by Alexandra Mrozowska
— Senior Columnist —
Nostalgia is a very powerful tool these days, also in music. But is it possible for a contemporary band inspired with the past to actually replicate the retro vibe to their sound, or is the modern influence always going to be there anyway? “People might declare it ‘80s Rock, but for me it’s also something current, something fresh,” says the co-founder, co-songwriter and bass player of the Swiss Melodic Hard Rock ensemble Black Diamonds, Andi Barrels. With the band’s new album No-Tell Hotel now out, Andi checked in with Hardrock Haven to discuss the songwriting process, their influences, ways of getting exposure and more.
Hardrock Haven: It’s been four years between No-Tell Hotel and its predecessor. Why did it take you so long to record a follow-up to Once Upon A Time?
Andi Barrels: That’s a very good question! I think one of the reasons is that it took us quite a bit to bring out Once Upon A Time album to the live stage. We released it in March 2017, but we went on a first tour in the fall, and then again, one year later. We were writing new songs already at the time and we were ready to record the new album when – out of the blue – our guitarist Dee [Andreas Rohner] announced his departure. That came literally out of nowhere. He just came and announced, “Guys, I have to talk to you,” and the next time we met, he said, “I’m sorry, I want to quit the band.” And until then we didn’t even have a clue that this was gonna happen. And then we had a lot of songs which were pretty much written and we finished and recorded them with Chris [Johnson, Black Diamonds’ current guitar player]. So, I guess that’s the main reason behind it.
Hardrock Haven: You’ve just mentioned Chris – what did he bring to the table and how does it translate into your current sound?
Andi Barrels: He came to us and he played a few of the old songs just to see if we can work together. It was amazing – he was such a kind person, such a nice person, and then he started playing and it was like, “Wow!” His playing is really, really good and while Dee was more influenced by more Bluesy Rock bands like Airbourne and AC/DC, Chris is more influenced by Metal guitar players and I think his playing is different. Solos he plays are probably more melodic, I think, and they just work better with our melodies and our songs. I think we have an album with a lot of very melodic solos and it’s a bit of a transition, if you ask me. And basically he came in when most of the work [on the album] was done – he did solos himself and came up with the ideas [for them], but the groundwork in terms of the songs had already been laid by the time he joined us.
Hardrock Haven: Funnily enough, songwriting process for the album is what I wanted to ask you about right now. I remember that when Once Upon A Time was released, you’ve mentioned in an interview that it’s the first album all band members contributed to…
Andi Barrels: The process has actually changed again. I think it’s the first time we used the new media – this time we had a Dropbox folder and everybody in the band just put in their ideas, like an idea tank, and then different people started working on the ideas. So, for example, I would bring in some riff which I liked and I would ask the drummer to come up with something – he would play along with it. And I think this way we had more time to listen to the ideas before we actually started recording. When I compare it to Once Upon A Time, most of the things were written in the rehearsal room and everybody was struggling with their own things to play, so it was difficult to listen to what the other guys are doing. Now it was much easier with the new process.
Hardrock Haven: And as No-Tell Hotel seems to revolve around a certain theme – of the titular hotel – do you think it can be called a concept album to some extent?
Andi Barrels: That’s a good question! But I think no, because if we’re really honest, the story we wrote about it – you know, that it’s all about the hotel and the guests and so on – that basically came after the album was recorded. The songs were already written at that moment and we decided on No-Tell Hotel because we thought it would make the great cover artwork, and also it would explain very nicely how the songs were put together. But it was not an initial concept – we kind of shaped the concept around the finished songs.
Hardrock Haven: So focusing on the songs, could you please take us through the album track by track?
Andi Barrels: Yeah, let’s start off with “No-Tell Hotel”. I think I came up with the idea when I read a book about a no-tell motel which was a shady and shabby establishment. I don’t know (laughs), I just had this movie in my head when I projected the whole thing and made it plushy, made it big, made it shiny… And I liked it so much that I wanted to write a song about it. The other guys were totally convinced by this as well and that’s how the song came together – first of all, it was the title and then the music was written to it.
“Evil Twin” is the second track, and the idea for it was given to us by a friend of the band. Well, he called himself his “evil twin” when we were out there partying and he got wild. When something happened or he didn’t remember things, he used to say “No, no – that wasn’t me! That was my evil twin!” And one day he wrote us a huge e-mail with song lyrics – I don’t know how many hundreds of lines he had written – and I’ve tried to write some music along with it. But while the music was what I imagined, the words didn’t fit in, so I rewrote most of the lyrics as well – keeping his original idea and the title.
“Lonesome Road” was brought in by our singer [Michael Kehl]. It was actually the last song written for the album. We were almost done with songwriting and we were focusing on another idea where we had just a beginning [part] and we tried to finish it. And he [Michael] said, “You know, before we start writing, I have this idea in my head, which I would like to play to you. Maybe it’s a stupid idea and maybe it’s not the best timing, but I would like to play it to you.” And I said, “Yeah, sure. Do that.” And he played it to me and I was like, “Wow! I really love it! Let’s record it.” And so we did, and we put it also on the Dropbox and the next morning our drummer Manu [Peng] sent a text message saying, “Dear God, I’ve just found this sweet melody on Dropbox and I just hope this is an original by us and not a cover of a song that I don’t know” (laughs). But the idea was all about the childhood… Actually, Michael had had the vision of the video – that we later made – at the moment of writing the song.
I think I came up with the riff of “Forever Wild” and only then started looking for some lyrics… I liked that kind of “Last time I checked, I was still alive/So why should I do what you’re telling me/I have my own life, I have my own way of living it/And I don’t need to please any other people’s standards/I make my own life.” And it was Manu’s idea to have this nice transition from, like, ‘80s drums in the beginning to almost Punk Rock elements in a Rock song. I think it’s a little different from most of the other songs on the album.
Then we have “Saturday” – it’s a song based on a wordplay, like S-a-t-your-day… I don’t know how we came up with it, I think it was in the rehearsal and I’ve just thought… Actually, I’ve ever googled it if anybody has ever made this kind of connection that “Saturday” has this “your day” inside the word… But I didn’t find anything about it, so I thought, “Let’s do a song about it.” And it’s pretty much about having a good time – the whole band is about laughing and having a good time together and that’s why I think it’s just fit us perfectly.
“Anytime” is probably the darkest song on the album. It was written about a grandmother – my grandmother and the singer’s grandmother – and you know… Before COVID, everybody used to be super busy all the time. You had to go here and there and everywhere, and both Michael and I shared the same feeling that when our grandmothers got older, we just didn’t have the time to visit them that often until one day they sadly passed away and we realized we couldn’t make up for the [lost] time… So I think it meant something to us…
…By the way, can you hear my cat? (laughs)
Hardrock Haven: Loud and clear! (laughs)
Andi Barrels: Probably he’s telling you I don’t feed him enough all day…
Hardrock Haven: Or maybe he’s just sharing his own ideas about the songs?
Andi Barrels: Yeah, probably telling you all that I tell you is wrong and his ideas are completely different… (laughs) But he would also sing the material a bit differently, if you ask me!
Hardrock Haven: Probably (laughs). And back to the album, the next one is “The Island”…
Andi Barrels: “The Island” is an idea from Manu. He recorded the basic riff idea with Dee one night, when both Michael and I were not at the rehearsal. And when we met together to set up the lyrics, he told me about the situation when you go to a concert, to a bar or whatever and somebody comes up to you and starts talking. And you know, the person’s really annoying and not that kind of interesting… but they don’t stop – and he said, “You know that feeling when somebody’s coming up to you and you don’t listen to them anymore after a while, your mind goes off and you go like to your own island.” And I really loved the concept and that’s what the song is all about now. It’s a boring conversation and you take off and fly to your own island where you just relax and nothing can bother you.
“My Fate” is probably the track we’ve done the most revisions for. It’s one of the earliest demos, but we’ve never liked it quite that much. We changed a lot of the verses and also the scrapped and redone some… the chorus also underwent a transition quite a few times, until it was what it is now. We were always like, “My Fate” is okay, but it’s not good.” Then we found the final way to do the chorus and also the verses, and when it got recorded, we thought, “No, actually it’s turned out quite nice.” And when we heard the final mix, we just went, “Wow. Now it’s amazing.” This is the kind of song we wanted to write all that time. And it’s about just living your life like a robot – you follow all the rules, and then one day you just wake up and you tell to yourself, “No, it’s not what I want to do. I want to do my own thing. I want to be happy.”
Hardrock Haven: Do you think it’s common these days for people to live like that – as you’ve said, like robots?
Andi Barrels: I do know a lot of people who live like that, yes. They do things because they think it’s what expected of them, and they can’t break out of these expectations and this pattern of common behavior. And I think we have a chance as a band to live a life that not a lot of people can share… We do our own thing. We also have our daily jobs, but still there is some room in our lives to do something special. And we want to encourage people to find what they like as well and to do that, even though some people might frown and them and say, “Hey, you can’t do that. Why do you do that…? That’s not normal.” And it’s like, “No, just do it.”
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely. And the next one, “Hand In Hand”?
Andi Barrels: This was also Michael’s idea. He had already most of the song written before he showed it to me. He always told me, “I have this new song idea, but I’m not gonna play it to you.” And I was like, “What?!” (laughs) And he kept on saying, “No, I’m not gonna tell you until I’m nearly finished.” He kept working on it and he kept reminding me – you know, it’s nice if you know about a secret, but you don’t know what it’s about. But still, when he finally came to me, he was like, “I’ve written some of the words but not all of it because I don’t know how to express it very well.” And it was about his daughter when she was born. And I told him I would like to contribute on the lyrics, but I would like to make them open, because for me, the song is gonna be about my wife. That’s why we didn’t mention a daughter or a wife or whatever – we just wanted to keep it open. And we’ve just said “It was love at first sight,” without naming who was it for.
Hardrock Haven: Do you generally tend to keep your song lyrics open to interpretation?
Andi Barrels: Yeah, we actually try that a lot, because if you specify it too much, maybe less people can relate to it. So sometimes we have our own view of the story, but we try to generalize it a little bit, so it’s easier for people to grasp the idea.
Hardrock Haven: So moving on to “Reaching For The Stars”…
Andi Barrels: I think it was the first new song that was written for the album. When we wrote the material for Once Upon A Time, both Michael and I came from relationships that fell apart – and we were, well, maybe not too overwhelmed with joy (laughs). And the lyrics are way darker than on No Tell-Hotel. But we kept pushing ourselves during that time, like, “Let’s play music,” “Let’s go out,” “Let’s do whatever ‘cause everything’s gonna be alright.” And “Reaching For The Stars” was the story behind that. It was the way we handled our lives and we just kept telling ourselves, “Don’t forget about your own dreams. Keep going on. Things might not be that good for a moment, but it will get better. Just keep trying.” And we didn’t know it by the time we wrote the lyrics. But we’ve read the lyrics after the song was recorded and I confronted Michael and I said, “Hey, did you realize this sounds pretty much like our lives…?” (laughs) We wrote it without such an intention. And he was like, “Oh my goodness, you’re right!” (laughs)
Hardrock Haven: And do you think people now identify with this song in a new way – with COVID and all this doom and gloom around but also, this light at the end of the tunnel?
Andi Barrels: I think the song gets even more interesting just at the moment. I mean, it was clearly written before COVID and we didn’t even know about any virus at the time. But the words, if you look at them now, they just fit the times like a glove.
Hardrock Haven: Exactly, that’s what I thought listening to the story – that it got even more current.
Andi Barrels: Yes, but this is totally without any intention. When we recorded the song last year – in May or June – we thought, “Well, this could be one of the singles, but maybe the whole COVID situation will be over ‘till it gets out,” so we didn’t focus on that. Unfortunately, the situation isn’t over yet, but the lyrics are still so accurate and I think that there’s so much tragedy and bad news around you every day at the moment… I think life has become a little bleak, so if you find something to cheer you up, I think that’s very welcome.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely, that’s what music is for. And the next one is “Turn To Dust”…
Andi Barrels: “Turn To Dust” is the one Dee had the most influence on from all the tracks. He came up with the main riff from the start. And when I went, “I got the riff and I like it, it’s cool – so if you were to give this song a title, what would you like to name it? What does it sound like to you and your ears, what do you think?”, he said, “Well, I would like to write a song that’s titled “We’re All Gonna Die.” And I said, “Yeah, but it’s too common for a wording, so I wrote all the lyrics around his idea, but without taking “We’re All Gonna Die.” I just wanted to have a different feel to it, while I think it’s the same topic in a way. It’s like, “Live your own life while you can, because if you just wait up, one day you’re gonna be gone and it’s too late.”
Hardrock Haven: Very true! And the last stop is “Outlaw”…
Andi Barrels: (laughs) “Outlaw” is the song that took me the longest to convince the band to play it. When I brought in the intro and melody and I played it to them, I remember well how Michael told me, “Are you crazy? I’m not gonna play Bonanza!” And I said, “No, but this is really cool and I think this is gonna be awesome!” And he was like, “Nah, I don’t like it!” Then I went back and wrote the verses and I think the chorus as well. And then, a few months later, I brought up the song idea and I played it live this time – not just on a tape – and finally he said, “Yeah… now it’s not that bad, the chorus is good… let’s at least work on it. But I’m not convinced yet.” And when we started working on it, after a few times we played in, they were all in for it. So it was an interesting song – and it’s a little bit of a Western parody really, it has fun elements in it and it’s about a person on the run, stealing things for their life and doing whatever they please… Maybe everyone of us would like to be an outlaw sometimes and it’s just a fantasy…?
Hardrock Haven: Probably! And you’ve mentioned the video to “Lonesome Road” – it’s pretty nostalgic and pretty funny, and probably interesting especially to your fans…
Andi Barrels: I think so, yeah (laughs). The song is about our upbringing and how things have changed since we were younger and how things are nowadays, and Michael basically wanted to write a song about how most of his young life was spent on that very road, where he learnt how to ride a bicycle and played… There were no video games those days, when we were that young. And that’s what he packed in it, and what he said was, “Every time I come home, I see this road and I know this is home, this is where I belong.” And he already had the idea of a video where we show some pictures of when we were younger – well, in fact he wanted to show way more pictures than we did, but I was against that. I told him, “I would like to have more video elements just to keep it more vivid and not too static.” With just pictures, it would be more boring probably.
Hardrock Haven: More like a slideshow.
Andi Barrels: Yes, exactly! To me, it felt like the old “This is a picture from my last holidays,” “This is me with my cousin” and blah, blah, blah… And I didn’t want that (laughs)
Hardrock Haven: So maybe the final idea was better after all.
Andi Barrels: I think yes. I love the final result and I love the picture idea as well, and I think now it’s not boring but still it shows a little bit of truth about our past, and also it captures the song very nicely.
Hardrock Haven: It definitely does. And before the new album was released, you guys took part in a release night stream and actually encouraged your fans to offer you some challenges for exchange of them buying the copy of the album…
Andi Barrels: (laughs) Well, if you saw the release show…
Hardrock Haven: I did! (laughs)
Andi Barrels: (laughs) …then you could see we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We handpicked the challenges we would do and we didn’t want to go for the easy ones. We wanted the whole thing to be entertaining and also the idea of just playing a streaming live show was not really our idea. We thought, if you stream a live show it’s just like a videoclip – it has no feeling and it has no vibes, so we wanted to do something special. And I think the challenges were the most crucial part of the show. We made ourselves look goofy, but on the other hand we were entertaining and I think that’s what people want at the moment. They want somebody to make them smile because when it comes to boring stuff, they have it in the news 24/7.
Hardrock Haven: Definitely. Now, Black Diamonds was put together as early as in 2004. Do you think the situation in the music market improved for the Rock bands at least a little bit through all the years that passed, especially when it comes to the ‘80s-influenced bands?
Andi Barrels: I think the music industry has not changed that much since 2004, but a lot in the years before that. Maybe if you take a look at [the period from] the ‘90s to 2000s, that’s where the biggest changes were… There is still a Rock scene around, but it’s not mainstream anymore. A lot of music is still played, there’s a lot of festivals still going on and probably [its] numbers are even growing. And surely there’s a lot of great musicians around. But it’s just there’s no platform anymore to broadcast them. I don’t know how other countries are like, but in Switzerland there’s Pop music in the radio and that’s it. There’s no place for Rock bands unless it’s, for example, AC/DC or Bryan Adams with songs that were written like thirty years ago. But there’s not a lot of current music [there]… Still, I think there’s an interesting scene around here and I’m not sure, but I have a feeling that the music of nowadays, which is not hand-made at all and can’t be really played live, maybe that’s a trend that’s gonna change again. I hope that the hand-made music is coming back and people will start to like this kind of music again. But there’s also other changes coming on with Spotify, with all the streaming platforms… maybe that’s what changed since 2004. Album sales are gonna drop more and more, I expect.
Hardrock Haven: Speaking of the ‘80s, what do you find so fascinating about that era?
Andi Barrels: It’s not the question that I’d ask myself. Maybe I’d rather rephrase it – why I’m playing this ‘80s kind of Rock music…? That is an easy one, because that’s the music we grew up through. I was a Guns N’Roses fan since I was twelve, and I shared this passion with Michael, our singer. I’ve been listening to the same kind of music for, let’s say, past ten plus years – we’re all getting older, right…? I still love the same music, and when I write a song, I don’t go and think I would or should play a song like this or that. I just play something and if I like it, this is gonna become a song; if I don’t, maybe I’ll like it the next time. But I don’t really think about writing a song – it just happens.
Hardrock Haven: But would you say your music is an ‘80s Rock with a modern twist…? I mean, are there any contemporary influences as well, alongside classic bands like Guns N’Roses…?
Andi Barrels: Yeah, definitely. I think the biggest change that happened to the band was probably when we went out on tour with H.E.A.T. in 2017. I think that matured us as a band and also changed our way of writing music. And they were the major influence on us even before we went on tour with them. I mean, I loved their music and I still do. There’s bands like Crazy Lixx and Eclipse that play also the kind of music I really like – to me it has a modern touch, it sounds fresh and is different. So people might declare it ‘80s Rock, but for me it’s also something current, something fresh. I listen to a lot of Nickelback, which is also a band I really, really like – not just because of the hit singles. It’s even more about the songs that are not featured on the radio. They have a lot of great ideas and a lot of great tracks as well. I think they’re also a big influence on us. And yet, there’s bands like Def Leppard, KISS, Mötley Crüe – we still listen to them and yeah, maybe sometimes you play something and you think, “Yeah, that could sound like something like that. I like it, let’s keep it like that.” So, you’re right – it is a mix of a different sort and a variety of things.
Hardrock Haven: Absolutely. And speaking of influences, having already covered such classics as Chuck Berry’s “Rock And Roll Music” or The Rolling Stones’ “Jumpin Jack Flash”, what other song can you imagine the band doing?
Andi Barrels: We’re used to play cover songs during our shows, one or two per set maybe – just to have something for people that don’t know us yet, something they can relate to. And I think it’s pretty difficult to find a song that sounds good, but also fits the band’s sound. You know, I love a lot of songs out there, but not a lot of them would fit Black Diamonds well, so it’s not too easy to find a cover song that you’re playing well. And if you play a cover song and you don’t get it and you don’t play it right, I think you’re losing. So you need to find something that fits the image and also the sound of the band. We have decided on some new songs that we want to try for the next shows – if there’s gonna be any next shows! (laughs)
Hardrock Haven: Let’s hope so…
Andi Barrels: Absolutely! I don’t want to reveal any titles yet, but we have selected some and when you’re looking for cover songs, I wouldn’t take anything recent. For example, if we played a song by H.E.A.T., that wouldn’t turn out too well ‘cause the time between their version and ours is just too small. You’d compare it to the original. With something older, like Chuck Berry, you can reinvent the song in your own style.
Hardrock Haven: That’s right. We’ve already talked about the lack of a platform for exposure for bands like Black Diamonds. But observing your social media, you seem to get quite good a coverage from the German-speaking media and, I suppose, Swiss media as well. But do you think there’s enough support from media worldwide?
Andi Barrels: I think we also saw a lot of media coverage from the UK, which – to be honest – came as a total surprise to us. We also did a few interviews for the Australian magazines and two or three more with the American magazines. I think it takes longer to get known in other places all around the world. Because also, we’re coming from close to Germany, so it’s clear we’ve played some shows there and they already know our name and probably saw us playing live. And that’s what we’re working on – we want to be known in other countries as well, and we’ve been working hard especially for this album to make it known as much as possible. I think we’re not done with it yet and I hope we can support it with live music to get our name out on the streets again. But like I said, there’s basically no market anymore for Rock music, so it’s not easy to get people to hear about you. There’s millions of new songs of Spotify all the time, so how can you stand out…? Well, I think you have to work hard to do that. And once you appeal to people, I think media are also gonna cover it. They don’t have a chance to find every good band out there, because there is a lot. They’re also finishing with a big tank with a lot of fish just hoping to catch something, and we hope one day it’s gonna be us.
Hardrock Haven: And speaking of recognition – years ago, the band took part in a soap documentary Pimp It Or Kick It. Do you think such TV appearances are a good way to give an up-and-coming band some exposure?
Andi Barrels: (laughs) I do think so, yes. I mean, I cannot speak for bands in general, but I have the feeling that like with our music, we like to have fun, we like to play and make people laugh. So in a way, I think, you could call us entertaining. And the TV show was good for that fact – we made a lot of people smile. A lot of people saw us previously just in the photos, and because we had black clothes and eyeliner, we were thought of as a Metal band. I don’t understand why they had such an image of us – they’ve never heard a single song! And when they saw us on TV and we didn’t appear to be devil-worshipping freaks, I think they started to actually give us a chance and listen to the music as well.
Hardrock Haven: Right. And try as we might, we can’t avoid talking about the current situation worldwide, so we kind of revolve around this topic – so in the light of all that, what are the band’s plans for the next months? Is there any hope for Black Diamonds touring again soon?
Andi Barrels: I’m a hopeless optimist. I cannot live in the world where I think everything’s bad, nothing [good] is gonna happen and we will never be able to play again. That’s how I’m working. We’re loosely planning a tour – our label [Metalapolis Records] is working on it – and hopefully we’re able to go out and play a few dates in September. I also hope that things are going back to normal and probably bands like us… you know, we’re not exactly filling stadiums (laughs). So the chance for us to play is probably higher than for a big band where a lot of people would come to the concert. I think things will be possible again, and right now we’re working very hard in the rehearsal room to be ready. Once the gate’s open, we want to be out there and we want to play. And we want to be ready and not like, “Oh, we haven’t been doing anything until now.” (laughs)
Hardrock Haven: So we’re all looking forward to it! Is there anything you’d like to add in the end?
Andi Barrels: Now that you’ve just asked me, you know… it’s kind of weird that we had Chris for a little bit more than a year in the band now and we haven’t played live one single time with him. I’m looking forward to seeing how it works onstage, ‘cause we have no idea! (laughs) But for the moment, I think we’re totally overwhelmed by the feedback we received on the new album. We’ve recorded an album with songs that we’re proud of, it’s music we like and it’s massive – it’s huge – to get that much positive feedback and to see the people like it as well. And I can only tell you, it comes from the bottom of our hearts. This is really honest music and it’s super cool to see people like it!
