Photo Credit: Sandra Krafft
German metalcore quintet Rising Insane want to reach out to the world with their new album Afterglow, centred around all-important topics including mental health, abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder. We caught up with the band following the release to discuss their formation, ambitions, influences and more.
Firstly, tell us a bit about yourself and your band.
I am Aaron, I sing and scream for Rising Insane, write the lyrics and co-write the instrumentals together with Sven. When making music I try to process the loss of my sister in 2018 and put all my honesty about myself and mental health in it, evident on our new album Afterglow. We want to reach people, dealing openly with mental health because it’s our concern to bring it more into the public eye.
How did the band form and how long have you been together?
Florian and Robert played in a band together and I joined a rehearsal because they needed a second guitarist. But I already had a band, so I was not really interested at first. A few weeks later, I decided to leave my band and wanted to start something new, so I asked Robert if they were still looking for a guitar player. I did not know that this band broke up, so I found Robert, Florian and also Ulf, the new guy on the bass, waiting for me in the rehearsal room. And because they did not have a singer, I just tried it out and put the guitar aside. In 2013, Sven joined the band and it all started to develop into what it is today.
Can you remember the first time you realised you wanted to make music?
Sven and I thought about exactly this question a few days ago, and we totally agreed about one reason: we were totally in love with the imagination, to hit a note, hearing the crowd scream and enter a stage, like we have seen it on the videos that we watched as we were teenagers, for example of Metallica or Linkin Park. That was one of the reasons why we started to make music. If I think about that today I actually got to smile and laugh a little bit, because there is so much more that music gives to us!
Who and what are the band’s main influences?
What we often hear and what we would never deny, is the influence that Architects have on our music. Their music affects me a lot, especially because they shared the same loss as Sven and I. But also, Sven found his metal roots in the likes of Metallica, which gives our music a little push towards some more old school elements. And lately I have been listening to a lot of synthwave and rap, what has affected me a lot during the process of writing the album.
What do you aim to achieve as a band?
Making music that positively affects our listeners. Since we released our album Porcelain a lot has changed for us, in a good way. Reading people’s messages, saying thank you because our music helped them to get through hard times and struggles, is the most fulfilling thing about making music for me. So we hope that our music will continue to spread all over the globe.
For those who are yet to see you live, what can they expect from a Rising Insane show?
People always tell us they can really see that we are having fun and love what we are doing on the stage. We are not just a band but also best friends, and I think that this is something that makes our show different. I love to communicate with the audience, between but also during the songs, I love to get in touch with the crowd, it’s like we are exchanging our energy in these moments. Oh and you should not forget that you will be hit by a steamroller.
What’s next for Rising Insane?
We will be supporting Deez Nuts on their European tour from 4th February until 5th March 2022. In the summer there will be some postponed shows from the last two years. Really hoping for this all to happen! And we have all already started to write new songs as well, so things keep on rolling.
Rising Insane‘s new album Afterglow is out now via Long Branch Records, available to stream or purchase HERE.
See Rising Insane on tour with Deez Nuts alongside Kublai Khan and UnityTX at one of the following dates:
March 2022
Tue 1st – LONDON – The Underworld
Wed 2nd – BIRMINGHAM – Mama Roux’s
Thu 4th – BRISTOL – Thekla
Fri 5th – MANCHESTER – Rebellion
Sat 6th – SOUTHAMPTON – The Loft
