Can you tell us more about your new album called « Survival » ?

R: The new album is a soundtrack for resistance. It is a critical view on the powers that are trying to shape the world into a living hell and a call to rise up, ask questions and make a fist.

Can you speak to us about the recording sessions ?

Karl - Sure, the recording of the album took place during July and August of this year (2008) and was done in 3 separate studios. We recorded the drums at Feedback Studios in Aarhus and Roy was great. He managed to do all 11 songs in 2 days I think, maybe even a little less. We then moved across town, still staying in Aarhus, to go to the Antfarm Studios to record guitars and bass. That took around 7 days I think. Tue Madsen was responsible for getting some sounds along with Dom and myself and Jakob Olsen did the tracking. The vocals were all recorded in Germany at Wurst Audio in Viersen by Christian Boche and that was done over a period of 3 or 4 weeks on and off. The mixing and mastering was handled by Tue Madsen. Everything went pretty smoothly for "Survival" when it came to the recording and getting the sounds came pretty naturally and with ease. We had a distinct vision and goal of what we wanted to achieve and we definitely got the result we were looking for. We’re all super happy with the end result and feel this is the strongest sounding album we’ve written.

How did you proceed for the composition ?

Karl – Writing songs for Born From Pain is always a labour of love and some songs come really easily and some take more time. The whole process happens in usually one of two ways. The first is that Dom or myself come to practice with a riff or a couple of ideas for a riff and we build on that. The other way is that no one has anything and we just try to come up with stuff on the spot in the practice room, working from ideas we each might have based on what is played, kinda try to bounce ideas off each other spontaneously. It’s usually the second way that yields the best results. We try not to spend too much time on ideas that don’t happen straight away, because writing good music that you like should flow reasonably easily. We had some definite plans of where we wanted to go with writing songs for "Survival", in terms of how songs should be structured and how they should be easily recognisable and easy to digest and we really tried to make the most of the strong work ethic we have. I think the results speak for themselves our song writing skills continue to grow.

What are the lyrics talking about ? Where do you find inspiration ?

The Lyrics are about the state of the world today and the cold hearted ways of the people that have the power. We find inspiration in all that is going on around us concerning that. There is a ruthless power elite that tries to shape the world the way they want it and do not care about the people that are on the receiving end of their actions whatsoever. A lot of this is going on behind the scenes. We are trying to get people to wake up, research what is going on, be critical and ask questions. SURVIVAL is a call for resistance!

Who created the artwork ?

Karl - Rene Natzel is responsible for the artwork. He has worked with us for the past 3 albums and we together have a definite vision of what the imagery should be that is associated with the band. I think a definite line and trail of thought can be seen through the artwork that connects each release to one another, yet conveys what each release is trying to portray.

Did you film a promotional video ?

Karl – I have just seen the first edit of the video, which is for the song "Sons Of A Dying World" and I love it. It really fits in with the whole concept of what we talk about on the album and really pushes the viewer to ask questions and think for themselves. I guess the video will be on music channels and the internet very soon, so make sure you look for it.

What’s your favourite track on « Survival » and why ?

Karl – Wow, that’s a really hard question, because a favourite track is judged on so many things for me; the music, the lyrical content, the atmosphere and feeling a song radiates all showcase why a track is special. Whilst all tracks are my favourites, ones that really are particular favourites are Sound Of Survival, Sons Of A Dying World, The Wolves Are Loose, Final Collapse, Zeitgeist, The Hydra and under False Flag. So yeah, as you can see, since I just named half the album, its quite tricky. I think the beautiful thing about this album is that every track really adds something and it isn’t just on a musical level, its on a lyrical level and also in a way that provokes thought and questioning the subject matter and to me, that is lost within music a lot of the time today.

Which songs from the album will you play live ?

Karl – Well, so far we’ve played Sound Of Survival, State Of Mind, Sons Of A Dying World, The Wolves Are Loose, Endgame and The Hydra. I’m sure a few other tracks like Never Die and Final Collapse along with Zero Hour etc will get played too at some point.

What are your touring plans ?

Karl – Well, the first major touring plans we have will be to do the 2008 Persistence Tour in December which will be great as we have had great experiences on that tour already. Then, the main plans are to tour as much as possible, do some headline tours in Europe, go back to the States, Japan and South America. I’m sure we’ll also do some good support tours and summer festivals and hopefully we’ll get to some new countries too. Top of my list would be places like Australia and China, but we’ll see. The plan and goal is to tour as much as possible and reach as many people as possible in support of "Survival".

What are your favourite bands and all times albums ?

Karl – First one is easy and that’ s Metallica. Their first 5 albums are amazing and the new one Death Magnetic is great too. I’m also a huge fan of The Kaiser Chiefs. My musical tastes are pretty diverse. I like a lot of everything, from pioneers of heavy music such as Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden to bands like Killswitch Engage and Terror. I like a lot of 80’s pop too along with Motown. Favourite bands also include bands like Biohazard, Slayer, Testament, Bitter End, Sick Of It All, Converge, Anthrax, The Beatles, New Found Glory, Minor Threat, Slipknot etc. I could list so many bands really, but I’m not gonna. I think that list will suffice.

Do you have funny or strange stories about the band you can share with us　?

Karl – Ha, there are probably tons of funny or strange stories i could share, but nothing springs to mind right now. Besides, code of the road what happens on the road, stays on the road ha.

What are your projects for the future ?

Karl – Tour like crazy, look for truth, try to effect the world in a positive way that also educates people into looking beyond the lies that are force fed to them through governments or mass media and really try to push people to educate themselves and research what is happening in the world today.

And as a conclusion, can you say some words for my radio show called Metal Choc ?

Karl – Sure, thanks a lot for the interview and for the support. Thanks to all your listeners for checking us out and remember to always look for truth.