Let’s go to the beginning of KARLOFF. At that time, you were still in GRAVEYARD GHOUL. What was the incentive for you to say, I’m starting a completely different kind of band now?
I was in a death metal band and at some point I discovered my love for punk and then I needed an outlet for it, because it didn’t fit into GRAVEYARD GHOUL. In 2018 I holed up in the rehearsal room with a buddy and then we recorded the demo. So, I recorded all the instruments individually one after the other, just put a microphone in the room and then off I went. It was clear to me from the beginning that it should be on stage, because I like being on stage. A year later I looked for people for the band and then I rehearsed the things that were already finished with them, and then we wrote the first EP together.
 

Did the point come relatively quickly where you decided to concentrate on KARLOFF or did the other band fell apart at that time anyway?
Yes, it actually fell apart little by little, because at that time the guitarist and the bass player always argued a bit and that escalated at some point during a rehearsal. And then we played one or two shows with another guitarist, but somehow it wasn’t the same anymore. We never officially ended it, but it’s, I’ll say, put on hold for an indefinite period.
 

 
With KARLOFF you switched as a singer from at the back on drums to the front and the guitar. Was that an overcoming for you at the beginning or have you been a front man before?
It wasn’t really an overcoming, because I was relatively sure about it. But of course, it was a change, because you have a completely different presence on stage than when you sit behind the drums. But that actually happened relatively quickly, after the first two or three shows, that I got used to it.

 
As a front man, you have to develop something like a stage personality. Did that develop naturally for you, or did you have role models?
It was clear to me from the beginning that I didn’t want to have any interaction with the audience at all. I don’t want to look at or play anyone or let this typical rock ’n‘ roll pig hang out. I don’t like that. Actually, I act as if there is no one there, it’s rather a certain kind of rejection, I say. Personally, I always think it’s terrible with bands when they start animating people and begging for encores and that kind of shit. I said to myself that I’m not going to make any announcements, nothing at all. People were a bit puzzled at the beginning and thought, what’s the point? But after a while they realized that it’s a bit of a concept and then most of them actually thought it was quite cool. They will just be beaten up musically for 40 minutes and then it’s done.

 
Ignorance is somehow also a punk rock principle, the „fuck off“.
Absolutely, yes. In terms of attitude, OCCVLTA were a big influence.

 
But Jan is more of a front man, who does interact with the audience.
Definitely, but in a different way. With him it’s more like inciting the audience, but without bootlicking, like other bands do. I’ve always admired that very much. Whenever I’ve seen them live, it’s always been such an adrenaline rush. When they start, then you know, now it’s about to be punched in the face. I find that totally fascinating with him, because he’s a relatively introverted guy in his private live.

 
Which punk bands have influenced you?
Oh, that’s difficult. In the beginning I wanted to do a bit of this pig rock, like the STOOGES, TURBONEGRO or POISON IDEA. But as it is, things often develop differently anyway. Our new album sounds completely different. But my influences are these bands or DARK THRONE, THE SEEDS, a mishmash of black metal and old punk rockers from the 60s and 70s.

 
That’s a mixture that works quite well.
That’s true, because the attitude is the same, I think. In punk rock it’s this rejection of society, I’d say, and anarchy. That’s also the case in Black Metal, just a little more violent. There are definitely parallels.

 
Of course, there are also elements of black metal that don’t fit as well with punk rock, like this elitist attitude of some bands.
That’s true, yes.

 
Karloff had worked quite well from the beginning. You didn’t play in the smallest clubs and I have the impression that the band was actually quite successful right from the start, right?
Yes, definitely. We’ve played quite a lot by our standards, even at festivals. Although festivals aren’t really my thing, I have to say. We’re definitely successful. I don’t have exact numbers on how the records sell, I don’t care about that. But it’s going quite well because we’ve built up such a small fanbase over the years. And they’re very loyal to us, I’ll say. We found the niche where I wanted to go. We also get good feedback that people think that this mix is very cool.

 
Did you do anything differently on the new album, did you incorporate any new influences?
Yes, we did. We broke up with our old bass player a year ago. Then Henning and I were alone and that was actually quite positive, because at some point we said to each other, let’s meet again in the rehearsal room and just start jamming. And that worked surprisingly well and quickly. We said to ourselves, well, let’s just let it happen now. Influences from post-punk often slipped in, you can hear that here and there. We also played around with a few other things. For example, we have a song that has a typical disco beat. That worked surprisingly well. So, it was quite good this time that we didn’t limit ourselves so much.

 
I’ve always thought it’s good when bands develop a bit. Sure, if bands change completely like some Death Metal bands of the 90s, that was a bit too much for me. But in general, that’s a right step. Unless you’re AC/DC.
Yes, that’s a natural process and I don’t think a band can always sound like they did on the demo. So that’s almost impossible, because you still have some kind of development, even if it’s just the musical skills to play your instruments a little tighter.

 
Then Ulf came to join you. Is he already a permanent member or does he just help out at the shows?
So, in the beginning he was a just placeholder. In any case, he was a rescue package for us, because we only had three months between the departure of our old bass player and the next shows. We really wanted to play these shows, one of them was very important, the one together with MANTAR in Herford. Ulf was a fan of us from the very beginning anyway and of course he was on fire from the start and then he learned the songs super fast. But it wasn’t quite clear whether he was now a permanent member after the shows and the recording of the album. So we were still a bit unsure.

 
Did he play the bass on the album or did you do it?
No, he plays on the album. And he’s definitely a permanent member now, because he’s just burning for it. He’s very positive and that pushes us because he’s a very sociable guy. We’re all three people who don’t talk that much, I’ll say. It can happen that we drive to gigs without talking and there isn’t this embarrassing silence. We can just shut up for two hours together, I find that very pleasant.

 
Yes, I know Ulf quite well too. I also think Ulf is somehow an apparition.
Absolutely, yes, he has a strong presence on stage. He is also up for any fun.

 
Do you already have plans beyond the album?
Yes, the plan is that we finally want to put on a real tour in the summer. That’s 16 dates and that’s definitely a big thing. After the tour we also have some great gigs planned. One of them is at the Morbid Catacombs Festival in Berlin. Then we’ll play in Switzerland for the first time, so I’m really looking forward to it.

 
Speaking of Switzerland, CELTIC FROST are surely also an influence?
Of course, that’s probably the biggest influence actually, HELLHAMMER and CELTIC FROST, from the riffing standpoint, right.

 
In retrospect, I also find it very punky. I never saw it that way before, but today I hear it clearly.
Absolutely, yes. And with our new album, to come back to it, somehow unconsciously also a very large part of VENOM came in. I’ve read that recently in reviews that it sounds a lot like the first wave of Black Metal. I can confirm that, but it wasn’t intentional. It just happened within the framework of our musical possibilities.

 
But still, everything has the KARLOFF stamp. Maybe also through your voice. Do you still have any wishes or dreams about where or with whom you would like to play?
I had hoped that we would play at the Chaos Descends Festival, but unfortunately that never worked out and unfortunately it won’t work out anymore. [the festival announced that 2026 will be the last one happening]

 
Are there any bands of whom you would like to be the opening act?
I’d love to play with OCCULTA. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a tour, but maybe something like an exclusive Berlin show. That would be awesome!

 

 
Check out KARLOFF:
Bandcamp: karloffpunk.bandcamp.com
Instagram: KARLOFF on INSTAGRAM
Facebook: KARLOFF on FACEBOOK