And we’re back! The Profile train will keep on rolling in 2026, and we’re leading off with a good one. Germany’s Gavial, a psychedelic blues/post-rock collective formerly known as Tourette Boys, will release their new LP Thanks, I Hate It on Friday (January 23rd) through Exile On Mainstream. It had been a few years since this crew’s last release, and that time has certainly made a difference. Thanks, I Hate It takes on many forms across genres, making for a truly compelling listen start to finish. And inspired by the complex and challenging social/political climate we’re stuck in, it’s also an important record to spend time with. To get us started a few days before it’s release, Paul Kollascheck (bass), Paul-Willy Stoyan (guitars), Conrad Brod (drums), and Benjamin Butter (vocals, guitars, and more) all stepped in to respond to our questions. Give it a read below and we’ll see ya on the other side.

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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?

Paul (P): My family was supportive. I started with classical guitar but I was a lazy student. It clicked later when I switched from guitar to bass to play in the local brass band. I had a great teacher who encouraged me to come up with my own ideas to songs.

Paul-Willy (W): Started guitar as kid, but I truly began to understand the instrument when I discovered Pink Floyd when I was around 18/19. This just opened up a horizon for me and really got me into playing guitar in a way that meant something to me.

Conrad (C): I discovered the drums when my roommate at the time bought a set when I was about 21 years old. After that, I taught myself the basics and relatively quickly started playing concerts with my punk band at the time. After that, I moved more towards metal and hardcore or grindcore. The band, or rather its predecessor “Tourette Boys,” came about when I happened to meet Benjamin. He had already been making music with Willy, albeit differently than today, and the position of drummer was vacant.

Benjamin (B): My family was supporting me in a very weird way. I also started making music with a keyboard. Met Willy in the 5th grade and since then we are making music together in one way or another.

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

P: Atmospheric and psychedelic tinged rock with roots in Blues.

W: Definitely Psychedelic, but there are lots of different influences that find their way into our
music.

C: In addition to the obvious psych rock and blues influences, there are traces of grunge and krautrock. Some songs also follow the logic of techno music to a certain extent.

B: Psychedelic Midtempo music that won’t annoy your cat.

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

W: Not really, everything is pretty straight forward this time.

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

P: There are a lot of memes and inside jokes when we tour with Gaffa Ghandi. On our last tour, we forgot Benni’s plastic plant (which was a staple in his stage setup) as well as Gaffa Ghandi’s LPs in Jena.

W: We once toured in Italy and payments were a little…low… Also you have to pay a lot of toll on the Italian highway. On our way back to Germany we played in Switzerland. One of the venues had a hostel room reserved for us. We asked if you could sleep in the venue and if he could give us the money for the hostel, since we really needed the money for gasoline. Everyone got out their sleeping bags and found some space on the stage. “Living the musician’s dream”.

C: In 2016, we played a free concert in Kyiv on a semi-legal open air techno spot in a tiny forest area. We had to use an emergency generator to power the entire backline, including lighting and PA.

B: Once, I lost my passport while touring the UK. Realized it when we had to show them right in front of the ferry back to France. Cheap thrills.

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?

W: The psychedelic scene in Berlin is really a big family. I am just happy that there still are places and venues like “Neue Zukunft am Ostkreuz”, which always has a spot for us when we need a gig. All the places are struggling with paying rent and other bills and the growing gentrification of the city and the neighborhoods that were crawling with subculture.

C: I myself went to metal concerts back in the 2000s. At that time, there were practically no female musicians and very few women in the audience. There is still an imbalance, but I at least have the impression that things have improved.

B: I think it is great and overdue that more women & queers start bands and finally get more visibility. Diversity is necessary to keep any scene alive and interesting.

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?

W: This album is very much influenced by current developments: the planet is literally on fire. Global leaders are absolutely idiotic, obviously evil, or both. The majority is getting poorer while the rich are getting richer and the tech-bros are getting more and more grasp on society. Meanwhile everyone continues to happily scroll through social media like it is a global pacifier. Fascism is back, but hey, look at this Reel. Obviously the music industry is part of this and we also are playing this game with promotion, etc. But yeah: THANKS, I HATE IT.

B: The rules based order we grew up in is obviously gone with so many people in power that are straight up bad people without any morals, morons or even worse, criminals, murderers, rapists or all of the above. But yeah, thanks for the AI generated baby cats, I guess. Since nothing will be alive outside of the bunkers of billionaires in a couple of years they might even serve some educational purpose to show what else we killed, besides many other humans of course.

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

B: I am the only one in the band that is lucky enough to live from art. Hello to all freelance illustrator/painter people out there. Your work is great. Fuck AI.

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?

P: I think the way people consume music has changed so drastically over the last ten years with streaming etc. I’d argue finding an audience to play live is the biggest issue right now. Because even having some buzz online doesn’t mean people show up to the live gigs. Cost of living is up for everyone and the venues suffer from higher rent and cost to run the place. So in a way they are also forced to book bands that fill up the venue. I think supporting small independent venues and newcomer bands that’s so important.

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

P: Making the next record and play live, working less in the day job.

B: Ending capitalism would be nice. Before that we might have to stop fascism from taking over.

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

P: I’m really into that Soul-revival stuff: Daptone, Colemine records. I also really like Geese as a band.

W: The last year was full of Country and Americana from Canada for me. I did a deep dive into Gordon Lightfoot (who is amazing). I got to see Neil Young again in Germany and even bought a Pedal Steel… Just listen to “Kacy and Clayton”: the rhythmic character of the guitar is just blowing my mind.

C: I actually listen to a lot of Scandinavian metal music. Bands whose members started out in the 90s, such as Mörk Gryning, Helheim, and Gaahls Wyrd. But I don’t think this has a strong influence on Gavial’s music.

B: Aphex Twin – “Selected Ambient Works Volume I & II”

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

P: Play live and write songs for the next record. We really hope to break into the festival circuit in Germany

W: In May we will do the release tour for “Thanks, I Hate It.” So, I hope that people like it and we can get some momentum for the summer season with the various festivals here in Germany.

B: Always looking out for live shows and more time with my friends in cars.

Summarize your band in one word.

P: playing music with good friends

W: Honest.

B: Based.

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Many thanks to Gavial for the time!

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Thanks, I Hate It is out on January 23rd through Exile On Mainstream. For more information on Gavial, head over to Facebook or Instagram.