Metal Roots From Sound To Sustainability
This project by the Chasing The Light Art photographer Iuliana Pasca is born from her desire to explore the intersection of metal music and environmental sustainability. Through stories and photographs she is hoping to inspire you to rethink how you can contribute to a more sustainable world. Her unique website is Metal Roots / From Sound To Sustainability and you can also follow her on social media to keep update
Eis interview ~ Iuliana Pasca
Hello, thank you for agreeing to this interview. Let’s start with the beginning. What is the story of EïS? I am also curious about the name choice, its meaning, and its transformation over time.
Thanks for taking the time to prepare these questions and to spread the word about our band! To be honest, after 20 years of band history, it’s a bit much to tell in full, but in a few lines: EïS has a history dating back to 2004 or 2005, when our predecessor Eismalsott transitioned into a new band called Geist. We had to change the name in 2010 due to a band with the same name threatening us with a lawsuit if we didn’t rename ourselves. But essentially, it’s the same band incarnation, in which we released five full-length studio albums, an EP, and played countless shows with various line-ups. The current line-up has been consistent since around 2018, which I’m really happy about. EïS is German for “ice” (you probably guessed that, haha) and basically represents the coldness and harshness inherent in black metal as we understand it. Apart from that, it’s short, easy to remember, and the logo doesn’t look like trees being dragged out of a forest—so, not the worst choice, I’d say.
Black metal poetry and lyrics
Many of your lyrics remind me of the Romantic period poetry – inspired by nature, ruins, the passing of time etc, and carrying a strong emotion and atmospheric sound. How did you decide on these themes in your music, and what message do you wish listeners to take away from them?
That probably never was a conscious decision. It came naturally from what I wanted to express in my lyrics and from the way I like to read and write poetry. I’ve always enjoyed poetry from the Romantic period most, probably because, for me personally, it fits best with the themes, metaphors, and emotions already present in black metal. It’s a whole world that feels entirely different from what modern life means to me, something that evokes a kind of longing or yearning that I want to express. When it comes to messages. I don’t write poems or lyrics to deliver a specific message to readers but because there’s something I want to express about myself, wrapped in metaphorical language. I’ve had a lot of interesting conversations with listeners who explained their interpretations of our lyrics. Usually very different from what I originally meant. I rarely explain lyrics because there’s no benefit in doing so. To me, good poetry and literature should offer and invite multiple interpretations. If it’s really good, it adapts to any life situation and broadens the reader’s perspective. Explaining or delivering “prefabricated meanings” just limits that richness.
Nature’s role
Tell us about nature’s role in your music; as there seems to be a continuous interconnectedness between the outside world and inner nature. Do you see humans as being influenced by the state of nature?
Of course. We’re part of nature. One species among countless others in the flora and fauna. We cannot exist without it. Nature, however, could very well exist without us and probably do much better. So yes, humans are deeply affected by the condition of their environment. It’s no surprise that living in modern cities and being disconnected from the soil, forests, silence, and fresh air often leads to rising rates of depression, loneliness, and similar psychological issues. That’s why nature , especially on the Bannstein album, but also on Wetterkreuz and in parts of other records is a symbol of peace, calm, focus, and contemplation. Of course, it’s somewhat romanticized, but that’s what symbols do. In these lyrics, the poetic self yearns to be part of a natural environment to feel settled, grounded, and connected. To put it in a nutshell: nature is just my personal symbol of escapism.
Patina
In songs like Patina, there are many images of decay and motifs that depict a destroyed environment. Are these meant as a warning for our consumerist society or just an observation of the passing of time?
Most likely, it’s more than just a warning about out of control post capitalism. Just look around. What we’re witnessing today are massive shifts in all areas of society and nature: an increasing number of wars; the spread of right-wing ideologies with almost no idea how to contain it; climate change; natural disasters in formerly moderate zones; shallowness everywhere; media (especially social media) gaining control over youth and not just youth; animal cruelty; children being bombed in genocides. It’s simply too much for individuals to bear, and most people feel overwhelmed. I already had a sense of these changes 20 years ago, and I also felt that humanity as a whole hadn’t learned much from its past mistakes. That’s essentially what “Patina” is about—the idea that history is covered in a patina so thick that we can no longer truly perceive it, condemning us to repeat cycles of failure and decay. Of course, rationally I know that’s not entirely true but emotionally, I struggle with pessimism, even though I try to think and act optimistically. My art, however, is emotional not rational.
Auf kargen Kilppen
Do you believe there is something we can do to change the degradation of our nature, metaphorically or not? I ask because in the Auf kargen Kilppen song, the trees have become the ghosts of what they once were, and, still, in the end, there is hope, for: “Even this night will end.”.
Yes, absolutely . Everyone can contribute, in big or small ways. The question is where to start. Over the years, I’ve come to believe that three forces rule the world: a personality trait, a structure, and an emotion, egoism, religion, and fear. If we could overcome these, we might be able to stop or at least slow down degradation. Just look at societies and individuals that are less fearful and more empathetic toward others including animals and the broader ecosystem. You’ll rarely find environmental destruction, war, or major conflict there. As for religion, erase it and you give people back the ability to act freely and independently. So yes, eventually, every night will end.
Wetterkreuz album
I understand that the Wetterkreuz album was created with the intent to evoke the frost and roughness of the mountainous nature, with consistency across production, sound and themes, for which you opted for analogue and organic instrumentation. What was the artistic view behind this choice, and do you consider this as a way of sustainability in making music?
Before every album, I usually have a vision. That can begin with a word, a feeling, an urge, or even a picture. With Wetterkreuz, it was the image of high, snow-covered mountains wrapped in storm clouds, peaceful, lonely, ancient. And the weather cross (Wetterkreuz) atop, symbolizing a ward against evil forces. When I started writing music for the album, that image stayed with me and it guided me through the whole process of its creation. Everything I composed aimed to create an aural equivalent of that picture, maybe even to give the sensation of your skin being ripped by mountain winds. I didn’t think much about instrumentation. I try not to overthink when composing. Too much music today sounds soulless and overly calculated. In that sense, the process behind Wetterkreuz wasn’t fundamentally different from our other albums. So yes, for me, this is a sustainable way of creating music because it’s the only way I know how to work, haha.
Environmental awareness
Germany is a leading country in both metal music and sustainable practices. Do you see a connection between these two, and do you believe the metal music scene can play a significant role in environmental awareness?
I’m actually surprised you see Germany that way. To me, Germany is anything but a leader in sustainability. I’d point more to Sweden, Norway, Finland, or even Denmark and Switzerland in terms of environmental responsibility and well-being. As for metal, yes, Germany has a big market, which might create the impression of leadership, but that’s misleading. Money and sustainability rarely go hand in hand. Sure, money could be used for sustainable practices but more often, it just creates more money. Some festivals are trying to reduce water usage, plastic, and waste, which is a good start. But does that really offset the CO₂ emissions of flying in dozens of bands to perform a few minutes in front of thousands of fans traveling from around the world for a weekend of alcohol, BBQ, sex, and metal? I question that. A sustainable metal event would use local bands, local audiences, and local vendors. So yes, the metal scene could play a significant role, it just has to decide to do so.
Eco-friendly and low-impact practices
Have you, as a group or personally, considered or adopted any eco-friendly or low-impact practices that you would like to share?
As with all the answers here, I can only speak for myself. I’m not the most eco-friendly person on earth for sure, but I try to reduce my ecological footprint: living vegan or at least vegetarian most of the time, conserving energy and water, planting vegetation as ecosystems for insects and animals, avoiding flights whenever possible, voting for green energy parties, buying second-hand—including clothing—and repairing rather than replacing. Of course, there’s still room for improvement. As a band, it’s more difficult. We try to limit the number of cars we use when traveling (though that’s tough since we live in different parts of Germany), avoid flights if possible, use a minimal stage setup, and opt for eco-cotton in our merchandise. But releasing music on CD or vinyl involves plastic, and fully eco-friendly merch is often unaffordable for fans. So, compromises are sometimes necessary. Even if we don’t change the world overnight, every small step counts.
Concerts and new album
What is next for EïS? Are you working on anything new or preparing any upcoming shows or projects?
We constantly play shows, not too many as we have lives outside of the band as well, but I’d say 8-12 shows a year. Next up is Wolfszeit festival, where we’ve announced to play a “Galeere and Wetterkreuz live rarities” show with songs we seldomly or never played over the past 10 to 15 years. The even more interesting project is the new album we’re currently recording. It’s halfway done I’d say, but as I produce that myself in my own studio, Nightside Audio, there’s no reason to rush. Judging from how it appears both in my imagination and in the recordings we already have, it will be a very intense album, with all aspects of our previous work being pushed a lot further and also dealing with quite a few aspects we have dealt with in this interview. So, quite up to date I’d say.
Thank you
Thank you very much for taking the time to share your story for the Metal Roots From Sound to Sustainability project. I wish you all the best in the future! If there is anything else you would like to add, now’s the moment.
Thank you again for preparing this thoughtful interview. I really enjoyed answering it. Especially because it touches on topics that concern all of us, not just metal musicians.
Check out & keep up to date with Eis, the Melodic Black Metal band from Germany on Social media. You can also take a listen to them on Bandcamp
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