THANATEROS – Interview with vocalist Ben Richter

“… intention to combine Gothic-Metal/rock with Celtic Folk (…) meditation and shamanic thinking, and thus working with the forces and cycles of nature, are an important part of my life (…) I’m using those growls and “effects” on all the CDs… “ – Ben Richter

Hello Ben! In reference to the name of the band… Officially you say that you have nothing to do with the order “Illuminati of Thanateros”. So, why did you choose this band’s name?

At my time in Berlin, I was a member of a magical order and we delt a lot with chaos magic. The founder and head of the order was a member of the IOT and so I got in touch with it. I think love/sex and death are very strong powers and when I was thinking about a name for my new project in 1999 I though „THANATEROS” would be the right one.

What news are you getting to know about the newly released album “On Fragile Wings”?

Well, we’re absolutely happy with the feedback: Lots of good reviews and there are many mags which are interested in an interview. Also, the feedback from our fans is phantastic, what is the most important point for us!

And once again, you bet on label Echozne. So, the cooperation with them is going well?

Oh yes, we think that’s the best label for us. We were looking for a label with the “Insomnia” album and got in contact with several companies. I already knew Jörg from ECHOZONE from earlier talks and his offer was by far the most trustworthy and fair. Since we also got along very well during the following phone calls, the contract was signed.

Honestly speaking, first I only heard the music of THANATEROS with the occasion of your penultimate (fifth) album “Insomnia”. It touched me completely! Excellent combination of Gothic Metal with Folk music… But in fact, from the second album “Circle of Life” you began to boldly weave the melodies of folk music from Western Europe between metal riffs… Mainly Celtic, Irish, Scottish melodies… This type of additions gave to your music originality among the many gothic-metal bands… Perhaps the absorption of musical folklore into gothic Metal was your decision?

Thanks a lot. When I formed THANATEROS it was my intention to combine Gothic-Metal/rock with Celtic Folk. On the debut album „The First Rite” we hadn’t the chance to emphasize the Folk-part very much but for the second album we’ve found some Irish-Folk musicians which joined us at the recordings. At this time also a violin player became part of the live-line-up. I love the emotions Irish-Folk is transporting: On the one hand it’s so full of melancholy and grief and on the other hand it celebrates live and is full of joy and pleasure. It captures all emotions of life. After the reincarnation of THANATEROS in 2019 we decided not to highlight the Irish-Folk part anymore but to concentrate a little bit more on the atmospheric aspect. But it was clear to us that we want a violin player in the line-up again because that’s what makes THANATEROS kind of special.

Oh yeah! As the boss, you probably decide about everything, hahaha…

Ha, not really. Actually, I formed the band and I’m writing the songs and lyrics, I’m responsible for the cover artwork and so on, but we try to decide everything as a band. I think over the last years the new members made the experience that they can trust on me and my ideas. On the other hand, I’m always open minded concerning different opinions and ideas. So, in a whole working together is absolutely cool and profitable for everyone.

And are the sounds of traditional instruments natural or made by computer?

They are all natural instruments. Of course, today you could program any instrument, but I prefer it to have the „real” ones on CD. I think you „feel” it if an instrument is just sampled or played by a human being.

About folk melodies… You mainly create folk melodies full of melancholy. But you don’t avoid to lively melodies. In any case, almost every track has some theme, some catchy melody. What is created first, the melody or the guitar riffs?

Hmm, not so easy to say… In most cases a complete song just comes up inside of me somehow. Then I sit down to bring this song out of my head and to record it step by step. Of course, often it changes at the recording process and here sometimes I concentrate on the guitar riffs, bass and the drums first and sometimes the melody is so dominant that I build everything else around it. So, it’s an evolving in a whole. If this makes sense…

Besides the English texts, you used other languages. And not only to the titles of the songs but also to the lyrics… I can’t even define what the languages ​​are used sometimes… For example, on the third album “Circle of Life” the song “Gayatri”…

Yeah, that’s an Indian mantra! It’s sung in the original language “Hindi”. Besides this we’ve covered some Irish traditionals which I sung in Gaelic.

However, “On Fragile Wings” is entirely in English…

Yes, now that you mention it, I’m recognising it… You know, at the second chapter of THANATEROS which started with „Insomnia” we no longer have this typical „Celtic-Folk” style in our music and so we didn’t cover any traditional Irish-Folk songs with Gaelic lyrics.

Is Chaos Magic something important to you? Any magic or shamanism? Are these just cool topics to use in music and lyrics?

Oh no. As I mentioned before at my time in Berlin, I was quite active in a magical order. I was very interested in shamanism – which I still am – and studied religious studies and ethnology, among other things, but discontinued my studies because the practical work was more important to me than the theoretical. I then also led a school for meditation and modern shamanism for some years. This topic, my experiences and views were an important theme in THANATEROS from the beginning.

For me, meditation and shamanic thinking, and thus working with the forces and cycles of nature, are an important part of my life. I draw from it a lot of strength, inner peace, serenity and confidence.

Many years of my youth I also devoted to similar fields. It changed my way of thinking irreversibly, in a positive sense… At the end of the video for the song “Coven of the Drowned” (from the latest album) we can find information about the problem of suicides in depression. Due to my education and earlier job’s experience, I am familiar with the topic of depression. But I guess that nowadays this diagnosis of depression is sometimes exaggerated. Especially for celebrities and artists… There is a fashion for depression.

Hmm, I don’t know. I think we have to be careful judging people which confess to suffer on depression. Unfortunately, I myself am affected on several levels. Unfortunately, depression is still a taboo subject. And this despite the fact that the number of mental illnesses has risen sharply as a result of the Corona crisis. One can only hope that perhaps more people will now come to terms with it and no longer regard depression as a “weakness” or a melancholy “phase”.

By the way, I will ask. The actress Alina Konieczny appeared in the video. Is it Polish? I am Polish, so I am asking 🙂

Alina is German but maybe her family is polish or she’s got ancestors coming from Poland? Actually, I don’t know…

Before I tell you about my observations, I would first like to hear from you about the differences between “On Fragile Wings” and its predecessors…

I think „On Fragile Wings” is a little bit more „rock” or even „metal” than „Insomnia”. Even if we use lots of synths and soundscapes also on “On Fragile Wings” to achieve a certain atmosphere, “Insomnia” is probably a little “softer” and more atmospheric. But I think everyone experiences the CDs in an own way…

Sometimes you also used female chants. Johanna Krins sang on the latest album “On Fragile Wings”. She is not a random person. She already has a lot of musical experience…

Oh yes, the song “solitude” was written with the intention to have some female vocals on it, in keeping with THANATEROS tradition. The idea of adding a female voice on “Coven of the Drowned” actually came up in the studio when I was singing the song. Simon (our producer) and I tried to find a second vocal line and somehow it crystallised that there absolutely had to be a female counterpart.

I remembered that Johanna and I are connected on Facebook and so I asked Johanna if she had time and would like to do it. She luckily joined in straight away. Since it was quite spontaneous, we are absolutely happy that it worked out with her. I think she fits in perfectly! I could imagine that we will work together also in the future, so we will see…

And there were predatory screams and growlings, which I guess was not there before?

I like it to get everything out of my voice and so to transport the different emotions of the songs. I’m using those growls and “effects” on all the CDs but especially on “Insomnia” they are very much at the background. Therefor on the last album of our first chapter “Liber Lux” they are more dominant.

And the sounds of nature! Whales?

I love it to put sounds of nature on a CD. For me they are transporting the atmosphere so good. Because we’re dealing often with shamanic topics – shamanism is very nature-bound – it just fits for me: Wind, whales, the sound of the ocean… and this time of course birds like ravens, gulls, falcons…

Some riffs are downright Industrial Metal like in RAMMSTEIN. Is it just my subjective feeling?

Hmm, that’s not a main topic for us. Of course, we know Rammstein but it’s not that we sit at the studio thinking about playing special „Rammstein”-guitars or so. Those kinds of riffs just “rock” a lot and so they’re probably just coming up on their own…

Besides, you recorded a bonus track, the cover of “Running Up That Hill” of KATE BUSH. Why this song? You were neither the first nor the only one, as there are already known versions of the song, for example, PLACEBO and WITHIN TEMPTATION. In any case, your arrangement fits very well with the overall album, making this song a dark melodic Gothic Metal track.

Thanks! To cover „Running up that hill” was an idea that came up when I formed the German Metal band PHOSPHOR in 2015. We’ve recorded a very cool version with our own German lyrics. But the management of Kate Bush didn’t allow us to release this special version, what was really a pity… But after the comeback of THANATEROS I remembered the version and so we’ve recorded it for „On Fragile Wings” – of course it changed a lot compared with the PHOSPHOR version but the way it developed was so cool, that we wanted to put it on the CD – and this time with the original English lyrics!

What about your PHOSPHOR team? Is it on hold or split-up?

After the release of „Weltenbrand” and the following tour it was just Chris and me who were real members of PHOSPHOR anymore. So, when we decided to start THANATEROS again it was more or less the end of PHOSPHOR. But officially PHOSPHOR still exists – maybe one time we think it’s time to start again with it…

Ben, you played in EVEREVE for a short time. Their first album “Seasons” from 1996 I absolutely loved it. Then I somehow lost touch with their music. You didn’t stay there for a long time. Why?

After Evereve fired their singer they asked me if I want to join them and so I recorded the album „Regret” with them. Unfortunately, it turned out that there was no base for a longer cooperation because of personal differences. And so I left the band to focus on my new project THANATEROS. I think the releases of Evereve after “Regret” were no longer so successful…

Back to the present… Where we will can to see you live in this year?

We’re playing some festivals this year, just like the “Castle Rock” at Mühlheim a. d. Ruhr on July the 1st or the “Feuertal-Festival” on August the 27th. On November the 5th we are headlining the “Grand Franconian Gothic-Meeting” in Fürth. There are some more concerts we’ll play – just take a look at our website to find out when and where: www.thanateros.net

What is your attitude towards Russia’s attack on Ukraine? What do people from Germany think about this war?

It’s unbelievable to see what’s happening there – in the middle of Europe, next to us! It makes me angry, sad and just stunned. I think no one was expecting this – It’s so unbelievable and terrible.

I think most people in Germany condemn this war strongly.

Just like Poles! Ok. Thank you for the interview! What else message would THANATEROS like to bring for the readers?

Thanks for your interest and for reading this interview to the bitter end… Let love be your energy! And hopefully we arose your interest and you like to check out our website (www.thanateros.net), our FB page (www.facebook.com/thanateros.music) and our Spotify account (https://open.spotify.com/artist/4PKuYgwTT6Hr6DU5tfWeFK).