THE VERY END INTERVIEW:

The Very End is:

Björn Goosses (voice),
René Bogdanski (guitars),
Alex Bartkowski (guitars),
Marc Beste (bass),
Lars Janosch (drums)

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BOOTLEG METAL: So let’s get things started with the name. Who came up with the name and what’s behind it?

THE VERY END: Not quite sure, maybe it was me cause I've been responsible for all lyrics ever since. But it may have been a

bandmate just as well, can't remember to be honest. However, The Very End as a name is pretty obvious, I think. It

stands for death, nihilism, the utmost final aspect of everything and everyone.

BOOTLEG METAL: Where is the band from?

THE VERY END: Northwestern Germany. This region is called the Ruhr and has a great heritage of both coal/steel industry as well as metal music. Kreator, Sodom, Rage, Grave Digger and many more are literally our neighbors. BOOTLEG METAL:

BOOTLEG METAL: Is this the original line up and how did you guys find yourselves in the same band ?

THE VERY END: After a few line up changes we almost have the original line up as you read this, except for Alex Bartkowski on guitars, who stepped into the shoes of Volker Rummel. We knew each other for years from other local acts before, so we were all familiar with each other.

BOOTLEG METAL: How long has (the band) been around and how long after your first rehearsal was it before the

first show?

THE VERY END: We made our first musical steps together as The Very End in the early 2000s, but things weren't really serious until we recorded our first demo in 2005. Our first show took place in December the same year.

BOOTLEG METAL: Does everyone contribute to the writing process or does someone generally write the lyrics

and/or music?

THE VERY END: We are a creative collective if you will. Ideas for songs may come from one or another band member, but we usually arrange everything together with a lot of blood, sweat and tears. The lyrics on the other hand are solely my territory,

but no one did complain so far, so it probably will go on like this, haha!

BOOTLEG METAL: What are your songs about? Fact? Fiction? Personal experiences?

THE VERY END: They're both personal as well as philosophically abstract. They reflect on fictional scenarios as well as the real world. Be it contemporary issues or errors of the human mind that have been around since the dawn of time.

BOOTLEG METAL: I checked out and really enjoyed your “A Hole In The Sun” video. Any story behind the song?

THE VERY END: Sure! It's about a totalitarian system and the will to fight it, the urge for freedom and individual strength. I think the video perfectly captures this principle and it was absolutely awesome to take part in creating it! BOOTLEG METAL: Without a doubt. Yeah man, such an awesome job on both the song and video.

 BOOTLEG METAL: What genre do you feel (the band) fit’s in the best and what influenced your writing to get you

there?

THE VERY END: We just play metal. We don't limit ourselves and aren't interested in categories. If you need one, we probably play a melodic, contemporary mix of death, thrash and straightforward metal with groove, hooks and heart.

BOOTLEG METAL: What was your latest gig?

THE VERY END: Last month we played the Rage Against Racism festival close to our homewtown, which was awesome. A small local metal open air for free and for a good cause. We shared the stage with Disbelief, Rage and many others.

BOOTLEG METAL: Where have you played live this year?

THE VERY END: Actually by far not as much as we'd like to, cause we're concentrating on songwriting at the moment. Apart from the aforementioned festival we just had one other show, which took place in Southern Germany together with the great Undertow.

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there a favorite cover that always finds it’s way on your set list and is there a story behind it?

THE VERY END: Sometimes we play Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. We did a cover of this classic track on our second album Mercy & Misery, and because it's rather short you can quickly play that one as encore if you e.g. have 3 minutes stagetime

left but your shortest song is minimum 4 minutes ;-)

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there a past show that stands out from the rest?

THE VERY END: We try to make every single show memorable, but festivals like Summer Breeze, Nord Open Air or awesome support gigs for bands like Exodus, Sepultura or the likes are surely carved in your memory a bit deeper than others. BOOTLEG METAL: Yeah man, love Exodus. Very cool.

BOOTLEG METAL: So what’s in the works for (the band)?

THE VERY END: Completing the songwriting for our fourth album and taking things from there.

BOOTLEG METAL: What are your thoughts on your local music scene?

THE VERY END: I think it's one of the best scenes ever as we have many bands ranging from small to legendary, many venues from small pubs to arenas, many magazines, labels, bookers etc. What else can you wish for? Sometimes it's even hard to get heard because there's so much going on around here, but that's complaining on a high level, so it's all cool.

BOOTLEG METAL: I see you have played in Germany, Luxembourg and The Netherlands. Have you guys ever been to or plan on coming to the US?

THE VERY END: We haven't played the States yet but of course we'd love to. Of course it's easier said than done, but maybe with the next album and the right booker we might get the chance to come over. BOOTLEG METAL: Hopefully. I will keep my eyes open for that.

BOOTLEG METAL: The US metal scene has taken a back seat in recent history. I’ve heard for years that the rock/metal scene over seas is so much better than here in the US. Any truth to that?

THE VERY END: Unfortunately I can't tell much about the US metal scene., It's always two cups of tea talking about a scene and being

part of it... From what I've read and heard the US scene has positive as well as negative aspects just like we do over

here. And even a rather small subcultural group like the metal scene depends on so many factors that it can

fundamentally change on a monthly basis... All I can say is the scene is what its “members” make it.

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there a recent album/EP release you’d like to tell us about and where can we get it?

THE VERY END: I am very much looking forward to the new Undertow record, which should be released this summer. Check them out at www.undertow.de

BOOTLEG METAL: Do you have merchandise for sale?

THE VERY END: Definitely! Check out Bandcamp

BOOTLEG METAL: Where can you be found online?

THE VERY END: Here: Official Site, Facebook and Youtube, just to name a few...

BOOTLEG METAL: As far as videos, sites, merch, ect. Are you guys more of a DIY band or do you hire out?

THE VERY END: We're very much a DIY band. Of course we work with pros here and there to keep the quality level we strive for, but

at the end of the day we're deeply involved in everything.

BOOTLEG METAL: Do you have or are you looking for a label/manager?

THE VERY END: Right now we're on Steamhammer/SPV, but we manage ourselves.

BOOTLEG METAL: One question I like to ask. What song (if any) by another artist do you wish you wrote?

THE VERY END: I could write down a list of hundreds of songs now... Music is one of THE joys of life, so choosing just one great song is virtually impossible. BOOTLEG METAL: Haha, fair enough.

BOOTLEG METAL: Is there another artist or band that is totally not your genre that you listen to?

THE VERY END: Lots of! It's be boring to listen to metal all day. I even think you could just create generic boring metal music when you'd only listen to metal all the time. Creative minds need to look over the rim. Be it Dax Riggs, Murder, Julia Kent,

Conny Ochs, soundtracks, classic music or you name it, I just make a difference between music I like and listen to and music that I don't like and therefore don't listen to.

 BOOTLEG METAL: If you could pick, past or present, would there be a dream collaborator (artist/producer) you would like to work with?

THE VERY END: We already worked with Waldemar Soraychta, who produced loads of great albums by the likes of Samael, Sentenced, Tiamat and countless others. But surely there are other big names that could be quite interesting, like Max Norman, Colin Richardson, Rick Rubin, Andy Wallace...

BOOTLEG METAL: How do you think downloading music whether legal or illegal affected the music community?

THE VERY END: The music community and industry is constantly evolving and you gotta keep evolving, too – or you will be lost along

the road. I don't have anything against downloading, streaming etc, it just needs to be done right and people need to be aware of the value of music, no matter in what form they listen to it.

BOOTLEG METAL: Thanks for taking the time to talk with us and answering the questions. Is there anything

you’d like to add?

THE VERY END: I have to thank you! If you haven't checked out The Very End just give it a try, it's damn sure worth it! And keep an eye on our fourth album. Cheers!