Frontalangriff is a german hardcorepunkband
which sent me their record. So good and so hard.
This interview was done in april 2022
Please tell me a little bit history
of the group?
Pete: The foundation stone for
FRONTALANGRIFF
was given by a film project. "Part Of The
Problem", a thriller in the Pank Milleu shot by
friends. Were looking for people who represent a
band, with concert recordings and contribute a
story part in the film. In the basement hit a
few songs recorded, have fun and just want more.
With Dima I play in CUT MY SKIN, Ralle I know
from punkbars & party making and Sascha came
after the film shooting as a singer.When we had
vocals on all songs, we recorded our first
record in May 2021.
Please tell me a little about every
member in the group right now, age, family,
work, interests and something bad about
everyone? Earlier bands? Other bands on the
side?
Dima: age 37, having a family with 3 kids,
playing drums, doing back vocals, doing artwork,
working as a industrial climber in Berlin, love
and do Tattoo/Bodyart . Musicaly, connect myself
to a worldwide metal and hardcore punk scene.
Punk and hardcore is the closest idea generator
for my way of life and beliefes, the most honest
and strongest way to be, based on my life
expirience. Played before with :Dreadful
Craving, Dagor Dagorath, Deadlock, Dead Rabinz,
Shitty CT, Sphera, City Rats, Arafel, Molotov
Cocktail(NY), Barreleye, Tilidin. Bands on the
side: Cut My Skin, Rambukk.
Ralle/Sascha: We are "professional youth" in
Berlin punkscene so age etc doesn t matter.
Pete: Playing bass, archery, fitness, having
beer with friends, punkrock shows
early bands: Soul For Sale, Slack Jaw,
Psychopathen, Six Päx. Band on the side: CUT MY
SKIN
I can hear much different influences but mostly
hardcore? Favorites from the past?
Pete: Bad Brains, Black Flag, Exploited, 7
Seconds, Suicidal Tendencies, GBH,
Circle Jerks, The Freeze, SNFU, Vorkriegsjugend,
Youth Brigade, FEAR, DRI, Discharge
Dima: Sick Of It All, Agnostic Front, Suicidal
Tendencies, Exploited, Black Flag, Henry Rollins
Project, Off Spring, Sepultura, Pantera,
Cannibal Corpse, Death, Morbid Angel, Unearth,
Killswitch Engage
and more.
Ralle/Sadcha: We are influenced by german
punkbands like Upright Citizens, VKJ, american
hc bands like Bad Brains, Minor Threat and
english bands like Discharge and Exploited.
Frontalangriff are you satisfied with the name?
How did it came up? What does it mean? You
weren’t afraid that some other band would be
named like this? Which is the best bandname you
know?
Pete: Forward attack without regard for loss,
Fight for your opinion and interests.
Ralle/Sascha: Ralle had the idea. It means a
powerful march straight ahead for us.
Dima: The name of the band reflects fully and
complitly the position in the ideas we want to
bring to the people with our texts and our
music. The best band names i know are the
ones that fit the energy they bring through
their music in the best way.
What´s the best thing with playing
live? Have you done any since the covid came?
Ralle/Sascha: Live means interaction with
people. The best thing in life.
Dima: Playing on a stage and having a good time
after the concerts with the people who gets us
is the best. Luckily we had the opportunities to
do it through the last two years as well, even
thou it wasn't much.
Pete: Yes we played a few great shows. People
are hungry now for punkshows. each show a big
party pogo dancing, just smiling faces, free
emotions, lot of fun
And where is best to play? And the
worst place?
Dima: It is hard and no need to point on some
specific places, but of course it's always more
fun to play in front
of a moving crowd , to enjoy the concert
with feeling of unity.
I don't think I have to explain that in
the extreme/underground scene are really
different ways and conditions for gigs
organisation. Surely the most important to get
a drink , a bed, a breakfast and a good
hospitality. The worst place would be probably a
place where our music and ideas wouldn't be
understood.
Pete: Worst place was a little bar in Belgium (8
workers having their after work beer)& Sleeping
Place: cat crappy rooms
– Best
Place: Berlin
Ralle/Sascha: There are a lot of good places,
but our favorites are the subculture places.
How is to play this sort of music in
Germany right now? Which types of bands do you
have concerts together with?
Pete: Shows still start after the Corona
shutdown. In Germany punkshow at Musicbars,
Squats, Street Party, Festival, ... We played
show with Rawside, Subhumans, next concerts with
Toxoplasma & Exploited
Dima: It feels very good. I think that what we
do is the most relevant and the most needed
right now in the (german)punkrockscene.
How would you describe your music in
three words to people who never have heard you?
Pete: Fast, aggressive, pure power
Ralle/Sascha: Dirty. Aggressive. Street.
What does punk mean to you, is it
only a word or is it a lifestyle? Have it
changed through the years?
Ralle/Sascha: Lifestyle. 24 ta life.
Dima: It is definitely a part of a culture which
can show to a person the perspective and the
choice that is not based on the forced excepted
norms of behaving.
It is protest, it is freedom , it is a
free way of judgement. Personaly for me the
punkrock music was not the factor that connected
me to the scene but the people and their ideas
did.
Pete: Away from the mainstream - live my Life.
Make my own impressions & Experiences. Surely
some changes through the years. Not looking
anymore every day for party, chaos, thrill ...
but the music & the experiences are still the
elixir of life
Which song/album or group was it who
took you into punk/hardcore?
Pete: Black Flag, Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols,
GBH, Exploited, ZSD, Cockney Rejects
Dima: Sick Of It All, Exploited, Off Spring,
Comeback Kid
Sascha: BRD Kampflieder 2. Sampler
Ralle.
Exploited -Lets start the war-
What shall a young guy do today to
shock their parents as the way we did when we
were young? They have already seen everything
;-)?
Pete: Do exactly the opposite of the neighbor's
son
Ralle/Sascha: We think the kids will found their
ways and dont need our advice
Dima: I guess I'll see in
some years
How is it to live in Germany right now?
Politically? Fascists? What do the german
government says about the war in Ukraina?
Pete: Fascists still here and get angry about
refugees., Germany, like any other country with
a big gunlobby tries to maka as much money as
possible with this war, politicians raise
taxes on
essential products and blame it on war.
Ralle/Sascha: It´s like in every other european
country. Politics gives a fuck for the people.
We don t care about what the goverment says. War
is allways a wrong decision.
Is there any good bands from Germany
right now? Is the punkscene/metalscene/hardcorescene
big? How is it in your hometown?
Pete: Berlin have a big punk/hardcore scene,
metal still lives but not so many shows. Before
corona, hope it will come again you can daily
visit shows. Every second friend/person i know
play or played in a band.
Ralle/Sascha: We come from Berlin and here is
always a big punk scene. Metal I don't know.
What do you know about Sweden? Have
you been here sometime? What is typical Swedish?
Dima: I love swedish death metal scene.
Unfortunatly still had no chance to visit you.
Pete: IKEA & Abba. Kingdom. Never been there.
Just with bands in Norway/Oslo and
Denmark/Copenhagen.
Ralle/Sascha: We haven´t been there and we have
no idea, but you can invite us and you can show
us.
Have you heard any good bands from
Sweden?
Ralle/Sascha: Disfear, Wolfpack and Slöa Knivar.
Pete: ABBA, Clawfinger, Wolfsbrigade, Anti Cimex,
Disfear
Dima: Meshuggah, In Flames, The Crown, Disfear,
Wolfbrigade, Anti Cimex, Mnemic, Darkane.
Your lyrics, who does them and what
influences you? Never in english? Please tell me
a little about the following songs
-Punkrock fur immer
-Endstation U8
-Zombie nation
Sascha: Punkrock für immer is about
punklifestyle. Nothing or nothing less.
Endststion u8 is about the Berlin drug adicts
who end begging in the U-Stationline u8. Zombie
nation was my feeling in the time of the
pandemic as I was walking throuh the streets and
the people looked like zombies behind their
masks.
Is there any subject that you never will write
anything about? Or isn´t anything sacred?
Sascha: Nothing is fixed
Politic and music, does it goes hand
in hand? Which is your most political song? Is
it important to get out your opinions in music?
Or is it OK to play music and not sing about
politics?
Pete: CUT MY SKIN – All Of
Nothing, Yes, it is very important to
give people food for thought, to point out
grievances.
Ralle/Sascha: I think everything is political.
But not in the way the politicians do it. From
the people for the people.
Dima: I wouldn't want to connect music with
politics directly, but as we express our pain
and feelings through this..It's not even
politics specifically, it's more about people
looking on what is going on and questioning if
what they have been told is realy good for their
daily or future life and if the choise they are
given to make is the choice they do want to get.
Best political band/artist?
Pete: Punkrock is a political movement. Sex
Pistols, Clash, Dead Kennedys, Kortatu, MDC,
Conflict, .....
Ralle/Sascha: Too many.
Do you think that music(lyrics and so
on) can change anyones life, I mean people who
listens to music? Do you have any example?
Pete: Certainly. Music brings people together.
Concerts, pubs, band reports, people talk
together about lyrics, attitudes and of course
like to sing along loudly.
Ralle/Sascha: Absolutely. For me it did and
does. As a consumer and as an activist.
Your favorite recordcover alltime? Who does your
recordcovers? And do you have any good
recordstores in your hometown?
Pete: Cover: Iron Maiden – Killers I purchased
just for the cover
J
& the Bad Brains – Capitol. Coverart Dima &
mostly me. Berlin have a lot of nice record
stores. New stuff i find at Coretex and all my
old favourites i find on flea market or in
second hand record stores
Ralle: Iron Maiden - First
Is it important to get out physical
records of your stuff? Why or why not? Vinyl,
CD, cassette, what do you prefer if you could
choose whatever ? The latest record came on
vinyl or?
Pete: I love records. When you have the time to
hear records you are in the mood. Looking on the
big cover, looking at pictures, lyrics, feel the
big record in your hand, that´s it. Cassette Mix
tapes also the best ever. My last record –
America War Machine
Please tell me a funny thing which
have happened during your career and under some
gig?
Pete: After our last radio interview we were all
sick with corona
How does your audience look like?
Which people do you miss on your concerts? Which
is the biggest band you ever have played
together with?
Pete: Our audience looks sometimes crazy,
sometimes energetic, sometimes drunk. Most of
all, I miss all my friends who have moved away
or died. But that is part of life. Biggest Band:
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School Of
Medicine
Ralle/Sascha: They look like punks most of the
time. Don´t miss anyone. Who is there is there
and if we get in interaction it´s great.
For us are all bands big.
Please rank your five favoriterecords,
five favoriteconcerts and five most important
things in life?
Pete: Black Flag – Damaged, Bad Brains – Rock
For Light, Sex Pistols – Never Mind The
Bollocks, GBH – City Baby Attacked By Rats,
Exploited – Punks Not Dead // Black Flag, Sex
Pistols, Suicidal Tendencies, Cro-Mags, 7
Seconds // be relaxed with each other, have fun,
be fit/healthy, independent, free
Sascha: Most important things in life and all
equal. Sport. Music. Work.
Ralle: Just music.
First, last and most expensive record
ever bought?
Pete: Good Question ... Ramones – Adios Amigos,
Dickies – Killer Clowns
Sascha: I have records but i am not a collector.
Ralle: Have the original VKJ single.
Is it boring with interviews? Is it
much interviews?
Pete. I like Interviews, like the last question,
good reason to browse my records. If there are
questions I dont wanna answer, we are 4 people
in the band
Sascha: Not boring but long ;)
Do you care about reviews? Which is
the most peculiar you ever had, with this band
or any other band you have been to? Have you
ever changed anything after a bad review?
Sascha: Sometimes it makes you think but it
shouldn´t, because you must do what you must do.
So I would neverchange
anything after a review.
Which bands do people compare you to,
is it boring that people compare you to other
bands or is it understandable?
Pete: I find nothing negative in comparisons.
Compare and share about it is a good way to get
to know new things. Without comparisons you
don't get your own opinion and you don't learn
anything.
Sascha: Not really,but we are in the
germanstreethcpunktration i think.
If you could choose five bands from
the past and the history and nowadays and both
dead and living bands to have a concert together
with your band. Which five have you been chosen?
Pete: Bad Brains, No Means No, La Fraction, The
Freeze, Vorkriegsjugend
Sascha: I take what comes and dont think about
those things.
Is music a good way to get out
frustration and become a nicer person outside
the music??
Ralle/Sascha: Absolutely.
Pete: Oh yes, get rid of everyday stress, switch
off, have fun together with others, dance,
laugh, exchange feelings, find your own peace
and freedom
Which is the most odd question you
ever have got in an interview?(Except this one)
Sascha: "Please tell me a little bit about your
group ";)
Which is the question you want to
have but you never get. Please ask it and answer
it?
Sascha:“ Can I pay you a big house with pool and
rehersal room."
Futureplans for the band?
Pete: New record, shows & have fun with my band
Sascha/Ralle: Playing live and doin more
records.
For yourself?
Pete: Stay alive
Sascha/Ralle: Same
Wisdomword?
Sascha: Be yourself.
Something to add?
Pete: Hope there will be a concert in Sweden
someday - greetings to the scene and thanks for
the interview
One more question…. Beerfavorite
sort? If you did a beer which sort would it be
and what have it been called?
Sascha: Ask the others i dont drink.
Pete: Kampfdackel – Vollbier
Ralle wants Grapefruitbeer.
Cheers
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