fridge with some ice cold beer and a small shady spot outside to relax every now and then.
2 Let's start at the beginning. WFNS is based in Solingen, Germany. Were you four friends or colleagues who grew up in the same city? Did you know each other before 2022?
Sven: We didn't grow up together, we're all much older than me. Frank and Olli knew each other for a very long time and played together in a cover band, I met them both 12-13 years ago in the pub and the contact never broke off. I met Kai about 2 years ago in the pub.
Oliver: We don´t even grow up in the same town. But how life plays, we found each other
Frank: Yeah, I know Olli since 2008 und played along him in a acoustic cover project for years. 2012 I met Sven in a pub
3. what was your personal path when you discovered heavy metal - can you tell us about some of the first bands that captivated you and then gave you the impetus to pick up an instrument and play?
Sven: I originally come from a pop-punk background - Green Day and Good Charlotte were my first influences until System of A Down got me into metal - after that I got into traditional metal pretty quickly and I stuck with doom.
Oliver: In my childhood there was always music at my home. My father he played himself guitar and listen to music from bands like The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Leonard Cohen and also some blues, irish- and folkmusic. So it was easy for me, to pick up a guitar at home and learn to play it.
The first contact with heay metal music was when i was about twelve or thirteen years old. I remember listening the first time to Judas Priest "Screaming for vengance". That was really cool and i like the sound and energy of this kind of music. It´s still one of my alltime favourite albums it followed bands like Iron Maiden, Metallica and some german bands like Helloween and Blind Guardian, which are from my hometown. Ha, ha. Over the years i discovered more "brutal" bands and I end up with some Death Metal bands like Bolt Thrower, At the Gates, Asphxy, Unleashed…
Kai: I started with some punk rock too. Die Toten Hosen and Die Ärzte were very important for me in my whole youth. I started playing an instrument after i discorvered Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana. Shortly later i became interestged in a bit harder sound like Sepultura, Korn, Metallica and Slayer. And i also love System of a Down very much!
Frank: Stray Cats, a lot of Rockabilly and later then Psychobilly. Later I loved punk, until I found my way to heavy metal.

4. musically, your sound is straight out of the textbook for heavy and doom, and it's wonderfully successful. Are there any particular bands or albums that had a direct influence on your band's sound?
Sven: Thank you very much! I find it difficult to speak as one. Everyone has their influences that we process into our sound. For me the main influences are Warning, Procession, Count Raven and Songs:Ohia.
Oliver: There are no bands, i can particular name as a direct influence for WFNS. In my opinion it´s a mixture of our wide-spreaded taste of music. Of course,our aime is to sound like "old" heavy metal with some doom input, but i think you can hear - particularly in our new songs we are recording right now - the influence of all kind of hard music.
Frank: My main influence is defintetly Accept!
5. Wireless FNS also has an old school look, NWOBHM, black outfits, leather and studs. Has that always been a strong influence? How would you explain in your own words how your sound has evolved from the beginnings of the project until today?
Sven: I grew up in such a way that a corresponding outfit was part of it, Rob Halford and also Udo Dirkschneider, by the way Accept are also from Solingen, have certainly shaped this style. Our sound has basically remained pretty similar, but of course we know each other better musically and a lot of the little wheels fit together faster and better.
Kai: Most of the time i just wear my clothes until they fall apart. Jeans, sneaker, some leather and studs have been my style for as long as i can remember.
Frank: I am old school,black ist the best and only colour.
6. The music on “Disconnected” is just incredibly beautiful. Can you tell me a bit about the songwriting process for this EP?
Sven: Thank you! There was no “concept” for the EP. It wasn't planned from the beginning to make this EP, actually it was just supposed to be a little demo. Accordingly, there is a draft of the lyrics from around 2009, all other songs and lyrics were written shortly afterwards.
7. Explain a bit about how you as a band develop the music and lyrics and then put them together perfectly to create a song.
Sven: Our songwriting mastermind is mostly Olli, he usually records a few riffs, underlays some drum rhythms - then I write lyrics or already have one, and then Frank and Kai come in the rehearsal room and make the song perfect!
Frank: Everybody does His preferences in one Cup,we mix it and voila,there it is.
8) How do you create and maintain the atmospheric qualities that captivate the listener, and how important is it for you to evoke a certain mood or feeling through your music?
Sven: Honestly, I've never really thought about that. But I love dark atmospheres, and I try to make sure that the DOOM doesn't fall short.
Kai: After we have the basic Riffs we just start playing and developing the sound together. Most of the time we start playing the songs at very high speed and then improve and discuss the speed and mood.
Frank: Without Atmosphere and Special moods,Songs are boring
9. how compelling is it for you as a musician to develop new ideas or incorporate new influences rather than sticking to the style you are known for or know best?
Sven: I'm very open minded musically and have a lot of different ideas, with WFNS I just bring in the heavier ones - I don't think we've reinvented steel...but we've found a really nice formula.
Kai: We are mostly open minded and have a wide variety of influences but we are careful to develop, preserve and evolve the true WFNS sound. I like to do my job an add a bit of groove to our sound.
Frank: New influences only as long, as i want to hear it for myself.
Oliver: If it sounds good, we will take it! Stay open minded. There should be no rules in making music.

10. what are some of your best moments during the live shows? Which artists have you had the pleasure of playing with? What are some of the less memorable moments during live shows?
Sven: We're playing with Grave Digger in October, we're really looking forward to that. Other than that, playing with our friends from Evil Tyrant has been a lot of fun. The coolest moments are when you realize that people know the lyrics, because we haven't been around that long.
Kai: My first live show on stage was a great experience for me. Yeah, it is great when the audience raise their arms, jumps and sings our songs. The whole thing is great, i love the community.
11. If we were to divide the history of metal into decades - 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s... Which one do you prefer and why?
Sven: 80s! Just because of the New Wave of Britsh Heavy Metal. And there was just unbelievably great music released!
Oliver: Early 90´s. Because there were a lot of cool death metal stuff released. And it was the time of my youth with a lot of party and beer!
Kai: 90s for me. The time when i grew up.
Frank: 80s - best Bands,best Songs,best productions
12. What would you say is the biggest weakness in today's underground metal scene? What changes would you make to improve the scene?
Sven: I think there's just an oversupply of gigs and of course it's hardly possible to play anywhere anymore. After the pandemic there are hardly any clubs left, especially if you don't have a name, it's hard to get gigs.
Frank: More singing, less crying
13. Wat plans do you have for the next few months with the band?
Sven: In the first quarter of 2025 our full length album “Journey to the wasteland” will be released - we are currently recording it - and in October we will play at the Laut&Hart Festival. Next year, of course, we also want to promote our LP live.
14. That's all the questions I have for you, man. I'll let you have the last word by telling our readers and your fans out there what you want.
Sven: Thank you so much for the interview! Thank you that there are still people like you who keep this scene alive with a lot of enthusiasm! Buy merch and records, support local bands, promoters and magazines! Cheers from Germany and ROCK ON!
Kai: To all the people reading this stuff, you are great just because of that. Stay tuned to Heavy Metal, it's still there, it will never die!!
Comments