Interview with Myk and Mathias of Testify

by Lisa "LULU" Aphessetche

Who are the members of the band and how did you all get together?

Testify is a band-project with changing line-up; for 2001 there are Mathias (sound-master), Kullf (guitars/bass/vox), Myk (vox'n'prox'n'wrath), Lawrence (guitar). In the winter of 1992/93 Myk and Mathias, together with long since gone compa nions, created the first titles for Testify. We knew each other from working together with German EBM-band The Fair Sex.

Where is the band from?

We come from the Rhein-Ruhr-Region in the westernmost parts of Germany: an Industrial region with numerous Metal factories. So some might regard it logical that we started to make Industrial Metal.

Do you have any CD's available to purchase and where?

Since 1994 we have released some CD's on Van Richter records/C.A/USA:
"Testify 01" (CD/1994)
"BallroomKiller" (CD/1995)
"MMMYAOOOO" (CD/1996)
"Crack The Mind" (CD/1998)
and soon: "Triviality Beyond Acceptance"
moreover some titles on compilations

Who produced your latest release?

"Triviality Beyond Acceptance" as all records before was produced by Testify, with Mathias as chieftain of the proccess

What are your plans for the rest of the year? Recording, touring etc

For the time being we are testing new musicians for a new live-crew; in late summer the album mentioned above will be released in the USA on Van Richter Records; and by now we are looking for a label-partner in Europe for that opus.

Who is the band's biggest influence?

I think the biggest influence for the band are titles that we hear (mostly from our own genre) that give us new inspiration: We rejoice in translating the musical elements into Testify language in the attempt to surpass our older material.

What is the most memorable show you've ever played?

That might have been in Berlin in autumn 1997: the events happening in front of the stage, and moreover the arousing events after our show have been carved deep into our memory. They even inspired a movie-script-writer to develop a script (which sadly was not realized as movie later.) But more I will not give away from those events, at least not for the moment being. Perhaps the movie will be realized one future day: and then I would have given away the story plot.

Who are your favorite local bands?

Here in Germany there are several interesting bands; some of our favourites of which are Armageddon Dildos, U.L.A.A., NGB, T-L, Summoned Mortals.

Who do you have playing in your car stereo now?

Regretably the stereo in my car broke down some months ago; so I use to listen to BFBS, the British Forces broadcast in western Germany.

What is the hardest thing to do while being in a band?

The hardest thing (especially for me and Kullf) is to get our minds free from the thought that has been haunting us for too long: "What's the use of doing what we do? Can't we start drinking Stauder Pils (famous German beer) right now?! Or have we really to wait one more hour?" And the terrible answer of Mathias too of ten rings in our ears: "You should wait two hours. Listen! Here are several musical elements that scream for being improved."

Do you have a favorite band story? Tour fight, fanatic fan etc

One of our all-time favourite band story is the story connected with our visiting the Berlin club "Kraut 'n' Kruste" where we had the luck to meet the real Underground: people being eaten up by wretchedness beyond the measure of normal mortals. Those were moments of deep anxiety and huge bewilderment.

Additional comments

Thanx for this interview. We hope to visit the States some future day again. But to be honest, we would have preferred the USA ruled by Al Gore. We are not too political - but our short visit in a Parallel World (some weeks back) had brought about some amazing results.


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