Antike Zivilisationen, dunkle Etappen der Geschichte der Menschheit. Seine Interessen bestimmen seine Musik. Dieser Ruf eilt Herman Klapholz, mastermind des belgischen Industrialprojektes Ah Cama-Sotz, voraus.

Der Name Ah Cama-Sotz ist der Mythologie der Azteken entnommen. Der Camasotz war demnach eine dämonische Kreatur, die großen Spaß daran hatte, arglosen Menschen den Kopf abzuhauen. Anscheinend ohne weiteren Grund. Zwar beteuert Herman oft in Interviews, dass er den Namen in frühen Tagen nur deswegen annahm, da er durch HYBRYDS in Kontakt mit Ritual Music kam und, noch am Anfang seiner musikalischen Karriere, viel Inspirationen aus dieser Stilrichtung schöpfte.

Ritual...vielleicht eine bessere Bezeichnung des Werkes von Herman Klapholz? Vielleicht Ritual - Industrial?

Im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen Bands des Genres Industrial war es bei ihm nie der reine Rhythmus, der die Musik bestimmte. Allerdings ist Ah Cama-Sotz auch keine der Bands, die um alles in der Welt provozieren wollen - was dieses Genre ja auch ausmacht. Es ist eher, als ob er den Hörer in eine eigene Klangdimension - ich nenne sie auch gerne Zwischenwelt - entführt, in der sich treibende Rhythmen mit ruhigeren Klangkollagen abwechseln.

Herman spielt gerne mit der dunklen Seite. Er ist aber nicht mit diesen plakativen Künstlern zu vergleichen, die, meist Schwarz geschminkt, pubertierend mit Zeichen und Symbolen spielen und damit überraschend viel Erfolg haben. Er beschäftigt sich tiefgründiger damit. Er lässt seine Emotionen in seine Musikeinfließen und webt ein vielschichtiges Werk, dass sehr angenehm zu hören ist. Und eben nicht aufdringlich.

So ist es nicht weiter verwunderlich, dass Ah Cama-Sotz mittlerweile auf beiden Seiten des atlantischen Ozeans in der Industrial - Szene zu den bekannteren Bands gehört - eine Tour im "Land der unbegrenzten Möglichkeiten" steht im November an und auf LSD Organisation wird seine zweite US - Veröffentlichung in den Staaten vorbereitet.

das interview:

[simon]
1.)Your latest Album is titled "The house of the Lordh". Whats the concept of this album?

[acs]
well, I'm always been intrigued by different cult(ures), history of humankind, civilisations, religions, etc.. So since quite a time I was eager to do a concept around religion and spiritual movements.
Now I've chosen Christianity for its old traditions and (dis)respects towards humankind !
I think each religion has its good and negative feelings but you cannot deny the fact that at specific times like f.i. the Middle Ages (and later..), Christianity wasn't merciful with people NOT belong to its movement. Nevertheless the church is an interesting target to experiment with, albeit under the form of "music".

[simon]
2.) The last Album on CD you released on HANDS is called Murder Themes / Terra infernalis. What appeared surprising to me is that they were released as an DCD, thogh they seem to be pretty different. Could you tell me about the concepts of these works and why they were released together?

[acs]
"Terra infernalis" is the regular one with a semi concept around our "disturbed earth" and "Murder Themes", in the first place, is a entire concept, created for vinyl release. The material lasts around 40 min. Udo had the good idea to release "Murder Themes" as sp. ed. on CD

[simon]
3.) Looking at your work it seems that you 're interested about the dark chaptres of the human history. What is your main interest? Human reaction during those periods like the art or music that was created during that time or the catastrophes, call them pestilence e.g., themselves?

[acs]
I'm interested in all these various aspects. Human chaos belongs too often to the miserable (in)humankind since the early ages! "We've just started to destroy earth" is a legacy belonging to the mortal human specie. We are all mortal tourists on this earth; art survives all of us. During the centuries people created lots of tremendous things, and that is the most important topic of humankind, I find personally.

[simon]
4.) Another astonisheng point about ACS: I know few band that change from rhythmical pieces to dark ambient as fluently as you do. Is this your personal interpretation of industrial?

[acs]
Look, we are talking about inner feelings that move through personal vibes and emotions.
To me it's a constant wave with different paths that come together at specific points in time.

[simon]
5.) What is industrial for you anyway?

[acs]
Very difficult question. pleasant and angry sounds, which are taboo and not understandible to the mass!

[simon]
6.) Do you thik industrial is a music that may be considered an actual style or rather more belonging to the past. Where´s industrial pointing to nowadays?

[acs]
It's a constant evolution. There are always new elements you can experiment with.
Industrial leads to new paths that have to be explored.

[simon]
7.) How fixed is Ah Cama-Sotz fixed to the person Herman K.?

[acs]
I'm all of it. Not a drop less ! My deepest emotional feelings resurrect in ah cama-sotz. It's a wonderfull thing, you can interpret thoughts through music.

[simon]
8.) Some years ago, when I still lived at my parents house, my mother got into my room whie I was listening to music...she completely freaked out and asked my how I could like evil music like that...I was just listening to the Epitaphe-Album. Would you consider your music as evil?

[acs]
hehe !! amazing, yes indeed.... , my music is frightening ! (joke ;)). No really, ..it's just a question of feeling, taste and emotions because there are people I know, I gave them the CD to listen to, and they never heard some tunes like that, but they enjoyed it, though. Anyway my music is absolutely not evil ! personally, a style like country / western, I find this evil !

[simon]
9.) During live - gigs you use a video beamer. What kind of movies will the audience see during the performance?

[acs]
Some years ago, I shot my own movie (cemetery, mixture of grafics), and I blended it with pieces of soundtracks. Due to lack of time and technical problems (I don't have a camera at this moment!), I couldn't go on with a new movie. But it's just a matter of time, cause in this area there is so much to do. I 've got plenty of ideas, even for my concerts it would be an asset, to go on with a multimedia concept.

[simon]
10.) You´re asked to make a soundtrack. What kind of movie would you choose to work with?

[acs]
I would rather look for ghost, horror, etc.. stories, that suits me well!!

[simon]
11.)I read that it were the Hybryds that introduced you to ritual music (err..am I right?). Are these ritual influences still in your music? Or what ties ACS to ritual nowadays?

[acs]
yes indeed, I started doing ritual stuff with Hybryds, but like many projects I evolved and incorporated different elements to the ritual side of ah cama-sotz.

[simon]
12.) I wondered about that pseudonym, dr. blood,...?

[acs]
hehe ! It started as a joke with dr.demon (tom kloeck from spectre), the fact that I was into bats, and therefore he began to call me dr.blood!

[simon]
question 4691.) Well but getting back, in an interview I read that an important thing for ACS is evoulution...Are you leading ACS away from rhythmical industrial to new musical boundiaries? (this should be the last question;-) I swear!)

[acs]
NO, not et all .......just experimenting with the different facets of our scene, but as mentioned ealier , I'm constantly looking for new elements!

fin.