selves in striving to optimallyexpand one's own freedom,forgetting that personal freedom only extends as far as the state of mind of the other person. Jesus said it perfectly: “Treat others always as you would like them to treat you” (Matthew 7:12).This says it all,but well,every generation thinks they knowit better… In the video for ‘Raubtier’ (Predator), you introduced two new characters: Jean-Gustave de Geulasse and Lacristobal, both playedbyyourself.Canyou tell usmore about these characters andwhytheyentered theworld ofLacrimosa? TILOWOLFF: Haha,yes,my new friends and enemies.Well, JeanGustave of course ismyarch enemy,the onewho should have no reason to be respected in our society, he stands for all those selfish, self-centered people who make the life of others miserable.Well,and Lacristobal is my alter ego,full of passion and desire,living like a ghost inside ofme. You also choose to playalmost all the instruments yourself on ‘Leidenschaft’. Only Anne Nurmi and drummer Michael Mohr are present on most songs, with some appearances of JP Genkel and of course the Lacrimosa SessionOrchestra.Whydo you choose to playalmost everything yourself rather that askingmore guestmusicians to playonyour album? TILOWOLFF: That was on one hand due to the pandemic.Most of the time, it was nearly impossible to plan recording sessions because traveling was not so easy.On the other hand, it was the most natural and direct way to capture all the emotions and all the little details I had inmind.It’s the pure Lacrimosa way! You chose to release‘Leidenschaft’on the dayofChristmas.We know that you are a devoted Christian. Is this the reason that you choseChristmas,or didother things alsoplaya role inyour decision? TILO WOLFF: Actually, the reason for this decision was, that this album is something very special for me.To record this albumwas an unbelievable journey,it was nervewracking,exhausting,intoxicating,uplifting and sometimes devastating and therewere times when I could hardlybelieve that I would ever be able to finish the album.After it was completed I was so thankful and happy that it felt like it become the most wonderful present. So, this was the idea tobring it out at Christmas,apresent for all Lacrimosa lovers! Speaking ofChristianity.You have said before that you are also active in your own Christian community. I always wondered how the other people in the community reacted towards this extravagant gothic artist that you are... TILOWOLFF: Well, they knowme and they take me as I am.This is the Christianway,as one can read in the scriptures:“For not as man judges–forman judges according to the eyes,but the LORD judges according to the heart.” (1Sam 9:2) True believers are living in the knowledge,that every person is a creation of God,and that God loves everyone.So,who are we to judge others? - 25 - If I remember rightly, when you released the compilation ‘Zeitreise’ in 2019, you promised a new Lacrimosa album in 2020, obviously in light of the 30th anniversary of Lacrimosa. You even included a song on‘Zeitreise’ that was supposed to be on the new album. Can you tell us why the album was delayed andwhy‘ImSchattender Sonne’is not featuredon‘Leidenschaft’? Didyouwritemore songs that arenot featuredon‘Leidenschaft’? TILOWOLFF: The delaywas due to the pandemic situation.I so much wanted to have the new studio album out to celebrate the 30th anniversary,but Covid got in the way.And yes, I wrote some more songs and about “Im Schatten der Sonne” it turned out that it was the perfect link between“Testimonium”and‘Leidenschaft’–just last night I heard the song again and was convinced again that thiswas the right decision,even though I love this song,it was a pleasure listening to it again–though it does not fit into the concept of‘Leidenschaft’asmuch as all the other songs that found their way on to this album. In 2020, you released the‘30th anniversary box’, a box with three CDs and lots of other things like a calender, a flag, a memorygame...Thisboxwas soldexclusivelythrough theHall OfSermonwebshop.I love theCDs contained in thebox,especially the ‘Live 2015’ CD. What was the idea behind the box andwhymake it an exclusivityfor onlyyour handcore fans? TILO WOLFF: After I realised that ‘Leidenschaft’ wouldn’t be ready for the anniversary,I wanted to fulfill mypromise,in comingupwith somethingnew,at least in this sense,and togive the audience something special, to make the people happy in this special year! This was the idea behind this box and therefore it only come through our shop because it wasmeant to be for our closest audience,those who are livingwith Lacrimosa. Iwant to finishwith a question about an earlier album.‘Echos’ is a disc beloved by many of your fans, internationally. The recordwas perhaps a verydifficult one again.This is the only post-1993albumthatwas not followedupbya tour andonly a limited number of songs can be played live, due to the importance of the symphonic orchestra on ‘Echos’. What were you aiming at with this album and what other important things shouldwe knowabout this classic? TILOWOLFF:One thing shouldbe known,that thepeopledidn’t like the album at all when it was released.One bigmetal magazine even told me that theywould no longer write about Lacrimosa, because Lacrimosa has turned its back on metal with this album.Yes, this albumwas not treated nicely either by the Lacrimosa audience and also not by thosewho never liked Lacrimosa. I was a little confused back then because I myself was very happy with this album, I thought it was a masterpiece but with this in mind I was quite alone back then.Well, I was surprised to realise,that many years later some people popped up telling me that this was their favourite album. I thought ‘where are you now coming from and where have you been all these years’.Yes,sometimes things are prettyweird. Xavier KRUTH www.peek-a-boo-magazine.be
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