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What do you think of when you hear the band name, Kontrust? Fun, heavy… lederhosen? Well, I always think of incredibly inventive music with a twist of insanity. So, it’s been nine years since we last had new music from the Austrian cross-over metal heavyweights. So far this year we have been exposed to new music from Kontrust with two new singles, thus far, and the announcement of their long-awaited fifth studio album Madworld (scheduled for release on 3rd November 2023).
I was so happy to have the opportunity to sit down with Manuel Haglmüller and Julia Ivanova to discuss the upcoming album and the latest singles!
Mick: Well, it’s been nine years since the last album (Explosive, 2014). I think we’re all looking forward to the new album. I just wanted to ask what the catalyst was for coming out with new material after a break from writing.
Manuel: I think there’s a misconception that this is a “comeback” of sorts. But the reality is that we’ve never been gone. We have been mostly focused on touring and live shows. We had planned on making new music but then we split up internally and we had new members, Julia and Joey joining us. Then the COVID-19 pandemic happened and years just went by. So I guess you could call it a comeback, but for us, it feels the same way.
Mick: The latest single “The End” is a very good juxtaposition of bright melodies, mixed with darker themes in the lyrics. I just found myself caught out by that. How do you reconcile the difference between the brighter pump-up melodies and the darkness of the words?
Julia: Well, it is a mad world.
Manuel: Yeah, it’s the contrast. We always like trying to stick to this scheme of taking all these things that are a little weird, funny, strange and all of that. We combine it all into a track and to the lyrics. We also try to make that discrepancy between the lyrics and instrumentals pronounced. We like to mix and match.
Mick: When you’re writing do you find that the words/lyrics come to you first or do you feel that the music and production are the primary base?
Manuel: In the case of Madworld, the music and instrumentation were done first in most if not all of the songs. I started working on most of the ideas about one and a half years ago. I drafted all of the tracks and had all of the themes and ideas. If I’m honest, it took a while for the other guys to catch up. To get into the flow. I needed to kick their asses.
Julia: Yeah we were all really lazy!
Manuel: Yeah, it all worked out really well. At least the hooks and main ideas came first, and then the rest of the lyrics came on top.
Mick: In anticipation of the new album, which song is your personal favourite? Which songs are you excited for the fans to hear?
Julia: I really like Pulling or Lederhosen Overkill. It’s hard to choose
Manuel: Well, that’s already two. I think for me it will be Rock To Outer Space.
Mick: So, the latest single “The End” has just dropped with a unique animated music video. Could you tell me a bit about the production of the new video?
Manuel: The animation was done by Callum Scott-Dyson and I have been in touch with him for at least six or seven months. We didn’t really have an idea for what we wanted the video to be, we just knew we wanted it to be animated. We had no idea which song on the album it was going to be for, but ultimately, this style was perfect for the single “The End”. As he could just go crazy with what he wanted to put in the video. All the symbols, figures and other stuff that he did really are amazing. I will be posting some behind-the-scenes for this video where you can see his work. We’re really satisfied with the video
Mick: Going back to the announcement of the album and the first single “I Physically Like You”. That would have been Julia’s first official music video as a member of Kontrust. Was it cool to finally be featured in a video with the band?
Julia: It’s hard to say. It was a different experience. Of course, I was already touring with the band and had played some of the bigger shows. But with that video shoot, despite it being a somewhat rushed production and also that studio was incredibly hot… I will say it was cool to say “Yes, this is my first video and I’m in it!”. It was a song which I recorded and was happy with. It was a great feeling.
Mick: With this new album. Do you feel like it’s been difficult to come up with new songs without feeling like you’re treading our past material?
Manuel: I think we’ve actually reinvented ourselves on this new album. We tried to work with new styles and influences. The people are different and it just feels like a different process. As I said, I was the one who started the writing on this album, which is very different to past records. In the past, I never tried to put my idea in place first, which is now completely different. So the whole spectrum and sound are completely different. Although we have still tried to keep the Kontrust style on each track, we still implement the well-known Kontrust style in the music, whilst also giving it new life.
Mick: Have you incorporated any new genre or production elements?
Manuel: Yes definitely. Even before writing this album, I've just enjoyed listening to electronic music and I think this made quite a significant impact on the whole album. There are a lot of synths and sound programming. I mainly started off with a lot of bass synths.
Mick: Well, I am thoroughly looking forward to herding the full album in November! It sounds like this is going to be an exciting album to listen to! Just to end this little chat is a question I like to ask everyone. What is the hardest thing you’ve had to overcome and how did you overcome it?
Julia: I wouldn’t want to get into specifics. I think there have always been moments where I have to choose myself and my own happiness. I have followed my heart and chosen my own way. Which can be tough. You cannot let an opportunity pass you by. You have to choose yourself and yeah, it can be hard and it can be tough to go in that direction but, even though sounds easy and pleasant, following your heart can be a tough thing to do. Yet, I think it’s worth it in the end because you know you did right by yourself. If it ever comes down to it, choose yourself.
Manuel: For me, the hardest thing would have been the death of my little sister. It was a long time ago, but something that deeply affected me, it took me three or four years to get through it. But I found peace and solace in my music and that helps me still to this day.
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