1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
We are a 6-headed German post black metal band founded in 2007. Our first album was released in June 2012, our second album will be released in May 2013.
2. How would you describe your musical sound?
We try to combine elements from black metal and post rock, but we don't restrict ourselves to these. Which isn't all that hard, since Camilo and I, writing most of the material for TRÄUMEN VON AURORA, are very different, but equally uncommitted as far as our listening habits are concerned: Camilo tends to listen to a great variety of music, I tend to not listen to any music at all. I do think people who love black metal or post rock can enjoy our music, but I also think there's way more than just these two elements.
3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the music?
We never wanted to make an album that consists of an arbitrary succession of songs. With our new album, we continued the story of the first one, which is about a lyrical I having to cope with the loss of an important person. This is both a situation most people can tell you a thing or two about and a topic which can be approached in a number of ways. In this context, we also explore other themes like the tristesse of urban life ("neontot" and "im morgengrauen") or romanticism ("flucht").
4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
The name translates to "Dreaming of Aurora". I forgot the exact circumstances of its origins, though. But I know that the phrase was some kind of sudden inspiration I had one evening. Later on, when I needed a name for the band, I must have recognized that it would do greatly, as it reflects both the musical style and the lyrical themes very well. However, I would like to keep my personal interpretation for myself and leave you with the task to find your own.
5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
We all agree that our show in Erfurt as a support act for Fjoergyn was the best one. We felt very welcome there and apparently enthralled the audience to some extent, resulting in some overly pleasant conversations afterwards. I'm not sure how to describe our stage performance. What I can say is that we don't try to animate people to jump around. They can, of course, as they see fit. But we would also enjoy people just sitting down and listening to the music closely. With that said, we do show our dedication on stage, but don't expect us trying to impose it on others artificially.
6. Do you have any touring plans for the new release?
No. But we'd be glad if some organiser asked us to play.
7. Currently you are signed to TrollZorn Records, how did you get in contact with this label and how would you describe the support they have given you so far?
Trollzorn is a great label! Nice people, great support! We were quite lucky under the circumstances. As we parted ways with the Karge Welten Kunstverlag due to conceptual dissent, we were about to send off quite some label applications. One evening, there was an e-mail from Trollzorn. They were interested in buying our first album which had been announced by Karge Welten some time ago. We told them that we were facing some problems with that, which apparently made them consider signing us. A few weeks later we had a new label.
8. On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of black metal?
As we had expected, our music is discussed controversially. You cannot name your musical style "post black metal" without some people getting into a fret. But quite a few people seem to be able to enjoy black metal as well as TRÄUMEN VON AURORA, and that's the group we care about.
9. Are there any other musical projects besides this band or is this a full time line up?
Camilo has been helping out some friends as a bass player some time ago and Robert is engaged in a second band with a completely different musical style. But that's it. In this regard, Camilo wanted me to emphasize that all the music he writes is exclusive to TRÄUMEN VON AURORA. The same goes for the music I write, except for some BGM tracks I wrote for my RPG Maker project.
10. What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
Our idea is to reanimate the project which TRÄUMEN VON AURORA had been a side band to back in 2007/2008. But we only want to use it as a basis and try to shape it with this new line-up into something more sophisticated, and we are very excited to see what we can make of it. Lyrically, it will be a retreat into nature/romantisicm for the most part, quite similar to "flucht" and "was einst im wind der wälder lag".
11.What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Dornenreich and Nocte Obducta were a great influence for me back in the days. Mostly because I hadn't encountered such artistry before as I found it in "Bitter ist's, dem Tod zu dienen" and "Nektar". It instantly appealed to me. Nowadays, I don't listen to music that much, as I said. I just sit down at the computer or at the piano and let it flow, so to speak. I cannot tell to what extent the music I listen to influences this process.
12. Outside of music what are some of your interests?
Well, I like reading and writing, but also playing computer and video games. Recently, I have been engaged in conceptualising the RPG Maker game I mentioned. Maike is actively involved in the animal welfare and seems to enjoy drinking coffee with friends. Kavi is more of a sportsman. Camilo does all sorts of things, for example writing a drama. Robert works most of the time. Michael plays games, too, and he also just discovered his talent in photography.
13. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
Well, we hope people like our second album about as much as the first one (or even more), and we are very excited to see what everyone thinks of it. We also would like to thank you for the interesting questions you asked us!