Doomed Confessionary: Alex, Marco, Chris & Nico (Black Ocean’s Edge)

Photos by Matija Kasalo

German heavy psych rock band Black Ocean’s Edge manages to pick up the audience with a massive foundation and dynamic guitar playing. Grungy stoner bass, spherical blues rock guitar and energetic drums catapult into a world between fascination and ecstasy. In doing so, they immerse themselves in a sound inspired by the dark waters of the sea. Front woman Alex almost becomes a siren herself and beguiles with her powerful, characteristic voice.

Their energetic live performance and unique sound have already earned them several festival and club shows since their foundation in 2020 in Ulm, Germany. They have also played with bands such as Thundermother, Daily Thompson, Dirty Sound Magnet, Mother’s Cake and Dirty Honey as well as Brother Dege, known for his soundtrack from the Tarantino movie »Django Unchained«.

Black Ocean’s Edge – Alex Janus (vocals), Marco Schettler (guitar, backing vocals), Chris Roth (bass) and Nicolas Roblicka (drums) – have released their debut album »Call Of The Sirens« on April 26th, 2024.

Can you say a few words about your band?
We are Black Ocean’s Edge from Ulm in Germany and make beautiful noise inspired by the sea. Since the four of us come from completely different genres, we met in heavy psych rock, female fronted. Marco plays guitar and does backing vocals, Alex is the singer and also plays flute in a few songs, Chris is our massive foundation on bass and Nico our drummer holds everything together precisely.

What was the biggest challenge for the band?
There’s something that’s still going on and will probably never end – finding our own music spirit and keeping everything together. Otherwise, there is another point on which we all agree – to be heard by people. Getting a foot in the psychedelic rock scene was the biggest hurdle for us. We wanted to get on the stages where we feel at home and reach the people who understand our music.

What can you be most proud of so far?
Above all, producing our own music and believing in our work. One outstanding achievement for us was a slot at the OWF Festival. A festival that we’ve been going to for many years as visitors, where we’ve always wanted to play ourselves. Then we even got a slot on the main stage. All the support shows were also wonderful for us. We got to share the stage with bands like Thundermother, Dirty Honey, Daily Thompson, Dirty Sound Magnet and Mother’s Cake.

What was your biggest regret?
That we didn’t start making rock music together earlier. Otherwise we have no regrets. We stand by what we do and there is always a way. If we had made certain decisions differently, other great and important things would never have happened.

What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Definitely our sold out support show of Dirty Honey in Munich. It was outstanding, as the audience was on fire from the very first second – the vibes were electric! The show was a lot of fun and gave us a wonderful feeling.

What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The impact of our new album »Call Of The Sirens« makes us speechless. People seem to be celebrating it a lot and the feedback we get is wonderful. That makes us especially happy as musicians, because we realize that the songwriting time, money and passion we invested was worth it. We are also overwhelmed by how cooperative and kind the people in the stoner/psych/doom scene are. Whether it’s the audience or the band, everyone is just super relaxed and appreciates handmade music. We feel right at home. It can go on like this.

What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Chris: Ty Segall, SLIFT, IDLES, Thee Oh Sees, Slomosa, All Them Witches.
Nico: Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, The Cult, Royal Repulic (quite heavy), Phill Cambell ATBS.
Marco: Himalayas, Velvet Two Stripes, Royal Blood, Alice In Chains, QOTSA.
Alex: Royal Blood, King Buffalo, Black Rainbows, Hippie Death Cult, IDLES.

What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Stop thinking, start feeling. Music is all about feeling. Doesn’t matter if you’re a pro or a rookie. Just get yourself into it and the rest will happen automatically. Be yourself, stand by it and don‘t overthink.

What are your guilty pleasures?
Marco: Dua Lipa.
Nico: Fast food.
Alex: Carolina Reaper.
Chris: 100% Pain (hot sauce).

Can you say something more about the music scene in Ulm / Germany?
Unfortunately, the heavy psych/stoner rock scene here is quite small. Other genres such as punk, rap and metal are much more represented here. That’s why we’re deliberately playing a few gigs in other parts of Germany this year, where the scene is more represented and where there are more like-minded people. However, it is nice to see how much we are supported here by music initiatives and venues!

Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
On our »Call Of The Sirens« tour, we’ll be stopping off in a few German cities. The »Call Of The Sirens« tour is planned in Mainz, Darmstadt, Köln, Bayreuth, Duisburg, among others. You can see all current gigs on our tour schedule on our homepage blackoceansedge.com. There and on our social media channels you will definitely get the new gigs that come in. Just follow!
Jul 13 Stadtfest, Lindau
Jul 27 Hexenhaus, Ulm w/ Hippie Death Cult, El Caco & more
Aug 9 Das Parkhaus, Duisburg
Sep 13 Umsonst & Draußen, Weingarten
Sep 22 Glashaus, Bayreuth w/ Fvzz
Oct 19 Gold, Neu-Ulm
Oct 28 KuFa, Mainz w/ The Rhino
Nov 2 Goldene Krone, Darmstadt
Nov 16 Bistro Zollamt, Heidenheim

What are your plans for the future as a band?
After our release planning we are most looking forward to finally writing new songs again with full energy and passion. We have a hell of a lot of ideas that we are now tackling at full throttle. We’d also think a vinyl record would be cool. And we definitely want to play more live shows. Whether it’s a festival or a club show, it just fulfills us to bang out our stuff live.

How can people best support your band?
Give the music a chance and listen to it. Come to our concerts and just let yourself go. Forget the stress of everyday life and show that you enjoy our music. If you liked it, have a look at our merch (we have new shirts with awesome designs by Jo Riou and Armin Parr). And guys, we‘re always happy to get supported with bandcamp purchases, likes, feedback and follows on the social medias.

Do you have any message for your listeners?
Take life not too serious, have fun and enjoy the journey.

Even if the sea is black, jump in and you will see how fulfilling and colorful it suddenly becomes. Turn up the volume and bang your heads. Hasta luego, cheers!

Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well