Interview: Coldworld

Interview by Lígia

Coldworld is considered one of the most significant Ambient/Depressive Black Metal one-man band of the genre. The debut album “Melancholie²” is a masterpiece! This Is Black Metal Webzine found Georg Börner, the man behind this exceptional band and talked about him, his inspirations and Black Metal music.

THIS IS BLACK METAL: Hello Georg, thank you for taking some time to answer my questions. Who is Georg Börner, the man and the musician?

Georg Börner: I am a person with many faces. There is a nice and communicative ‘me’, on the other hand an introvert and thoughtful ‘me’, thinking about death and the obscure things in this world. A part of me loves this planet, nature, flora and fauna…Another part of me wants everything to perish.

You can also see this in my music. I play Black Metal – but also swedish folk music.

TIBM: Why did you decide to play Black Metal and not some other subgenre, what does it mean for you?

Georg Börner: I didn’t decide it. It just happened. I started to listen to BM and I always thought, there’s something missing. So I created my own music. Made for myself. Good side effect other beings like it as well.

Georg Börner

TIBM: What inspires you to create?

Georg Börner: In every interview I have to answer that question. And in every interview I’m not 100% sure what to answer. It’s so many things. Lately I would answer: Nature, the wind in the trees in front of my house, loneliness…

But sometimes I just sit there and an idea, a melody comes to my mind. It just happens.

TIBM: What is it that you enjoy the most during the process of creating and recording?

Georg Börner: It’s a great joy to listen to a track you’ve just recorded and to think, ‘yes, that’s it. I also love to add things to an almost finished song. A violin for e.g. To give it a last finish.

ColdWorld – Melancholie² [Full Album] 2008

TIBM: Do you believe spirituality is a key element when it comes to compose?

Georg Börner: The question is: What is spirituality? I don’t believe in gods or higher powers, neither in esoteric stuff. I feel a connection to nature, trees, the mountains. If I’m wandering through the Thuringian forest I can feel something which could be called spiritual? I don’t know.

TIBM: Last year you released two EP’s and one split. When can we expect a full length? Have you been working on new material?

Georg Börner: I’m about top start. The plan is to record a new full length in 2019.

Coldworld – Toteninsel (Split 2018)

TIBM: In 2008 you released the full-length album “Melancholie²”… A masterpiece in the depressive Black Metal scene. After eight years you released the mature “Autumn”. The mixture of clean and brutal vocals was amazing. Can we expect this kind of mixture and for the next full-length album?

Georg Börner: I really love ‘Autumn‘. When I recorded it it was exactly what I wanted. But in future I want to go back to the roots. Don’t get me wrong, ColdWorld won’t sound like ‘Nostalgia’. But I want to do Black Metal.

TIBM: The song “Void” is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever heard. I love the second part of the song, where the airy female vocals and the brutal of yours are connected so harmoniously. Is there any chance to make a second “Void” song?

Georg Börner: You never know. But like I said, I wanna do more Black Metal, less Post-whatever…So probably not in the next album.

ColdWorld – Autumn [Full Album] 2016

TIBM: Can you tell us if the idea of collaborating with other musicians ever crossed your mind?

Georg Börner: ColdWorld will always be my project. I can assure you there won’t be other band members. But I really enjoyed working together with my friends of Farsot on the “Toteninsel” Split for e.g. I contributed some keys to one of their songs and their bass player added some great guitars to one of my songs. Projects like that are interesting and inspiring.

TIBM: I as a woman have always a hard time finding women’s merchandising like girlie shirts and hoodies, why do you think there isn’t a wider range for women in the metal scene in general?

Georg Börner: I can only speak for myself. I think the labels, if they have the money they could do it more and some of them already do. But if I do some merch on my own I just can’t. Maybe in the future. Tell the people to buy more merchandise directly from the artists, to support them more. At the moment I just don’t have the possibilities.

Georg Börner

TIBM: What’s your opinion on Black Metal lately becoming a trend?

Georg Börner: It’s kind of a balance act. I despise bands going mainstream because they wanna make a shitload of money, for example the modern Dimmu Borgir. But on the other hand it’s not bad, that more people are interested in Black Metal I would say. I can assure you I always did what I wanted and I won’t change that. Do what you have to do and do it with all your heart, then I’m fine with it. Don’t follow the trend just because it’s a trend. The rest is not in our hands.

TIBM: We reached the end of this interview, would you like to add some words?

Georg Börner: Thanks to all the beings out there who support me and ColdWorld! No gods, no masters!

TIBM: Thank you for your time

Georg Börner: Thank you Lígia!

Coldworld – Nostalgia (Full EP)

Explore further:

https://coldworldofficial.bandcamp.com/

www.facebook.com/ColdWorldOfficial