Since their formation in 2015 and the release of their self titled EP, wolf prayer, the fuzz-driven trio from southwest-Germany finally released their debut album Echoes Of The Second Sun.

When did you form wolf prayer? Would you like to talk a bit about your background?

Jan Sprengard: We formed wolf prayer in 2015. Matthias and I know each other from our previous band. After the band broke up, we decided to continue making music. Initially as a two-piece, but three months later my long time friend Tim, with whom I’ve played in my first band, joined us. wolf prayer was born. We wrote four songs together, which landed on our first EP.

There’s four track EP available on Bandcamp, released in 2017. Is it available digitally or also on physical formats?

Yes that’s right. First we produced a CD edition of 300 pieces (in vinyl optics) on our own without a label backing us up. We knew from the beginning that our debut album (not the EP) would be a vinyl. Because of that we did the joke/gimmick in vinyl-optics at the EP. After signing to Barhill Records, the EP was released digitally via Barhill Records and in the meantime we produced download tickets for the EP. The CD’s are sold out and will not be reproduced.

<a href="http://wolfprayer.bandcamp.com/album/wolf-prayer">wolf prayer by wolf prayer</a>

What’s the story behind recording it?

The EP was recorded at Rogue Studios Germany on two weekends. Each instrument was recorded alone for each part. Even though we enjoyed the recording-process and the time we spent at the studio, but we knew that in future recordings we wouldn’t want to record separated. Back in the day it was okay and we lived with the compromise, since we needed something to spread our music and handout at live-shows.

You guys are currently with Barhill Records – how did you get discovered by them?

That’s true. After we released our four song EP, we wrote more songs and did a little tour in springtime 2018. In summer 2018 we recorded our debut album Echoes Of The Second Sun. After the first rough mixes were done, we sent two songs to Barhill Records. A couple of days later we stood in contact with Kai Florian Becker from Barhill Records and got signed to his label.

“For us it was important to capture the energy of our music and sound.”

Can you share some further details how your latest album Echoes Of The Second Sun was recorded?

We recorded Echoes Of The Second Sun in summertime 2018 at the Love Station Studios (an old train station) in Southwest Germany. Love Station Studios is owned by our good friend Christian from Funky Monkson Records. For us it was important to capture the energy of our music and sound. In our opinion the only way this could happen was to record the album live. So we played the songs live and recorded interludes like a second guitar, synthesizer or organs later. I play stereo amp setting live, so we decided to do this in the studio as well.

<a href="http://wolfprayer.bandcamp.com/album/echoes-of-the-second-sun-3">Echoes Of The Second Sun by wolf prayer</a>

It was important for us that the audience should focus on the whole album, so we decided to record some interludes between some songs. Like a connection from one song to another, or a connection from one theme to another. To further emphasize the impression of the record as a whole, we decided that the A and B side of the album got cut in one vinyl groove. Through this the audience has to concentrate and focus on the album itself.

A funny thing happened during the recording sessions. Christian from Love Station Studios, who recorded our debut album, also played the organs and synthesizer and liked it. So we asked him to join the band. Now he is our fourth (silent) member.

How do you usually approach music making?

Since we live pretty far apart, we can’t rehearse as much as we would like. I live approximately 500 km away from the others, which results in a different creative process compared to bands that are able to develop music while they rehearse. For us, most of the time it starts with someone having an idea, like a riff, melody or drum-ideas. We send each other the sound-ideas via mail or smart-phone. Then everyone works on that sound idea at home. We bring all of it together at the rehearsals and hopefully create a new song out of our different ideas. We take our inspiration from films, series or music as well. What ever moves us, we collect lyric-ideas and then I’m writing the lyrics.

What kind of equipment did you use and who was the producer?

We used our equipment like DW drums, Hiwatt amp, Tone King amp, Fender ’65 Super Reverb Amp, Marshall JCM 800. The recording equipment from Love Station Studio was mostly out of the seventies, like microphones and so on. Christian was our producer and had a lot of good ideas to get the best of our music. For example we placed the bass amp in the stairwell. Sounds funny but we got an awesome bass-sound-quality in our opinion for our expectations. We recorded the album on four or five weekends and combined it with some barbecues and beers in the afternoon. Lots of fun!

What are some bands/musicians that have a big influence on you?

That’s really hard to say. We have a bunch of them. Big influences for us are of course Pink Floyd, Kyuss, Black Sabbath, Joy Division, the early Genesis with Peter Gabriel, Tool, The Machine, Sungrazer, Dead Meadow, Brant Björk, Mars Red Sky, 1000 Mods, Somali Yacht Club, Queens Of The Stone Age, Rage Against The Machine, Rory Gallagher, Howlin’ Wolf, Nirvana, The Doors, Funkadelic, Parliament, Frank Zappa and many more. You see … a good mixture from many genres.

The cover artwork is really good. Who’s behind it?

The idea with the priestess and the wolf skull and inside artwork is from us, but we are not really good at drawing. So we looked for a good cover art designer who can realize our ideas in the best way. Matthias found Timur Khabirov from Russia. We got in contact with him, explained him our ideas, got him some design examples.

After that he came up with some sketches and gave the priestess with skull head the final touch. Inside of the gatefold you will find a picture of us, taken by my girlfriend Lisa. The attached Live-Photos and Band-Pictures are shot by her, too.

Your tour is sadly cancelled due to Covid-19. I hope you’ll get back to gigging soon.

Yes indeed. It’s really sad, and truly hard for musicians these times but at the current situation the only thing to do. Matthias works in the medical field as a nurse, as well as his girlfriend. They are working day and night these times.

We really can’t wait to be back on stage, yes…but everything has to cool down first, then we will play shows again.

Are any of you involved in any other bands or do you have any active side-projects going on at this point?

Yes Christian plays in a Funk and Soul Rock Combo called The Torpedo Molecules and plays the keys in a 60’s Cover Beat Rock Combo called The Bobbies and Tim plays in a cover band as well.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

Favourite albums are Pink Floyd – Wish You Were Here, Animals; Joy Division – Unknown Pleasure, we like the new Tool album – Fear Inoculum as well. The concert in Berlin was a blast by the way. Yes indeed, I would like to recommend Slift – Ummon. Discovered this band and album couple of days before and I really enjoy them. Also I would like to recommend some friends of us:

ZOAHR – Off Axis
Nazca Space Fox – Pi
Kosmodrom – Gravitationsnarkose
Have Blue – When The Flowers Get Teeth
No Mans Valley – Outside The Dream
Elara Sunstreak Band – Dele Bal
Cracked Machine – The Call Of The Void
Rage Of Samedi – Blood Ritual