UNVERKALT – Über Welten hinweg

May 04, 2026   »   interview   »   U2604

text: V. A.

Die Band Unverkalt, die griechische Wurzeln und einen deutsch klingenden Namen hat, präsentiert auf ihrem neuen Album Songtitel in Englisch, Deutsch, Französisch und Griechisch. Wir sprachen mit der Band über sprachliche Vielfalt und den Einfluss unserer Umwelt auf unser Bewusstsein und unser Schicksal. Das Interview war jedoch ebenso besondere wie die Gedankenwelt von Unverkalt selbst: unsere auf Deutsch gestellten Fragen hat die Sängerin Dimitra Kalavrezou auf Englisch beantwortet. Héréditaire ist euer drittes Album. Im Vergleich zu den vorherigen Alben wirkt eure Musik düsterer und kraftvoller, mit einer Mischung aus Sanftheit und Chaos. War das eine natürliche Entwicklung oder eine bewusste Richtungsänderung? Wie findet ihr beim Songwriting das Gleichgewicht zwischen diesen beiden Polen? “When we write music, everything begins instinctively. With each album, we peel away another layer, and HÉRÉDITAIRE feels like the most exposed version of us so far. We were drawn to the tension between a dreamy, almost ethereal atmosphere and moments of absolute chaos, especially through the use of extreme vocals and heavy blast beats. From the first song, we knew the album wanted to live in that space. It is also a matter of chemistry. As a band, we bring different perspectives into the room, and when those perspectives connect, something hybrid emerges. The balance doesn’t come from forcing opposites together, but from allowing them to coexist.” Wie hat sich die Dynamik eurer Zusammenarbeit verändert, seit die Band bei Season of Mist unter Vertrag steht? “Being on this journey with Season of Mist has been one of the most meaningful experiences we’ve had as a band so far. For an underground band that has faced many challenges over the years, having a label and collaborating with such an amazing team, gave us an even stronger push to continue doing what we love. It reinforced our belief in our path. At the same time, it hasn’t changed the way we work together as a band. We’ve always approached it with love and dedication but now we are even more focused on this.” Das Cover spiegelt die Stimmung des Albums perfekt wider. Wie kam es zu diesem Konzept? Wer hat das Artwork gestaltet? “The cover was actually the starting point for the whole album. The image came first, and from there everything began to take shape. Themis Ioannou, our guitarist and composer, created the artwork, and it immediately set the emotional tone for what followed. When we started working on the record, that image was always there. It helped us stay anchored to the atmosphere and the story we wanted to tell. The first song that sparked the concept and is directly connected to the artwork is “Ænæ Lithi.” The inspiration came from stories passed down by Themis' grandmother, tied to the Great Fire of Smyrna. The artwork portrays a woman who has lost her children in the chaos of war, kneeling before them. We wanted the composition to hold a certain visual beauty, while still carrying the weight and tragedy of what it represents. It was important for us that the image would make people pause and reflect.”

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Was hat euch beim Schreiben des Albums inspiriert? Gab es bestimmte musikalische oder nicht-musikalische Inspirationen (Filme, Malerei, Literatur), die euch beim Songwriting beeinflusst haben? Wie entsteht bei euch ein Songtext: Ruft die Musik die Worte hervor – oder umgekehrt? “We began this record wanting to explore something existential, something older than our own existence. At first it felt almost cosmic, but the deeper we went into the music, the more personal it became. Lyrically, I found myself reflecting on what truly shapes us, the ideas we internalize, the beliefs we inherit without choosing them, the emotional weight we carry without even realizing it. The record slowly became about questioning those layers and trying to understand who we are underneath them. We’re inspired by many forms of art books, films, paintings, music, and whatever happens around us. We try to stay open to anything that makes us feel or think differently. Horror cinema especially influenced the atmosphere of our videos, particularly films like The Witch, The Blair Witch Project, and Midsommar, among many others.I kept thinking about Plato’s Allegory of the Cave while writing, about how truth can hurt, but also liberate. In many ways, maybe this album is simply about that search, about trying to see things as they really are.” Die Songs des Albums kreisen um das Thema des vererbten Gedächtnisses und Traumas. Die Texte wirken sehr persönlich und berühren zugleich universelle Fragen.Ist das für euch eher ein „therapeutischer“ Prozess oder eine künstlerische Suche? Gibt es einen Song oder einen Text von Héréditaire, der euch emotional besonders nahesteht und die Essenz des Albums verkörpert? “For me, writing lyrics on this album was a deeply cathartic experience. It started from very personal fears and questions about life, death, and the parts of ourselves we don’t fully understand, questions I carry within me. Writing became a way of sitting with those thoughts instead of avoiding them. I’ve always been drawn to the way we’re shaped by our environment and how we, in turn, shape the world around us. While we were sharing ideas with Eli and Yoshi and working on the vocal melodies and lyrics, what began as something intimate slowly opened up and took on a different meaning. It started to move beyond just our own experience and became something wider. The lines from ÆNÆ LITHI, “Δεν μπόρεσαν να δουν, Το φως το αληθινό. Μόνοι τους μένουνε στο σκοτάδι,” which in English mean “They could not see the true light. They remain alone in the darkness,” and from Introjects, “It’s all sorts of dead ideas, They cling to us all the same, And we can’t get rid of them,” feel closest to me. They capture what this album is about.” Was bedeutet für euch die Mehrsprachigkeit in den Songtiteln? War die Entscheidung, verschiedene Sprachen zu verwenden, eher eine Stimmungsfrage oder eine konkrete kulturelle Anspielung? “We started using French from our very first album. I’ve always been drawn to it. I love how it sounds, that poetic and literary side of it, but also how it looks. As a graphic designer, I care a lot about how a word appears visually, how the letters sit next to each other, and how it feels on a cover. French just does something to me. Different languages resonate in different ways, and I like that freedom, the idea that we don’t have to stay in one place. That’s one of the reasons we explored even more languages on our third album.” Was möchtet ihr, was soll der Hörer nach dem Hören des Albums mitnehmen? “I hope it creates space. Space for reflection, for discomfort, for honesty. If someone listens to the record and feels seen in their own fears or doubts, that already means a lot to us. We don’t expect everyone to experience it in the same way. What matters is that people stay open and allow the music to meet them wherever they are.” Wohin führt Unverkalts Weg von hier aus: tiefer in die Dunkelheit oder hin zu einem neuen Licht? Was sind eure Pläne für dieses Jahr? “That’s a beautiful question. I think diving into the darkness is often the only way toward the light. And honestly, I don’t think we’ve gone that deep yet. It feels like we’ve only just begun that descent. There’s still a lot we want to explore, but I’d rather leave that open for now and see where it takes us. As for this year, we want to play as many live shows as possible and share the new record with people. At the same time, we’ll be spending a lot of time in the studio, rehearsing and working on new material and the next concept. We’re excited for everything that’s ahead.”

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