Interview: FleischKrieg

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What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?

FleischKrieg (FK) - Most of us have been involved in music at some capacity since childhood. Thomas started playing viola in elementary school. Nuda was in a band with her family. We’re pretty certain that Nick was born with a set of drumsticks in his hands. Richard would still be karaoke DJing.

What do you like to do when you're not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?

FK - Pretty much anything creative. Richard is on #UFOtwitter all day researching the upcoming alien invasion. Thomas enjoys watching movies, drawing, or even crocheting. Nuda

How long has your band been around?

FK - The idea of FleischKrieg has been around for a little over two years. Richard was the original driving force behind the concept. After meeting with Thomas, the music really started coming together at the beginning of 2020 and having all the music for debut finished at the end of that year.

Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music?

FK - We started in Seattle, but have since moved to Los Angeles. Initially, Seattle wasn’t much of an influence on our music as much as our visuals for our first music video, Bloody Prophets. We found an industrial graveyard in the middle of nowhere that gave visual inspiration. Once we moved to LA however, I’d say that there’s more of an influence with the people we’ve started working with. Our producer was based in LA and we found our drummer there as well. It’s also helped provide great settings and landscapes for all of our upcoming videos in support of our debut album.

How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?

FK - FleischKrieg literally means “Flesh War” in German. Every day is a flesh war if you think about it. Someone or something is trying to steal your life away one breath at a time. Work, society, lovers...they all want a piece of you.

Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played.

FK - We’ve only played a couple of shows as FleischKrieg given the pandemic. All of them have been great and have gotten positive responses. I will say in a past band I [Thomas] was in called Aries Burning, had a really bad show. Our singer got really drunk before our set and accidently hit someone in the crowd with a barstool and also knocked over our drums with his mic stand. That band split shortly after that event.

Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you haven't already?

FK - One of my favorite venues that I’ve [Thomas] have played is The Madison Theater in Covington, Kentucky. FleischKrieg is very excited to go on tour, especially in other countries like the UK, Germany, Russia, Japan.

If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?

FK - Definitely Rammstein, Lord Of The Lost, Korn, or Mushroomhead. I think that would be a badass show!

What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band?

FK - Figure out what you’re good at already and could get better at it. Also find out what you’re not so great at, and improve it however you can. Lastly, be open to feedback and suggestions.

If you could go back in time and give yourselves advice, what would it be?

FK - Honestly, buy stock in Amazon. Then we could afford a lifestyle to do what we want.

Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?

FK - [Richard] is partial to Owl Light soon to be released along with the rest of the album. It’s about a really weird paranormal encounter involving owls and time travel.

Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?

FK - For Thomas and Nuda, it’s definitely Reach. It’s a fun, energetic song. For Richard it’s ...Brawler...it’s the most fun to sing.

What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?

FK - Richard is the main creative force for FleischKrieg. For our debut, he came up with most of the song structures, drum patterns, and synths. Thomas then provides feedback on structure and adds the guitars to the mix. We understand that songs are a whole picture and not the sum of its parts. Now that we have a full band, we’re going to try having each of the members come up with song ideas and try to be more collaborative. Richard will still be the primary creative, but he won’t be the only one coming up with the initial ideas.

What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?

FK - Personal sovereignty in a world constantly trying to steal it from you. I think that is the overarching motif of FleischKrieg.

Do you ever have disagreements in your band, and how do you get past them?

FK - Yeah, we do have differing opinions on some things but we’re pretty open and level-headed. Each of us has a voice, but can also commit to whatever the final decision is.

What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that's coming up?

FK - Now that things are starting to open up, we’re trying to book a couple of regional tours in the US. Once things fully open up, we’re planning to head to Europe and South America. We’re also trying to start collecting music ideas for the next release, but nothing firm yet.

As for more upcoming events, we’re releasing our second single, Reach on July 2nd on all major streaming platforms. After that, we’re releasing our cover of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s Relax in September before our debut album Herzblut releases in October.