Eyes Shut Thight – Fairground Zero (2011)

Mit dem aktuellen Fairground Zero gelang dem Hamburger Quintett eine Scheibe voll geballter Kraft und gerechtem Zorn, die in tiefe Abgründe blickt und faszinierende Gefühlslandschaften durchschreitet. „“Mit dem zweiten Album haben wir uns gefunden. Wir bauten es musikalisch so auf, dass es metallisch beginnt und atmosphärisch endet“, beschreibt D.W. den Kurs von Fairground Zero, das von Lars Oppermann produziert und gemischt wurde. Die immensen musikalischen Möglichkeiten des unbeirrbaren Fünfers reichen von attackierend wuchtigem Schwermetall über unerbittlichen Industrial bis zu narkotisierenden Electro-Rockern, zu deren Grooves es sich wunderbar tanzen lässt. Etliche Textideen sind vom Leben des Multitalents D.W. inspiriert. Bereits als Kind stellte man fest, dass er ein hochbegabter Zeichner ist. Mit 15 illustrierte er Bücher eines renommierten Verlages, was nicht nur Lob und Anerkennung hervor rief, sondern auch eine Menge Neid. Mit 18 griff er zu Drogen, „da ging einiges drunter und drüber“, erinnert er sich. Mittlerweile sind Rauschmittel für ihn – abgesehen von einem Bierchen oder zwei – Teil der Vergangenheit. Seit dem Jahr 2000 stellt er seine höchst eindrucksvollen Bilder in Galerien aus, dazu schreibt er Kurzgeschichten, spielt Schlagzeug und singt. Selbstverständlich konzipiert und kreiert D.W. auch das unverwechselbare Artwork von EyesShutTight. Die endgültigen Fassungen der Texte haben die Freunde D.W. und Kris gemeinsam erarbeitet. „Carousel“ etwa beschreibt das Leben als „Karussell, das sich im Kreis dreht“, so D.W., „es geht nur um Kohle, Sex und das, was du nicht hast. Dazu kommt, dass prinzipiell die Anderen Schuld haben.“ In „Fortune Wheel“ würde der vom Pech verfolgte Protagonist alles darum geben – ja, sogar sein Leben – um ein einziges Mal Glück zu haben. „Useless“ ist eine Abrechnung mit verständnislosen Kritikern. Doch von Unfähigkeit und Gefühlskälte, egal von welcher Seite, lassen sich EyesShutTight keinesfalls stoppen, stattdessen sagen sie sich einmal mehr, Augen zu und durch.

— english version —

The number between six and eight is a very special one. We know seven weekdays, we may be in command of our seven senses (or may have lost them), there are seven seas in the world, and we may feel like being in seventh heaven… The Seven has always been a figure of magic and wonder. To D.W. Trashedsoul, singer of Hamburg-rooted Violent Rock band EyesShutTight, this special figure yet holds another, even painful meaning. His mother died on July the 7th in 2007; a sorrowful fact that made D.W. get himself tattooed with three 7s. ’Strange enough, our guitar-player Kris bears the ‘7’ on three of his fingers’, D.W. reports. ‘When I saw him for the first time, this weird coincidence made me wish to invite him for a coffee in order to get to know him.’ Shortly before Kris had observed D.W. performing a gig with his former combo. ‘At once Kris had recognized that my heart and being actually did not belong to that band, that I was plainly fulfilling my function. He visited me after the concert and told me that I did not seem to be happy, and that my musical setting should be exchanged.’ Facts followed quite soon. D.W. left his old band, eager for new challenges, and soon afterwards he and Kris recorded the song ‘Mother Darksome’ in a small studio. This song grew to be a great success on Myspace. The two musicians then knew it as a sign that it was high time to found a band. They chose their bandname of profound meaning – as most of their artistic statements use to dive deeply beneath the surface. ‘Eyes shut tight’ is their motto as well as their name. ‘Ever since our founding the band we had to struggle with mishaps and strokes of fate – moreover with people who tried to hinder us on our way. We shut our eyes and pressed on regardless. Yet moreover the name shall point out numerous people’s unwillingness to behold the world surrounding them.’ The first album ’Secret Destroyer’ (2010) represented a phase of artistic search. ‘We just let out everything that burdened our souls’, D.W. explains in the retrospective view. ‘Our leitmotif was to let nothing be unsaid. In musical aspects it all sounded very rough – but this experience helped us finding the way that we tread upon nowadays’. Their M’era Luna-concert 2010 made them all the more determined to go on. ‘Right before the concert we looked into each others’ eyes with grim, then we entered the stage and had nothing but fun. The whole gig seemed to last but two minutes…’ D.W. reflects. ‘All our work in the rehearsal room had been wonderfully rewarded! And these positive emotions we took with us into the studio, thereafter.’ The current line-up of EyesShutTight consists of D.W. (vocals/lyrics), Kris (guitar/lyrics), former Lady Bloody Mary-member Goyathlay (keyboards/vocals), bass-player Jolene and drummer d.P. In straight union these Five shaped the new opus named ’Fairground Zero’, an album full of energy and righteous anger that gazes into the deep abyss of fascinating emotions, roaming landscapes of dark wrath. ‘This second album finally brought us together. It starts Metal-like and ends up being quite atmospheric.’ Thus D.W. describes the course of ‘Fairground Zero’ which was engineered and produced by Lars Oppermann. The Unwavering Five’s immense musical craft ranges from aggressive, massive Heavy Metal to relentless Industrial and even further-on to the regions of hypnotic Electro-Rock, the grooves of which makes you want to dance at once. Numerous lyric-ideas have been inspired by allrounder D.W.’s life. Already during his childhood he proved to be of brilliant draughtsmanship. When he was 15 he illustrated books of a renowned publishing house – which caused not only praise and acknowledgement but also a lot of envy. At the age of 18 he was ensnared by drugs. ‘It was quite a mess!’ he reflects. Yet with the exception of one or two beers at whiles all sorts of drugs have vanished out of his nowadays life. Since 2009 he has exhibited his very impressive pictures in various galleries, moreover he writes short stories – and he’s not only a singer but a drummer too. Of course D.W. is responsible for creating EyesTight Shut’s distinctive artwork. The final versions of all lyrics have been brought about by the Two Captains D.W. and Kris in close co-operation. ‘Carousel’ for example describes life itself as a ‘carousel unceasingly wheeling around’, as D.W. says. ‘Life is exclusively about money, sex and all those things you never gain. And it’s always the others that are to be blamed.’ In ‘Fortune Wheel’ the protagonist – being ever haunted by misfortune – would give away everything, even his life, in order to experience a little bit of luck. ‘Useless’ is a sort of revenge aiming at uncomprehending critics. Yet EyesShutTight won’t be stopped by incompetence and insensitivity, no matter from which side they may come down upon them. They will just shut their eyes and press on regardless.

Tracklist:

01: carousel
02: ordeal
03: night without an end
04: fortune wheel
05: useless
06: cabinet of mirrors
07: gone
08: forbidden
09: eat my fist
10: revenge
11: why don´t you..?
12: deep sleep