I’m not necessarily a metal singer

This interview took place with Liane Vollmer-Sturm from Lion Twin!

Hello Liane, nice that I can do this interview with you. Introduce yourself and the band Lion Twin shortly.

There was a small change in the cast of Lion Twin. We now have a new drummer, Steve (Stefan Jung – t.A.). The bass is played by Kasi (Karsten Heyn), guitar player is Stefan Weber (called Stürmer), who also plays with Axxis and I stand at the microphone. Jan (guitar) left the band. The band exists not so long. We were fortunate that Udo Dirkschneider has sung the song “Day Of Anger”, from which there is also a YouTube video. So we have “skipped a few years”. We were present thus in all the papers, except in “Metal Hammer”. There were mostly good reviews.

Your debut album is called “Nashville”, and was also produced in this city …

We recorded everything in Hesel, the album have then been mixed and mastered in Nashville by Michael Wagener. Nashville is birthplace of rock and roll, not just blues but much multisided. There live very many musicians and because everything was so impressive for us, we decided the album is called “Nashville”. The compositions on the CD are very versatile. I think there is something for everyone. There are many genres served, we have a ballad on the CD, which is also often played on the radio. We were, for example, in the Japanese charts, in Holland and also briefly in the German rock charts. Our songs are played a lot in America.

With Lion Twin you are certainly only on small stages on the road, unless you play the opening act of another band …

That’s right, we’ve had our CD presentation and went then six / eight weeks later with U.D.O.  on tour, which was a small European tour, Germany, Holland and France. Shortly thereafter, we toured as support with Axxis in Germany. Followed by more than twenty shows on the European tour with Rage in fall, which among others led us through Italy, Spain, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia. It was a great time.

Touring costs money … which not everyone has. Much runs over contacts, who knows who? In the end it comes out but to ever get gigs, the size of the stage is irrelevant at it.

I ask it reluctantly, but the music is often pigeonholed. How would you describe your musical style? You call it pop-metal, but that I associate actually with other bands.

Yes, Metal-Pop really. Sure, in the songs you can hear heavy guitar riffs, the guitars are tuned partially deeper. But then you can sing along the choruses. I’m not necessarily a metal singer. I also have a jazz band, I have already sung in the charts, I’m open to everything. And I let myself also pigeonhole reluctantly. There are many men who smile at women in metal. But you do not always growl even. There are also a lot of symphonic metal bands. But I do not have the typical high-pitched voice. What we play is more rock metal.

Do you currently write new songs so one can perhaps look forward to a new album?

We are working on new songs and plan to release an EP later this year.

You not only entered small stages, you were at Wacken last year and have sung at the very special show U.D.O.  with the Bundeswehr Music Corps in the choir. How was the feeling of standing on this big stage and performing in front of 70,000 fans?

That was bombastic and very exciting. The nice thing was, it was very very familiar. I arrived on Monday with the Bundeswehr Orchestra. Tuesday was then soundcheck and rehearsal. No one knew anyone in the choir. We did not have the opportunity to rehearse before, only the orchestra, however, had already rehearsed in advance with U.D.O. And the first rehearsals were pure goosebumps. That was really great. We rehearsed in a small school. At the next rehearsal on Wednesday then was also the press here, Bild-Zeitung, Metal Hammer, Rock Hard, television … It was also very exciting. On Thursday we then were picked up by a shuttle bus. It’s raining cats and dogs  …

I can remember.

… That was really doomsday. Then on stage I trembled with excitement. That was already severe to stand in front of the crowd, even though the distance to the fans is quite large. Right and left of the stage are even the big screens. That was very impressive.  I will of course never forget it. I am also very grateful that I had the possibility to participate. We also sang a Russian piece among others, which was a lot of fun. Learning this as well.

In the evening we sat in the hotel at the bar, the band was there, everyone has talked with everyone. On the return trip there were very many people in the bus, who had never been to Wacken before, and many of the musicians from the orchestra had absolutely no idea about Wacken until now. They did not know what to expect there. In the orchestra are musicians who usually play classical music. And then they played on such a large rock concert. Some of them became really queasy.

On the internet I have searched in vain for your musical history. Please tell me, what you have done before LionTwin!

I have sung for Contradiction (thrash metal band from Wuppertal – t.A.)  or at Cyberia. Various CD productions, radio advertising. I was in several regional cover bands “Lili and the Lizzard”, “Fake”. Since there are various things. I sing since the age of thirteen. The first band played New German Wave. Singing is for me the one and all. I’m starting now to play the piano and take drum lessons, which also makes a lot of fun. With the Jazz Band, we also have appearances. So very very multilateral

Thank you for the interview

With pleasure.