Band Interview: Ibyss

Games, Brrraaains & A Head-Banging Life are very proud to bring you an interview with the German industrial metal band, Ibyss. Their new EP is titled Hate Speech & was released on the 31st of January this year.

Ibyss Interview

1 – Tell us a little about Ibyss. How did you get started?

Jens: Ibyss started as a project around 2013, right after the demise of our old band. It worked quite well to perform in this reduced setup with only two musicians.

It is much easier to reach some sort of consensus, if your band consists of only two people. And I guess this is also a reflection of our modern times´ lack of proper communication. If you look at other duo bands like Mantar or Bölzer, this is getting more common in the scene. And by the way: most drummers suck big time.

2 – How would you describe your sound to a brand new listener?

Jens: An old man yelling uncontrolled at a picture of some long lost love interest while playing guitar along with a talented musician trying to get some structure into this mess.

3 – What inspired this EP?

Jens: I don’t overthink influences, but I won´t deny them either. If something actually feels right, it´s going to be used. Well, obviously our musical background is based in the 90s (Nailbomb, Helmet, Red Harvest), but honestly, I don´t listen that much to that style anymore personally. Concerning the lyrical side of this EP, it is just a reflection of our everyday life. But I want to point out, that one shouldn’t take them too seriously.

Nihil: This kind of mass hysteria our western world has been succumbing to on a daily basis. There is not one day that passes without a new scandal and a new invented term for the constantly offended social justice warriors. Even heavy metal icons are not immune to the public outrage. The old guard is gone. Lemmy´s gone.

What the fuck happened to bold, male role models? Rock and Metal were always about the noise, guts, swearing and an anti-authoritarian lifestyle. Metal is the most agressive artistic expression. Period.

Everything´s inappropriate, offensive and humourless today. And it gets worse and worse. People lose their jobs and careers because of ‘offensive’ jokes our generation was able to deal with as kids and teens on a daily basis. Are you kidding me? Mansplaining my ass, motherfucker! Long story short: Those topics inspired the theme and especially the lyrics on this EP. Fuck your feelings! This EP is our middle finger.

4 – Tell us about the issues you’ve had getting mainstream coverage in your home country.

Nihil: Yes. Sad but true. We sent out countless presskits and digital requests to German webzines and print magazines. Contrary to what we experienced with our previous releases, we either faced silence or were rejected with some dubious short lines about the title of our release. I won´t call out the magazines by names but if a title like “Hate Speech” is considered a ‘problem’, the Metal media might have a problem in itself.

5 – Has the rise of YouTube/Streaming services (Spotify/Apple Music etc) helped or hindered the band?

Jens: It definitely helped a lot and thus we don’t depend on record sales or label pay checks. So I think it is a fine way to gain more audience.

Nihil: Love me some Youporn…oh, well I mean YouTube! Of all the Social Media platforms, YT is the most important for us, even if we´re not pumping out video after video. Our first music video for “Monolith” (off the debut album) is still doing great due to the strange and awesome visuals (directed by underground artist Ghostfog) and YT is THE place to be for any band and
fan, as you can listen to music AND watch a video. It´s a surrogate for what we grew up with: MTV. And this time you´re in control.

Oh, by the way: we are working on a new music video for the track “Like Drones” which again,
is produced by Ghostfog and will trigger a LOT of hyper-sensitive people out there. Let´s just say it deals with “male disposability”. Just listen to the track on Bandcamp, it won´t take us too long to finish the video.

We here at GBHBL would like to thank Ibyss for taking part in the interview. Check out ‘Hate Speech’ for yourself over at Bandcamp. By doing so, you are not only supporting a band but also refusing to be censored. You can find out more about Ibyss on their Facebook page & check them out over on YouTube.