Interview with vocalist Carsten Bätge of Queen of Distortion (Germany)
By Mick Michaels
CV: Do you think modern Heavy Metal music has evolved past its origins? Or are things relatively still the same?
In this respect, living music always develops beyond its limits, but also returns to its beginnings in waves. There is a common thread from "Helter Skelter" by the Beatles to modern metal.
CV: Does Metal still draw people to want to listen and engage the music while challenging the audience to imagine becoming a musician themselves?
From my observation, the emotionality of the fans has not changed over the decades, the fans are still as enthusiastic as they used to be.
CV: Many believe that success for a band relies on three major components; good distribution, good PR and good booking. In the new modern music industry, all of that is without a doubt achievable by the artist themselves. Do you feel more and more established acts will go the independent route and eliminate the middle man component?
CV: Do you feel that the idea of a band eliminating those second and third party partnerships; labels, management, bookers, etc., and doing things on their own, is a direct result of artists and bands being misled and taken advantage of for so long?
CV: Do you feel there is a need or want for artists of any style or genre to rise above the past and to do more musically…artistically? Or can a level of comfort be reached and maintained as a means to sustainability?
CV: Many critics believe music is irrelevant today... just background noise. As a musician who is out there writing, releasing, and performing, from your perspective, do you still see music relevance in the world today? Is there a connection?
Good and emotional music will never degenerate into mere background noise.
CV: Has music in general split into too many genres and sub-genre classifications in an effort just to please an indecisive audience in your opinion? Is it just more of a marketing ploy to funnel buyers to a specific brand?
Accordingly, I think that diverse subgenres are more likely to be thought up by music lovers themselves than an industry strategy.
CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from you in 2025?
CV: Thanks again for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.
Cosmick View: Hello, and welcome to The Cosmick View. Thanks for taking some time out of your day to speak with us. It's greatly appreciated.
CV: Do you think modern Heavy Metal music has evolved past its origins? Or are things relatively still the same?
Carsten Bätge: If you compare the development of metal with the development of classical music from its origins to the atonality of Schoenberg, you will find many parallels. While there were many restrictions in the beginning, new influences were always taken up and processed on a rhythmic and harmonic level, and in parts developed further. From time to time there are Renaissance movements that pay more attention to the origins, there are technical developments and combinations of actually opposing elements.
In this respect, living music always develops beyond its limits, but also returns to its beginnings in waves. There is a common thread from "Helter Skelter" by the Beatles to modern metal.
CV: Does Metal still draw people to want to listen and engage the music while challenging the audience to imagine becoming a musician themselves?
CB: Yes, absolutely.
In fact, even today, people who didn't know us before often come up to us after the shows and want to talk about the music or the band. And many of them say that they make music themselves or want to start.
From my observation, the emotionality of the fans has not changed over the decades, the fans are still as enthusiastic as they used to be.
CV: Many believe that success for a band relies on three major components; good distribution, good PR and good booking. In the new modern music industry, all of that is without a doubt achievable by the artist themselves. Do you feel more and more established acts will go the independent route and eliminate the middle man component?
CB: It depends on the size and status of the band. As long as you are in the amateur or semi-professional sector, most of the tasks can certainly be carried out by the band itself. However, a lot of musicians I know have no desire to work as business people, but only want to work creatively, write songs, record and perform live. So if members of the band can and want to take on such tasks, it is certainly better for financial reasons to become more independent as a band.
CV: Do you feel that the idea of a band eliminating those second and third party partnerships; labels, management, bookers, etc., and doing things on their own, is a direct result of artists and bands being misled and taken advantage of for so long?
CB: Yes, of course. Anyone who has been making music for any length of time has encountered enough sharks to lose all faith in the industry. A truly collaborative partnership, which also contains (and must contain) a good deal of enthusiasm and idealism, is very rare. There are still gems in the business who would rather have an empty fridge themselves than rip someone off. In my more than forty years as a musician, I have only met two people, one promoter and one manager, who I would trust blindly at any time.
CV: Do you feel there is a need or want for artists of any style or genre to rise above the past and to do more musically…artistically? Or can a level of comfort be reached and maintained as a means to sustainability?
CB: I can only speak for myself: I don't feel like repeating myself endlessly and writing the same song over and over again. Every new song contains new ideas, surprises for the listener at times, without completely changing the style. I would like to attract new listeners, but not lose the old fans. I find this in many bands of every genre, so I do believe that the need for creative growth is present in most of them. However, I also see many established bands just reproducing themselves, which is probably primarily for financial reasons.
CV: Many critics believe music is irrelevant today... just background noise. As a musician who is out there writing, releasing, and performing, from your perspective, do you still see music relevance in the world today? Is there a connection?
CB: There has always been a large proportion of people who are not interested in music or who have no idea what music is about. From my observation, this ratio has remained the same to this day. There are still the same number of music enthusiasts, but some are no longer motivated to attend underground concerts, which is certainly also due to the sharp increase in prices at big concerts. You can only spend each coin once.
Good and emotional music will never degenerate into mere background noise.
CV: Has music in general split into too many genres and sub-genre classifications in an effort just to please an indecisive audience in your opinion? Is it just more of a marketing ploy to funnel buyers to a specific brand?
CB: Music itself is so diverse that when people talk to others about it, they try to categorize and pigeonhole music. Ultimately, everyone will form their own opinion the moment they hear the music. And from my own experience, I can easily distinguish the subgenres in the areas I know about, and if I'm not interested in a genre itself, I can't do anything with the subgenres either. In my experience, music enthusiasts are less likely to be influenced by marketing strategies than superficial listeners.
Accordingly, I think that diverse subgenres are more likely to be thought up by music lovers themselves than an industry strategy.
CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from you in 2025?
CB: After our almost two-year forced break due to several line-up changes, we will finally be releasing a new CD in the fall. It will be strong and varied material, which will be entirely in the spirit of the "new incarnation".
CV: Thanks again for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.
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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.
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