Manifesto Futurista, the new album by STURMGEIST, indeed is a true storm full of blazing Black Metal songs. With a unique lyrical approach, dealing with the Futurist Movement to underline the fast and crushing music, STURMGEIST (aka Cornelius v. Jackhelln) also brings fresh wind, or rather thunderstorm, to the somewhat stagnating Black Metal scene. Time for Nocturnal Hall’s Bulletrider (aka David ;-)) to achieve more information from first hand.

David: Hello Cornelius! Congratulations to your third album Manifesto Futurista, which is one of my personal highlights of this year. How were the general reactions to your latest output?
Cornelius: Thanks a bunch! The reactions to Manifesto Futurista have been mixed, but some have been really good, such as the 8/10 in Rock Hard and the 10/10 from Nocturnal Hall! STURMGEIST was supposed to be direct and effective “Rock’n’Roll” from the outset, with a tongue-in-cheek sort of attitude. If you add to this that in the two first albums we played with stereotypes of Germanic culture - both seriously and irreverently, interchangeably - I think you have the explanation for the fact that we have always received sort of mixed reviews. Critics aren’t supposed to love us. Where SOLEFALD fans you with ostrich feathers, STURMGEIST is more a fist in the face.

David: The albums predecessors already were everything but soft, so the Futurism quoted statement “No work without an aggressive character can be a masterpiece.” doesn’t necessarily has to be put equal with Black Metal. So how did this development from a more stomping electronic to this harsh Black Metal sound found its way?
Cornelius: I guess mainly the massacre in Finland, where a guy with the name Sturmgeist89 ran amok, played an important part. All of a sudden, the funny shit wasn’t so funny any more, rather “funny”. Also, after Über the potential of that approach seemed exhausted. I do like the two first STURMGEIST albums, but the time had come to change, to evolve. I increasingly think of Meister Mephisto and Über as albums from the Tankard of Black Metal... no shit! I always wanted to do a more “true” album, and with Manifesto Futurista the occasion presented itself. The Futurist attitude seemed fresh and easily applicable to NBM (Norwegian Black Metal).

David: Apart from fellow campaigners from the scene of arts, literature and music F.T. Marinetti (for the readers: the founder of Futurist Movement) also had supporters who did choose a more violent form of upheaval and were to be found among circles of anarchists etc. Regarding your statement on your Myspace page to the shootings in Finland you clearly pointed out a “No Violence” message. So, how is your view towards the more brutal or violent aspects of these Futurists?
Cornelius: Of course, confronted with a situation escalating far beyond control, one has to communicate the non-violence message as clearly as possible. There simply is no other way. But then I don’t think that the people in question would listen to me, or anyone else for that matter. As an artist I don’t like to tell people what to do, or what not to do. However, when a kid goes amok and kills blindly, one has to do the little one can. When it comes to Futurism, you don’t have to approve of the individuals’ actions in order to appreciate the art. It goes without saying. You can listen to Gangster Rap without having, and using, a hand gun. The point is stupid - but true. I invariably find these discussions about art and morals stupid and simplistic. Ambivalence really is STURMGEIST’s highest quality, and ruining it with clear messages is something I would do only in an emergency situation. November 2007 was such a time.

David: The drastic and rather violent force of expression of the Futurist Manifest to a greater point nearly urges a more destructive style of music. Don’t you find it surprising that – at least to my knowledge – you are the first Metal musician choosing this more than fitting theme as a concept?
Cornelius: I thank you for this smart question. It is difficult not to answer it in an arrogant way. I know that in the past I have often seemed arrogant in interviews, which isn’t that cool at all. But: That is the way it goes when you are active in a genre so conventional and so devoid of imagination. I mean, since the mid-90s there has been an explosion of creative and experimental acts, no doubt about that... however, when that obvious and simple little Futurist idea hasn’t ever been used after 40 years of rock music? WTF? Futurism used to be the Black Metal of the art world... so I do think they go well together. Pure provocation, pure primal power. Maybe Thrash Metal or Speed Metal would be a more fitting musical vehicle for Futurism, given the precedents of Megadeth and Nuclear Assault... but hell, we did it with STURMGEIST! And I’m quite happy about that.

David: „We will glorify war - the world’s only hygiene - militarism, patriotism, the destructive gesture of freedom-bringers, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and scorn for woman.“ In my opinion this is one of the major and most distinct statements of the Futurist Manifesto. How would you transport this message to the modern time?
Cornelius: First of all, forget about the “scorn for woman”. Several women were affiliated with the Futuristi. I think they must have referred to the horrendous qualities traditionally associated with femininity, such as passivity and obedience. Needless to say, I don’t approve of such a view! Futurism was all about action, power and technology. Speed! Movement! Frenzy! Aggression! Anything but the dreary calm of bourgeois living. Transposing the Futurist aesthetic today necessarily implies some moral consideration, despite my statement above. If you consider art as a free zone, the road to Neo-Futurism lies open. I mean, all of our countries are currently at war. Jens Stoltenberg, Norway’s newly re-elected Prime Minister, is a Social Democrat, and at the same time leading soldiers at war in Iraq and Afghanistan. Denmark, Germany, the UK and the US - they are all at war in different countries. That is why I find it so hypocritical to attack artists who merely paint, talk or write about war. We don’t kill anyone - we render and reinterpret the violence that we exposed to, directly or indirectly.

David: Did some specific artists of the days of Futurism, be it in terms of literature, paintings or music have an influence on you or does your interest mainly lie in the actual message of the Futurist Movement?
Cornelius: My main interest certainly lies in the aesthetics of the Futurist Manifesto. But I do like the poetry of F.T. Marinetti, and the paintings of Giacomo Balla - pure speed in two dimensions! The creativity and imagination of the Futurists are nothing less than amazing - be sure to check out the Futurist cookbook!

David: So now let’s head to the actual music on Manifesto Futurista. Apart from the title-track – which songs are most clearly influenced by the Movement, either in lyrical or musical hindsight?
Cornelius: The title track of the album, Manifesto Futurista, quite clearly. Thematically, it is quite similar to Deep Purple’s Speed King or Metallica’s Motorbreath. Singing about speed and motors went out of fashion in Metal in the 1980s. It is a shame - because it is great fun!

David: What has impressed me personally the most on Manifesto Futurista is the blazing spirit of rebellion, a fire sparked by the music. Many of today’s Black Metal bands seem to lose this blazing spirit and are more and more striving to express a form of depression and bleakness. What do you personally think of these Suicide- or Ambient Black Metal bands?
Cornelius: My drummer Vincent has presented Xasthur to me, to which I have listened a bit. It is very hard to listen to. Depression is seeping in through every pore. Personally, I am more into intense and energetic music. The whole suicide thing, I stay clear of it. Though I can imagine working on a book with a character and listening to such stuff. If music could be dangerous (psychologically speaking), I would bet on the slow, sorrowful stuff. Soo depressing! STURMGEIST is party music in comparison. All the time I have tried to get away from the passivity (wrong word, but hopefully you get the point) of the Black Metal aesthetics and explore more of an extrovert, direct attitude. This means: Speed, technology, power, warfare and so on. It is more about lacing those running shoes and cruise around in the forest for an hour, rather than sitting on the floor, slashing your arm with a razor. Maybe I will do an athletics album in the future - wouldn’t that be great (ab-so-lute-ly!!!; the author)? I know most Black Metal people would shiver at the very idea - and I like that reaction! Music should surprise you, shake you, and bring some STURM into life!

David: Songs like The Siegfried Order and Let Us Be The Suns Of Our Time definitely protrude from the fast and harsh Black Metal tracks. What is The Siegfried Order and how can we figuratively become these shining suns?
Cornelius: The Siegfried Order is an imagined order of warlords, really another excuse for a display of that bellicose rhetoric which fits Extreme Metal so perfectly. Let Us Be the Suns Of Our Time expresses the extrovert attitude I referred to above, it is a song exalting community and brotherhood, the forward and outbound movement:

Let Us Be the Suns Of Our Time (lyric excerpt)

Victors and villains come with me
Let us be the suns of our time
Pull the golden strings of empire
Deliver light to minded darkness

March with me across the map
We shall make emotion known

Comrades, brothers we will climb
Skyscrapers mountains cities of the world
Crawl the desert like lizards and panzers
Roam the ocean like dolphins and subs

Capitals await us with open arms
Vent the joy of conquered honey

So how does one become the sun of one’s time? Although this sounds grandiose and heroic, the idea behind the song is to open up for emotions and experiences, embracing the unknown, live life with passion and the empathy that comes with it. I will sound like an ad writer if I continue, but wtf: Live your life today, forget about everything and everyone that keeps you down. Seek the joy of freedom. If ever I had a message to convey, that would be it.

David: Apart from these songs Ritorno Glorioso surely has to be mentioned explicitly. Being a fan of Martial Industrial and Neo-Classic stuff I really love this track. Are you also a listener of this music genres or do you stay with the classics like Wagner & Co.?
Cornelius: To be honest, I mostly listen to classical music. Still, I used to listen to Arcana and Dead Can Dance as a teenager. Lisa Gerrard’s The Mirror Pool stands out as one of the most treasured albums in my collection. Michael Berberian of Season Of Mist played Karjalan Sissit to me - very haunting and monumental Finnish wilderness!

David: How would you describe your personal taste of music and what can we find in your CD or MP3 player?
Cornelius: I am currently discovering Köld, the new album of Icelanders Solstafir. They are friends and I love those guys, both on and off stage. As I write this, I am listening to Norwegian Folk Music at the radio - which I adore at times. My collection is pretty schizo, as you can imagine - but quite varied. You will find at least a couple of albums of most genres, such as Blues, Jazz, Classical, Hip Hop, Electro, Pop, Indie - and of course a bunch of all kinds of Metal. Nowadays I mostly listen to metal as I run. Unfortunately I am quite stuck in what I listened to in my teens; my taste is becoming increasingly repetitive. Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades and At The Gates’ Slaughter Of The Soul rank as my all-time favorites.

David: Besides your activities as a musician you are also active in the field of literature and also released a couple of books. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be German or English translation of these. What is the content of these books and will we have the chance for a broader publishing in the near future?
Cornelius: I have published seven literary books, presently working on a philosophical treatise about anger. Very excited about that! It is a commissioned work that should be out sometime in 2010. In my bibliography you will find poetry, novels and a children’s book. As of yet, I am only translated into Finnish and Swedish. I really hope this will change in the future. Many of my friends and acquaintances don’t read Scandinavian languages.

David: When neither making music nor writing books – which books or movies to you enjoy in your spare time (if you have it at all…)? Is there also some more trivial stuff to be found or are they all of a more spiritual or philosophical nature?
Cornelius: I like to watch a variety of movies; lately I have seen Inglourious Basterds, A Fistful Of Dollars, Full Metal Jacket, Fraulein Raffke and Alphaville - that may give you an idea. My good friend Gaston regularly shows films at his home in Kreuzberg. It is a great way to spend an evening, I think.

David: All of your projects are highly creative, even spiritual in some way and to high amount very sophisticated and ambitious. Are you more likely to stay in your own apartment/rooms or do you also hit the streets to enjoy Berlin’s nightlife?
Cornelius: Of course work occupies an important part of my time, at home or in libraries. Nevertheless, I often bike around in Berlin, going to different places and parties. I try to balance the need for solitude and going out - which sort of works. Berlin is such a great place to live; it would be stupid not to exploit it! Wirklich!

David: Is there anything else you would like to say to the public?
Cornelius: Thanks for your interest in STURMGEIST. You may want to check out the releases from my label Inhuman Music, the darkcore/electro project G.U.T., My Only Drug Is Madness and the SOLEFALD remix album The Circular Drain. And if you like STURMGEIST you should of course check out Manifesto Futurista! All of my albums are available through iTunes.

David: Thank you for your time and your interesting and detailed answers.