A Sunday Conversation With Maximilian Eckardt, vocalist of Dresden metal combo Omega Purge


What have been your musical epiphany moments?

There have been quite a few throughout the years. Getting introduced to punk rock by my older brother and having this whole new world of music open up in front of me was probably one of the first.

Being introduced to harder music, namely Caliban, Heaven Shall Burn, As I Lay Dying and Killswitch Engage for example would be another. And yet again my brother is responsible, even though it´s not his style. He got the feeling it could be something for me, as I got into stuff like Underoath or From Autumn To Ashes in a rather long phase of listening to some emo/punk/alternative like Taking Back Sunday, Senses Fail, Saosin or Brand New and he proofed to be right. Thanks man!

After having developed my taste in music it was moments like listening to The Blackening by Machine Head or Awoken/Endzeit from Iconoclast by Heaven Shall Burn that that really got me. I could go on.

But there are also those moments where you don´t expect to get overwhelmed by music, like a few days ago, when I finished a video game and the song in the epilogue with its build up from sounding like a game from the 80´s to being a full on choir epos just got me like: WOW! (NieR:Automata if anybody´s interested)


Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?

With Omega Purge it all starts with Kai writing the music, giving us a taste of what he has come up with during rehearsels, then we would give him some ideas about the songs structure or the progression of some parts, he continues working on them, records a demo and usually we love it. When most of the song is worked out, I will most likely have a general idea what the it will be about and start writing the lyrics and have brainstorming sessions with Tobias. But the moment it all is set in stone is when we record the songs, that´s when it actually all falls into place, at least concerning the lyrics.

The whole process could change over time, but right now I don´t really see myself writing lyrics from scratch and then a song around them. Of course there are always some ideas running through my head, but most of the time I need at least a general direction of a songs atmosphere, rhythm and melody to really work them out.


Who has influenced you the most?

Bands like Lamb Of God, Nevermore, Killswitch Engage, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Trivium, The Black Dahlia Murder and At The Gates, to name just a few, definetly had a great influence on what music we play today.

For me personally I would say my early years of making music where very much influenced by Machine Head, especially Throuh The Ashes Of Empires and The Blackening. As I started to focus on doing vocals, rather than vocals and guitar, Randy Blythe and the sound of his voice got me into actually learning vocal techniques, so that I wouldn´t screw up my voice every time. Of course you can´t copy someone else´s sound, but his combination of sheer demonic power and precision in his articulation were what I wanted to be able to do and, at least in my opinion, it worked out pretty well.


Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?

Everywhere, but nowhere in particular. If we are talking about content and topics to write about, I just have to read or watch some news and I get ideas, as most of the lyrics I write are about society in general. Sometimes I would even get ideas just by watching people interact. I´m really trying to get to the point where I feel comfortable with writing about more personal matters, I´m think I´m getting there, but I´m just not here yet.

If we´re talking about music in general, I like to keep an open mind. I can listen to Hollywood Undead at one moment and the next to Ed Sheeran and I´ll always find something interesting that I might want to try myself, as long as I like the song in general. You won´t hear influences like this at the moment, but who knows what might come? Especially concerning vocal techniques I´m really trying to get a greater range, even do some decent clean singing, so I don´t limit the possibilities by just not being able to do more different things. So basically everything that appeals to me in general can and at some point will give me some kind of inspiration and motivation.


We're all a product of our environment. Tell us about the band's hometown and how that reflects in the music?

The bands hometown would be Dresden, Saxony. Until a few years ago, we had a rather active scene for selfmade hard music, especially hardcore and metalcore, but for some time now electronic music has dominated the alternative scene. Of course the venues playing everything from rock to metal are still there, but there are not as many local artists as there used to be. Considering this and the fact, that we live in a globalized world, where we have access to information from all around the world, I would say that the town itself doesn´t really impact the music at all.


Where'd the band name come from?

It was Kai´s idea, we all liked it and that was basically it. At the time we weren´t really looking for something with a deep meaning, just something that sticks with you. After deciding on the name we realized that it actually has quite some room for interpretation, especially considering that up until now most of the lyrics deal with a rather critical, pessimistic, even dystopian view on society as a whole.


You have one chance, what movie are you going to write the soundtrack for?

As I am a big fan and really hope for the return of good movies about him, I´d say Batman.


You now write for a music publication (The Ripple Effect?). You're going to write a 1,000 word essay on one song. Which would it be and why?

King Me by Lamb Of God! I love this song, it has been one of my favorites since I first listened to it. The atmosphere they create, which I think was a little atypical for there sound at the time, in combination with those powerful lyrics gives me goosebumps. The progression from this dark and melancholic start, it getting heavier and heavier to finally culminate in the bridge before dropping back into this quiet, melancholic atmosphere just to explode in your face (or ears) for the finishing hook, just beautiful. Thanks to Lamb Of God for this piece of art!


Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?

One time our drummer died from spontaneous human combustion. To be honest, since we were only able to play one show for our EP release before the whole corona-crisis hit, there´s not much to tell you concerning Omega Purge. We all had our projects before and as Kai, Sönke and probably Tobias as well have more stage experience than me (for Martin, being the youngest among us and this being his first band, it´s all new to him) they would most likely have a few good stories for you, but well, I´m the one who´s writing the answers. Of course there have been the classic moments of being „a little“ to wasted when getting on stage, but somehow still pulling it off, but that´s not necessarily something to be proud of let alone make a mockumentary about. Ask us again next year, when we hopefully had the pleasure of playing more shows and I guess we´ll have some good stories for you.


Tell us about playing live and the live experience for you and for your fans?

We started with very high expectations in ourselves and of course it wasn´t perfect, but our debut show got almost exclusively good feedback. We wanted to skip the phase were we look like rookies, that barely got to finish writing their songs and now want to play and I think it worked out pretty well. A lot of our friends were actually really impressed, as we had everything from side drops with the EP design, a back drop, an EP, merchandise and even a stage costume ready. Now the next step was not just to look at least semiprofessional, but to deliver. We use backing tracks for some intros and atmospheric stuff, so of course our drummer has to play with a metronome, which he had never done before so that got him a little nervous. In the end everything worked out and the feedback we got really assured us that we are on the right path.


What makes a great song?

Honetsy. You don´t have to be the best singer, the best guitar player or the best whatever to write a song that will appeal to people. Just be honest with what you want to say and don´t force it. If you´re writing something just because it has to be done, it won´t come out as good as something you wrote because you wanted to, because this thought, this melody, this rhythm has stuck with you and ripened for days or weeks and now it´s ready to be picked. But this makes a great song, not necessarily a successful one.

Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?

That was back in school, I guess I was fourteen or fifteen years old. I had just started playing second guitar and doing vocals in my first metal band. Me and the other guitarist, Jason Melidonie who is now with Cytotoxin, were really into technical guitar stuff at the time, so our motto was basically faster and more. We would write some riffs on Guitar Pro, send them to each other, rewrite, rearrange and so on. In the end, when we were done with writing the solo section, I realized I couldn´t play it anymore, so I had to practice a few weeks until I was up to speed again.

What piece of your music are particularly proud of?

The title track of our EP “As Hell Emerged”. To be honest, at first I was rather skeptical, because I had some problems with writing the lyrics. Especially the chorus section gave me headaches, as I had different things in mind, but couldn´t decide on what I wanted to do or just couldn´t do what I wanted due to my rather insufficient clean singing skills. It wasn´t until we recorded the vocals and I was listening to the raw mix when I realized, that we had actually done some pretty damn good work on this one.


Who today, writes great songs? Who just kicks your ass? Why?

There are a lot of great songwriters in all genres out there who all deserve recognition, but to me personally Lamb Of God (yes, I mention them a lot) still are and will probably always be the greatest ass-kickers. I just love their drive, their energy and have never been disappointed by what they do. Mark Morton has to be mentioned as solo artist as well. I love what he did with the Anesthetic record, especially the songs with Chester Bennington and Jacoby Shaddix. He basically took Lamb Of Gods guitar sound and showed us what it could be if someone else was singing and those two absolutely nailed it.

Lately, a little before there last record was released, Slipknot got back on my radar and they have to be mentioned here as well. To me Corey Tailor is one of the best vocalists in the genre and if it´s solo with just an acoustic guitar or with a band of nine people, he just gets through to me.


Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

Definitely and almost exclusively digital. Fast and easy access, no need for extra players, you can basically take all your favorite records with you in your pocket, what more could you want? Of course there are those who would say that the sound will be better playing a vinyl, but I just don´t have this distinct hearing, so I don´t really care.


Whiskey or beer? And defend your choice.

That´s a hard one, I like both, but if I had to choose only one, I would go with beer. It´s just better suited for a greater range of situations like nice summer sunsets at the riverside, going to concerts or just hanging out with friends and family. And well, I am German, I feel I have to go for beer.


We, at the Ripple Effect, are constantly looking for new music. What's your home town, and when we get there, what's the best record store to lose ourselves in?

As mentioned above, I almost exclusively listen to records in digital form, so I couldn´t even tell you when I last visited a record store. If, however, I was looking to buy records, I would check out Dresden-Neustadt. It´s home to the alternative scene in Dresden and I know that there are a few record stores there, so it would definitely be worth checking out.


What's next for the band?

That´s a very good question indeed. After releasing our EP in January, we were actually really looking forward to playing shows, but step by step they are all being canceled and nobody knows when it will all go back to normal. For now we have to sit tight and wait, as we are not even allowed to have rehearsals. Maybe we will start writing new material, but I wouldn´t want to force it, so if it happens, it happens.


Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?

First of all, thank you for having us! I was rather surprised when I was told someone wanted to do an interview and it was a very interesting experience, as I have never done anything like this before.
And to the readers, check out our EP, so you know what we were talking about here! Stay safe, stay healthy and stay metal!

Cheers \m/