After a long wait and several unexpected delays, symphonic metal band Coronatus is finally ready to release their long-anticipated album Dreadful Waters. Originally recorded back in February 2024, the album faced numerous hurdles — from label changes at Massacre Records to vocalist Nemesis’ participation in The Voice of Germany. In this interview, drummer and band leader Mats takes us behind the scenes of Dreadful Waters, discussing the creative process, the elemental themes that connect it to the band’s previous work Atmosphere, and the collaborative songwriting among the group’s core members.
Welcome to Mats from Coronatus
So, Mats, first, I wanted to welcome you here, and I want to thank you for your time for the interview and I want to ask you how were you. And you know, how is proceeding with the album?
I don’t know if you know that this album has already been recorded in February 2024. This is nothing new in fact. We had a lot of trouble with the structural changes in mass with Massacre Records. They have separated from Soulfood Distribution.
Then, one of our singers, Nemesis has taken part in a competition in a TV competition in Germany, which is called The Voice of Germany. Since she was chosen, during the competition you cannot release anything. This was a lot of troubles and stopped completely our release plan.
The new album of Coronatus, Dreadful Waters
And you know, now I call it the new album, but for you guys, it’s the old album [laughs]. And it’s called Dreadful Waters. I wanted to ask you about how was producing it and what you can recall about, you know, the general production. When did you start to collect ideas for it?
Yeah, this is a long time ago. The ideas for the songs did we accomplish, I think, around 2023. We worked on it from March till June. After this, it took some time to enter the studio. We firstly recorded the bass lines, so drums, bass guitars and the orchestral work. Then, a half year later recorded with the vocals, the violins, and additional stuff also.
The red thread: from Atmosphere to Dreadful Waters
In a way, it does have a red thread with the previous album, Atmosphere, because Atmosphere was about the air, Dreadful Waters is about water. In which way do they in some way have a connection with each other or are just two separate entities?
It’s, you know, this is the old thing with the three elements So we have air, we have water, we have soil. Indeed, in each of them, each of them have dangers and threats to mankind, to how you’re thinking, how you are feeling. This is a lot of fear in fact for waters in general. It’s not only the oceans, it is also the lakes and rivers which can be quite dangerous. Which can be quite dangerous, you know. Those fears and threat concerning the water in general is what we write about.
The previous album is in fact the same thing. It’s dangerous with the atmospheric things that appear, storms and all those kinds of things that threaten mankind in nature. But also in your mind.
The new single from Coronatus
And you know about this. There is this first single, which is called The Maelstrom.
It’s inspired in part by Edgar Allan Poe tale, A Descent into the Maelstrom. Actually, it does relate to this background that you were telling me about. The dangers of both elements.
For this special song, we have changed some little things in the history. While Edgar Allan Poe‘s work, it happened only to the fisherman. However, in our case it’s different. We described the whole journey as a bunch of sailors who want to explore the mystery behind the maelstrom. Who wants to go down the maelstrom to discover what is beyond the maelstrom. This is the difference.
Yeah, it’s also metaphoric meaning for descending into chaos in a way.
No one knows what is behind what is, what is there down It has this mystical thing. It can be born, it can be only death. But it can also be something unknown.
Writing together with Nemesis and Harry
This time you approach the songwriter together with Nemesis and guitarist Harry Zeidler. You write all three together. So I wanted to ask you how. How did you manage to work the songwriting together. Because one fact is writing everything alone, and another fact is collaborating with two other people. Sometimes you can have misinterpretation and discussion.
Yeah, this was like it. The songs of which I completely wrote both text, the lyrics and the music I did it on my own. Though, in Harry‘s case, he wrote the whole music while Nemesis wrote the lyrics and the vocal melody. Instead, for one of Nemesis’ song, The Southern Cross, all the musicians added their parts while Leni did the harmonic arrangement for the whole song.
The debut of singer Sabina in Coronatus
And in a way, this album, this new old album, let’s call it like that, marks also the debut of Sabina in Coronatus. I wanted to ask how you managed to balance the musical elements with the new member.
Her role was to contribute to the choir on the album, while in the live line-up she is the main singer.
Interesting.
This is a little bit complicated because Leni became a mother for the first time. And that’s why she has no time just now to play live on stage. Due to her maternity, Sabine takes over the live role for the time being. But, Leni will be back.
Sabine approaching the new album
And how she did approach, you know, the album recording, giving the fact that she contributed solely to the choirs on the album. But how she did approach, you know this new adventure for her?
The situation was similar in the past. Due to her vocal studies in Salzburg, Leni didn’t always have time to play live. Many times happened that we had a live line-up, which was different from the studio line up.
The song from Coronatus: Die Hexe und der Teufel
I want to mention a song I really like from the album which is Die Hexe und der Teufel. I also, you know, I also like the fact that it’s sung in German because you don’t hear it a lot.
In former times we had a lot of German lyrics. This song is based on a legend from my hometown. The legend is about a white witch, a healer. The devil, that didn’t like it, fought her and banished her soul into the woods with a mirror. In a little hill over the town 500 years ago. There are people that say that if they walk in the woods, they can hear her voice in the wind. Then an important thing is that once a year she is allowed to leave the woods and to come back into town during the Fastnet Spring Carnival.
The release show in Sweden
It’s a very nice story. And I also know that Coronatus has played a special release show in Bryggaren, Västervik, Sweden. Or do I need to think that you guys going to have a full tour or this is just a one time only occasion to see the band live?
It might be the first of several gigs, but I’m quite sure that it’s not a whole tour. It is also the first time we play in the town I’m currently living in. Then, we will have several gigs in Germany after then that. Unfortunately, not a full tour because currently have no booking agency.
Closing words
I wanted to thank you for your time and I wish you the best for the new album.
Thank you again for your time.