Into The Heavy Metal Realm of BIWO
Pic: Pedyfotografie Fotoschmiede
Into The Heavy Metal Realm of BIWO
BIWO present melodic heavy metal with a grand and ferocious sense of independence, and the results found within their debut Life And Death masterwork will absolutely stun the senses and set the imagination in flight. Founded by mastermind Sven Biwo, this Germany-based collective is ready to unleash their mighty heavy metal realm upon the world at large. Highwire Daze recently interviewed Sven Biwo to find out a whole lot more about this amazing band on the rise. Read on…
Introduce yourself, tell me what you do in BIWO, and how long the band has been together.
Hi and thanks for inviting me for the interview. I’m Sven, guitarist, singer and songwriter for the band BIWO. The idea for the band came shortly before Corona at a benefit event where I met the bass player Justus. You know, in our region there are not so many young metalheads anymore. Many are in the metal core area.
Where is the band based out of and what is your local music scene like there?
We are in the west of Germany at home to say more precisely in the Ruhr area. We rehearse in Castrop-Rauxel but because nobody knows the city, I like to say that we come from Bochum (laughs). As I said before, the young scene is more in the Metal Core area. But the classic heavy metal is not dead. And you have the feeling that a New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal is on its way.
Is there any overall story or concept behind the album title Life And Death?
I didn’t want to limit myself creatively and deal with a fixed theme and tell a story. But the whole album is about life and death, fears, feelings and needs. People are all trapped in their thoughts, and we try to get them out of that, at least for a moment.
Artwork: Gudrun Müller
Select two songs from Life And Death and what inspired the lyrics?
Live Now is one such example. How often do you think about things? Did I do the right thing? Should I have done it differently? But in the end it doesn’t really matter. Accept the situation as it is now and make the best of it.
Mother Earth is about how we actually destroy ourselves. The whole world is putting so much money into nuclear weapons that it has to happen at some point that we all destroy ourselves.
Who did the cover art for Life And Death and how much input did you have on it?
The beautiful picture was painted for us by Gudrun Müller. It was important to me to take a real picture instead of a Photoshop illustration. I had already made a call in various Facebook groups during the recording. I had a basic idea and a sketch how Mother Earth as a person surrounds the planet and thereby receives the souls. There were no further specifications, I also wanted to give the painter the opportunity to be creative. Gudrun has behaved very professionally, it was very nice to work with her.
What could one expect from a live BIWO show?
An awesome metal party. Already during the rehearsals, we realize what kind of live potential the songs have. Live Now and Win This Fight are really cool sing-along songs. Mother Earth and Judgment of the Gods on the other hand are awesome headbangers. You see, the album is totally diversified and that will be a lot of fun live.
If BIWO could open for any band either now or from the past, who would it be and why?
I would love to go on a club tour with Riot City. The guys are simply amazing.
Are you involved with any other bands or projects outside of BIWO?
No, I don’t have time for that, the focus is entirely on the band. I put all my free time into BIWO. You have to decide what you want in life. Live now!
Germany is world famous for their BEER! What is your beer of choice and why?
Oh yes that’s true but as a German I prefer foreign beers. I already know the local beers (laughs). From my hometown Bochum comes a delicious beer called Moritz Fiege. You really have to try it. Especially the black beer.
What do you hope the rest of 2022 and the New Year brings for you and BIWO?
For 2022 the rehearsals for the show should be finished so that we can play the first gigs in 2023. Currently we are putting a lot of time into the promotion of our album “Life And Death” so that the whole world gets to hear the album.
Any final words of wisdom?
Live Now! There is no Tomorrow!
(Interview by Ken Morton)
LINE-UP:
Sven Biwo • Vocals & Guitar
Finley • Guitar
Justus • Bass
Hanno • Drums
DISCOGRAPHY:
2022 • Life And Death • Full-length
BIWO on Facebook
