SonicSedcuer - Mera Luna 2026 - Interview

Sonic Seducer:  Has your art changed over the years – or is it rather the world around your art that is changing?

Tilo: Yes, both. On the one hand, the world really is changing at a breakneck pace. In our society.. particularly in Western society – we’re seeing leaps in development, the sort that used to take 500,000 years, happening within a decade or a generation. That’s truly enormous and difficult for our minds and hearts to keep up with at that speed. Humans aren’t really built for that. That’s one thing. And on the other hand, we naturally reflect on it. Our music is changing too. Anne: Older and wiser. Tilo: Exactly, older and wiser. Anne: And so our music evolves with us. Tilo: Exactly. Anne: Somehow, it all fits together.

Sonic Seducer: Your music thrives on contrasts. Do you believe that true art arises precisely from these contradictions?

Tilo: I think art always thrives on contradictions. Of course, there’s also art that doesn’t contain contradictions, that doesn’t provoke or whatever, but is simply uplifting. "Simply" is the wrong word in this context. Art that aims to be uplifting – and that’s something incredibly beautiful. Absolutely. But a large part of art has, after all, arisen from people not being able to keep their mouths shut, from something burning inside them that simply had to come out. And that’s how I’d describe Lacrimosa, at least. Anne: Yes

Sonic Seducer: Has artistic independence ever been a risk that has caused you sleepless nights?

Anne: I don’t think we can do anything else. We can only produce what comes from within us.
And if we were to do anything differently, we wouldn’t be ourselves anymore. Tilo: Yes, yes, that’s just the way it is. Then you’d be taking something in from the outside. If you chase after a trend or react to one, you’re taking in something external. And that goes against the very reason why we make music, because we want to express our emotions. And that’s why it doesn’t work.

Sonic Seducer: When you’re writing a new album these days – does the process begin with a specific statement, an emotion, or rather with an open-ended question to which you yourselves don’t yet know the answer?

Tilo: Basically, our music – the lyrics we write – are like diary entries. We live our lives and write down what moves us, what touches us. And sometimes that turns into
songs. I mean, it’s not as though we have a specific plan, like ‘we have to make a new album and the theme is "mountain", so now we’re going to do everything about "mountain". It’s really just, basically, what we experience. Anne: What moves us. Tilo: Exactly. Anne: It can be something that happens every day, and we just write down everything that moves us. And then later on, somehow… well, for me it’s like this: when I read through the lyrics, the melodies just come to me straight away. And schwuppdiwupp (=in the blink of an eye) a song is born. Tilo: Hahaha : )

Sonic Seducer: For you, is music more of a place where answers emerge – or one where questions are deliberately left open?

Tilo: Both. There’s music – not necessarily our own music, but music I listen to – where I think, This feeling answers everything. It just makes you feel safe and secure. On the other hand, though, I also love music that raises questions, that makes me think, that helps me to reflect on myself and the world a bit, and to look beyond my own horizons. So I think it’s both.

Sonic Seducer: Have there been any encounters with fans that have permanently changed the way you view the significance of your own music?

Anne: Good question. Tilo: Yes. Well, it’s… Normally, when I’m composing, I don’t think at all about… the fact that other people might hear it at some point. I’m really completely absorbed in myself. But through encounters, it does happen now and then that a certain sense of responsibility has awakened in me. Because people have spoken to me and said, "This song saved my life", and so on, or "I grew up with this song or this album". And that… that sort of thing sticks with you. And then you sometimes realise that you have a certain responsibility. Isn’t it the case that this responsibility then leads to self-censorship? But it leads to thinking: "Bloody hell, make an effort. You really have to give it your all now. You can’t just do 50 per cent."

Sonic Seducer: How is the creative dialogue between the two of you developing these days – do you find yourselves disagreeing more often, or do you now get on almost without needing to speak?

Anne: Yes. A connection without words. We’ve known each other for a while now. Yes, and he understands my musical vision quite well. I mean, we write my songs together. And somehow he always gets the right feel. Time and time again. It’s so lovely.

Sonic Seducer: Artists today are under enormous pressure to be constantly in the public eye. Is it harder to maintain your rather low-key approach today than it was twenty years ago?

Tilo: It’s quite clear – because with social media, you’re almost forced to be in the spotlight all the time. And for both of us, that’s not really our thing… It might sound unusual, but we actually prefer to avoid the public eye. We just want to make music. And at least for me, that’s how it was when I realised it was drawing a certain amount of attention to me. Of course, I put a photo of myself on the first record. A bit of vanity and so on is obvious. I always hated it when I bought an LP and there wasn’t a picture of the artist on it. Anne: Yeah, yeah. Tilo: There wasn’t an internet back then. I didn’t know what they looked like. And then I thought, "Well, I’ll put a picture on mine." And later on I regretted putting a picture on it, because now people recognise me. That’s a bit daft, isn’t it? I mean, we’ve never really sought out the limelight. We’ve come to terms with it now – that’s just how it is. But we don’t really go looking for it. It’s just become a bit trickier because of social media. But even there, there are ways and means. I post lots of photos because I enjoy taking them. But I’m not in all of them all the time, for example. That works too.

Sonic Sedcuer: If you could reinterpret one of your albums today, with complete freedom and without any preconceptions, which one would appeal to you the most and why?

Tilo: There’s no way I’d ever do that. Anne: I wouldn’t want to change a thing either. Tilo: Exactly. It was right on the money. It had to be that way. As a person, you were exactly at that stage in your personal development. And you mustn’t tamper with that. And I have to say quite honestly, artists who do that – who dig out old albums and re-record them. Guys, don’t do it! I mean, if you’re making music and you think, "I can do this better today." No, you can’t. You can’t do it any better. Anne: You can’t recapture that feeling. Tilo: No matter how many modern production techniques you throw at it, you just can’t get that feeling back.

Sonic Seducer: What is it that still drives you to write a new Lacrimosa album today? What needs to happen within you for new music to emerge at all?

Anne: We’re still alive. Tilo: I’m in one of those creative bursts again at the moment. I’m so fascinated by sitting down at the piano or picking up a guitar. And knowing that something new is being created. New music is coming into the world. And, that’s… that’s just it.
I can’t even describe it. If someone were to stop me from making music right now, that would probably be the worst thing for me. So, consequently… well… We’re not the sort of band that says, "We’ve got to make a new album, so let’s get ourselves together again and head into the studio." It’s more of an ongoing process. And we’re constantly writing songs and so on. And at some point – we’re only just starting to realise it now – it’s sort of taken shape and it all fits together. We reckon an album’s slowly coming together. It’s just… it just happens. Anne: Yes, it’s a constant process, in a way.

Sonic Seducer: Is perfection an artistic ideal for you – or rather your greatest enemy?

Tilo: Basically, you have to define what perfection is. There are quite… Well, when I’m in the studio as a producer, I have a different definition of perfection to when I’ve written the song beforehand. These
are different things, and then if you ask a metal fan who listens to Lacrimosa, they’ll have different priorities when listening to a Lacrimosa album than someone who grew up with Lacrimosa. Like you. So, what does "perfection" mean? What do you want, or what do you describe as perfection in that moment? And for me – amongst all these different definitions of perfection that you could apply – my definition has actually always been: do I feel it? When I listen to it, I feel it. And that’s why I gave that answer to the question earlier – that’s why you can’t re-record the old stuff, because you could make it more perfect in terms of production. But that would just be one of the many answers to what perfection is.
Anne: And exactly – perfection means something different to everyone. So, the moment I produce something – musically speaking – I give it my all. And if that’s not enough for someone else, it doesn’t have to be perfect for me.

Sonic Seducer: If you were to view Lacrimosa not as a band but as a literary character – which chapter of its story is it in today?

Tilo: Oh well, it’s a serialised novel and this is the latest instalment. Anne: Yes, you could say that.

The interview was conducted by Sonic Seducer and transcribed/translated by Bloody Harlekin – The Lacrimosa Fanpage.