written by Marko Jakob
Pix666: Hello Niklas. Thanks for your time. How are you doing these days? How are the other guys of Ad Infinitum?
Niklas: Hey, thank you as well. We are pretty fine, we are very happy to release our Second Record These days and finally play concerts.
Pix666: Please introduce your band to the readers in a few short sentences. How did you meet and what was your inspiration to become a musician? What kind of music does Ad Infinitum make?
Niklas: I toured with Melissa a few times, therefore we already shared the Stage together. Later she asked me of i wanted to John the band. I know Adrian from a Jazz Camp from like 12-14 years ago, it was about time to make some music together again. Korbi I knew since he is from Franconia, and its like nearly every musician knows the other in that area 🙂 I was inspired by my cousin when I was 4 years old, he had a drumset in his basement and one thing led to another..
Pix666: You’ve been on the road with Ad Infinitum for about three years now. What have been the best experiences and milestones so far?
Niklas: Definitely the live concerts, since we were not able to play any show except the two festival shows this year. It was an amazing feeling. Also the show productions in Cologne last year and this years production in Turbinenhaus Kulmbach, it was a very important experience.
Pix666: On October 29th your new album ‘Chapter II – Legacy’ will be released. What can fans expect and can the album already be pre-ordered, and if so, where? Are there any special versions of the album available, bundles or something like that?
Niklas: It will be a more mature and fresher sound, more modern and authentic. Yes, the album can be pre-ordered, for example on the store of our Label Napalm Records. There are also Vinyls this time, for a detailed information check the links on our website or social media.
Pix666: You have already released two new singles/video clips a few weeks ago. Both videos are set in beautiful sceneries. Where did you shoot the clips and was it more exhausting or more fun for you to shoot the clips?
Niklas: Thank you! They were both shot woth Ralf Leitner in Tyrol, Austria. Both were night shoots which is typically just a little more exhausting itself. For unstoppable we had some bad weather but got lucky in the end, but it’s definitely a hard time when you spend so much time for this video and in the last minute you nearly need to cancel the shoot because of something ‚simple‘ like bad weather. But we got lucky in the end 🙂 There are more videos to come with german director Vincent De Fallois, we are looking forward to also show you these.
Pix666: Where do you get the ideas for your songs, which topics do you mainly deal with?
Niklas: Regarding the Lyrics it’s inspired by the historical figure of Vlad the Impaler or Dracula, but it is written in a way that people can identify with even without being a vampir 😉 Our music is influenced by a lot of things. Obviously we all listen to different kinds of genre, and we try to capture our own experiences and feelings into a song that tells all of them.
Pix666: How do you generally create your songs? Is there a certain plan? Who in the band is responsible for what?
Niklas: Everyone is writing, usually we have online writing sessions since we are living quite apart. One creates an idea and we work on the songs as a band, zoom writing sessions, everything worked for us.
Pix666: Your first album was released at the beginning of the Corona Pandemic. Did that interfere with many of your original plans? Among other things, you had planned a tour together with Visions Of Atlantis.
Niklas: Absolutely. We were supposed to go on tour in April 2020 together with Serenity, Dynazty and Victorious. That tour got cancelled as well as every other show in 2020. We got lucky to play two amazing festival shows this year, hopefully next year we will be able to play a lot more live.
Pix666: Are there any new plans for a tour in the meantime?
Niklas: Definitely, but nothing is official so far.
Pix666: Social media and music streaming are both a blessing and a curse for bands. From your point of view, what are the advantages and disadvantages of this development for your band. How much do Ad Infinitum use social media and where are you represented?
Niklas: We are using social media a lot. For us there was no other way than to use these channels and make the best we can out of it, since every show got cancelled what i mentioned earlier. We are on Facebook, Instagram, Discord and Bandcamp.
Pix666: How much do you benefit as a band from a strong partner, like Napalm Records, with whom you have been working for almost two years now?
Niklas: We are very thankful for being able to work with this Label, our team is very nice and they are helping us a lot with their experience and contacts.
Pix666: 2 years ago on Halloween you released a very special cover. ‘This is Halloween’ by Danny Elfman from the Tim Burton movie ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas’. Who came up with this idea? Are you or someone else in the band Halloween fans or maybe a fan of Tim Burton movies?
Niklas: If I remember it correct it was Melissas idea to make like a special track not related to an album. We liked the song, its a mixture of fun and creepiness, it was a nice experience to record that song. I’m not so much into Halloween myself, but the whole band likes Tim Burton movies.
Pix666: Do you have any other news about the band or some interesting personal things about you that you would like to share with the fans?
Niklas: For those who could not attend our release show in Pratteln we have a online release show, produced in a very nice location, also very cool guests joined us like Alea from Saltatio Mortis, Madeleine from Eleine, Hans from Feuerschwanz and The Dark Side of The Moon and Linda from Eklipse. The premiere is on 6th November 8PM CEST but will be available on demand for 8 days. We also have nice packages with an exclusive shirt, a documentary about the production and and and.. 😉 Personally i can’t wait to finally go out on the road and meet you guys on tour!
Pix666: Thank you very much for the interesting answers – Good luck with the new album and stay healthy!!! Hope to see you soon on the road!
Niklas: Thank you too, stay safe and hopefully see you soon 🙂
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photos © by Natalia Enemede & Ad Infinitum
