Your show will be in a short while. How do you feel right before your live-scenes?

Liv:   Very good, very fine - great! It is not like 10 years before for example. In the past I felt a little bit strange in my stomach. Today I'm not that much excited like then.

Chris:   Well, I heard that this concert should be a kind of home game, but that it isn't really. First, we come from Ludwigsburg. The „Rock Factory“ actual is in our neighbourhood. I feel the same before every concert. It is not so important for me. In every case I see the human beings. Why should I make a difference between the ones at home and those here? I don't have different feelings. For today I hope, the people have a nice day with us. That is much more important for me than a home game.

  How do you like the atmosphere or the organisation here at the Summerbreeze? Did you actually see anything here on the ground?

Liv:   No, I didn't see anything yet. I arrived only just a few minutes ago and came to you at once.

Chris:   I cannot say much for it. Later I will take a closer look. I was here on the festival one time in the past. In those days it seemed smaller to me and more open than today. We will see, later I will get a general idea of the program and this all. But I couldn't say anything yet.

  Will you take a look at some other bands?

Liv:   If there is the possibility, yes.

Chris:   After our concert I will not stay any longer, but return fast to Ludwigsburg. I'm noone who has a close look at other bands. Personally I do not listen much to Metal music, I'm very interested in other music styles. Of course there are some bands, that I did see. F.e. Slayer...

  Liv, you live quite near, nearby Stuttgart. Certainly you will return home today?

Liv:   Yes, we will drive back home. Because we have a baby at home. At the moment it is with his grandmother.

  And the other members of the band? Chris just said, that he comes from Ludwigsburg. Do the others come from there, too?

Liv:   Yes, they do. I for myself, I'm coming from Norway and just live here in Germany since 8 years.(ANNOTATION: Liv has nearly a complete command of German!)

  Chris, why do not play Atrocity at the Summerbreeze today? Although they give an autographing session?

Chris:   What shall I say? Possibly the fee was too small. Perhaps the organization didn't offer enough money?(GENERAL LAUGHTER) But maybe we will play next year, who knows?! This year there was the inquiry for Leaves' Eyes, we made the promise to come. And here we are.

  This autumn and next spring Leaves' Eyes will have a extensive tour together with Atrocity, Battlelore, Elis und Sirenia (Middle- and Eastern Europe, South- and Middleamerica). Are there already plans for Northern-America?

Liv:   I think we distributed the touring nearly all over the year. First we play in Europe, and than the other continents will come.

Chris:   That's all already going on. As said we have plans for Southern America. And just yesterday I get to know, that shows will take place in Australia, too! Therefore, I jumped for joy.

  Chris, then you will get quite busy on touring half around or rather round the world!

Chris:   I'm watching everything everywhere, not even here in my country. That doesn't matter. I am always interested in other cultures.(Chris supplementary told us, that he leads expeditions 2-3 times a year through foreign countries!)

  Liv, what do you do with your baby while touring? Do you take it with you, because Leaves' Eyes and Atrocity will be together on the road?!

Liv:   Actually we thought to take the baby with us. That wouldn't be no problem, because we always have a „partybus“ and a familybus. So each one can decide for himself, either to sleep or to party. That's why we first wanted to take the baby with us. But just right after the birth, we invented an „Grannyday“. It is so... she best likes to keep him to herself, I think. She is an former nurse. I know, that he(her son Leon) feels at home with his grandma. From him you will never see any tears. These always come from me when I have to leave. But he's well there. When we're on tour through Europe, it is the best for him. Therefor he stays with his grandmother.

  The band have had a few Live-Shows until now. Your baptism of fire was the Wave Gothik Meeting in Leipzig. After that you were at the „Rock the Nations"-Festival in Istanbul and recently at Summer Darkness in Belgium. How did the 3 festivals differ from eachother? Were there great differences, especially related to Istanbul and the Islamic civilization?

Liv:   I often stayed in Turkey, but never before in Istanbul. For me it is a big city with many objects of interest. We visited some of them, but our main objective was the concert. I have to say, the people (the audience) were fantastic. Unbelievable, they were in such a high spirit, such a high mood. I think we didn't experience this ever before, f.e. in Germany. Although we played a lot of concerts here. I want to play in Instanbul again!

Chris:   You can't experience a lot of the Islamic culture on such festivals. For this you have to go into Instanbul itself and visit anything. We are all interested in culture, we're no philistines. We are especially interested in the history and the people themselves. They all were very kind. It was very pleasant.

  How many spectators were in Istanbul?

Chris:   I can't say it exactly. Perhaps 4000, something like that?!

  So one can say, that the people there are not as overfed as the audience here. Because they are not able to see so many concerts. Liv, for you as a woman - as the figurehead of the band - it surely was a success?

Liv:   Yes, it went down very well. Actually, I can't wait to see other continents, like Asia or Australia.

  Leaves' Eyes is a band, which consists of musicians, who already before had many experience and success for themselves. On one hand the members of Atrocity and on the other hand Liv. How is it with a woman as a figurehead? Is it different from the work with Atrocity? Do you all have equal rights among each other?

Liv:   That's no problem, not at all. We all have equal rights. The only difference is, that I sing background with Atrocity. We are a big Mastersound-Family, because of that there's no rivalry. Sometimes surely we make jokes, when one time Atrocity is „singing“ and next Leaves' Eyes; but there's absolutely no rivalry.

Chris:   No. In principle we are one family. With us everyone harmonizes with eachother and we all have equal rights. Each has the same rights and so it runs.

  Also during the process of composition of new songs?

Chris:   Well, with Atrocity Thorsten is the composer, with Leaves' Eyes I am the one. This way one invests more time here, the other one invests more time there. But all of us have a share in the success and everybody does his bit.

  Now, let's talk about your latest album „Lovelorn". Down the line it earned positive reactions and reviews with highest scores in various soundchecks. Did you reckon with this success?

Liv:   No, I haven't. After the break (Annotation: with TOT = Theatre of Tragedy) I thought, that I have to build up Leaves' Eyes from the ground. Then I did breathe deeply and said „let's see, what will happen“. This was my attitude. That we received such positive reactions, was a great pleasure for me. It is fantastic.

Chris:   To tell the truth, what is success? For me success is then, when I see, that the people are having fun and joy with my music.

  What about your plans for the future? Are you already working on a new album?

Liv:   We still had 4 songs from our first CD, which didn't fit with the concept of „Lovelorn“. Let's see, if we will make a use of the songs. Chris already recorded a lot of new ideas. We have so much material, that we really could publish a third album.

Chris:   We still have some songs left from the Lovelorn-Session or many songs ready respectively - nearly 2 new CD's. Partially the material that was left didn't fit with the Lovelorn-Stuff. We will see how we can use the parts for our next album.

  Will it become another conceptional album?

Liv:   Yes, in any case.

  Can you already tell us something about it?

Liv:   (lacht)... I think, we can't get away from the „love“... The love will be the main subject again.

  And a date of publication? Is it already planned?

Chris:   Yes, first we will shoot a video and besides the single will be published.

  When?

Chris:   I cannot tell you the exact date.

  Probably not before the forthcoming tour?

Chris:   No, even before.

  Chris, is Leaves' Eyes a band, which lasts longer or a project only for a short while?

Chris:   (immediately) No project. In any case a real band. In the long run, noone can ever forecast. The band exists like it is. On my opinion today we have the best composition of people. I cannot imagine, that anyone else than Liv would sing. Or that anyone else plays the drums, and so on. Everyone is working for this.

  So, you invest exactly the same work and energy in Atrocity as well as in Leave's Eyes?

Chris:   Let's say...at the moment I invest a bit more in Leaves' Eyes, but for me Atrocity is as important as LE. Decisive is, what we reach with both bands and not if you have more or less work with one of them.

  Liv, you performed the song „Nymphetamine" from Cradle of Filth as guest-vocalist. How did get in contact with them?

Liv:   That was all of a sudden. There was an Email from the record company Roadrunner, who asked, if I want to sing with in one song. They then sent the music, I heard it and performed it at once. We didn't have much time, because of the forthcoming departure for a concert. After that, I talked to the singer over the telephone. He directly was enthusiastic. Next week (Annotation: The week after the Summerbreeze) we will do the video shooting for „Nymphetamine“.

  Liv, let's talk about your sister Carmen Elise shortly. She had the offer from Cradle to go on tour with them to sing the female vocal parts. Unfortunately she had to refuse this offer, because „Midnattsol“ themselves do the recording for their CD?!

Liv:   Right, the band wants to go into the studio now. Everything would have been postponed, if she went on tour with Cradle. I think, it wouldn't be tragically, but she takes her study very very serious. She wants to finish it as soon as possible, so that she is able to concentrate on the music, like I do. (Ann.: Liv's 19 year old sister Carmen Elise is vocalist in the German-Norwegian formation „Midnattsol", who play Nordic Folk Metal)

  Chris, what do you think about the extra work of Liv as guest vocalist in other bands?

Chris:   No problem, I would do it, too. I did things besides, too, because the songs come spluttering out of me so fast. They do not necessarily fit to this bands here.

  A short while ago you said, that you do not listen much to Metal in private. Which kind of music do you listen to usually?

Chris:   Many soundtracks, I'm a soundtrack-fan (f.e. Lord of the Rings). Besides I am a big Elvis-fan, since I was 10 years. I like to listen to Grönemeyer, Funk, Soul, Fusion und the music of the 80s. That is the kind of music I grew up with.(...because of his parents, who belonged to the German minority in Chris' native country Romania, he also listens to German pop music....)...I know, noone wants to read this...

  What is your wish for the show here?

Liv:   That it will not rain...(Fortunately, Liv's wish was answered)

Chris:   Nothing much. It doesn't matter, how many people will come. I simply like playing and hope that the audience will have the same mood as we have. No matter how different the people are. That is the concept of Leaves' Eyes - the harmony. I don't need fire, no violence. Water is the stronger element, not fire - on my opinion. And love and harmony are also stronger than hate and violence.

  These are great closing words. I wish you good luck for your show...

Chris:   And besides am a vegetarian...(...and besides Chris studied philosopy and biology...and wrote a book about freshwater crayfishes...)