In our latest chat, I caught up with Sebastian Kriegl of Heathcliff to dive into everything happening with the band, from their upcoming album and recent singles to the songwriting and composing process. We also talked about their touring experiences and what the future holds for the band. If you’re a fan of energetic, melodic punk rock with a twist of hardcore grit, you’re going to want to stick around for this one.
Hello guys, it has been a while! How have you been?
Hey-ho, what’s up? Thanx for having us again, we really appreciate the interest in us and thanks for the great work that you guys do for the scene ❤ We’re pretty busy with the release and the upcoming shows, but super happy that the new album has been received so well in our community! Hope you guys are doing fine as well 😀
Your new single, “Keep This Light On,” is a powerful thank you to your loved ones. How big an impact your families and friends have on your songwriting?
Well, since family and friends are basically what keeps this band going with all the support an love we receive, you could say that it has a major impact. Our friends and families continuously inspire us sound-wise and lyric – wise. And it goes without saying that they support us to be able to write new songs and have this band in the first place. So again, big shout out to all our loved ones ❤
How do you feel this song compares to your last few singles, “Mirror, Mirror, FUA,” “Circles,” and “Sugarcoated Unicorn ParaHell”?
I’d say it perfectly fits the mixture on the album. We tried to incorporate the classic Heathcliff styles into our songwriting, like Metal, Reggae, Ska and Hardcore influences, and this song is a bit more of a melodic one, still Skatepunk though. It also was the last song that we wrote for the album, and we were all of the opinion, that we need a song with thriving riffs as well as a singalong chorus in order to say “THANK YOU” in our very own musical way. It is also a kind of reminiscence to the 90s and early 2000s when we grew up, having had our lives filled with joy by this genre – the heyday of Skatepunk so to say.
Do you see a connection between those songs and the new one, or do they each stand on their own?
I guess they all stand on their own. “Mirror, Mirror, FUA” is another “heathcliffanized” version (see: “George W. Redneck” on #Chilloutradio and “Don’t Give Up” on Stay Posi) of a song that I wrote over 20 years ago for my first band. Circles is a “heathliffanized” song that Stef originally wrote for his band Avenal. “Sugarcoated Unicorn Parahell” and “Keep This Light On” are brand new. Lyric-wise they also have different topics and themes.
What’s your usual process for writing a song? Do you start with a riff, a melody, or lyrics?
That actually depends on the situation. Our usual process for most of the songs is that we bring riffs and rough general ideas to our rehearsals and within the course of the next few weeks, the song comes into being. This way we have an ongoing process which lets the song “ripen” in a way. During these weeks, I somehow get an impression of which kind of lyrics might fit the song. Then I write the lyrics. But we’ve also had a song that was actually written in the studio (see “Waterwars” on Stay Posi). And as above mentioned, some older songs have been refurbished by us.
Did “Keep This Light On” come together quickly, or did it take a while to get right?
Well, when had a riff by Stef, and Andy had some really cool ideas for a general structure and some more riffs. As soon as we worked on these ideas, we were kind of in flow, so the song somehow wrote itself from then on We felt the vibes of the songs and decided that this is the title for our friends and families.
Can you share any fun or unexpected stories from the studio while recording this one?
All in all, it was super fun but also quite exhausting. Due to my job as a teacher, we decided to record it during summer holidays… The bummer was, that we were stuck in a bloody hot basement for weeks, while others enjoyed their summer days 😀 However, we’d never change this experience. We constantly had friends and family visiting us and joining in on the odd song or beer. When we recorded the crew vocals, so many people showed up which was definitely heartwarming and even my baby daughter recorded with us so she made it on the album, introducing “Keep This Light On”. Above that, we could say that we were super happy at every end of the day because we knew what we had accomplished. A great experience!
How involved were you in the production side of things, did you experiment with new sounds or stick to your usual style?
We did most of the recording process and production on our own. Jakob and Marvin, the owners of “The Engine Studios” where we’ve recorded our first two albums as well, assisted us on the odd ideas and problems and they did the editing and mixing as well as mastering in the end. But all in all, we stuck to our usual style and succeeded in a way that we as a band can proudly say that we’re super happy with the new album.
You’ve played some huge festivals and toured across Europe. What’s been your most unforgettable show so far?
That was definitely the show when we were blessed to open Punk Rock Holiday 2.3. on the main stage. We were super excited and nervous and when we started, not too many people were able to make it in time due to severe rainfall and flooding in the previous days. However, within the course of the first three songs, more and more people joined the crowd and the power and energy that came up on stage from all these lovely and beautiful people in the crowd made us feel like we’re on cloud number nine 😀
You’re heading to Japan in April, what are you most looking forward to on that tour?
Well, first of all, no one in the band has been to Japan so far, so I guess the whole experience will be breathtaking! We’re super happy that we have a local guide who will take us to the shows and also show us important sights and hopefully teach us about the culture. So I guess we’re looking forward to meeting new friends, experience this amazing culture and of course the Japanese Punkrock scene. All in all, it will be a massive blast ❤
Do you approach live shows differently now compared to when you first started?
Actually, yes. We have become more unprofessional 😀 Just joking… I guess we’re still bloody nervous and excited. If you are an artist, you know that this feeling will never go away. For me, personally, I have to admit that I’m not capable anymore of fully enjoying conversations and hanging out with friends right before our show. I’d rather have a quite room to warm up and gather my thoughts. But that’s just me. I don’t want to seem unfriendly or arrogant, but the more I can focus on the show upfront, the better I feel on stage. Apart from that, we have the regular rehearsals, and we try to have at least one final rehearsal two days before each show.
Your new album “Postcard from a ParaHell Universe” drops in March 2025. What can fans expect from this one?
I guess first and foremost a rather new and more comprehensive sound experience. The songs will be a classic Heathcliff mixture of Skatepunk with some sidenotes of Metal, Reggae, Ska and Hardcore. However, we as a band think that this is our best and most mature album. The songwriting has matured, and we have some more singalong parts for the audience in it. We stills tick to some super-fast tracks but there are also some D-Beat and mid-tempo songs on it.
We’re also super proud to have a Skatpunk legend featured on this album. Étienne from MUTE sings on the track “Stargazer”. This is really special to us because we’ve always looked up to MUTE and their genius sound. So go and check it out! 😀
With the album release party, Japan tour, and festival dates coming up, how are you preparing for such a packed year?
Well, we try to keep rehearsal dates on a regular basis and besides our jobs and family-life we try to manage the rest. Another important aspect is to try and always have a good team spirit in the band. So we try to also meet on concerts and other dates apart from all the Heathcliff dates. Above that we always try to keep the beers flowing so that we never get out of shape for the tours and the shows 😀 But to be honest, it sometimes is quite tough to reconcile all those things. Above that, this year January, we had a water damage in our rehearsal room, so we had to quickly find an alternative and move. Luckily, our Munich homies in Captain Asshole, Dankeschatz and Manu und die Drei Akkorde, offered us to use their room. Right at the moment we found shelter in our nearby youth center – so we always have to improvise a bit. As for the Japan tour, we currently study some basic language expressions and prepare for the amazing and exciting culture.
But in the end, the extra miles have always paid off so far, and since we love what we do, we can also overcome the odd obstacle with a smile on our faces.
Are there any countries you haven’t played yet but really want to?
Oh yes, of course! There are many countries we’d love to play one day. Croatia, Poland, Canada, Australia, USA, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, you name it… We think it’s the most exciting thing to play different countries, getting to know their scenes and bands, partying with all these amazing people all across the globe. We know a lot of exciting bands from those above listed countries who have created several masterpieces in Punkrock, so we’d love to play with them in the future.
What’s the next big goal for Heathcliff after this album and tour cycle?
Our next big goal will be a tour either in Canada, Australia or USA. With our new labels [Big Shoutout To @ Pee Records (Australia), @ Bearded Punk Records (Belgium), @ Double Helix Records (USA)] we hope to work out some interesting experiences in the future. Man… that would be super amazing :D! Another big goal, we’ve been trying to achieve for quite a while is to get featured on big playlist on Spotify, like Skatepark Punks, etc. in order to get mor output in a way.
Thank you for your time. Anything you would like to say to your fans at the end of this interview?
Well, once again, thank you guys for having us – we love you people who contribute to the scene and try to keep it alive because you love what you do – like us.
All you lovely people out there, spread the word, visit as many live shows as you can, because that’s what motivates up-an-coming bands to play shows. Be kind, Stay Punkrock and Stay Posi – Despite all the drawbacks on this globe these days… In the end, Punkrock saves the day 😀
Lots of Love from Munich
HxC
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