Well gang, we made it. It’s Friday, and it’s the Friday of what has been quite the beast of a week! Let’s wrap it all up with our third and final Profile for this release day… and it’s a good one. Philosophobia, the European progressive metal quintet, just released The Constant Void through Sensory Records. Their second album successfully follows up on what was already a strong 2022 debut, indicating that there are only good things to come from this still very new project. Andreas (guitars) stepped in to respond to our questions and share a little more about the Philosophobia idea. So give this a read while listening along, and let’s celebrate making it to another weekend. Cheers!

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

I started playing guitar at the age of 14, so quite late I guess. But I made up for it by playing 5-6 hours every day. My love for metal came through my uncle who had a huge record collection. He gave me “Killers” by Iron Maiden one day and from that moment I started looking for more. My parents appreciated that I wanted to learn an instrument and of course they supported me.

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

Philosophobia plays melodic progressive metal with a dark and melancholic touch, but it is not the kind of prog where the instruments are playing a thousand notes per minute throughout the whole song. Our understanding of a good song is that everyone should be able to follow it’s structure. Melodies over technique.

Is there anything about your latest album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

Most of the guitar solos on “The Constant Void” were improvised in one take. I had all the solos written before we entered the studio but after recording them they did not sound right to me. One night I was alone in the studio and was just playing around to what we had recorded that day. I ended up laying down 90% of the solos that night spontaneously.

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

We were playing a festival in the eastern part of Germany. Due to the fact that we do not live that close to each other, we plan those occasions very thoughtfully. It was planned to rehearse, do a photo shooting and also shoot a music video. Our singer Domenik, who lives in Piraeus, Greece, called me panically the morning of his flight and told me that he missed the flight due to huge traffic jams in Athens. So I had to re-arrange everything. Next possible flight was the next day. So photo shooting and video shooting was already gone. The rehearsal room that we had booked was also not available for a later time. After dozens of phone calls we ended up having a rehearsal room inside the venue. The venue was one of those super huge theaters that you might know from the old communistic days of the German Democratic Republic. Very pompous and a bit over the top. We rehearsed in a giant ballroom a bit remote from the festival.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

What I have experienced over the last couple of years is that the friendship among musicians from different bands has become bigger. I think the days of rivalry are over. Maybe it is because the music industry is dying or at least changing dramatically and everybody knows that we cannot do a thing against that. Maybe it is more relaxed these days.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

Although Philosophobia is not a political band per se, I write down about what I care or what I think needs to be heard and needs justice. On our debut album there was a song about animal abuse. I do care a lot about this topic as I have rescued a couple of animals, like dogs, sheep and horses and gave them a safe home. On our new album there are for example songs about how humans treated Mother Earth and other humans.

Do you have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

We all do have day jobs. Sebastian is a music teacher and conductor of a choir, Domenik is a videographer, Tobias is a professor at the University of Frankfurt, Alex is the co-founder of the streaming app Rokk and I work in a primary school.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

Well, it is a typical thing of giving and taking. Music critics cannot live without musicians creating new music and bands cannot live without having their albums reviewed. Sometimes I think though that critics are too easily giving bad reviews. Just remember that a band puts a lot of time, heart and money into releasing a new album. You may not like it, but do not destroy it. It is easy as that. Live and let live.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

Of course to keep on doing what we are doing! As long as we are creative anough to write good songs and there are enough people who enjoy listening to them we will keep on going. We hope that we can go on the road more often in the future.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

Some of the albums that I listen to regularly at the moment are:
Queensrÿche – “Operation: Mindcrime”
Pink Floyd – “Dark Side of the Moon”
The Cure – “Disintegration”
Type O Negative – “October Rust”
Bruce Springsteen – “Nebraska”

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

We do have a few festival appearences, but there are no contracts signed yet. But keep both eyes open for this!

And of course we are absolutely looking forward to the release of our new album “The Constant Void” on July 11th! We are super thrilled of how our fans will like it!

Summarize your band in one word.

Proglovers.

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Many thanks to Andreas and Philosophobia for the time!

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The Constant Void is out now through Sensory Records and The Laser’s Edge. For more information on Philosophobia, head over to their website.