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BIWO is a very interesting traditional heavy metal band, which brings a lot of that 1980’s sound without sounding nostalgic or repetitive. We interviewed their founder Sven Biwo and talked about music, fatherhood and how the metal scene needs more creativity.
Okay, here we are with a new interview, and for a great start, could you tell us how you started in music? Introduce yourself to our readers.
Sven: Hello Fabio and all people out there. I am the Sven Biwo singer guitarist and songwriter of the Biwo Band. Besides me there are Hanno on drums, Justus on bass and Finley on second guitar. As far back as I can remember I am rooted in Heavy Metal. My first albums were Iron Maiden – X-Factor and Virtual XI and the Trimuph Of Steel by Manowar. With the Best Of of KISS Greatest Kiss, Paul Gene and co was also represented early in my collection.
Despite being far away from more ” traditional” bands, I always respect a lot who are able to rescue the heavy metal spirit without sounding too much like a nostalgic band. As your band is heavy metal, along with all the clichés, it is practically impossible not to sound like something old. But BIWO has a lot of personality, and I would love to know how the conception of your music conception was.
Sven: It’s very simple. From the gut. Of course you have your influences and subconsciously that also flows into the songs, but in the end I don’t plan how a song should sound. There are many bands like Sabaton or Powerwolf and how they are all called. For me they are more a company than a band. But that’s just my opinion and I can be wrong. Personally, I wouldn’t enjoy making every album sound the same. After all, I express myself as an artist in music. In the end, it is always a reflection of my soul and what I believe in.
It is impossible not to ask about the influences, even because you come from Germany, home of great bands like Scorpions and Helloween. So, what influences you, musically or otherwise? Because I notice a strong inspiration in groups like Grave Digger (especially in the first works) and Running Wild, as well as a wonderful folk-rock sound in Poor Boy.
Sven: It must be in the German blood. (laughs) The funny thing is, you can hear immediately if a band comes from Sweden or Italy. You can just hear it in the music style. It’s totally crazy. I think every country has a certain style that they are known for. In the end, it all flows in somewhere. The Swedish melodies, a bit of NWOBHM, U.S. Heavy Metal, a bit of Italian Power Metal and some German Teutonic steel.
I also want to comment a bit about the lyrics: I think they are interesting, with a very good vibe, talking about problems, feelings and overcoming, like those moments when you need a word from someone who trusts you. How do you compose your lyrics and what inspires you?
Sven: All songs have a personal reference to me and process something in my head. Live Now should say that you should not think so much, because you live not tomorrow nor yesterday but only now. The idea for Fountain Of Youth comes from the movie Pirates Of The Caribbean and the desire for eternal life that I also have. And so every song has a personal reference. The ideas for songs come from books, movies or events from my life. Many ideas arise when I’m about to fall asleep. I always have my cell phone by my bed to quickly record the idea. Because if I don’t do that, the ideas are gone from my brain the next morning.
I also noticed that the cover of your album Life and Death has a hint about Mother Earth and there is one song that you approach the environmentalism theme. How important is the nature preservation to you? How do you deal with this matter?
Sven: It is not directly environmental protection. It is about the fact that we destroy our earth itself. How many nuclear bombs are tested per year? How much unnecessary packaging waste do we throw away every year? It’s not about stopping cars, planes or cruise ships. You can start with much smaller things. The great thing is, Christmas is just around the corner. There will be tons of plastic garbage from toy packaging thrown away again. I very rarely look into the future because you can’t influence it. But we humans are becoming more and more. All this cannot go on forever and the whole system will collapse.
I have heard from a very reliable source that you became a father at a young age. You are almost the same age as my brother, who lives there in Germany and has two wonderful daughters. Could you tell us how was this experience of fatherhood so early?
Sven : Being a father is an indescribably great feeling. I love my children more than anything and I would do anything to protect them. The children are the reflection of the parents and I think my wife and me a are doing a good job. But they have also cost me a lot of nerves and made me the person I am today. Without them I would probably still be sitting in the pub or in front of the Playstation. (laughs) But to be honest, the first time was not easy and we were lucky that our parents supported us so well. If I could turn back time, I would do it all over again.
I read in an interview that you like Iron Maiden’s X-Factor. We here in the team also like this album and we think Blaze Bayley is a great musician ( plus he really loves the Brazilian culture when he comes to play). Why do you like this work, which is so different from your music?
Sven: There are so many great little tunes going on. Remember the harmony part of Sign Of The Cross just before the last chorus? That is pure magic. Or Blood On The Worlds Hands! These are just great tracks that don’t get boring. They have the perfect mix of melody and progressive music. I don’t intend to sound like Iron Maiden in the 90s. We sound like BIWO and that’s good. Besides, at the moment I wrote the songs I didn’t have a bad phase in my life like Steve had at the time of X-Factor. Maybe that’s the difference.
How do you see the German scene today? I personally know that there are all kinds of bands out there and there are even festivals for all tastes. Many of my favorite bands are German, ranging from Hvelloween, which plays power metal, to Diary of Dreams, an excellent darkwave group.
Sven: The scene is not easy, especially the underground. The small club shows are canceled or are even emptier than they were before the pandemic. The problem is that people don’t have time for music anymore. Listening to a CD or record is partly unthinkable. People’s concentration is simply gone after a few seconds. Then there is a split in the scene. On one side the Metal Core fans and on the other side the True Metal fans. And then they split up into various sub-genres like Black Metal and so on. I’m not a Metal Core or Power Metal fan of Sabaton or Powerwolf but it would be nice if the scene would stick together again.
As a Brazilian media, I could not miss this question: do you know any bands from Brazil? Do you like any?
Sven: I like Electric Poison a lot. There is a label here called Doc Gator Records that likes to bring such bands to Europe. And I really liked this band.
I want to thank you very much for the interview and now this is the space for your message to our readers. Let’s go, man!
Sven: I have to thank you! Cheers guys stay healthy all, because without health the beautiful things in life bring no joy! Stay Heavy and Live Now!
Related Links
https://www.facebook.com/biwoband/