We are starting with your new album: what do you mean for "Triviality Beyond Redemption"?
Myk: That is a fine variant, this "redemption" one; but of course the title is "Triviality Beyond Acceptance" by which we self-ironically accuse our material on this album as being trivial, banal and cheap (Which is not what we think in truth of it). Long before the release date this album was, as usual, announced as TBA. However we thought to play with the letters: "TBA? What might that mean? Tranquility Bears Answers, perhaps? Or Tyranny Beyond Accusation? The Black Avenger? Or something? Our choice then fell on "Triviality Beyond Acceptance".
Do you explain us the meaning of a song such as "Abuser's Gabble"?
Myk: Lyricwise this is somehow typical of Testify: A Black Avenger story this is indeed. The "abuser" thinks he has the right to have his way with his victims, the right to abuse and violate. The whole lyrics contain his stuttering about this his claim - until at the very end the Dark Avenger spoils the abusers game. A kind of Superhero-comic-plot. And moreover a part of Testify's ideology: Aggression of the just may be justified. Evilness itself is condemned. (But now as I look onto my defintion, I feel a shadow of doubt. The words just used by me seem like a justification of right-wing politics... And they are not meant to be something like that. I will work on it.)
"Under The Cold Moon" is one of the best songs of the album, moreover it distinguishs for its slow rhythm. May you speak about it? What is the meaning of its lyrics?
Myk: Oh, Under The Cold Moon! Even though it is quite some time past that we have created this title, it still strikes me with its endlessly dark beauty. I should not praise our own creativity too much - but in case of Under the Cold Moon I may be allowed to make an exception: This song is so overwhelming. (Sorry. But I fear this one might turn out to be my all-time favorite title of all that I have ever written.) The lyrics are very dark as well, very intuitive, playing with the unknown, playing with strange metaphorics that just came into my head. And I fear they are not optimistic at all: "Nothing we can hold. Everything will slip thru our hands. Time will erase us. Love will die. No relief waits for us. " - something like this might be the conclusion of the lyrics. Something terribly hopeless.
A very curious is "Karl Found Out: The Definition" where you define your sound by quoting Ministry: now I must ask to you what is the philosophy below Testify.
Myk: OK this one, this small collage, is born out off fun, of course. We were tired, again, of being ever compared to Ministry. So we invented this Definition - as if it was written down in some Dictionary: "Testify - 1. bear witness, give evidence 2. serve as evidence 3. European project. A poor mimicry of Ministry. Extremely non-innovative. Cheap. And trivial beyond acceptance...." Ey, this is a good example of Testify humour. A bit dark, as well. Somewhat growling, perhaps.
You are a band that, in my opinion, transmits a strong feeling of restlessness and violence, so I wolud like to know what are, in your opinion, the great fears of the our days man.
Myk: These are indeed features that we always feel inclined to set into Testify's sound-constructions, or perhaps that, without our directing it, come into our sound: The feeling of restlessness, something like aimless wrath, or helpless anger. We do not approve violence in itsself. There are countless people on this planet that suffer from the worlds strangling schemes. To put it into pathetic words. We do not raise ourself so high as to announce that we, Testify, are the spokesmen for the ruined mankind, or so. But we suffer as well, and put our emotions into our music: The Scream Of Wrath. Har, great definition, eh?!
Your style is very linked to the industrial of the first Ninenties, do you never think to take an address more electro during the last years? Do you think to be always faithful to the definition of Testify given in "Karl Found Out: The Definition"?
Myk: Now it was your turn to create a good definition. Indeed I fear that Testify keep on being faithful to the sound that we have started with: This is the form of Industrial Metal - and Testify stands for this. If the trend demands more Electronic, then we reject the trend. By the by: Some members of Testify ARE involved in projects of the more electronic sort of music. But when we come together as Testify we do what we can do best: Exactly the sound that we create. If we decided to be less guitar - and noise bound, then probably the aural result would be less convincing.
You are German but you record for an American label, may you talk us how do you arrive to this contract?
Myk: In former days we had a contract with German label Rough Trade. In the mid Nineties Rough Trade and Van Richter came together - and Van Richter received the licence for the US market. After Rough Trade dropped us, the cooperation with Van Richter still went on.
As you have this German-American relationship, I would like to know a your judgement about the difference between the American and the European industrial scene, above all the german one.
Myk: I have the feeling that these two Underground scenes get more and more alike. Indeed the US market more and more discovers what in Germany may be observed for some years now: the domination of Electro, as you have mentioned it above. But the times they are a changing. The mixture that Testify create may some day have a comeback.
TESTIFY PAGE | NEXT INTERVIEW 