Orage – Interview
Country: Germany
Genre: Heavy Metal
Interview with: Orage
Interviewer: Speedskullcrusher
Hello and welcome to the Acier Doux World , Can you introduce the band in a few lines? When was it created? Who are the musicians and where do they come from musically?
Hi, we are Orage. A female-fronted Heavy Metal band from Bochum, Germany. The band was founded in 2015 by our drummer Matilla. The band plays in the classic lineup of vocals (Mone), lead guitar (Olli), rhythm guitar (Chris), bass guitar (Alex), and drums (Matilla). The band’s musical roots are clearly in heavy metal and hard rock. However, we all listen to slightly different genres of Metal in our personal time. Chris is more into Metalcore, while Alex leans towards thrash. This way, everyone brings their own part and contributes to defining our unique sound.
I find your music to be very influenced by old school metal from the end 80’s and 90’s, but it doesn’t necessarily integrate the more bestial or necro aspects of newer old school metal genres… Are you old metallers, or is this the way you feel? Did you voluntarily avoid the more modern old school approaches, or did it come naturally?
Hard to say. First of all, we’re naturally happy to be associated with that era. The metal of the ’80s and ’90s… that was just an incredibly awesome musical time. We’re all around 40 years old. We didn’t really experience the ’80s consciously, but of course, each of us knows the metal masterpieces from that time. The ’90s, on the other hand, we experienced in full force. Maybe we are old metalheads. Subconsciously. However, we don’t explicitly avoid anything. When the band was founded, it was actually planned as a hard rock project, and the first songs also leaned heavily in that direction. Over time and with a few lineup changes (Matilla is admittedly not only the founder but also the last remaining original member of the band), the drive towards Heavy Metal crystallized more and more. We are really into pounding, forward-driving metal. Sometimes faster, sometimes slower, sometimes more ”progressive” and sometimes more straight forward. We play what we enjoy and what makes our heads nod. We all come from different musical genres in some way. Matilla is more into hard rock, Chris into Metalcore, Olli from the groove, black metal area, and Alex likes Thrash in all its facets. And that’s how we build our sound together. The current ” Modern Metal”… there are plenty of discussions about it. For some, it’s the logical progression, for others, it’s too monotonous and similar-sounding. Breakdowns instead of solos. Or a solo is played as the lead melody throughout the whole song. More growls than clean vocals. Except perhaps in Metalcore. We don’t condemn that, and everyone has their place. For example, we absolutely love bands like Orbit Culture at the moment. It will surely come to us incorporating modern elements into our songs as well. Nonetheless, it will still sound like us. Old-school in the sense of the ’80s and & ’90s.
Can you roughly introduce your EPs and your full-length album ” Rebon ”? How long did the composition take? How did the recording occur and who took care of it? Was it a pleasure to record the songs, or did you face some problems before reaching a satisfying result?
On April 26th, we released our album ”Reborn”. We spent about four years writing this album, though we have to say that the Covid pandemic really threw a wrench in our plans. Just as we began songwriting, the pandemic hit, and we could no longer develop songs together in the rehearsal room. We weren’t allowed to meet, and our singer at the time, Lara, was also a doctor in the ICU of a hospital. When we emerged from the pandemic, we had to part ways with our lead guitarist at the time, and in the spring of 2023, we also had to part ways with Lara as our singer. With Olli on guitar and Mone on vocals, we found great replacements. However, both of them brought a different touch to our songs, so we rearranged and re-recorded everything in 2023. It’s worth mentioning that we do everything ourselves. Matilla did all the recordings, mixed, and mastered the album. In 2022, through a project, we met a sound engineer named Mischa. In the final stages, he supported Matilla and has since been accompanying the band as a personal FOH (Front of House) engineer at our live shows. Matilla spent countless hours working on the album. Eventually, the band decided it was time to release the album as it was. Long story short, that’s why we named it ”Reborn” We breathed new life into many already written songs. The album ended up with 15 energy-packed songs. For a sort of ‘debut’ album, we think that’s quite a lot. We are extremely proud of it.
What does the Orange gig look like? Is your music very different in live conditions (Concerts, rehearsals) or on recordings?
Our live shows are very energetic. We don’t try to sound exactly like we do on our CD. That might sound strange, but we want to give the audience an experience. If they want to hear music like on the CD, they can stream us or buy the CD. On stage, we give it our all, engaging the crowd until we ourselves can’t see through the sweat. This also includes changing our stage outfits since April. There are so many outstanding musicians and bands in the world. And it’s not enough to just stand on stage and perform your songs well. People deserve an evening they will fondly remember and, ideally, recommend to their friends to join the next concert. That’s how we came up with the concept of the Space Rebels. Orage not only stands for the storm and thunder in all its forms but also for the crew of the spaceship Orage. Space Metal! Elaborate costumes with masks, capes, lasers, and fog. This creates a completely different feeling, both for us on stage and for everyone in the audience. We highly recommend everyone to come and see for themselves. You won’t regret it.
Do you have plans to release new music any time soon?
We have already written new songs and are even in the recording process. Tentatively, we plan to release a new album in the winter of 2025. Along the way, we will regularly release singles. This means we will record a song and then release it immediately. In the winter of 2025, the entire collection will be available as a complete work. This way, we aim to shorten the waiting times and also reduce the stress of massive recording, mixing, and mastering sessions. Additionally, for the upcoming album, our friend Mischa will take on an even bigger role to relieve Matilla. It’s important to remember that we all have regular jobs on the side and want to spend sufficient time with our families.
Do you have any plans to play in the US?
Phew, it would be really nice if we could say that. We come from a city deep in the west of Germany. If someone wants to see us live in the US… either they have to come to us or unfortunately pay us a fee that at least ensures we don’t make a loss if we come to the States. We’d be happy to play multiple shows to make it worthwhile. Seriously though, it would of course be an honor, but we don’t know anyone there. Instead, we can recommend some bands from our area, like Charcoal Fire or Relate.
Any future gigs , Tour ?
At this point, we have 4 more shows scheduled. We are playing at a festival (Nine One ne) on July 28th, followed by another festival (Feel:Leicht) on August 24th, in October n Recklinghausen at Südpol with 3 Power Metal bands, and finally, at a benefit concert or the association Metal 4 Mercy in Witten on December 14th. If you would like to book s for 2025, feel free to contact us at info@orage-band.de.
Thank you for the time to do the interview. Feel free to add anything additionally which you would like to say!
Thank you very much for this interview. Stay healthy and heavy!
