SEPTEMBER 4th 2023
RISTRIDI EXCLUSIVE
Metaltitans very own Metal Mom Rita, had the chance to speak with German guitarist and sound Engineer Michael Woess of the newly formed band, RISTRIDI (continuing the legacy of the YT Channel name as well) . A man of all trades, Michael has quite the following of guitar playthroughs via Youtube, but also known for his work with Agathodaimon, and forming his own project, OMEGA POINT back in 2017. To learn more about the many skills Michael has, plus so much more, check out our exclusive interview below:
MT: Tell us how you came up with the name for the band ?
Hey there! I needed a name for my YouTube Channel in 2007 – at the time, I was 12 years old and reading a Youth Novel called “Geheimen van het Wilde Woud” from Dutch writer Tonke Dragt. In that book there was a character that I really liked – a knight called “Ristridin”. Then I just removed the “n” and it became my “internet monicker”.
As we’ve formed the band, I wanted to build on the name I use online with around 20k subscribers – so I just called the band the same.
MT: Have you always wanted to be in a band since childhood?
Yeah, I remember listening to Metallica the first time when I was around 10 or 11 years old, that’s when I knew I wanted to learn the guitar and play in a cool Metal Band.
I’ve actually been in quite a few bands now. The most known band I’ve been a member of is “Agathodaimon”, a German Dark Metal Band from Mainz. I was their Lead Guitarist from 2020 until 2023 and was also responsible for around 80% of the songwriting on their latest record “The Seven” (Napalm Records).
Then there was Sektor (Blackened Death Metal), which I was part of from 2012 until 2017, and a few lesser known, small first projects.
MT: Why pick Melodic Death Metal over all the other genres?
I didn’t actively “pick” a genre. I’m just writing music that feels personal and whatever comes up is okay. The two 2018 releases, which we will also perform live (OMEGA POINT) explored a bit of a Black Metal-ish sound – even though it had clean vocals – and our new EP “Dark Solstice” goes more into the Melodic Death Metal direction. Although, I think it’s hard to pinpoint a genre on these songs. It also has influences from Progressive Metal, Power Metal and even Symphonic Metal.
MT: Who inspired you as you were growing up to be in a band?
It was bands like Metallica and Megadeth which initially hooked me. After that, I had numerous influences, to name a few: Wintersun, Coroner, Death, Vektor, Testament, Symphony X. It’s pretty wide-spread, sub-genre-wise.
MT: Who writes the lyrics and where do the ideas come from?
The main lyrics writer for RISTRIDI is Maximilian Birkl – shoutout to his Quiet Observer project. He doesn’t actively participate in the band, but he is the main lyricist who also writes music and even novels. I first asked him to write lyrics for my music in 2017, when I wrote the “Isolation” album from OMEGA POINT.
As that went smoothly, I again asked him for this record. Usually, there are some changes I request for it to better suit the music – but he’s the lore master.
The ideas initially came from a hard time I had with my mental health from 2017 onwards and now the lyrical themes shifted more towards starting anew after such a time and gaining hope.
MT: Do you remember the first guitar you got, what kind was it, and do you still have it?
Yeah I remember. It was a pretty shitty guitar by “Stagg”. I absolutely hated it, it was a piece of trash for about 100€ at that time. My second guitar was way better, an Ibanez Gio which you can actually see in my very first YouTube video from 2009 (the Nothing Else Matters Solo Cover). On that one, I learnt quite a bit.
MT: How do you come up with the riffs, and when you write them, are they yours alone?
I don’t really have a process. A lot of the riffs I come up with while noodling around on the guitar. Sometimes, a melody randomly comes up in my head, even at night – sometimes I then rush to my guitar and record a snippet of it, so I don’t forget it. In the morning, it’s usually gone, haha.
MT: Do you remember the first time you ever played guitar? Where was it and for who?
It was probably at home, on my mother’s Acoustic Guitar. I don’t remember it though, must have been as a child.
MT: You have a new album about to be released September 22, called "DARK SOLSTICE", how did you come up with the name?
It has a metaphorical meaning for me. A solstice itself is an astronomical event which makes the days “longer” or “shorter” throughout the year, with the sun at its extreme points. I’ve seen the before mentioned “OMEGA POINT” albums as a product of my depression, which I associate with the northern solstice, because most of the day it’s just dark and cold.
For me, this album as a step ahead, away from being depressed, being more positive, looking back at the depression and going out into the world. It’s a slow progress, just like the little differences in the duration of a day. But as we move on, the days get longer, and eventually we reach a point where most of the day is in sunlight again.
When I wrote this EP, it felt like a tipping point. I was still in the dark with my feelings, but I got a glimpse of light and started to get hope again. That’s why I called it “Dark Solstice”. I hope that was somehow comprehensible, haha.
MT: Was it a long process from writing to actually getting it into album?
It actually was, I always worked on it a bit at the side. I was busy with writing the “Agathodaimon” album “The Seven”, which was another outlet for my dark feelings – and I wanted to have some kind of balance, so I decided to write more hopeful music as well.
Also, the recording of the EP took a long time – not because we’re bad musicians, but because we had a lot going on at the side. We actually already started and finished drum tracking in the winter of 2021/2022. Then I recorded guitars, Max recorded Bass and I got some cool singers to record on it as well. The last recording was my girlfriend singing harmonies on the track “Dream Worlds” - as we are both busy with our jobs now, we just don’t have as much time any more.
MT: Was there any difficult time putting it together?
Apart from all the recordings being apart of each other so long, it was a pretty smooth and fun process. I tried to get a label for it, but that search wasn’t successful. That was pretty frustrating, so I again decided to self-release this EP.
MT: Tell us about the album?
It is me trying to convey a more melodic and lighter mood than my previous two albums. A more positive vibe. I’m a big fan of Progressive Metal, hence I incorporated a lot of odd meter stuff in there that’s counterintuitive to play.
Apart from that, it has mostly growling vocals, also a few clean passages, and it should be interesting to listen to, I think. I put a lot of effort into it and I hope that the reception of it will be good.
MT: There are 6 songs on it, do you personally have a favourite? If so, why that one?
My favourites are “Genesis” and “Dream Worlds”. They are kind of different in the way that “Genesis” has the most memorable “hook”, I think. Dream Worlds on the other hand has very confusing rhythms and is more for the music nerds among us.
MT: The Lineup on this is Frankior (vocals), yourself (guitar), VonYanesh (bass), Mortos (drums), tell us how they came to be part of this album?
VonYanesh and Mortos were my bandmates in Agathodaimon, so I asked them if they wanted to play on it, and they said “yes”. I also hung out a bit with VonYanesh and his good friend Frankior and as I found out about Frankior’s singing abilities, I also invited him to sing on the EP.
By the way – Frankior is also the new singer of Agathodaimon after Ashtrael’s departure.
MT: What is the best part of being in Ristridi?
Right now, it’s the rehearsals for the upcoming Release Gig. I’ve never played these songs live at and it’s a ton of fun preparing for the gig.
MT: Once the album is released, do you plan to tour?
We are currently in negotiations with a Booking Agency, so there might be some more concerts coming up – but not a full tour, as we all have our daytime jobs and have limited time available for concerts.
MT: Do you want to add something to this interview that I might have missed asking you?
I’d be really glad if Metal Titans also reviewed this EP 😊 Sadly, there’s not a lot of publicity for this EP yet, so every review counts! I’d also like to hear what you think of the songs.
MT: Thank you for taking the time to do this interview with us, and we wish you much success with the album "DARK SOLSTICE".
Thank you as well. Thanks for having me.
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/ristridi
INSTAGRAM: https://instagram.com/ristridi
YOUTUBE: https://youtube.com/@ristridi
WEBSITE: https://ristridi.de
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Ristridi