Interview with Lead Vocalist & guitarist Sebastian of Olymp (Germany)

March 04, 2024

Interview with Lead Vocalist & guitarist Sebastian of Olymp (Germany)

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.

CV: Do you feel Heavy Metal music in general is viewed differently by fans in Europe compared to fans elsewhere, especially in America, and if so why?
Sebastian: Yes, to some extend I think that this is the case. Although it's about the same music in its core, cultivation plays a role on how you interpret songs and music in general. Also, Metal was most popular in the 80ies, in time where it was not that easy to get the newest stuff, especially in poorer or restrictive countries. I think this has an impact until today even though the music is easily available today via YouTube, Spotify, Bandcamp and so on. Regarding America, I can only speculate since we haven't toured the U.S…yet, haha. But with the USA being a large country I think that there already appreciable differences within the country. So yeah, I can imagine that Heavy Metal music is viewed differently compared to Europe.

CV: What do you feel makes Heavy Metal music so alluring to the fans? What is it about the music that personally resonates so strongly with you?
Sebastian: Metal is a fucking strong kind of music, raising emotions from love to hate, being funny to sad, from stupid to intellectual and so on. What I meant to say is, that it’s very diverse music. I personally link emotions quite strongly to the music I listen to. The best is to share these emotions at a concert. You have these other bunch of guys who feel the same way and you just let your emotions flow by wild head banging, moshing or just having a dozen of beers together.

CV: Has Metal splintered into too many sub-genres in your opinion, thus, making it harder for newer bands to actually classify themselves as one style over another? Is it confusing for fans as well?
Sebastian: Honestly, I don’t really care about sub-genres. Why always classify everything even more specifically when it’s just great music? I mean, it’s totally okay to classify Metal as Heavy, Thrash, Death or whatever but adding another sub-genre and another one is a bit silly in my opinion.

CV: How would you describe the current state of the music business considering we are now living in a COVID aware, and maybe even feared world? Have things drastically changed long-term for artists and bands given the recent pandemic? What are your thoughts?
Sebastian: Things are quite back to normality on the music business, I think. However, what worries me is the fact that you quite often hear that some event got cancelled due to bad pre sales…seems like people want to keep all their options open and better not buy tickets early before not being able to attend an event. That’s not a good development and in fact not very supportive for, especially smaller, bands who set up tours with a tightly calculated budget.

CV: What do you feel makes your band and its particular approach to songwriting work? What keeps the band together and making music?
Sebastian: We’re close friends who rehearse once a week. In total we play now together for over 10 years and we’ve developed a great chemistry in our songwriting process. We write our songs together by first jamming around and picking up ideas until a structure is formed. Afterwards we do some fine tuning and I write the lyrics.

CV: On a more global view, how do you see your band’s music and songwriting separating itself from just being another Heavy Metal act?
Sebastian: Honestly, we don’t really think about that. We do the music we love and of course you can hear our influences. Maybe we have a point here which separates us from “just another Heavy Metal act” since our influences are very diverse, reaching from bands like Queen, over Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden to Exodus, Slayer and even some Punk Rock and Crustcore. Every one of our band mates has different influences and this mix makes it kind of special.

CV: Can an artist truly be unique? Some would argue there is no such thing as being unique; that it’s nothing more than a compounding of influences making an artist who or what they are. Would this then say that artists today are destined to be just copies of those who have already come to pass?
Sebastian: That’s an interesting question. But in my opinion an artist can indeed be truly unique albeit influences can’t be negated. I think of pioneers like Chuck Berry or Black Sabbath which I’d clearly label as truly unique. Of course, when you do Heavy Metal, a music genre that’s over 50 years old, you have a rather specific sound and being truly unique within these bounds is not really possible. But music in generally will always evolve and there are almost no boundaries set.

CV: Are there life lessons to learn being in a Heavy Metal band that you feel cannot be taught elsewhere? If so, what are they?
Sebastian: Of course, you must be able to drink a fucking amount of beer to be respected by your band mates who do the same…Haha, just kidding. No, I don’t really think so. Just do what you want to and don’t let anybody tell you how things have to be. It’s all about Metal and having a great time.

CV: What do you feel makes someone a “rock star”? Does being a rock star automatically make one iconic or are the two completely different in your opinion?
Sebastian: Yeah, maybe it’s the other way round. When someone’s iconic in the sense that he or she is very unique in what way ever it’s a good base for being a rock star. A rock star somehow touches to masses, which can be either by shocking them, being extraordinary charismatic, mad or whatever. This already makes the person iconic, I think.

CV: What's next for you? What can fans expect to see coming as the world looks to surmount a new normal laced with a load of restrictions?
Sebastian: We’re doing a bunch of shows this year, mostly in Germany. Apart from that we’re already working on new material for a second album. So stay tuned for more music from us!

CV: Thank you again for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure. I wish you all the best and continued success.
Sebastian: Thank you and, it was a pleasure. And cheers to everybody out there supporting us!

Check out Olymp at:
Official: https://olymp-band.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OlympMetal/

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.