Black Reuss interview: "I decided at some point that something had to change in my life, and I worked very hard on myself. That's the transformation."

1. We welcome Black Reuss to Metal Prison – No Escape. What inspired you to use the name Black Reuss and what does it mean for you?

When I started the project in 2017 of course I had to have a name. Thematically, Black Reuss is about the river of life and because I lived on the river Reuss at the time, the name of the river also came into focus. I then connected the whole thing symbolically with the color black, because what I'm doing has a certain weight and melancholy.

2. You have set a concept for Black Reuss. Please tell us more about it!

The current project consists of four albums. Metamorphosis, Journey, Arrival and Death. This is my life flow and the four milestones each packaged as an album. The first three are retrospective, the last one will have to be projective. 

3. The Black Reuss concept will be completed in 4 albums. Does this mean you will split up the project after that?

No, not at all. I will continue… Can't tell you if it will be again a concept or album by album. But I will only stop, when there is no more inspiration or motivation.

4. You have just released the second part of the concept. When and where was “Journey” recorded and produced?

I write and produce all my Music in my own studio. Journey was written in 2021, some of the songs are from 2019. I have some partners who help me out with finalizing the album. The vocals are Recorded at erreDIelle studio in Switzerland by Vocal engineer Roberto Deluca, the mix is made by Roberto Macis at Solid Twin Studio in Italy. Finally the album has been mastered by Giovanni Versari at La Maestá Studio.

5. Which bands have influenced Black Reuss?

I have been influenced by many artists. My musical horizon is very broad. I listen to everything from classical to jazz, from alternative rock to metal, from doom to stoner rock...from electronica to urban. But rock is my thing. That's the music that touches me the most. Something just happens there.  But there are also artists who are not only great musicians but also great people. When someone is very authentic and lives what they do, it's very inspiring and you can hear that in the music. 

6.You come from Liechtenstein. Which bands from your country would you recommend us to check out?

I currently live in the Principality of Liechtenstein, in the Rhine Valley. That's also where I grew up. In between, I was in Zurich for 20 years and came back to the Rhine Valley 1.5 years ago. I don't think that the area has influenced me musically wise as the scene is much too small for that. In Liechtenstein, the scene is small and I think not very inspired. The influences of musical nature came more from the, musically speaking, larger countries. But the mood here in the Rhine Valley is sometimes a little depressing. The landscape and the area have a certain melancholic beauty especially in autumn and winter. It may be that this had an influence on my melancholic streak.

To name one from this region, I would recommend to check out the dark alternative artist The Beauty Of Gemina.

7. Let’s go back to “Journey”. What inspired you to write the lyrics for the album? 

I decided at some point that something had to change in my life, and I worked very hard on myself. That's the transformation. The current album, Journey, is the journey to arrival and so on.... I am at the point today where I know that I have had a happy life so far. I've been luckier than others and I'm grateful for that. So, the first 4 album are inspired by my life and the different steps in the life I went through.

8. Do you prefer to write Black Reuss lyrics during the day or at nights?

Doesn't really matter to me. Any time I have an inspiration is great. Usually is not in the morning when I wake up, but sometimes after a dream, it could happen.

9. Have you ever played live with Black Reuss? Do you have session members for this purpose?

I don't have a band to play live at the moment and I don't plan to in the near future. At the moment I'm concentrating on writing and creating. Playing live turns me on a lot, but it has to be the right time and setting. If I feel that there are really people out there who want to see Black Reuss live, then I will do it.

10. How do you start composing a song for Black Reuss and when do you feel it is completed?

As I have my own studio with the whole set up only for Black Reuss, I am very flexible. So I can usually start recording Ideas and produce Demos right when I have the Idea. As a guitarist, usually I start with a guitar riff. But sometimes I start with a Piano voicing or a melody I have in mind. The second part of your question is very difficult to answer. When is a song finished. Sometimes never, sometimes very quick. Its not always the same. Sometimes I listen to my songs, and then I think it's all crap. The other day I really feel it and am very satisfied with what I hear.

11. If you had the chance to collaborate in Black Reuss with any artist, who would that be and why?

I take your question musically, because I think a collaboration should make sense also musically. If you need a certain mood or stile, then you look for an artist having this kind of Charisma. It's not about necessarily having my favorit artist collaborating. So, I think in some cases a female voice would really fit. So, someone like Lisa Gerrard would be great, or Anna Murphy from Cellar Darling. I would also like to work with Josh Silver from Type O Negative. I think he would certainly have great ideas for great keys. On Journey i have Diego Rapacchietti, from Coroner playing the drums. And we recorded at Tommy Vetterlis, from Coroner as well, in his Newsound studio. Diego and Tommy did a great Job and brought great Ideas on the Drums. One other drummer I would like to work with is Tommy Clufetos. Just to name a few... There are a lot of artists I could imagine to work with.

12. The last words are yours! We’d love to give us your links and ways to order. Good luck with your great conceptual band Black Reuss! We really appreciated your work! Congratulations and thank you for the interview! 

I have to thank you for doing this interview and supporting Black Reuss.... to make the long story short, on www.blackreuss.com you find everything. And of course on a few socials, like Facebook, Instagram, Youtube and TikTok...

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