Hi King Ern, welcome to Fanbase Music Magazine. Can you tell where the band is from?
Figo: Berlin Germany
How did you get your band name, King Ern?
Figo: Our name was originally Burnstuff, but when Daniel joined the band one month after the band was founded, his first request was to change the name, so the drummer at the time and I thought about it, and the drummer’s dog (R.I.P.) was called Ernest, and for him it was the king, and I turned it into Earn cause I thought King and Earn fits perfectly, if you know what I mean, so that’s how King Earn came about in the beginning, but one month later the drummer asked me if we could rename it into Ern because of the dog, I agreed, and Daniel was also enthusiastic about the name. The name has no deep meaning in the end, it’s just a cool name.
Can you tell who is in the band, and what each band member does?
Figo: Lyrics and vocals
Daniel: Guitars/bass and composing songs.
Figo: King Ern is us! But for recordings we have a drummer. Currently, it’s the lovely lady Viviana. She plays the drums on both new songs, ‘Painkiller’ (released) and ‘What A Firm Grip Of Dreams’: featuring Black Marine (to be released later this year). On stage, of course, we are 5 people.
Daniel: I write and play the guitar parts and take care of much of the songwriting and production. Figo is responsible for vocals and lyrics. Together, we shape the creative direction of King Ern.
How did the band form?
Figo: The idea came about in May 1995 when I wrote 18 lyrics including ‘Painkiller’ and ‘What A Firm Grip Of Dreams’, the latter will be released soon. ‘What A Firm Grip Of Dreams’ is the reason why I founded King Ern, but I never met the right people… anyway, in 2018/2019 I was 45/46 and tried one last time because I thought it was now or never, time was running out. I knew a drummer, asked him, he knew a guitarist, and in mid-May 2019 we went into the rehearsal room for the first time, and ‘Voice Of The Voiceless’ was born. But then the guitarist had to leave the band. I met Daniel, there were two other guitarists who were good, but humanly a disaster, and Daniel had something that excited me: Dan wanted to make music, not a genre! Like me! What we never had was a bass. King Ern was never supposed to be a band, more of a project, meaning I wanted to make four songs and nothing more…now song No.7 is in the pipeline.
How would you describe your sound and genre?
Figo: I guess thrash metal-core?
Daniel: Honestly, we don’t like boxing ourselves into one genre. We pull influences from classic metal, hardcore, metal-core, and more. Sometimes our songs have clean parts or even spoken word sections—if it fits the track and feels good, we go with it. So if you’re looking for labels: it’s somewhere between hardcore, metal, and everything in between.
Who are some of the band’s influences?
Figo: Hmm, personally, I don’t let any band influence my songs vocally or lyrically.
I admire some singers, but they are so good… I don’t have enough talent to be influenced to make it sound good, but I also have my own ideas and I want to master them first.
Daniel: Metallica and Gojira have been long-time favorites of mine. Recently, I’ve been really inspired by bands like Architects, Knocked Loose, Sepultura, Tool, and Animals as Leaders.
Let’s talk about your latest single, Painkiller, What is the song about?
Figo: Longing for the end …
Daniel: Painkiller isn’t built around a typical “message.” It’s more about the journey and emotion than a fixed narrative. The structure itself reflects that—it keeps evolving, never really repeating itself. That unpredictability is part of what we love about it.
Where was the track recorded?
Figo: I don’t know exactly where Daniel recorded the guitars and bass. Drums and vocals were recorded in Berlin.
Daniel: We handle most of our recording ourselves, so it was recorded mostly by the two of us. I recorded the guitars at home, the vocals were recorded at Noizy Rooms, a rehearsal space in Berlin, and the drums were recorded at LTMF Studio in Berlin, played by Vivi.
What was the recording process, and who else worked on the track?
Figo: Hmm, who else worked on the track? Apart from TomTschernig’s LTMF Studios Berlin, i.e., mixing/mastering, it’s just Daniel… and I guess me, that worked on the track. Regarding the recording process…Daniel knows more than I do.
Daniel: It was a collaborative effort between Figo, Vivi, and me. I focused on the instrumentals and arrangement, while Figo brought the vocals and lyrics to life, and Vivi played the drums for this song. As I mentioned, we recorded the drums at LTMF Studio under Tom’s supervision.
How does this song differ from anything you have released before?
Figo: I’d put it this way: Every song is somehow different, which also has to do with the long gap between the individual songs we release. We had even more songs during the No Rush period than released on the debut EP NO RUSH for example. The No Rush songs are absolutely a little journey through time, from 2019 to 2023. There’s also a lot of time between No Rush and ‘Drop’, between ‘Drop’ and ‘Painkiller’ and between ‘Painkiller’ and our next single, that’s why I would say, every song is differ. Although, ‘Painkiller’ is for me, somehow, the sequel to ‘Drop’, positively speaking.
Daniel: Painkiller is probably the most dynamic and unpredictable track we’ve written so far. Unlike more traditional song structures, it shifts gears constantly, surprising the listener with every section. It’s got that “cold shower” effect, and we love how it takes you on a journey rather than repeating a formula.
What is the band’s writing process?
Figo: In short, Daniel composes the songs and sends them to me, and I contribute my ideas when necessary, but that’s rare. My job is to write the lyrics and Daniel writes the music.
Daniel: Usually, I start with a riff or musical idea that excites me—something that emotionally resonates. Then I develop it, and Figo adds his vocal ideas and lyrics. We always ask ourselves: what does this song need? Not what’s expected, not what fits a genre—but what feels right.
Do you play live, and if so, how would you describe your live show?
Figo: We only have 2 shows so far, live debut in Wolverhampton England and in Berlin as support for SKINLAB.
Daniel: We’ve only played two shows so far, so we’re still very new to the live scene. But we aim to create unique and memorable experiences. We’ve got big creative ideas for the future—it’s just a matter of time and resources before we bring them fully to life.
Do you have new music coming out, and what can you tell us about it?
Figo: Yes, as mentioned before, the single ‘What A Firm Grip Of Dreams’ featuring Black Marine will be released soon. We’ll be shooting the video for the song ‘Drop’ in October.
Daniel: Yes, there’s a new single coming soon—it’s in the works right now. It will continue to reflect our diverse style, with influences from multiple genres. Expect something fresh but unmistakably King Ern.
Thank you for doing this interview. Do you have any last messages for your readers?
Figo: I, or rather Daniel and I, are incredibly grateful for the support, for the enthusiasm our songs bring to so many people, and we mean this from the bottom of our hearts. We don’t take it for granted.
Daniel: Thanks so much for having us. We may be a small team, but we’re all-in. There’s a lot more to come—so follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube to stay updated. Long live KING ERN.
Follow King Ern here:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KingErnBand
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/king.ern.band
DistroKid: https://hyperfollow.com/KingErn
Bandcamp: https://kingern.bandcamp.com/merch