EMQs With TRUTH & TRAGEDY
EMQs With TRUTH & TRAGEDY
Hi everyone! Welcome to another EMQs interview, this time with German Post-Hardcore band, Truth & Tragedy. Huge thanks to them for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit of history about the band?
We are Truth & Tragedy, a post-hardcore 5-piece from Germany: Aaron (vocals), Freddy (guitar), Kai (guitar), Vitali (bass) and Domi (drums). Truth & Tragedy actually began as a duo between Aaron and Freddy back in September 2020, right smack bang in the middle of Covid lockdown! We started the project mainly to avoid going crazy from boredom, and because we could no longer meet with the band we were previously in. Within a couple of months we had already released an EP, a single and a debut album, and when the world started opening up for live shows again, we realised we needed musicians! So we were joined by Kai, Vital and Domi,
who now also pitch in with the writing and recording, and that makes Truth & Tragedy the 5-piece it is today!
What country/region are you from, and what is the metal scene like there?
We formed Truth & Tragedy when we were living in Bamberg, a small city in Bavaria, Germany, but now only Freddy actually still lives there! Kai, Vital and Domi still live in nearby towns and cities, but Aaron now actually lives in the UK! So we kinda have a long-distance band, which actually works better than you’d think! Germany, in general, is renowned for its metal scene, but it’s also extremely hard to crack into, so it can be quite frustrating as an upcoming band to score shows and get the exposure you need – especially coming out of Covid. But when you finally do
get a seat at the table, the scene is wild, and there are loads of amazing festivals around as well! We are also really excited about the UK, and we actually have our first UK Tour coming up in February 2023! So we can’t wait to get stuck into that either!
What is your latest release?
We released our latest EP ‘Blood on Blood’ in May this year, and that has been one of our favourite releases so far! It’s a 3-track exploration of family love – both the happiest and most tragic times of our family lives: the birth of a son, and the attempted suicide of a brother. We use a lot of contrasts in our music, and you can definitely see that in ‘Blood on Blood’. Our track ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ is pretty brutal, and deals with the residing anger and pain that comes with almost losing a brother. ‘Neo’ is a sweet tribute to our guitarist Freddy’s new-born son, celebrating life and love, and ‘Artery’ is our moody instrumental, striking the balance between
the two.
Who have been your greatest influences?
We love bands like To Kill Achilles, Being As An Ocean and Casey, and these guys have definitely had a bearing on the way we write our music and express certain issues in our songwriting. We also have huge respect for Bring Me The Horizon, who aren’t afraid to experiment with different styles, and who have mastered every subgenre of metal they turn their hand to – that has definitely inspired us to be experimental with our music too!
What first got you into music?
This answer is slightly different for all of us, but generally it’s a mixture of growing up watching the greats (like Bon Jovi, Freddie Mercury, Dio), and just having a natural urge to make music! It’s hard to explain – it’s just something we’ve each always loved to do, and we’re lucky to have found a group of like-minded individuals who also like to be loud!
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician, who would it be?
We’d love to collaborate with Being As An Ocean, because they’ve had such an influence on our own songwriting, and we think our styles would mix well. Plus it would be a dream come true for Freddy and Aaron, who are both huge long-time fans!
If you could choose any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
There is a very long list! But top would be Carolina Rebellion – our singer Aaron is originally from North Carolina in the States, so he’d love to be able to play for his family and friends over there one day!
What’s the weirdest gift you’ve ever received from a fan?
We’ve never gotten a gift… we must be doing something wrong!
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
We love you, please come see us on one of our tours and hang out!
If you could bring back one rockstar back from the dead, who would it be?
Wouldn’t everybody choose Freddie Mercury?!
What do you enjoy most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
The best thing has to be travelling all over the place, performing in all sorts of venues, and meeting all sorts of people – all while doing something you love, and something you can truly say is yours. There aren’t many jobs like that around! The worst thing is Facebook Ads – those things are an instant migraine and you can guarantee at some point your computer is going out the window.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
Something that has to change is the way artists are paid for their work. Streaming platforms are an invaluable tool in getting your music out there, but the amount they pay you for your art is criminal. And it’s not about making millions either – at this point, most bands would be happy just to balance out their production costs! There has to be a happy medium somewhere, but we’re certainly far from it at the moment!
Name one of your all time favourite albums?
We’ve argued a lot over this question, but have finally settled on one: “All Our Gods Have Abandoned Us” by Architects. Masterpiece!
What’s best? Vinyl, Casettes, CDs, or Downloads?
As much as we love the old ways, practically speaking you can’t beat digital – but for a rainy Sunday, a scratchy old vinyl really hits the spot!
What’s the best gig you have played to date?
We really enjoyed our gig at Dislike Magazine’s festival, where we got to share a stage with some amazing bands like Oceans, Our Mirage, Watch Out Stampede, Marathonmann and Sperling – it was one of our first shows, and it’s one we won’t forget!
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be doing?
We get asked this question a lot, but to be honest, none of us have an answer for you! We all have our own lives outside of music, but none of us can imagine a life without it! Even if we didn’t have Truth & Tragedy to focus on, we’d all have found some other excuse to jump around and make a lot of noise!
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
Kurt Cobain, Dr Dre, Captain Jack Sparrow, Chad Kroger, and a golden retriever.
What’s next for the band?
We have a hell of a lot coming up! In July, we headline the Friday night of Wacken Foundation’s Rock Das Ding festival, we’re shooting a new music video for our latest single in August, then in September we are heading off on our first international tour of Central and Eastern Europe! We have another EP (it’s a brutal one!) planned for release this winter, and then we kick 2023 off with a UK Tour, as well as another EU Tour in Spring! And we still have plenty more shows and releases to announce! So keep an eye out for a tour date near you and come party with us!
What social media links do you use to get your music out to people?
You can find all our music, videos, live dates and merch at http://www.truthandtragedy.com, or find us on any social media as @truth_and_tragedy. Here are all our links for you to check out!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/truth_and_tragedy/
Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/TruthandTragedy/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0WEUmP3DPtJIexlk4JoVmP
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-UQk6I2YapgoFKsUzvbjOg
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/truth-tragedy-hc
Website: https://truthandtragedy.com
Jaffa Cakes! Are they a cake or a biscuit?
As three Krauts, a Russki and a Yank, we have no idea what a Jaffa Cake is, so we passed this on to our Brit tour manager to answer. She says: “They’re a bloody biscuit, no question”!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Thanks for having us at Ever Metal, and thank you guys for reading this – your support means the world to us! Check out our tour dates for a city near you, and reach out to us on social media – we’d love to hear from you!
Much love,
T&T