We have simply outlived our competitors

I’m sitting here with Gino (voc), Steve (b), Oliver (g), Michael (dr) and Axel (keys) from the Hamburg-based rock band Châlice in the backstage room of Marias Ballroom in Hamburg-Harburg. Please present Châlice briefly.

Châlice exists since the early 90s. So we play melodic hard rock in a variety of shades for ages, we have recorded seven albums, we have been on tour very much, with very illustrious people. Yes, and we are still here, we have simply outlived our competitors.

Concerts, that’s my cue. You have toured with Deep Purple, Doro and many other, I would say, living legends. How was that for you to be on tour with such great musicians?

In most cases, it was really a super great time. We’ve met a lot of nice people, could play great shows. It was simply a great time to be on the road with them. Have seen great halls, met a lot of great fans who were always very open to us, and that was just great. It is time that we start touring again.

You have released five albums between 1995 and 2005.

If you say that…

In 2007   your unplugged album was released. But actually there was nothing released in ten years. What happened?

That long? We say in such cases always things like, we have lived in the meantime. We all had a lot on our plate, so by children over divorce, weddings … so everything somehow goes. And we have become just more slowly, although there is always a lot happening. We have experienced a lot of things that we could then process again to songs that was cool.

The big advantage with us is that we do not have to live from our music. So we can take our time and do not publish any of these shit every year. We have written good songs at the time.

How did it happen that you reunited after such a long break, to produce a new album?

We have always seen us in the whole time, always making music. At some point Oli, who is our driving force, said, “Guys, we need to do something again.” Some of the songs are indeed emerged during this period and has grown over several years. That was very good for the songs. Some are also tested live. We thus had the opportunity to work on the songs.

How does your song writing proceed, do you go into the rehearsal room and jam together or comes someone with a finished idea?

Mostly comes somebody with something, with a riff, a few chords, a text line or a melody line by Michael. Then, we put it through the mill, until it is no longer recognizable and loved by all of us. The one who got it, must have good nerves, because the result is usually quite different from the original idea. This makes it also very difficult because all of their opinions contribute. “Turn Away”, the new single from the album “Overyears Sensation”, has taken a long time. We had at least three different versions and each time at least one was dissatisfied. Then we pushed aside the song, have done something else and have taken him out again, because we thought, this is actually a horny song. And this has then processed. We want to have a great result in the end, with which we are all satisfied.

One must also say that we were already a lot earlier done. We then made a pre-production, let the album mix by several people to see who makes the best. And also we have discussed quite long.

And have we to wait for the next album again a decade or does it this time go a little faster?

This goes entirely quick.

Nine. We run backwards, the next then only eight. (Laughter)

So I said after the last, now we could actually write directly on, we’re just „in the flow”.

We also feel that it took a little long. Meanwhile, a concrete idea for a new EP is available, which we intend to take quite promptly addressed.

How do you actually define your sound? It’s difficult to pigeonhole it.

Actually we do not want to define it, because we say, let the listener define. There are particular trademarks that are important to us, we like really heavy guitar. And what is most important to us, is that there are melodies in it. The band members have different influences and preferences. So then also arise diverse songs. It’s not all  a mishmash but intended to create varying albums. So it is often not easy for us at the reviews, because many like it better if there is only one genre. But we are fortunate that we are not dependent on them. So we make up songs that we liked.

What can we expect in the future from you? Currently you play so every now and then a gig. Will you go right on the road again?

It is our wish to go there again on the stages, as we belong there. It works and is great fun. However, it is not easy. The market has changed a lot, that you have to think more and more, as you come to such a tour. We decided that it is good to play as a support because we can easily reach many people. This makes more sense than for the same financial effort play in Munich and may have only 50 people standing in front of the stage. For this you must know a lot of people and also have luck. The conditions are, however, getting worse and we are not willing to seemingly small bands to pay an amount to go on tour. With large bands you can think about that.

So we can expect in the future a new EP or album, you will go back on bigger tour.

Thus, it is at least planned.

It will thus be an exciting time for us fans. I thank you for this interesting interview.