German rock band Blacktoothed releases immersive and emotionally touching single "Between You & The World" with upcoming album JULI set to make its debut release on July 29, 2022.
German-based rock band Blacktoothed seems to have it all figured it out when it comes to their lyrical self-awareness and genuine authenticity to their craft. While the road to how they got here has not exactly been a bed of roses, Blacktoothed have used these life-defining experiences to not only shape their sound but their future as kaleidoscopic newcomers forming the genre of today's scene.
"On a lyrical level, we should be more empathetic towards each other, that mental health should not be taboo, and we should not be unintentionally assaultive towards others on an emotional level. And apart from that, maybe also that in 2022 you can just make normal, straight rock music, not too soft, not too hard. Somehow we had the topic from time to time that people don't know where to place us. But they don't have to, stick us in the metalcore scene, stick us in the pop-rock scene, we belong everywhere and are just always happy to have a good time with you!" - Matti (Guitarist)
With influences that span from 80s heavy metal, like Skid Row, Mötley Crüe, and all the others, Blacktoothed has made it point to combine technically proficient instrumentalism with heartfelt lyrics that challenge the way we look at subjects such as mental health and the concept of empathy in their upcoming album release JULI. Working with the musical genius of Annisokay's guitarist Christoph Wieczorek and Julian Breucker at Sawdust Recordings Studio, the dynamics of their sound skyrocket to impressive heights, showing Blacktoothed in top-form. While their new singles only scratch the surface of what the talented Leipzig band has to offer to the scene, next month's release JULI is promising something refreshing that creatively blends heavy 80's metal dominance offset with the softness of catchy pop hooks and immersive EDM soundscapes. At face value, Blacktoothed is quickly showing that they are the real deal, and JULI is just the beginning of what's to come.
What started Blacktoothed? What is the story behind your band name?
Matti (Guitarist): That’s a story for our singer Hendrik to tell, he originally founded the band back in 2007. I was 14 then, I didn’t even play guitar yet. He named the band “Black Tooth Scares,” since he was a big Pantera fan. The Pantera guys created a drink that was so strong, that it would make your teeth go black. Young Hendrik feared this drink, so that’s where the name came from, kind of odd, really. However, everything changed since then, band members, sound, and genre, so in 2018, we thought it was time to have a more “mature” name and changed it to “blacktoothed.” Still quite weird-sounding, but that’s just the way we are, kind of our slogan.
What are your musical influences? What was your source of inspiration going into your new second full release?
Matti (Guitarist): We all have a thing for 80s heavy metal, like Skid Row, Mötley Crüe, and all the others. That’s probably why we have so many guitar solo parts in our songs and Hendrik relies on this big, powerful voice with a ton of vibrato when he wants. But since I write the songs and currently have a big thing for EDM and US pop music, I love to layer synth sounds as the base of our songs. This is pretty much all the inspiration for me, I just absorb the writing of songs I currently like, mix it with our musical roots, and then apparently this is what makes a Blacktoothed song, haha.
I know you have a few singles out currently. Can we talk about those?
Matti (Guitarist): Actually, “Pulse” was the 2nd one that we released in March, featuring Kassim Auale of ex-Alazka. But apparently, people are really digging “So Real,” and we really love that!
Lyrically speaking, how do singles "So Real" and "You Never Know" fit into the overall message of your upcoming album release?
Matti (Guitarist): If you’d want to put it in a sentence, JULI is all about interpersonal situations and how we affect each other, especially if one is struggling mentally. “You Never Know” could be the theme song for this message, since it revolves around the feeling of never really knowing how your relativities will contribute to worsening another person’s mental state and that you should take people seriously whenever they are trying to reach out to you. “So Real” on the other hand is rather personal, talking about this toxic positivity and telling people to “just smile.” The song is a statement to yourself that you CAN be sad and depressed sometimes, if that’s the way you feel, and no one else has the right to tell you how you should feel.
Can we talk about the creative process going into this? What was it like working with Annisokay guitarist Christoph Wieczorek and Julian Breucker at Sawdust Recordings Studio? I know the studio has worked with other successful acts at the moment such as Future Palace and Venues. How did that impact your recording and writing process? That span of three different recording sessions and member changes, it was important to you guys for many reasons. Can we talk about that?
Matti (Guitarist): Sure, it’s not the first time we’ve worked with Christoph, so we already knew how much effort he puts into his production. Together with Julian, they are just the ultimate team that always brings out the maximum potential of our preproduction. Another big plus to working with Sawdust Recordings is the sound – you know a Christoph-Mix if you hear one and it hits you right in the face! Other than that, we just really get along great and always have a lot of fun in the studio with these two. Since you mentioned our split sessions – it actually came about because we didn't aim for an album until we teamed up with Arising Empire. Before that, we already did two single sessions, in which we recorded 5 of the songs that ended up in JULI.
What has this second release done for you for evolution as an artist?
Matti (Guitarist): I think that we have become more aware of what our musical direction will be - namely that we don't have any guidelines, really. Also about our sound, just having a good balance between instruments and synths. Also, compared to our first album, I think everyone has come to terms with their part in the songwriting process, which makes everything a lot more professional. Even though I write and mostly provide ready-produced songs, everyone is involved in the process by telling me what needs to be changed and coming over to check if it sounds cool in translation on the particular instrument or vocals. It just really works for us.
What do you want others to take from this release if anything?
Matti (Guitarist): On a lyrical level, we should be more empathetic towards each other, that mental health should not be taboo, and we should not be unintentionally assaultive towards others on an emotional level. And apart from that, maybe also that in 2022 you can just make normal, straight rock music, not too soft, not too hard. Somehow we had the topic from time to time that people don't know where to place us. But they don't have to, stick us in the metalcore scene, stick us in the pop-rock scene, we belong everywhere and are just always happy to have a good time with you!
Besides the new album, what can we expect from you guys down the road this year?
Matti (Guitarist): We are planning an album release tour sometime, but the whole covid situation is making the planning of such events especially hard in fall/winter. For now, we will just play a few concerts, rocking the JULI songs for you, and defining our setlist, since we're overly excited to see which songs are bringing it to the crowds. Other than that, maybe we'll do an acoustic version of one of the songs, but honestly, I also think we might as well just go straight back to songwriting.
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