DECEMBER 11th 2022
BIWO EXCLUSIVE

Article By: Metal Mom Rita

Metaltitans Metal Mom had the chance to send over a written interview to BIWO, their base is Castrop-Rauxel, Germany. Genre is Melodic Heavy Metal, have you heard of them? Well I sure hadn't, but was glad to be asked to do this because they are something that you should drop what you are doing and give it a listen. Read the interview right here, find out about the band and more:

MT: You are the mastermind behind this project, what made you decide to create this band, and why Melodic heavy metal ? Not saying it is bad, because it sure isn't, he was a real pleasure to listen to.

There is no reason for me why it became Meldoic Heavy Metal in the end, the music I make always comes from the gut. I don't plan to play death metal just because the business is booming. I do it for the love of the music. I'm just glad it's not cheesy melodies like almost every current power metal band.
 
MT: You say "There are enough assholes in the world - people who want to pull you down. We invite you to forget all that shit for a moment. Live now - and do what you feel like doing! Because tomorrow might be too late. Don't waste your time with negative stuff - grab a beer, raise your fist and shout it out loud!" Do you live by this yourself, sure makes sense.

Sven: Of course there are the one or other conflicts that you have to submit to but at the end of the day I can always go to bed with a great feeling. My family sometimes hates that I am so spontaneous. If someone has an idea I am the one who says, ok then let's not just talk but do it. The point is also, what's going on in your head? We too often worry about things that are not important. We should all be a little more relaxed in life. That is the message.

MT: Who writes the songs for BIWO ?

Sven: I wrote, recorded and produced the album Life And Death entirely because of the pandemic. Over the last years so many ideas have accumulated that would be enough for 2 albums (laughs). We'll see if we can use all that for the next album. I'm also curious what ideas the guys can bring in. Mostly the ideas came to me when I was lying in bed. I took out my cell phone and hummed it so that the idea wasn't gone the next morning.

MT: Where does the inspiration come from ?

Sven: I think it's hard to ignore that I'm a fan of Manowar, Iron Maiden, Iced Earth and Majesty. I'm a big fan of Jon Schaffer's rhythm guitar or the biggest Eric Adams fan ever. I love the classic heavy metal. But I don't copy things. The songs just sound like Biwo and that's a great thing.

MT: Do you think your music will be all underground, especially when your sound gets out for people to hear ?

Sven: No, I don't think so. The music is for every metal fan out there, because it is not genre specific. There are metal bands that every metalhead knows and that's where I want to be.

MT: You have guest musicians, is that something you planned for, will they vary on a different album, or keep them and have them maybe tour because they will know the material ?
 
Sven: You can't play heavy metal on stage alone. And it's only half as much fun when you're alone. We are currently rehearsing together and are looking forward to the live shows soon. The line-up will stay the same, because it fits well together and that's more important than anything else. We have a lot of fun together.

MT: How did you come to pick your guest musicians . . .

Finley • Guitar
Justus • Bass
Hanno • Drums

Sven: Shortly before the pandemic, I met Justus at a benefit concert. Since we were both wearing metal shirts, we got to talking pretty quickly. We exchanged our numbers and he brought along Hanno on drums, whom he still knew from his school days. I later brought Finley on guitar into the band, who I knew from the music school where I teach.

MT: Did you create the bass, drums and the guitar and they learned what you had done, or did they have any input into what they would play?

Sven: Just before the album went into CD production we practiced the songs. In the process, the songs changed. The drumming on Win This Fight was completely different before and Live Now also got different accents. And in the end, the album sounds like it was recorded by a full band.

MT: Have you done anything musically before this project ?

Sven: I was once active as a drummer in a band. But that was many years ago. I think we were called Lost on the Corner or something. That was a nice hard rock band. Unfortunately we never left the rehearsal room and the band broke up because some guys moved to other cities. But it was a great experience and a lot of fun. But the time after that I only worked alone in the studio. But being alone all the time is very frustrating. I just never met the right musicians to work with.

MT: Was there anyone that was a big influence on your style ?

Sven: I am not trying to copy anyone. "Hey today I sound like Metallica" and tomorrow "Hey today I sound like Helloween". That doesn't exist with me. It all comes spontaneously while jamming. Of course you can hear certain influences but they come from my subconscious.

MT: How old were you when you knew you wanted to do music, to put together something universal ?

Sven: I remember listening to a Manowar live VHS or DVD as a kid, using pots and MC cassette sleeves as drums. Those were my first musical steps and from that point on I knew I would make an album someday. Many years later it has finally worked. I liked the drumming of Scott Columbus.

MT: You have an album out now "Life and Death" , a full album, was it an easy process from writing to putting into the final version of the album?

Sven: It is neither difficult nor easy. It's a hell of a lot. My friends think that I do it all on the side and don't know how much work is behind it. The whole process from ideas, to recording, to mixing and mastering. Taking care of the artwork, creating the graphics, correcting drafts, etc. It took a hell of a lot of time. And also the current promotion phase costs a hell of a lot of time. I have no time to work on new things.

MT: Do you have a favourite among the songs on this one, and why ?   I always have a favourite when I listen to any album.

1) Live Now
2) Fountain Of Youth
3) Win This Fight
4) Mother Earth
5) Poor Boy
6) I
7) Alone In The Dark
8) Judgment Of The Gods

For those of you who may not have heard them before, here you go . . .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz3uCLY5DzQ&t=5s

Sven: I actually don't have a favorite track. Even with other albums I rarely have that I find a track particularly good. I always rate the whole album instead of individual songs. Of course there are songs on every album that are better and some that are worse. But every song has its moments where it can shine. Let's take the Into Glory Ride by Manowar as an example. There are 7 great tracks, you can not pick one out. Or the Seventh Son by Iron Maiden. There is no oversong on the disc like Fear Of The Dark. But in its entirety it is the best Maiden album next to X-Factor. It always depends on the whole.

MT: Is it easy to be the one person who looks after everything in the band?

Sven: With Markus Eck from Metal Message I have found someone who helps me with many things. Especially when it comes to promotion stuff. I'm lucky to have a good time management, that helps enormously. And since we are not a big band yet, I don't need a manager yet (laughs). The good thing is, you know about all the processes. I don't know if Steve Harris knows that the T-shirts sold under his band's brand are really bad quality.

MT: Have you considered doing a tour for this album, or have you done one for it?

Sven: We will play some local gigs in the next year. Since I felt that every band was on tour this year, it didn't make sense to go on tour as well. And then we'll see what else happens.

MT: If you are not working on BIWO, what would we find you doing ?

Sven: Working on Biwo. I use every free minute to bring myself or the band forward. If I didn't do that, the album would probably never have been finished.

MT: Is there anything you want people to know about you that I may have missed asking ?

Sven: I don't have to tell you everything, do I? (laughs)

MT: One more question, what do you want for Christmas ?

Sven: Stay healthy. Physically and mentally. If you are not healthy you can not be happy about everything else. That is the basis.

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us here at Metaltitans, we appreciate it, and wish you much success with Life and Death.  

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/Biwoband/
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/biwoband
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/biwoband/
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6miFgouExJ5GofJrOEInLQ

Words, views and opinions expressed in answers are those of the authors and do not reflect necessarily the official position, attitude or position of 𝗠𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗟𝗠𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗔𝗚𝗘 ᴳᴸᴼᴮᴬᴸ