For many people, the corona pandemic was a creative period. Tank, Timo, Kniffel and Phillip did not stand still. They used the given time wisely and the product of their creativity, Catbreath, with a little help from Freddy, is ready to slice ’em all. Whom? The answer is below.
Hi guys! Welcome to Abaddon Magazine. There are a lot of reasons for this interview, but two stand out: new album and gig with Exodus. But first tell me something about the band name.
Philipp: Hi Ivona and Abaddon Magazine, thank you for the interview! Clawsome! Yeah, the name stinks, right? At first the band name Deathbreath came to mind, but of course there’s already a cool band around with this name. Tank will tell you more about the details behind the name Cathbreath. But you should remember: If you can smell it, it’s way too late!
Tank: Thanks to the pandemic! We were as bored as anybody else in that phase! Fortunately, Kniffel, Timo and I were able to meet every two weeks to jam and write new music. One day we came up with the idea of doing a band in the vein of old 80s crossover thrash bands and some more modern stuff like Municipal Waste. One day I saw a comic strip where a bulldog held a dead rat upside down. First thought was that it should be a cat! Pandemic boredom made me think about that. So I came up with the thought of “What about Slayer style serial killer lyrics out of a cat’s perspective?” The rest is history! As a catnerd and dad I know exactly how it smells when your cat has got gum problems or just wants to cuddle after enjoying a pack of tuna. But it also fits perfectly as a slang for bad breath for a crossover thrash band.
Your debut album was released earlier this year. I know what the magazines say about it, but I would like to know how the audience accepted it.
Philipp: The reactions make us really happy! We released it on CD (and digitally) via Iron Shield Records and a few weeks ago on Vinyl via Cause Of Deaf Records. There will be a cassette release too – on Cardiophonic Records. People are sending us pics of them with the records. Before the release we had our first shows in 2023 and 2024 and the crowds got wild, people were slamming around, spilling their beer and there was some yelling to the chorus. We were interested if the message about a huge street cat fighting Nazi rats would be understood and yes, I am pretty sure it really came around. We spotted the first bangers with cat masks, cat ears and stuff. Bring it on!
Timo: Right from the start we had engaging crowds, and it was a pleasure to finally see headbanging folks, after months of corona shut in. But what really elevates the connection to the crowds are Philipp’s short and witty announcements about Freddy and his fucked up way of dealing with every day animal scum. It just pulls you into the vibe!
I am more of a dog lover, but I like the idea of the concept you have. Tell me something about Freddy and his mission.
Philipp: Freddy’s mission is to destroy any oppression! He knows what his claw is for…
Timo: Freddy patrols his territory, keeping it clean of conspiring Nazi rodent scum. Does he live on the street? Yes. Can you smell his catbreath a mile away? For sure. But do we still love him? Undeniably! Because his glorious face ripping deeds are well known and must be transformed into neck breaking thrash madness.
I can’t say that Freddy is a mascot, he is more a carrier of your ideas and attitudes. He is anti-fascist with a great sense of humour. Is humour the way you are dealing with the problems in every day’s life?
Philipp: That’s a good way to describe it. I mean it’s possible that some day he will appear on stage. You know, Iron Maiden got Eddie, Night Demon got Rocky and now there are Catbreath with fat fuckin’ Freddy. He could slice up a rat on stage, who knows. But of course, we are aware of the danger of getting too silly. Thrashing hard will the main thing we do on stage. The lyrics are indeed about real life’s problems but kinda transformed through the eyes of a cat. For me as a singer it is nice to slip in this figure, standing against fascism and using bloody metaphors with guts flying around.
Timo: I would describe Freddy as both a mascot and a carrier of his principles. Imagine Catbreath as a band that found Freddy and can’t help but write empowering, thrashing songs through his eyes and his fierce life of slashing through every racist bigotry he encounters. He is a very “black and white” character and I love that about him. Like Philipp said, imagining Freddy ripping through his competition is funny in itself to us, but on the other side, the songs have their own uprising spirit.
Rats are used as a metaphor too. What or whom do they represent?
Philipp: What’s the biggest enemy of a cat? Is it a dog? Noo, dogs are cool. But fucking Nazi rats are the enemy, as they stand for racism, intolerance and discriminating thoughts and deeds, endangering our metal and punk/hardcore scene too.
Timo: Yes! Nazi rats spread their hate ideology and pollute the community. Freddy won’t have that shit and fights back instinctively.
Speaking of lyrics, the main lyrical topic is anti-fascism. Maybe the question is provocative, but I will ask… How do you comment on the popularity of the right wing in European elections?
Philipp: No, this is a good question and an important topic. It is a shame that right wing movements are this popular in Europe. People seem to look for “easy answers” and some for a “strong hand”. But when these politicians come into power and get into the position to set their anti-human agenda into motion, we will see human rights in danger. We can’t let that happen! On the other hand, I believe in the power of democracy and I still have hope that in the long term the right wing parties will lose. It will take a lot of energy but let’s keep on fighting their bullshit!
Timo: I strongly agree with Philipp, especially seeing so many young people turning towards right wing parties makes me sad. I think even if you are not a political person you still should have a strong moral compass and just act on that.
You say that you hate plastic smiles. Where do you recognize them the most in your surroundings?
Tank: That is one of the two more personal lyrics on the record. I guess almost everybody already made the experience to end up realising that a righteous person you totally trusted is everything, but honest. One day you get a cold, perfect smile in your face and you realise you trusted a lie. But of course, we get sold a lot of bullshit in every day’s life too. You also can take “Plastic Smile” as a metaphor for that.
Timo: Plastic smiles are often given by political party members, setting up a stand-up display in the German “Fußgängerzone”, telling you that the 0.5% migrants in your area are the reason for your unemployment and that they have a wonderful “Heimatkonzept”, that excludes people of colour, gays and lesbians, women and people in general that disturb the “Stadtbild”. Just lovely plastic smiles to dump a fist in.
“The New Claw Order” is about the brainwashed people who are living in conspiracy theories. Too much free time, lack of intelligence or you find some other reason for that.
Philipp: These are some reasons, yes. I think that conspiracy theories are always around. Just think at anti-semitic pogroms in medieval times. But in the past a lot of these haters were living in a small bubble, sitting in a small village pub. And now their bubble has gotten way more huge because of social networks and the fact that nearly everybody uses a smartphone for unfiltered hate speech, stupidity and conspiracy content. Maybe we should erase the internet and start it again from scratch. Won’t happen, I know…
Tank: That song works perfectly on two levels. Remember, the intention was to write out of a cat’s perspective. Sure, sometimes I ask questions. But in the end, I am just happy to serve my master.
How do you see the development of technology, as a step forward or a step back when we think about human intelligence?
Philipp: The strange thing is that we could put it to good use – but we use it in so many stupid ways. Why does hate speech generate more popularity than a neutral or optimistic post? If we look back at the satiric drama “The Physicists“ by Dürrenmatt we find that it deals with questions of scientific ethics and humanity’s general ability to manage its intellectual responsibility. There is this great quote: “What was once thought it can never be unthought“. Hey, maybe we can do a Freddy-version: What was once clawed it can never be unclawed!
If the cat breath could kill, you say it would be Nazis. Why do you think they did rise again?
Philipp: Did they rise again, or did they never disappear? In Germany we had ex-Nazis in nearly all structures when Germany was rebuilt after the Second World War. The nation was separated and after the reunification the problem became even bigger. Back then in the nineties it was quite a shock that fascism survived in Eastern Germany in a huge way. Many people underestimated the intelligence of Nazis and often they were portrayed as stupid skinheads easy to identify. But they made their way through all of society and copied a lot of strategies even from anarchist and antifascist groups. All in all, we need a lot of really bad breath to slice ‘em all!
Who is the snake you are singing about in the “Head of the Snake”?
Tank: That song is the end of the story to “Plastic Smile”. It’s the point you realise, you have to cut something out of your life to stay sane. So in this case the head of the snake stands for the ultimate lie you need to get rid off before it destroys you.
The band members are active in other bands like Ash Return or Vladimir Harkonen. Is the Catbreath priority for you now?
Philipp: Well, we are firing on all cylinders in each band. Ash Return just entered the studio to record a new album. Vladimir Harkonnen will release a new 7” and a new video (our first in 18 years of existence). So, it’s like if you have children: you hopefully love ‘em all and you don’t prefer one over the other.
It is obvious that you are thrash metal fans above everything, so playing with Exodus in Hannover on July 30th… Are you nervous? What do you prepare for the fans?
Philipp: This is a totally great opportunity! I saw Exodus back on their tour with Venom and Atomkraft back in 1985. “Bonded By Blood” is one of the best thrash metal albums ever, cause it has the most aggressive guitar sound, most wicked songs and these insane lyrics and style of singing. So, they are a huge influence to me! I am not nervous, more eager to play for Hannover’s thrashers. I will have good friendly violent fun, I hope… As to the question what we have prepared: We will thrash like maniacs and play the whole album. No show effects, no wonder candles – just headbanging and delivering the goods.
Tank: Ok, I fucked it up timewise. So, as you read this, the show went already done and was totally killer! The show at Markthalle in 1985, Philipp mentioned, was also one of my first big shows I went to as a kid. So that was a special thing for me to open up for the old heroes! On top of that… to meet Tom Hunting was kinda special to me, as we’re both cancer survivors. FUCK CANCER!
Do you have any other shows or maybe festivals scheduled this year?
Philipp: There are some shows planned, yes. After Hannover with Exodus on 30th of July we will play Hard On The Wind festival in Kiel on 9th of September, three shows with Knife and Phantom Corporation in Essen, Hamburg and Osnabrück from 18th to 20th October and then we have a show with Fatal Collapse on 9th of November.
As a fans but also as a band members, do you see any changes in the music industry after Corona?
Philipp: Unfortunately, yes. The ticket prices for bigger shows did explode and smaller venues struggled to survive. Everything is more expensive than before, from venues to security. I see more and more small venues disappear because the organizers can’t pay the rents and all other costs. So we need to go to small underground shows to keep the scene alive
Besides thrash metal, you are influenced by hardcore. Tell me some of your influences, both thrash metal and hardcore.
Philipp: I am into classic US thrash like Exodus, Slayer or Vio-Lence as well as German thrash from Darkness to Sodom. Of course, there are cool thrash bands from all around the world like Bulldozer, Cyclone, razor or Artillery, to name a few. In hardcore/punk I love the bands coming from the punk side like GBH, Agnostic Front or Poison Idea. Add some crustcore from Wolfbrigade to Disfear and some Deutsch/rawpunk like Rawside, Dreck Weg or Gewaltbereit and I’m happy. Of course there are the great crossover bands like Suicidal Tendencies, D.R.I. or Municipal Waste as an influence. Aside from these influences I listen to classic heavy metal.
Timo: I would add two “newer” bands to that list, Power Trip and Crisix. Both are very different in style and substance, but I love how those two bands express themselves within the genre.
Tank: Like lots of people at my age 1984 was very special with the TV screening of “Rock Pop in Concert” and the first Metal Hammer issue. Hard to imagine nowadays, but back then, for a 13 year old kid out of a small town, it was the door to another world and of course to all classic records and demos that came out in that time. Turning point for me was my first big hardcore show in 1987 – Circle Jerks & Gang Green. After that I bought way more HC records than metal records. The whole crossover thing with bands like D.R.I, Suicidal, Crumsuckers etc. was also happening, so you studied the stickers on Scott Ian’s skateboard and went to the record shop. From the hardcore side… Bands like Minor Threat, Youth Of Today, Uniform Choice, Unity, Gorilla Biscuits, Judge, Negativ Approach and of course Agnostic Front and Cro-Mags influenced me a lot.
I already mentioned that I do not see Freddie as a mascot, but did you think about making a figure as a part of the merch offer?
Philipp: That would be totally cool! I saw this “Eliminator” figure from the Agnostic Front cover, so everything’s possible. But it will take some time… Right now, we focus on T-shirts, patches and a 3d-metalpin.
Speaking of merch… It is the fact that CDs sales are poor, so is investing in merch worth today for the bands?
Philipp: For myself I can say that the most important merch are records. I have been a collector since the eighties and I love to hunt for vinyl, CD and tapes. But aside from that every band needs shirts and maybe innovative merch ideas to get around.
I can suggest a comic book or a cartoon as a business idea, but you must pay me for author rights. Jokes aside, but I see the real potential in Freddy. Do you already have an idea what will happen in his next mission on the next album?
Philipp: A comic book or animated cartoon would be so great! You will get an honourable mention, haha! And Abaddon could be a villain, gutted by Fat Freddy. We are already playing around with ideas for Fat Freddys next mission, but of course it is a secret. Rumours on the street say it’s gonna be called “Back For Gore”…
Tank: A comic strip like “Rock ‘n’ Roll Nightmare” from R.K.L. would be awesome. Not sure how much to pay for something like that. I guess the artist needs to be the king of all cat nerds to make that work. Get in touch, if you read this.
I cannot forget to mention the author of the album cover. How was working with Kokott? Did you influence him a bit or just gave him absolute freedom?
Tank: In the beginning it took some time to make him understand how sick it is inside my head, and the idea of a psychopath serial killer cat with a good heart, hahaha. But as we moved on from sketch to sketch it turned out just awesome! He did a killer job!
A few funny questions… Which is your favourite cartoon cat?
Philipp: Fritz the cat! He does what he wants and in the end, he gets killed like in an antique tragedy.
Tank: It’s kinda strange, but I never thought about that. Tom was not the coolest guy around, so I cannot name him. Well, my boys act or act “cartoonish” sometimes, does that count?
Do any of you have a pet cat named Freddy?
Tank: Nope. Zorro and Rocky! Zorro is already two years gone and it still hurts every now and then! His legend is sung about in the “black revenger”. May he rest in peace! Rocky “the silver slicer”, his younger brother, took over the duties of providing claw and order in the neighbourhood. Some say there is a little optical similarity between Rocky and Freddy.
Aren’t you afraid that you will be misunderstood as a band who sings about cats?
Philipp: It is possible, no doubt. Some people can’t take a joke. But at the same time these people accept lyrics about worshipping Satan. Isn’t this more silly than singing about a huge cat ripping out guts?
Tank: To be honest… In the beginning there were a lot of thoughts of “is this too over the top”. But now it feels damn good, and I am glad we got our claws “all in”.
Thank you so much for your time. It was great meeting you in Hannover. Paws up!
Philipp: Thank you! Sharpen your claws to have some good friendly violent fun!
Tank: Thank you, Ivona for your interest in Catbreath!
Photo credit: Tilman Köneke (tilmankoeneke.de)
