Rockezine.com interview with End Of Green on Jun 10, 2002

with Michael Setzer on Jun 10, 2002

The German band END OF GREEN released “Songs For A Dying World”, an impressive, melancholic album. This release puts the band right between the likes of Anathema and Amorphis; but also people who like Staind and Creed will find something of their liking. Michael and me finally find the time to ask and answer some questions.
		Can you tell me some more about the history of END OF GREEN? Well, we’ve been around for about ten years now. There was our debut INFINITY , the follow-up BELIEVE MY FRIEND and about 300 live shows we’ve played so far. I joined the band after the BELIEVE record and since then we’re playing with three guitars. We live in the beautiful south of Germany in Stuttgart and Göppingen. In April we released SONGS FOR A DYING WORLD, which is our third record.
		“Songs For A Dying World”; doesn’t sound too cheerful. Is your way of life that melancholic or depressive? No, I don’t think that we’re more depressed than other people. We basically deal with the same things that everybody else does. But we live that sideway more offensively. The best way to deal with a bad mood is to solve the problems – which sometimes is a hard job. But the main reason for our unhappy sound is very simple: When you’re in a good mood, everything is cool, you hang out with your friends and enjoy yourself – you usually don’t write songs. Song writing happens for 99% at that time of day you feel bad and you sit alone at home.
		Can you tell more about the lyrics on “Songs For A Dying World”? It’s a very personal and intimate record. The songs have been written over a period of time we did not feel too pleasant with the way things went, personally and businesswise. This record is almost like a diary of that time. I really don’t want to say too much about the lyrics because Mike Huber writes them all. I think they are very self-explanatory but at the same time leave a lot of space for interpretation. His lyrics deal with everyday life
		Why did you decide to cover “Black No. 1” from Type O Negative? To be honest: it wasn’t even our idea. A German gothic magazine asked us if we’d like to contribute a song to a Type-O-compilation. And since we like the band a lot we said, “Yes”. That’s about it. Later we figured out that our version is kind of a good one and so we put it on our own record as well. I still like that song. It’s almost like a perfect pop song. But I have to admit; I prefer the SLOW DEEP AND HARD record by Type O Negative, compared to the newer recordings.
		Is there a tour scheduled for END OF GREEN? Can you tell us more about it? Yes. We’ll be touring through Germany with our friends and label mates Undertow in late autumn 2002. The schedule isn’t set yet so I can’t tell the locations we’ll be playing. We’re really looking forward to it. Our last tour with Mirror Of Deception was a real blast so we can’t wait to get back on the road again.
		You released three records on different labels (Nuclear Blast, Subzero and the present label Silverdust). Is it because you are a ‘difficult’ band? Or has it got to do with the record labels? Do you feel at home now with Silverdust? You mean like we’re a bunch of divas with special requests? No, I think we’re a very easy band. The problems with our old labels had lots of reasons but it wasn’t like we were fighting with them. We’re still friends with those people. Silverdust now, is perfect because they understand what we’re all about and they support us with everything they got. We’re happy.
		How would you describe your music yourself? Is it somewhere between Anathema and Moonspell, or would you say differently? I don’t know these bands too good, so I’d rather not say anything. Our music is a good combination of rock music, metal, alternative, wave and indie stuff. We’re five people and when you mix us up you get our sound. And I have to admit we’re quite influenced by so-called “grunge” stuff, mainly because we grew up with that stuff.
		Something you always wanted to tell, but never were asked to… There are certain things I have never been asked, and I’m glad about \|hat. Wait, here is a tricky question: IS IT TRUE THAT YOU RECENTLY BOUGHT THE LATEST PINK RECORD? Yes, it’s true. I like that “Don’t Let Me Get Me”-song. It’s hot.
		Do you want to keep up with the news of this band? Check: www.endofgreen.de (Beautevil )