We are glad to be finally turned loose

Krypteria started as a musical project around the year 2003. With the song “Liberatio” which ran as background music for the RTL Fundraising for the benefit of tsunami victims in 2004, the project was known throughout Germany. The song made it to number three in the German single charts. 2005 then is the actual year the band was founded. In the following years, Krypteria developed from a pop to a rock and metal band. Until 2012 the four get a growing fan base, inter alia, by appearances at the Metal Female Voices Fest and as support for Subway To Sally and Doro. Then singer Ji-In Cho took a break because she looked forward to the joys of motherhood. It was quiet around Krypteria. Until recently. Under a new name and with new musical orientation wanted the four now take off again – “And Then She Came” was born.

First, I hope mother and daughter are alive and kicking?

Ji-In: Yes, thank you – we’re doing fine.

Four years we have heard nothing more of you. What have you done in this period?

Kusch: Well, after our last Asia tour in May 2012, we had Krypteria indeed shifted by consensus in slumber. Nevertheless, we have had to do with each other again and again, both privately and in the context of different musical projects. One of these projects should then mean the starting shot for And Then She Came. So Frank was one day commissioned to write the soundtrack for a German-American thriller. Instead this to take alone in attack, he took Olli and me too. Then when Ji-In joined the band, it was not long until the idea matured to give the music a sharp-edged note and bring the whole thing on record and then to the stage. So, from a Soundtrack project organically a real band is founded. Obviously we had really missed each other. Anyway, everything fits wonderfully and we are glad to be finally turned loose.

With Ji-In, Frank and Michael (S.C.) are indeed three of the four founding members of Krypteria on board, reinforced by Olli, who was at last live on stage. Why now a new name?

Ji-In: For us And Then She Came is completely different from Krypteria. Of course the whole evolved and was not planned. We just worked away without hesitation, without any requirements or expectations and demands on the part of a third party, and suddenly a wonderful and completely of blinders freed momentum developed. This was new and felt very good. Hence we see And Then She Came as something absolutely standalone – both musically and at all other levels. In fact, just the fact remained that the live noses have remained the same, and they cannot wait to get back on stage. 😉

“And Then She Came” is quite an unusual name. Why did you decide on the name?

Kusch: On the one hand because The Clash and Massive Attack were already occupied, and partly because we wanted to give us a name that inspires to interpret. In fact even within the band there exist four various interpretations as to the meaning, insofar it seems that this plan not completely failed, haha. And who knows, maybe one or the other reader has even a fifth or sixth interpretation option?

Wherein do you see the main differences between Krypteria and And Then She Came?

Ji-In: I think the most striking difference is that we have become more harsh, have included many electronic elements into our songs and the choral chants have disappeared. We have worked with great attention to detail, which hopefully leads to the fact that the listener always finds something new with repeated listening, that had not been noticed before.

Is ATSC a short studio project or can fans expect more of you in the future? Will there be a tour?

Ji-In: To be honest, we already have a few songs for our second album 🙂 First, we will play some festivals in Germany, Austria and France – which will be very exciting! And then we look forward to the shows with Arch Enemy this summer. Alissa White-Gluz honoured us on the first song of our album, so this is a special school trip for us. Another support tour in the autumn is also in the pipeline and the end of 2016 finally a small club tour and the release of our first live DVD is planned.

In June your self-titled debut album will be published. Like the last Krypteria album (“All Beauty Must Die”) you’ve chosen to release the album on your own. Why have you chosen this path? Isn’t it a big risk?

Kusch: It was important to have maximum independence and freedom. This gives us the flexibility to make decisions and do things that otherwise would be sometimes impossible. This refers to the creative level, but also includes processes away from the studio and stage. We recognize that despite fairly extensive experience we certainly can undermine one or two odd mistakes, but then we die at least by our own sword.

On the album cover is a carved out stone head to see which one should not look deep into his eyes if possible. Has the graphic artist Dirk Rudolph been inspired for the artwork of your music?

Kusch: Hui, I do not pretend to put myself in the head of such a brilliant and extraordinary artist like Dirk. If you ask him on board, of course you secretly hope to one serving of Rudolph’s inscrutability. Which he has now truly served in our case with the very thick trowel. Of course he knew the album before he got down to work, and we see both the name and number of attributes of our debut in his work again. But to come back to your question: Are we sure that it’s a shape of stone and not yet alive? What could proceed in its head? Where does it come from and what does it do?

How is your songwriting work? Become ideas of all the band members part of the songs?

Kusch: We four know each other now for quite a while and have experienced a lot together, we know what we have together. This band is based on togetherness and the exchange between members. Therefore, we find it important that everyone finds him-/herself and his ideas in the music. There are no clearly defined procedures, the impulse to a new song can therefore come in different ways and from every corner. In the end it only counts, that all are happy with the result. And that can be said with a view to the album with a clear conscience.

Since 2010 Chris could no longer tour with Krypteria because of health problems and was represented by Olli. Nevertheless, he remained a permanent member and was in the studio with you. Will he now also be involved in the work for ATSC?

Kusch: As mentioned previously originated And Then She Came indeed almost surprisingly from said Soundtrack job. Here Chris was not involved. He always rather busily developes new projects under his own production company. So he has definitely enough to do and won’t get bored. And when we told him of ATSC, he assured us that he finds it good that Ji-In, Frank, Olli and I go together and wished us good luck. We four can now hardly wait to be back on stage, after all, we still know how much fun we have with each other on tour. Between us it just fits.

In this context, I note that you had no change in the line-up throughout the years. What did bind you together?

Ji-In: Yes, but some group therapy sessions were needed!! No, seriously: It is no coincidence that we four have ultimately decided to form a band. Besides the joy of music it is but that what is important: stick together. Despite our absolutely different backgrounds and character traits we like each other and count on ourselves very much and consider it even as our strength, that we are so different.

With Krypteria you were touring around the world, have played at festivals, have played the championship anthem in front of more than 80,000 fans of Borussia Dortmund. Which performances do you also remember willingly?

Ji-In: Personally, I particularly liked the intimate gigs at small clubs, where I could see the faces in the audience and accept and feel the reactions without detours. Nothing against a round of applause, the echoes of the stadium walls, but most of the people are then still further away and you feel more on display than jointly designing an evening.

Thank you for the interview and I hope to see you soon again live on stage. Do you want to say something to your fans at the end?

Ji-In: Thank you, Rainer! We are thrilled for live shows and cannot wait to meet you! You also can write us via Facebook – we are sitting at the other end of the line and are looking forward to your reactions to our album. It comes out at 24.6.  – yeah 🙂