From Oldenburg, the German trio KARLOFF raises a black mass amidst punk, black metal, and ritual death. Their second album, Revered by Death, is ready and will see the light (or darkness) on January 26, 2026, with the support of Dying Victims Productions. We spoke with Tom Horrified, executor of the oral curses and wielder of the six-string axe, about the band's origins, the new album, and their worship of decadence and the dirty echo of the Teutonic underground...
I read that the word "Karloff". Associated with the name "Charles." has a root is the Germanic name "Karl," meaning "free man"... This question is oriented toward the band's name? How much does classic horror (including Boris Karloff) influence your visual and lyrical identity?
Interesting! I didn’t know that. But the name is actually inspired by the actor, yes. I wanted a name that couldn’t immediately be connected to a specific music genre. That also gives us a certain art freedom.
Karloff was formed in 2018, but its sound already has an unmistakable identity: raw, garage and blackie. What led you to mix black metal with punk into a single way of life?
Thank you, that means a lot to us. These days it isn’t easy to create your own sound. When I started writing songs in 2018, I really wanted to pay tribute to my second musical love (besides Black Metal): Punk! And it just made sense to combine those styles. By now it has developed into its own sound, as you said.
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The title of your new album, Revered by Death, sounds more like a confession than a name. What does "revering death" represent for you guys? Is it a concept, a philosophy, or simply a provocation?
Yes, there’s a certain concept behind it. On the cover you see a fictional queen, Elisabetha II. This queen was betrayed, violated, and driven out. In the end she returns and brings suffering upon her enemies in the form of a campaign of revenge. Her actions are so cruel that the Death itself kneels before her in awe and crowns her. I found the idea interesting and not overly used.
Oldenburg doesn't sound like a city with a huge extreme metal scene, although I could be wrong. What I want to ask is, how does emerging from a mid-sized city, far from major metropolises like Berlin or Munich, influence Karloff's sound and attitude?
Oldenburg is technically a big city, but it doesn’t feel like one. Still, I find Oldenburg very inspiring. Our winters are very grey and soaked in rain. Some might call it depressing, but I feel inspired by it. As for our metal scene, it keeps growing. We have a great record store here, MTS the biggest record stores in the northwest, where concerts also take place. It is definitely the place to be in Oldenburg for rock and metal music.
Your music has both punk energy and a ritualistic atmosphere. What comes first in their creative process: chaos or concept? Both at once? Like a catharsis? How do you write a Karloff song?
I like the uncompromising energy of punk as well as the aesthetics of black metal. But I guess it’s like with any band: it all starts with a riff. We meet in the rehearsal room and work it out. Either we like it or we don’t. There’s no big magic behind it. That magic happens on stage. One big difference this time, however, is that we allowed ourselves more freedom in the songwriting and didn’t drag things out unnecessarily.
Dying Victims Productions has been a constant ally since your beginnings. How has it been working with a label that keeps the underground ethos of European metal so alive?
Dying Victims and especially the communication with label boss Florian is simply straightforward and efficient. And it has been that way from the start. That’s what I personally appreciate the most. So there was never any reason to switch labels. As long as DVP likes what we’re doing, we’ll keep releasing our work there.
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| KARLOFF Live....Source: Instagram |
In Revered by Death, there's a sense of ritual, of the end times. What was it like recording this album? And what improvement or achievement do you guys believe was made with this new opus?
Recording the album is, as always, a very spezial time. We never need more than two days for everything. Once again we recorded with Alex Pojda of Holodeck Studio at the Tonmeisterei in Oldenburg. It has long been an institution for punk/black/sludge metal. “Revered by Death” simply feels more mature, and the whole album comes across as cohesive from the layout to the sound. It’s our best work to date in my opinion!
What comes after, Revered by Death? More noise, more darkness, or an even deeper silence?
More darkness…
LINKS: Release Information: - Regular LP edition on black vinyl with insert, poster, sticker, postcard, and download code. - Special LP edition on blood-red vinyl with poster, sticker, postcard, download code, and patch. - CD edition with obi sleeve and sticker.
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