S horúcimi riffmi, sci-fi divadlom a LED podprsenkou vlastnej výroby nie sú Sick’n’Beautiful celkom bežná metalová kapela. Porozprávali sme sa so speváčkou Hermou o albume Horror Vacui, živote na cestách, o tom, čo všetko treba na to, aby premenili sen o vesmírnom cirkuse na realitu … a o čom sníva pyroman.
Prvýkrát sme sa o novom albume Horror Vacui rozprávali pred rokom a pol. Koľko z neho vtedy vlastne existovalo – texty, hudba, čokoľvek?
V skutočnosti bol hotový už dávno pred vydaním. Tento album mal pôvodne vyjsť pri našom prvom turné s Cradle of Filth v roku 2024. Ale niekedy sa veci vyvinú inak. Vydavateľstvo sa rozdelilo, vznikla nová značka, nové logo a nový imprint. Takže sme čakali na ich prechod. Album mal vyjsť v roku 2025, ale my sme ho mali hotový už oveľa, oveľa skôr. Tak to proste chodí – stáva sa to veľmi často.
Keď ho počúvam, je to naozaj skvost. Ako by si však ty sama opísala hudbu, ktorú ste len nedávno vydali?
Myslím, že tento album úplne vystihuje Sick’n’Beautiful. Je to presne to, kde sa práve teraz nachádzame. Má temnú atmosféru, ale zároveň je veľmi priamočiary. Pri písaní sme mali na pamäti, že chceme album, ktorý bude silný naživo. Počas turné sme sa veľa naučili a chceli sme skladby, ktoré budú zábavné a chytľavé – s refrénmi, ktoré si ľudia môžu spievať s nami. Chceli sme väčšie prepojenie s publikom, preto sú skladby priamočiarejšie.
Podľa toho, čo som videl online – teda okrem mojej recenzie fanúšika – sa zdá, že album zožal veľký úspech. Ako si sa cítila pred jeho vydaním? A teraz, po roku a pol s ním – naplnil tvoje očakávania?
Áno, dokonca ich prekonal. Album bol veľmi dobre prijatý webzinmi aj fanúšikmi. Ľudia ho milujú. Máme pocit, že sa mu darí lepšie než predchádzajúcemu Starstruck, ktorý bol o niečo zložitejší. Horror Vacui je prístupnejší, a to sa potvrdilo – takže sme veľmi spokojní. A myslím, že je to len začiatok. Veci sa rýchlo vyvíjajú, máme viac príležitostí hrať naživo – tak uvidíme, čo príde. Ale zatiaľ sme veľmi šťastní.
Album ste napísali pred rokom a pol – to je dosť času nielen na turné, ale aj na písanie nového materiálu. Znamená to, že už máte ďalší album „v šuflíku“?
Áno, máme pár nových skladieb a čoskoro sa chceme pustiť do písania a produkcie nového albumu. Ale ten čas sme využili aj na prípravu Horror Blast Experience. To bol projekt pre fanúšikov, ktorí podporili Horror Vacui cez Kickstarter. Je to niečo ako livestreamovaný koncert – niečo medzi koncertom a DVD – aby sme priblížili náš živý zážitok tým, ktorí nás nemohli vidieť naživo. Vytvorili sme show, ktorú sme často nemohli kvôli logistike realizovať – kvôli veľkosti pódia alebo obmedzeniam klubov. Sľúbili sme to fanúšikom, stálo nás to veľa práce – ale podarilo sa to a vyzerá to úžasne. Samozrejme, trochu nám to vzalo čas na nový album.
Ako vyzerá tvorivý proces v Sick’n’Beautiful?
Big Daddy Ray, náš producent, je zároveň hlavou kapely, čo sa týka skladieb. Prichádza s nápadmi, potom sa všetci stretávame, robíme predprodukciu, nahrávame, dávame dokopy nápady a finalizujeme skladby. On prinesie základ, my tomu dáme konečnú podobu.
Takže aj texty sú jeho práca?
Áno.
Spomenula si, že ste album predávali cez Kickstarter – kampaň bola ale najmä pre Horror Blast Experience. Kedy ho môžeme očakávať?
Najskôr bude dostupný len pre fanúšikov, chceme, aby to bolo exkluzívne. Neskôr pravdepodobne zverejníme časť – nie celý koncert – na sociálnych sieťach, pravdepodobne v priebehu budúceho roka.
Predpokladám, že pôvodný koncept sa za ten rok a pol zmenil. Koľko z pôvodnej show zostalo?
Väčšina. Museli sme presunúť niektoré termíny a logistiku, pretože do toho bolo zapojených veľa ľudí. Ale nakoniec sa nám podarilo urobiť viac, než sme čakali. Pridali sme kostýmy, tanečníkov, hercov – celé to prebieha v stane vesmírneho cirkusu. Je to niečo veľmi iné – spojenie koncertu a videoklipu. Medzi nami – je to už len otázka niekoľkých mesiacov. Tí, ktorí podporili, dostanú súkromný odkaz s heslom. Tento týždeň posielame balíčky s odmenami z Kickstartera – niektorí ich už možno majú.
Očakávania mám vysoké – videl som váš predošlý stream a viem, čo sa dá spraviť online. Behemoth to počas COVIDu zvládli výborne.
Nevidela som to, ale určite to bolo super. Oni ale pracujú s väčšími rozpočtami než my. Ale my sme kreatívni s tým, čo máme. Podarilo sa nám urobiť niečo úžasné, čo pôsobí drahšie, než to v skutočnosti bolo. Vyzerá to skvelo.
Poďme späť k novému albumu. Sú nejaké tour plány? Môžeš už niečo naznačiť?
Áno, ďalšie turné je v príprave. Stále zisťujeme, či to bude možné. Dúfame, že čoskoro niečo budeme môcť oznámiť.
Minule sme sa rozprávali pred vaším prvým európskym turné. Teraz máte za sebou druhé veľké turné s Lordi. Čo ste medzičasom zmenili, aby ste sa lepšie adaptovali? Boli to vaše dve prvé veľké turné, však?
Áno. Učíme sa deň po dni – aj od iných kapiel. Tieto dve turné boli veľmi odlišné. S Cradle of Filth sme hrali s ďalšími troma kapelami, vrátane Wednesday 13 a The Drift. Bolo to rýchle, všetko bolo na tesno – museli sme sa naučiť prispôsobiť sa. Zistili sme, že potrebujeme väčší tím, väčšiu dodávku a lepšiu organizáciu.
S Lordi to išlo hladšie. Publikum bolo správne naladené, všetko klapalo. Táto kombinácia bola skvelá. Ukázalo nám to, že vieme ešte zlepšiť cestovanie aj výdavky. Ďalšie turné zvládneme ešte lepšie.
Toto spojenie s Lordi bolo očakávané. Viem ale, že trvalo dlho, kým sa podarilo. Prečo?
Hudobný priemysel je zvláštny svet. Po COVIDe je všetko zložité. Aj keď sa kombinácia kapiel zdá ideálna, je tu veľká konkurencia – niekedy viac kapiel než fanúšikov. Mali sme šťastie. Ide o šťastie, kontakty, agentov a načasovanie. Náš album vyšiel 18. apríla, turné skončilo 17. apríla – načasovanie bolo perfektné.
Teraz trochu zvláštna otázka – ale položil som ju aj Mr. Lordimu: Ako dlho trvá premeniť Gretu na Hermu?
Pred pár rokmi by som povedala, že bol rozdiel. Ale teraz sa to zlieva. Fyzicky to trvá hodinu-dve – obliecť sa a pripraviť na pódiu. Ale mentálne – už to neprepínam. Viac koncertov a turné ma naučilo, že toto je naša pravá podoba. Už to neberiem ako nejakú premenu.
Aj predtým, než sa Herma stala tvojou súčasťou – používala si túto personu v reálnom živote, keď si potrebovala byť odvážna?
Áno, najmä v práci. V náročných situáciách som si „zapla“ scénickú osobnosť. Pomáhalo mi to konať profesionálne a sebaisto – aj keď som sa tak necítila. Teraz, keď sa obe osobnosti prelínajú, už ten prepínač nepotrebujem.
Kostýmy si robíš sama. Za ktorú časť kostýmu sa najviac nenávidíš?
Asi LED podprsenku. Vyzerá úžasne – ľudia ju milujú. Ale je to nočná mora – batérie, káble, všetko sa kazí. Niekedy by som si priala len spievať, ale nedá sa.
Naopak – existuje nejaký kostým alebo rekvizita, ktorú si si vždy predstavovala, ale ešte si ju nezrealizovala?
Plameňomet. Bol to splnený sen. Keď som mala konečne možnosť držať ho v ruke, bola som ako najšťastnejšie dieťa.
Vaše videoklipy sú často veľmi avantgardné. Počula si už nejaké šialené fanúšikovské teórie, ktoré úplne minuli pointu?
Občas áno – najmä od náboženských ľudí, ktorí sa snažia všetko spojiť s Bohom a anjelmi. Ale naši fanúšikovia sú veľmi inteligentní a väčšinou pochopia, čo chceme povedať.
Keď už sme pri videách – máte vlastné štúdio na špeciálne efekty. Ako tvrdohlavá si, keď ide o náročné kreatívne nápady?
Vždy je to boj. Mám veľké sny, ale malý rozpočet. Big Daddy Ray ma uzemňuje – hľadáme kompromisy, ako zrealizovať moje nápady bez toho, aby sme zbankrotovali. Učíme sa – klip po klipe – ako nájsť rovnováhu.
Ktorý videoklip vás to naučil najviac?
Prvý – Radio Siren z Hell Over Hell. Pracovali sme na ňom dva mesiace. Minuli sme veľa peňazí zle, museli sme točiť dvakrát, lebo spolupracovníci neboli k dispozícii. Vyšiel so šesťmesačným meškaním. Naučili sme sa veľa – teraz už vieme, že video musí mať časový rámec, inak sa na ňom robí večne.
To je z mojej strany všetko. Chceš ešte niečo odkázať fanúšikom alebo čitateľom?
Máme už ohlásené niektoré koncerty v Európe. Ak budú fanúšikovia nablízku, radi ich uvidíme. Na Halloween hráme v Belgicku v klube Hell – bude to skvelá párty. A pribudnú ďalšie koncerty. Ak sa nám podarí oznámiť turné, navštívime nové krajiny. Držíme si palce! A keď vyjde Horror Blast Experience, pomôže ľuďom pochopiť, čo robíme – a kam smerujeme.
Sick’n’Beautiful: Space Metal, LED Bras and Horror Vacui
With face-melting riffs, sci-fi theatrics, and a DIY LED bra, Sick’n’Beautiful aren’t your average metal band. We caught up with frontwoman Herma to talk about Horror Vacui, life on the road, what it takes to turn a space circus dream into a reality and what a pyromaniac dreams about.
So, we first talked about the new album Horror Vacui one and a half years ago. How much of the new album was actually the thing at the time? How much of it actually existed as lyrics, music, whatever?
Actually, it was ready way before the release. I mean, this record was meant to be released upon our first tour with Cradle of Filth in 2024. But sometimes things work differently. Our label split, created a new name and logo, and a new imprint. So, we were kind of waiting for their transition. The album was slated to be released in 2025, but we had it ready way before. That’s how things work. It happens very, very often.
Listening to it, it’s truly a gem. But how would you describe the music you just released a few days ago?
I think this is very on focus for Sick’n’Beautiful. It really matches what we are right now. You can feel it—it’s pretty dark in atmosphere, but still very direct. While writing songs, we had in mind an album meant to be played live. We’ve learned a lot during recent tours and wanted the songs to be very entertaining. We made songs with choruses that people can sing along to. That’s what we wanted—more connection with the crowd, so we made more direct songs.
From what I saw online—besides my fangirl review—the album actually looks like a big success. How strong did you feel about the album before its release? After one and a half years with it, does it fulfill your expectations?
Actually, yes. It’s way beyond our expectations. The album has been very well received by webzines and the crowd. People are loving it. We feel it’s doing better than the previous one, Starstruck, which was a little more complex. Horror Vacui is more accessible for everyone. We’ve had confirmation of that, so we’re very satisfied. And I think it’s still just the beginning—things are evolving quickly. We’re getting more chances to play live, so who knows what’s coming. But we’re very happy with how it’s going.
The album was written one and a half years ago. That’s a lot of time—not only for touring, but also for writing new music. Does that mean you already have the next album somewhere in the drawer, just waiting for release?
Yes, actually, we have a few more songs and are planning to get back to writing and producing the new record very soon. But we also used that time to produce the Horror Blast live experience. It was something we did for the fans who joined the Kickstarter to support Horror Vacui. It’s a kind of live streaming concert, like a DVD, to bring our live show to people who never had the chance to see us live. We also created a show we couldn’t always do logistically—due to stage size or venue regulations. We promised this concert to our fans, and it took a lot of work. We shot it, and it’s coming along amazingly. That did take away a bit of the time we meant to use for the next record.
What does the creative process in Sick’n’Beautiful look like?
Big Daddy Ray, our producer, is also the mastermind behind the songs. He comes to us with ideas, and then we all meet to work on pre-production, record stuff, put ideas together, and finalize each song. He’s the one with the initial concepts, and we add our final touches.
So he’s also behind the lyrics?
Yes.
As you mentioned, you pre-sold the album with a Kickstarter campaign, which was actually for the Horror Blast Experience. When should we expect the Horror Blast Experience to drop?
It will be available just for the fans for a little bit because we want it to be exclusive. Then we’ll probably release part of it—not the full concert—on social media, most likely next year.
I assume the original concept of the Horror Blast Experience went through some changes. It was announced over one and a half years ago. How much of the show stayed as originally planned?
Most of it stayed. We had to make a few logistical changes in the end because we had to move dates—lots of people were involved in helping us. But we realized more than we expected. We added costumes, dancers, actors—it’s a full live show inside a space circus tent. It’s something very different—a blend between a live show and a music video.
Honestly, I’m part of the campaign, so I can’t wait!
Between me and you, it’s already a couple of months away. It will be available for those who pledged via a private link with a password. We’re going to send links and passwords this week, along with the packages. Some of you may have already received the packages, since we shipped a few.
So yeah, it’s just a matter of a couple of months.
I assume that the original concept of the Horror Blast Experience went through some changes since it was announced one and a half years ago. How much of the show stayed as originally planned?
Actually, most of it. We had to make a few logistical changes in the end because we had to move dates—lots of people were involved helping us out. But we ended up realizing more than what we expected.
We added a few more costumes, dancers, and actors. There’s a full live show, and it’s all set inside a space circus tent. It was really nice.
Something very different from what we’ve seen before. Is it a blend between a live show and a music video?
Yes, exactly.
Honestly, my expectations are pretty high. I’ve seen the previous stream and what can be done via online shows. The Behemoth did a great job with their COVID show.
I didn’t see it, but I’m sure it was amazing. They have way bigger budgets than us. But we are very creative with what we have. I think we made something that’s worth a lot—more than our actual budget. We succeeded in doing something very incredible with what we had. It’s coming along very nicely.
Let’s get back a little bit to the new album. Are there any tour plans to support it? Anything you can already disclose, or at least hint at?
Yes, there’s another tour in the works. We’re still trying to understand if we can make it happen. We hope to announce it very soon.
When we last spoke, it was before your first European tour. You’ve just finished your second bigger European tour, this time with Lordi. What have you changed between the two to better adapt to touring? These were your two first major tours, right?
Yes. We’re learning day by day, also from other musicians and bands. These two tours were very different. On the Cradle of Filth tour, we had four bands, including Wednesday 13 and The Drift. We had to adapt quickly to tight stage schedules and fast changeovers. So we realized we needed a bigger crew, a bigger van, and better organization.
During the Lordi tour, we saw how important it is to play in front of the right audience—everything worked smoothly. The match with Lordi was amazing. It showed us that we could make everything even better in terms of traveling and expenses. So we’ll do the next tour in an even better way.
This collaboration with Lordi was kind of expected. I know personally that it took a long time to make it happen. Why was that?
The music industry is a strange world. After COVID, everything got so complicated. Even if a band match seems perfect for fans, there’s so much competition. Sometimes there are more bands than there are fans! We’ve been lucky this time to get the opportunity. It’s a matter of luck, connections, agents, and timing.
This time, our record was released on April 18, and the tour ended April 17. So it was perfect—we could promote both the record and the tour at the same time. That’s very good for drawing attention to the band.
This will be a sketchy question—but I gave it to Mr. Lordi as well. How long does it take to turn Greta into Herma?
A few years ago, I could say there was a bit of a difference. But now, they’re blending a bit more. It doesn’t take that much anymore. Sure, it takes one or two hours to get dressed in costume and ready for the stage. But in terms of energy, there’s no real switch in personality anymore. Doing more tours and shows made me feel like that’s our real dimension. That’s where we’re meant to be. So, I’m not really switching anymore.
Even before Herma became part of you, have you ever used her persona in real life situations where you needed to be brave?
Yes, especially at work. In challenging situations, I’d let my stage persona take over. It helped me act professionally and confidently—even when I didn’t feel that way inside. But now that I’m blending both personas, I don’t need that switch anymore.
What’s the costume part that you truly hate yourself for creating?
Probably the LED bra. It’s really cool and looks amazing under lights—people love it. But it’s a pain to make it work. There’s a battery, parts, cables… and they often break. I sometimes wish I could just focus on singing, but that’s not the case.
On the other side, what’s the prop or costume part that you always had in mind but couldn’t create yet?
That would be the flamethrower. It was a dream come true. Once I got the chance to hold one in my hands, I felt like the happiest child.
Your music videos are often quite avant-garde. Have you ever heard crazy fan theories about their meaning that were completely off?
Sometimes, yes—especially from religious people who try to connect everything to God and angels and that kind of stuff. But I think our fan base is very smart and usually gets what we mean.
Speaking of music videos—you have your own special effects studio. How stubborn are you when it comes to executing difficult creative ideas?
It’s always a struggle. My ideas are usually bigger than our budget, not our technical capabilities. I come up with big dreams and Big Daddy Ray is the one who keeps me grounded. We talk a lot to find ways to make my ideas happen without going bankrupt. We’ve learned—video by video—how to manage that balance.
Which video taught you the most in that regard?
The first one—Radio Siren, from Hell Over Hell. It took two months of work. We spent too much money in the wrong places and had to shoot it twice because collaborators weren’t available anymore. It ended up being released six months late. We learned a lot. Now we know there’s a time frame you need to respect—or you’ll keep working on a video forever.
That’s all from my side. Anything else you want to add for your fans or readers?
We have a few shows already announced in Europe. If fans are nearby, we’d love to meet them. We’re playing in Belgium on Halloween at the Hell Club—it’s going to be a great party. And there’ll be a few more shows around that. If we get to announce the next tour, we’ll be visiting new countries. Fingers crossed! And when the Horror Blast Experience comes out, it’ll be something really cool to help people understand what we do—and where we’re going next.
