‘Click Interview’ with Wolfchild: ‘We Always Do What We Like, There Are No Boundaries’
Dark-electro and EBM formation Wolfchild released its third full length album “Evil Calls Home” a few months ago now. The band originally set up by Robert Van Kooij (The Netherlands) and later on joined by singer Jan Ricker (Germany) released two albums on DSBP, but moved to Advoxya Records to unleash their newest work. The album reveals an alluring number of great, danceable songs, which sometimes make me think to the imaginary offspring between Tyske Ludder and God Module. If you don’t know yet this album, it definitely is an opus I highly recommend. I talked about it with both members.
(Courtesy by Inferno Sound Diaries)
Q: How did you guys met and how did the first songs took shape? What makes the chemistry between both of you?
Jan: We met in 2016 via Facebook, when I was in a band called 13th Angel. Robert was searching for some guest singers for his first album “Sunt Mala Quae Libas”. So we agreed to make a song together. Later on when the first Wolfchild singer quit I told Robert that I could do more vocals if he needed any. Said and done. It was a good change for me as 13th Angel was a lot more mellow and less aggressive and Robert really liked the songs we did for Wolfchild, so he asked me if I would join permanently and I accepted.
Our taste in music is very similar, I know right away what I want to do with the songs that Robert writes, which was never the case before in my musical career. It just works out very well.
Q: Sorry to say guys, but Wolfchild is maybe not the most original name for a band as there’re other bands with the same name. So what’s the deeper significance behind and eventually the link with the lyrical subjects and song titles?
Robert: I’m sorry too, but I don’t give a shit how original a bands name is. I just liked it for this project, because I am a huge fan of wolves. Nothing more, nothing less.
Jan: Honestly, I didn’t know any of the bands when I joined, so I am not too concerned. Also changing it now would just feel wrong. But it definitely lead me to write lots of lyrics that are ‘Wolf’-related. It wasn’t really planned, it just happened. It’s a recurrent theme I like to explore again and again.
Q: A few months ago now, you released your third album “Evil Calls Home”. How do you look back at the entire writing- and production process of this work? What has been the main focus and the biggest challenge(s)?
Jan: Well, all in all it went relatively smoothly. The biggest challenge for me was to convince Robert that the wrote good songs (lol). He had some problems with “Wenn Wölfe Heulen” and “The Burden Of A Sinner”, which he hated at first, but they were really good, so I told him he should stop complaining and let me do my thing… and everything turned out great. Unfortunately he still hates “The Burden Of A Sinner” today…
Q: Do you follow a particular procedure and/or way of working? Do you notice an evolution/changes in the working process since your early songs?
Jan: The procedure is nearly always the same: Robert comes up with a song and I write lyrics and sing to that song. Sometimes I give him a sample that I want to use… Sometimes I tell him what I want to write about, so he can try to match it a little closer. But there was definitely an evolution in our songs itself. I took a lot more care writing better lyrics and also I try to tell a story with each song which I have never done before. Also the music evolved; we included a lot more orchestral elements and epic percussion… and we are definitely not finished with evolving, we always do what we like, there are no boundaries.
Q: I noticed an interesting quote at your Facebook page ‘You ask me if I have a God complex. Let me tell you something. I am God’! This quote is taken from the movie “Malice”. What makes this quote interesting and is there any link with Wolfchild?
Robert: I’ve heard this quote a long time ago…back in the Robert Dope days. Like you said, from “Malice”. Since then it’s in my head and always wanted to use it for something. Nothing to do with Wolfchild, but once again… I just like it.
Q: There’s also an album in the pipeline from the side-project Robert Dope? Can you reveal us some details? Other further projects, plans in the pipeline?
Jan: We both are working on a new Robert Dope album, parallel to our new Wolfchild release. Yes, I am on board this time, too. But of course it will be a very different ‘beast’; a different musical approach and also the vocals will sound very different. Otherwise there would be no point, really. And of course…
Robert: Not sharing a damn till everything’s ready!
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