Interview with Cruor of Endstille 2008

By Bradley Smith

Your album Endstille’s Reich has stormed the underground like a flight of B-17 bombers.  Can you describe what this album represents to you and how it fits into your long and storied history?

Endstilles Reich deals with that moment when World War 2 ended.  The zero hour.  When really everything was destroyed, when only chaos ruled.

Also some songs on Endstilles Reich are about Iblis’s own Reich.  “Scars” for example is a very personal song, which has got a big meaning to him.

The whole artwork shows the area we’re are coming from.  But today off course it’s not destroyed anymore.  Most of the pictures are showing “Kiel” our hometown in the north of Germany.

So you see Endstilles Reich is representing us: Our Reich.

When it comes to black metal what do you think some of the most important philosophical foundations are?  What makes these beliefs so important and separate black metal from other artforms and religious structures?

I don’t really know, because so many different attitudes belong to this type of music that there is not really a philosophy which all have in common.

But I think everyone in the “Black Metal scene” is egocentristic.  I don’t think that’s a bad thing.  That is making this music so special.  Simply said it’s not: “I love you all”, it’s “Fuck you all!!”.

You have opened a section on the Global Domination forum.  How is that working out for you?  Do you enjoy interacting with your fans on such a personal level?  What else do you intend to use that forum for?

We had a forum before, but we closed it because “Mayhemic Destructor” did the whole administration on his own.  So he had a lot work with that forum.  Now with the assistance of “Global Domination” it’s much easier for us because they are doing the whole work.  We just have to answer the questions or what else, that’s great.

We’re also using the forum to announce news and stuff like that.

Interacting with our fans is thing I personally enjoy. We have got an official myspace and reverberation-page, too.  That’s also a good possibility to get in contact with the fans.

I noticed a stronger than normal cooperation with Koldbrann.  How did you develop the relationship with this Norwegian horde and what have you brought to their music through your participation on their Moribund album? Will either of you guest on each other’s work in the future?

Koldbrann became good friends of us.

Our relationship started when a friend of us showed us their demo and we really liked it.  So we supported and helped them to find a label, took them with us on tour etc.

When Koldbrann recorded their second album they just asked Iblis if he can make some guest vocals.  So why not?  That Wachtfels did also some short guest vocals was more a spontaneous thing.  But nothing is planned in that way for the future.

When you think about your band’s name, end silence what do you envision.  I mean what sort of catastrophe caused this eternal silence and what sort of devastation is left?

What the name “ Endstille” makes so interesting and special is that no one is able to imagine what comes after the end.  I mean the “end” is the “end”.  And Endstille means the silence after the end.  But there is nothing anymore, even no silence.  Unbelievable.

In German the word Endstille doesn’t even exist, it’s a creation by our own.  

It’s not necessary what kind of catastrophe is responsible for the Endstille, the fact that this condition isn’t really imaginable for a human intellect is what the word Endstille makes it so special.

War is a pivotal topic obviously for Endstille.  What do you think is so fascinating to people and especially men about War?  Do you prefer wars from a particular time in history?  Do you follow any of the current conflicts with anything more than a passing interest?

War is so interesting for us because it shows what mankind is able to do. How perverted the human ingenious can become when it comes to invent new weapons for example. Also how big and destructive weapons could be.  Think of  the “Bismarck”, such a colossal weapon.  Or when you think of that normal humans are killing each other by using insecticides.

We’re more interested in German wars because they still belong to our lives.  You know here in Germany are still everywhere monuments of World War 1 and 2. When you switch on the TV you will probably see a report about one of the wars or someone is telling us again that we’re still guilty.  You see it’s our history, we can’t change it and it still belongs to us.

I’m not so interested in current wars.  Off course it’s quite interesting, but the face of war has changed, there is no hand-to-hand combat anymore, only technological warfare.

I know growing up when I was really fascinated with world war 2 I was in awe of the Junkers JU-87 Stuka.  What are some of your Favorite War machines and why?

Die “Bismarck”.  She’s a legend.  Has there been any other ship with such an unbelivable history?

Die 8,8-cm-Flugabwehrkanone.  That’s the cannon at the cover of “Frühlingserwachen”, our second album.  Introduced at every front and with a penetrating power no other cannon had got.

Being an outsider I was wondering if there is still a sense of guilt from German society about what happened in World War 2?  If there is do you think it is justifiable or should the world just get over it?

We made a song about it: “No Heaven Over Germany”.  The song is about that every person has to live with the history of his country and it can’t be changed. Also it’s not your own fault what happened.  For example look at our band.  People say: "they are from Germany, are playing Black Metal and are dealing with German history – they have to be Nazis.”  Bullshit!  But that’s what I mean when I say World War 2 still belongs to our lives.  When a band would come from France for example and would make an album about World War 2, no one would say directly they have to be Nazis.

Also there are so many people here in Germany who are saying that it’s not allowed to make songs about the German history, because we have to expiate.  I don’t think so.  We’re dealing with German history without any political effort.  But many people can’t imagine that because they think we still are guilty.  So I would say we’re doing some kind of educational work, showing German society how to get along with their history.

A lot of bands never really see themselves in a clear vision far down the road.  Where do you see Endstille say in 10 years or even 20? 

In ten years…mmh…I think Wachtfels is dead for already 3 years.

In twenty years…Iblis lives in a retirement home.

But I think I can also answer you where we could be in about five years: We recorded some more albums, are still dirty, ugly and hard as no other band!

It seems that the issue of Endstille being a NSBM band always arises.  Why do you think that is and why can’t people distinguish the difference between your ideologies and that of racist hate mongers?  Are people just seeing what they want to see?

Yes.  Anyway many of them.

It’s like I said before, we’re from Germany, are making songs about German history, hate and misanthropy.  We have to be Nazis.  Bullshit, Bullshit and again bullshit.

We’re  neither a left nor a right winged band.  No politics and that’s it.

What are some of your near term Plans for Endstille?  Any special concerts coming up?

We’ll do some concerts, maybe also in the US - who knows.

Also we’re playing a lot of festivals in summer.  I’m really looking forward to that.

Do you have any Last Words before the bombs start falling?

Gute Nacht and Fuck Hell!