History
SEPULCRUM MENTIS- A Short History
(by Marty and Ben)
SEPULCRUM MENTIS were formed by Marty Kasprzak (vocals, guitars) and
Ben Zorn (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals) in 1990 with Christoph, Toby,
Nina and Daniel. This first formation split very shortly afterwards after
a handful gigs and lots of musical differences.
In 1991, Marty found drummer Wop Schläger and the
first larger concerts were played as a three-piece band; they were support-act
for PRINTED AT BISMARCK´S DEATH.
1992 guitarist Markus Mannes joined the band. The first
home-produced 12-track tape was released (4-track-recording). The band´s
sound was a strongly 80´s-influenced wave-rock with influences from
bands like: THE CHAMELEONS, the FURS, early MISSION, the CHURCH, ALL ABOUT
EVE. The inclusion of Markus started to bring the metal element into the
music. 1992 had Mentis playing many of the clubs in Berlin so that they
gained a steady following.
In 1993, they played the first larger gig out of Berlin:
a charity-concert to save nature in Wunsiedel, Bavaria. In the line-up
were otherwise only local heroes with totally different musical styles
- so, S.M. were quite a curiosity - but it was nice to have separate showers
and huge back-stage-rooms like the "big stars". In November,
Marty met Jyrki from the Finnish band TWO
WITCHES for the first time. Jyrki liked the music of SEPULCRUM MENTIS
and since all his fellow musicians were involved in other things, plans
for a tour started to develope.
So in 1994 SEPULCRUM MENTIS rehearsed a set of TWO WITCHES-songs
and toured Germany with Jyrki in July, taking over the roles of both bands
(once playing together with NEUZEITSYNDROM and FORTHCOMING FIRE). Before
the tour, the band went into the studio and recorded their first self-titled
CD-EP (some call it the "Mercy Seat" EP) with Thom Steeler (engineer
for PSYCHEDELIC FURS, KILLING JOKE, MARYLLION) and Mike O´Ryan (guitarist
of CHINCHILLA GREEN). Tracks like "Hymn" or "Icarus"
already showed that the band was heading for harder and darker, much more
"goth"-realms. Since only 500 copies were pressed of the EP,
it is now a highly collectable rarity (sic!). They also appeared on a tape-sampler,
"As Above So Below" by Hamburg-based Beton-Tapes with "Endless
Summer", an unreleased track.
1995 in February, MENTIS played two more gigs with Jyrki
as TWO WITCHES because the ´94-tour had been a great success. Shortly
after that, Wop and Markus unfortunately had to leave the band to start
careers in Brussels and Halle. Dirk Wildenhues and Ron Becker joined in
on guitars and drums, and Anne Damrau completed the new line-up on keyboards,
medieval instruments and female backing vocals, a beautiful contrast to
Marty´s deep and dark voice. The newborn MENTIS was even more dark
and mystic, although the band always tries to keep an open mind for different
influences. Another tour, this time with the whole band of TWO WITCHES,
was done in August/September. It took the band through most of Germany
- there even was a secret gig on a wineyard - and to Austria. The band
played and toured also with (in no particular order): VENDEMMIAN, INTO
THE ABYSS, EXEDRA, SISC, DREADFUL SHADOWS, HEAD ON FIRE, TIMOTHY MOLDREY,
GRASS HARP, TOUCH OF CRUEL HANDS.
Releases: a version of "Poison Door" on Celtic Circle´s
"Monochrome"-sampler; a pre-release-mix of "Judgment Day"
for a Berlin-based Gothic-tape-sampler; a demo-version of "Salto Cum
Diabolo" on the Finnish ´zine "Plastic Passion"´s
"Plastic Sampler".
1996, February 18th: Record-release-party for "Burning
an Effigy" with tribute performances by EXEDRA and TIMOTHY MOLDREY
(both performed a cover-version of one MENTIS-song). The album was produced
by Marty in his own studio because there was not enough money to go into
a large studio, giving the band all opportunities to experiment. The album
features performances by Laura Carleton, an American opera singer and also
the voice of SEA OF TRANQUILITY, ´TWAS THIS and LUCID, and the legendary
Thomthom Geigenschrey on violin, who also performed with KIWISEX, BILL
DIREEN, HITMEN 3 and many others. Laura also supports MENTIS live on stage
with her beautiful voice whenever she can. In Summer, Anne had to start
a prolonged pause due to pregnancy. Her son Raphael was born in June and
is doing quite well. It will still take some time until she´ll be
fully on the job again, but she did already do an Open-Air-gig at Berlin´s
legendary "Die Insel"-club. June: Christoph Soergel joined the
band on Cello, Viola da Gamba and 3rd guitar. In July, the band played
with Belgian black-metal-act AVATAR and the Austrian DIE VERBANNTEN KINDER
EVAS, DREADFUL SHADOWS and DAS HOLZ.
September: SEPULCRUM MENTIS toured Finland with TWO WITCHES (a headlining
tour, whatever that means...). Marty and Christoph also played guitar and
cello in EXEDRA. The tour was a great success - in Jyväskyla, people
even requested songs at the MENTIS-gig and started singing along. Marty
was too stupid to use a Finnish Sauna and burned his right arm (Aargh!),
Ben tripped painfully at a finnish drinking party in the country-side,
Becker got arrested in Turku for too much alcohol, the car broke down in
the same city (probably bad Karma!) but the fun outweighed the troubles.
Thanx to the WITCHES for all their support! Still September: After returning
from Finland, the band played one date in Solothurn, Switzerland, as a
headlining act, with support DISSOLUTE PARADISE. In wintertime, Anke Reppchen
replaced Christoph as the "classical element" in MENTIS; her´s
is the masterful violin- play. Releases: "A Question of Time"-cover
on the DEPECHE MODE-tribute-CD "Reconstruction Time"; "Scary
Monsters"-cover on "The Dark Side of DAVID BOWIE"; "Fallen
Angels" on the "Gothic Grimoire"-CD; "Fallen Angels"
on a Finnish compilation-CD.
March of 1997 gave the band the opportunity to play together
with THE 3RD AND THE MORTAL from Norway, a band with astounding musical
vision and talent. In April a short tour with MARQUEE MOON and CATASTROPHY
BALLET lead to Modena (Italy), Innsbruck (Austria), and Frankfurt.
The rest of the story is still unwritten - to be continued...