Interviews: No Shelter

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Blackened Hardcore/Metal band No Shelter from Germany. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it, or did it just happen?

Hey there! First off – thanks for the opportunity to do this interview, we really appreciate it. Honestly, there wasn’t a specific idea behind the band name. When we started writing our first couple of songs back in 2017, we had a long list of potential names. “No Shelter.” just ended up being the one that fit best.

2. Why did you choose this genre?

No Shelter. started as a project where we wanted to incorporate the HM-2 pedal. That’s really the core of it. With that sound, you pretty much have to play aggressive music – there’s no way around it. Artistically, we feel at home writing heavy music and nasty riffs. It allows us to lose ourselves in the writing process and release a lot of energy on stage. We think it brings a good balance to our everyday lives.

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Yeah, we all knew each other from the local scene in and around Münster and Emsdetten. Everyone except our bassist Steffen already shared a rehearsal space in Emsdetten. Lars and Ritchie had already played together in two bands before No Shelter. came to life. We’ve all crossed paths at local shows and festivals over the years. Through the band, we’ve become even closer and now share a strong bond.

4. Each band member’s favorite band?

Ritchie – Napalm Death

Darius – Deafheaven

Steffen – Nails

Basti – Judas Priest

Lars – Gulch

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Well, the world has become a pretty strange place over the years, and there’s no shortage of themes or feelings to draw from. We like to paint a dark picture with our music, which fits the sound we’re creating. Some of our songs also have political elements — we draw a clear line about what our band stands for.

6. Where was your last gig?

We were lucky to be invited to the record release show of our friends in Ultrablut. Be sure to check out their new record “Tja” if you’re into noise rock. Our bassist also played there with his new band Moral Rot. It was a great evening at AZ Gathe in Wuppertal with lots of friends and good people around.

7. Where would you like to perform?

There’s no specific venue we’re aiming for, but Berlin is definitely on our bucket list. We've always felt welcome when playing outside of Germany, so we definitely want to play abroad again.

8. Who would you like to collaborate with?

When we write, we don’t really think about whether a song would work with a guest artist. That usually comes up when we’re preparing vocal parts for the studio. We did a feature with Kevin Otto on the new record, which turned out amazing. He does vocals in great bands like Optimist, Skullhammer, and End Of Days. He’s just a great Interview „Breathing The Core“ person, and we love sharing the stage with him and his bands. We don’t have a specific collab in mind at the moment – maybe it’ll just happen again by chance.

9. Who wouldn't you want to collaborate with?

Tough one… but we probably don’t need a wah-wah-soaked solo from Kirk Hammett in a No Shelter. song. Hope that answers it!

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners?

Going on stage is always a tense moment – especially when playing for larger crowds or with new songs in the set. What helps the most is giving it 110% and not caring too much about what others think. If someone’s not into your music, that’s fine. What matters is being proud and confident in what you do and the message you want to send.

11. What bands have influenced you the most?

There are definitely some influences you can hear in our songs – especially from bands we all enjoy. We can’t deny our shared love for Bolt Thrower, and you might hear elements of their sound in what we write.

12. What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We cannot relate to anything extraordinary.

13. What do you think of your fans?

We’re always happy and proud when people check out what we do and appreciate it. That means a lot to us.

14. What do you think of our site?

We love how fanzines and platforms like BTC support the extreme music scene and give bands a chance to be heard by new people. That’s incredibly important. 

15. Anything you'd like to add?

Thanks again for the opportunity and for sharing these questions with us! We’re super stoked to share our new album with you all and hope you enjoy it as much as we do. If you can, come to our release show on July 25th in Münster. And most importantly: Fuck Nazi Scum.