Doomed Confessionary: Christoph, Marcus & Torben (Piece)
Berlin, Germany based power trio Piece delivers a powerful blend of sludge metal, doom, and rock ‘n’ roll. Inspired by bands like Crowbar, High On Fire, and EyeHateGod, they fuse the raw aggression of their members’ musical roots in hardcore and punk with the crushing heaviness and riff-driven sound of sludge and heavy metal.
The band has just announced their new full-length album, »Rambler’s Axe«, which will be released on vinyl via This Charming Man Records in September 2025. New single and music video »Demigod« is the first glimpse of the band’s upcoming album.
Piece are Christoph Jakobs (vocals, guitar), Marcus Fechner (bass) and Torben Johnen (drums).
Can you please say a few words about your band?
We are a three-piece band from Berlin, Germany, that plays fast paced sludge metal. Piece is for the people.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Finding a constant bass player. Berlin is a big city with a lot of movement so we had a couple of bass players move away already.
Luckily in Takti we now have somebody who is both musically and socially on the same level with us.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Every single thing we ever did with this band.
What was your biggest regret?
We had a promoter on a tour not pay us the agreed upon fee, and he was a complete arrogant dickhead about it. It was not about the money at all but his behavior towards us. I should have punched him in the face that day.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Our tour with Crowbar last year. They are a reason we play music the way we do. Everyone on the Crowbar team is top-notch and it was a pleasure seeing them play every night. That tour was also in peak summer so we did a good amount of swimming, which was very fun, too.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
It seems like some people in music business cannot communicate proper. If you bring up a more than one point in an email, you can be lucky if even one of them is answered.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Charles Wesley Godwin
Fugitive
Old Nick
Deutsche Laichen
Bob Seeger
Rixe
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Last year we had the chance to hop on a week of touring with Napalm Death. Besides headlining these massive shows every night, they were super cool and down to earth. When I asked Barney why they were that cool, he said you can’t make it that long in music if you are a dickhead since nobody would like to work with you otherwise. And that goes a long way. Playing support slots for multiple bigger bands, we have experienced everything from absolute arrogance to direct interaction at eye level. So the best advice is be cool, know your place, and play exactly the music you want to.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Piece is not ashamed of anything!
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Berlin?
Berlin has a great music scene. The city is huge so we are lucky to be from a place where pretty much every touring band stops by, and also we have a vibrant local scene with a lot of shows happening. The annual highlight in Berlin is the Swamp Fest, which is DIY festival that features smaller metal and doom bands as well as local artists. We still have a lot of underground shows happening even though venues had to close and everything gets more expensive.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
We have some cool shows coming up every month till the end of the year, pretty much. Including some support slots for great bands such as EyeHateGod, Body Void, Dopethrone and Carcass. Also, there are sick festivals coming up like Protzen Open Air, Berlin Swamp Fest and Hoflärm.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
In September our newest album will come out. We will play some shows with it and write new songs.
How can people best support your band?
Come to one of our shows and have a beer with us.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
We’re grateful for anybody who supports to this band.
Rock’n’Roll is still the greatest thing in the world!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well