Interview with Singer BJÖRN GOOßES of Harkon

September 29, 2025

Interview with Singer BJÖRN GOOßES of Harkon

by Mick Michaels

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.

Hi and thanx for having us, Mick!

CV: Do you think modern Heavy Metal music has evolved past its origins? Or are things relatively still the same?

BJÖRN GOOßES: The Heavy Metal genre has surely evolved over the decades, yet it all comes in waves, I guess. We've all seen this and that trend come and go, be it a retro or new one. Classic sounds are nowadays peacefully co-existing next to more progressive or avantgarde styles. Yet I think it all comes down to the riff. And the original Heavy Metal spirit, the root of it all if you will, probably is still to be heard in all of those different shades of Heavy Metal music. Even if some self-proclaimed guardians of the scene might disagree. One might not like all flavors that come with the term “Metal” in 2025, but luckily it's a pretty wide bandwidth. From classic vanilla/strawberry/chocolate to maybe let's say cucumber-licorice – there's something for everyone, haha!

CV: Does Metal still draw people to want to listen and engage the music while challenging the audience to imagine becoming a musician themselves?

BJÖRN GOOßES: Definitely! I think that all music subgenres with distorted guitars have a high proportion of active musicians among their fans. Be it Rock, Metal or Punk. And you can observe that these genres are still attracting young people, even if the scene itself is of course getting older. And witnessing the exchange of energy between the stage and the audience at a gig is absolutely priceless and one of the greatest things ever! I am sure many bands were founded right after a group of friends had just seen a killer live show of one of their favorite artists.

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?

BJÖRN GOOßES: I think many already do, yet the middle man is sometimes there for a reason, right? You could probably do all those things yourself, but could you do them just as well? Sometimes you simply want to focus on the creative part, not being responsible for the business aspects a band comes with. I think it's a good development that people realize all those middle men are maybe not as important as they have been in the past. And you surely gain some more freedom if it's all DIY. But I don't know, man – all these business aspects are pretty boring for me personally. None of my bands ever needed to fill my fridge, so it's easy for me to say, but I would rather share my band's income with a few middle men who do a good job for my band instead of saving a few bucks but sacrificing time and energy on something that I simply don't like doing.

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?

BJÖRN GOOßES: Probably, yes. For a very long time it's rather been the middle men who were running the scene – and who were paid a fortune sometimes. But without the bands they wouldn't have archived anything. The other way round it's a bit different. A good band with enough willpower to get it all done DIY can come quite far without any business leeches. But like I said before, it's also about how you wanna spend your time, what kind of economic significance your band has got in your life and so on. Taking care of everything yourself could easily affect your creativity or cause tension within the band when things aren't going so well financially. Luckily music for me is a creative outlet, something I just like to do. Not something I need to do to make a living. So I'd rather let the pros do what the pros can and focus on writing weird lyrics and love and vore, haha!

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?

BJÖRN GOOßES: You probably can't reinvent the wheel but it's never wrong to come with some fresh impulses. The Heavy Metal community is a rather conservative one, musically speaking. And many bands simply repeat what has been said a million times before. Can surely be fun to perform some classic riffs and sing about sex, drugs and Rock'n'Roll, but won't set any big exclamation mark. Being progressive just for the sake of being progressive doesn't make any sense for me, either. But I really do enjoy hearing some really unique, new, fresh sounds here and there.I recently saw Gojira headlining a big festival and I was blown away. They have a great sense for a unique, modern approach to Heavy Metal without stepping away from its core too far, so to say. And not only music-wise. That's what I was talking about.

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?

BJÖRN GOOßES: People who claim music is irrelevant have lost all control. Music, as a primal human form of expression - just as many other forms of art, has immeasurable significance. It is a carrier of memories, a comforter, a stimulant, a healer, an entertainer, and so much more. Music is life!

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?

BJÖRN GOOßES: I really do not care about brands or pleasing an audience in a way your question might suggest. I write and perform music as a personal expression. Of course I love good feedback and enjoy a pleased audience, yet that's not the main reason to write music. At least for me personally. I do have to admit I wouldn't want to just write and not perform live. But at the end of the day “too many genres” is a luxury problem. I really do enjoy so many different styles of music, I actually never listened to more non-Metal stuff than I do nowadays. But I regularly return to the Church of the Riff, for sure! So, the more styles, the better. This universe is an endless cornucopia of emotions, so why shouldn't music be too?

CV: What more can fans expect to see coming from you in the remainder of 2025?

BJÖRN GOOßES: We will finally release our debut album “Love And Vore” this fall with Doc Gator Records, and you should definitely do yourself a favour and check it out!

CV: Thanks again for taking the time to share with our readers. We wish you all the best and continued success.

BJÖRN GOOßES: Thanx for having us, we really appreciate it!

Check.out Harkon at:

www.harkon.info

www.facebook.com/harkonmusic

www.instagram.com/harkonmusic

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, author, show host, big 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.