First of all, how are you doing, we knew you were really sick?

Currently I am glad that everything got fine and nearly whole again. Only a few scratches remain and a bit less of hair, but that is ok for me. At least Life will never be the same again as before.

Did this have any influence on your view on life and music?

Surely it has. The upcoming album is much more personal than the three albums before. This time dealing much more about my personal life and my personal points of view.

You were pretty succesfull with Siechtum, why the urge to start with Schattenschlag?

With Siechtum I am pretty much limited to only one point of music and that is experimental industrial. With my own project Schattenschlag I am able to realise even more aspects and influents of  music in my own way. Siechtum always had and has the name of Thomas Rainer on it and I am happy that Schattenschlag currently exceeds the success of Siechtum.

What are inspirations for  you in music?

Mostly things of my daily life. In my job I have lots of personal contact to customers and their different moods each day … so let me state it often has something to do with my personal frustration on them. :)

You are working for along time on the Antiseptiq album, some snippets already can be heard for awhile on your myspace profile, why isn’t it released yet?

I am a perfectionist on that topic. Currently I am working on the album for at least one and a half year and still sometimes being not that kinda pleased with the result. I always try to be better than on my last album and have some more new aspects on the tracks so I work on them… rework them and rework them again… 

If you are working on an album for so long, do you keep on working and try to make the songs better over and over again or do you quit working on them when you feel it’s finished?

A titel never ever seems to be finished. The first idea mostly is the best that you have. If you start thinking too much about it and its intention for yourself you work them over and over again.

 
In what way did you progress since the previous album?

“Flashback” – the first album was a kind of a look behind. On the things I did in Siechtum and the tracks I already knew from myself. “Flashback” also had some insight forward on what would likely come along. With “Gefühlskalt” I worked on the path that I started. Leaving much of the 
past behind without denying it in any way. “Twisted Mind of Perversion” then started out to be the more adult variation of Schattenschlag. Being the best produced album I did till then and finally finding my home on dark electronic music.

The new album launches the way to the future. Trends I have witnessed and things I deny… included with a bit more of my inner self. Sounds like Schattenschlag is grown up and leaves its childhood behind.

 
You just got signed to BLC, how did you get in contact with them and finally signed a deal?

I know Brandon for a long time and we are very good friends. I often participated on his well known Interbreeding compilation series and worked with a couple of his artists already. Brandon and me love dark harsh electronic music and BLC defenetly is the best choice for this kind of music !

 
For what band would you like to make a remix?

For everything interesting and perhaps new. Not a classical dark electro band but something that is really breathtaking. I do not care much about if it is a famous band or a newcomer. The sound of the project should catch me !

 
On the summer darkness festival you played last year, some people were complaining you didn’t sing live. Is it true and if so, why (please explain)?

I did not sing playback. Everyone in the first few rows defenetly could hear and witness that. Everybody complaining on me not singing live is invited to the next soundcheck !

 
Any last words for the readers?

Thanks for the interview and I hope everybody will have a YABBADABBADOOOOO time !

Website:
http://www.schattenschlag.com/