"It's about empowerment, breaking free, and growing"
Anna Brunner, frontwoman of League of Distortion, talks about the creation of the new album, her personal connection to the fans - and the challenges of going on tour as a headliner.
CHRISTIAN VON DARK DIVAS
25. Oct 2024
Hello Anna, how are you feeling about your album release? You seem really motivated!
Yes, totally! I'm super excited about the reactions. With some songs, I even had certain fans in mind and thought: “This is exactly what they need right now.” I'm really happy!
That almost sounds like fan service.
Yes, you could say that (laughs), although we see it more as part of the community. The exchange with our fans is incredibly important to us. Sometimes an idea comes up in conversation, a topic that we pick up on. It really is a give and take.
Your debut album was very successful. How did you approach the challenge of repeating or perhaps even surpassing this success with Galvanize?
We didn't actually think about whether we could surpass that success. That wasn't our approach. The album production was also rather gradual because we were on tour and at festivals a lot. At some point we said to ourselves: “Hey, we should really start working on the songs.” We wanted to keep the same carefree energy we had on the first album - back then we just did what we wanted, without pressure. For Galvanize, we just went for it again and tried to incorporate more metal and uptempo numbers because we recognized that as a gap when playing live.
It sounds like the focus was on having fun.
Exactly! It was about keeping an open mind. Of course it doesn't always work, but if you try to turn your head off and just concentrate on the music, it works.
The title Galvanize is interesting. How does it reflect the themes and the sound of the album?
The title fits very well. Galvanize comes from chemistry and means to make metal stronger. It's a great metaphor for us as a metal band who wanted even more metal. But it's also about empowerment, about freeing yourself and growing. The title gave us a direction, and sometimes you don't realize how well everything fits together until later.
Your label has hinted that some songs are also about toxic relationships or rebelling against oppression. What other topics do you deal with on Galvanize?
Each song has its own theme. Suck My Blood, for example, is about toxic relationships - a topic that many people don't even notice until they think about it. Songs like that can act as a wake-up call. Chainsaw deals more generally with karma and the hope that evil will return to those who treat others badly. What's Wrong With Her is about rivalry between women. We want to make people think and show new perspectives.
My Hate Will Go On is also a very intense track. Can you tell us something about its genesis and meaning?
The title is of course a reference to My Heart Will Go On by Céline Dion, which amused us a lot. But in terms of content, it's about hatred and revenge - but not in the sense of “an eye for an eye”, because everyone dies at the end of the music video. That shows that revenge makes no sense. For us, it's about community and justice.
You experimented with other genres on What's Wrong With Her and also Anti-Hero. What led you to integrate such influences?
We already combined different styles on the first album. That's really exciting for me. I love throwing sounds together that might sound strange at first, but then somehow work. That's what makes us special, I think. We want to retain this freedom.
Would you say that you have become even more experimental on the second album?
I hope we have developed further. On the first record, we didn't know exactly where we were going. Now, after a lot of live experience, we've focused more on what goes down well. It's a natural progression, I think.
Some time has passed since the debut. Has the dynamic in the band changed?
Absolutely. I've known the guys for over ten years, but it's only on tour, like with Kamelot, that you really get to know each other. You're together in a confined space, often tense - that's when each other's quirks come out. But we've grown together even more and really appreciate each other.
You also have a feature with CYPECORE on the album. How did that come about?
That came about spontaneously. We were on tour with CYPECORE and just harmonized really well. Nils (note: Nils “Alchemist” Lesser), the guitarist, co-wrote In Our DNA, and Dom (note: Dominic “Commander” Christoph), the singer, was immediately on board when we asked him. The feature gave the song even more power because it is sung from a male and female perspective.
You're going on tour soon. Are you already nervous?
Definitely! It's our first headlining tour and it's a big step for us. I'm excited to see who will be at the shows and how the new songs will be received live. The creative process of designing the set is incredibly exciting.
Do you already have plans for 2025?
Yes, but unfortunately I can't reveal anything concrete yet. It's all still in the planning stage, but we definitely want to play more and get around more internationally.
League of Distortion
League of Distortion is an up-and-coming German modern metal band led by Anna Brunner (Exit Eden) and Jim Müller (Kissin’ Dynamite). Anna Brunner already achieved considerable international success with her symphonic metal band Exit Eden in 2017, while Jim Müller has been making waves with Kissin’ Dynamite since 2007. They are joined by Felix Rehmann on bass and Tino Calmbach on drums.
Members
Anna Brunner - Vocals Jim Müller - Guitar Felix Rehmann - Bass Tino Calmbach - Drums
As a woman in the metal scene - how do you experience the challenges?
Since I joined the metal scene in 2017 with Exit Eden, I've always felt very welcome. I think a lot had already happened for women in the scene before my time. Of course, there is still room for improvement, but my experiences have been consistently positive.
Thank you for talking to us, Anna! Is there anything else you would like to say to the fans?
I think it's great that you're at the start! Platforms like Dark Divas that focus on women are really important. Thank you very much for that! It's great to see how quickly we've been able to generate reach, but there are still a lot of people who don't know us. So be sure to check out League of Distortion, watch our music videos and come to our headline tour in November and December.
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