<Emerging from the Swabian region of southern Germany, Lebensstille is a rising force in the post-black metal underground. Since their formation in 2021, the band has channeled raw emotion, grief, and inner turmoil into a distinctive blend of blackened sonorities. With a debut album rooted in DIY ethos and a powerful new EP Abgrund Tief set for release via Fetzner Death Records, Lebensstille invites listeners into the darkest corners of human experience. In this interview, the band reflects on their origins, influences, creative process, and their growing role in Germany’s extreme metal scene.
Serial Metalbums: To begin, could you introduce Lebensstille to our readers — who you are, where you're from, and how the band initially came together back in 2021? What was the original vision or driving force that led to the formation of the band? Your band name, Lebensstille. What does the name represent to you?
Doomhammer: We are Lebensstille, a Post-Black Metal band from the Swabian region of southern Germany, more precisely from Böblingen. The band was formed in 2021 following the breakup of the previous band of our two original guitarists, F.H. and F.K. I joined shortly afterwards as bassist and secondary vocalist, but soon took over as frontman and bandleader, since most of the musical ideas came from me.
The name Lebensstille is a neologism roughly translating to “silence of life” — a metaphorical expression for depression. It reflects the core lyrical themes of our music: inner grief and despair.
Serial Metalbums: How would you personally describe the music of Lebensstille to someone who has never heard it before? Do you feel closer to the blackened death metal genre, or do you see yourselves as existing outside of strict categorization?
Doomhammer: Our sound blends old-school black metal and DSBM, with slight Death Metal influences. The most defining elements are probably the screeched and growled vocals, which carry emotional lyrics dealing with grief, despair, and personal demons.
When we started, we labeled our style as blackened death metal primarily for practical reasons to also be able to get booked as a Death Metal band rather than to be stuck in our depressive Black Metal niche. As we consolidated our standing in the local scene we changed our genre designation to Post-Black Metal to still be able to experience with our music without leaving the genre boundaries.
Serial Metalbums: What are some of the key influences — musical, philosophical, literary or even personal — that have shaped the identity of Lebensstille?
Doomhammer: My musical influences are rooted in the first wave of Black Metal, mainly in the first Bathory and Venom releases. Newer Bands like Fäulnis and Groza play a big role for inspiration as well. Our lyrical inspirations lay mostly in personal topics while some songs just tell stories about people suffering with their inner demons. When it comes to our stage appearance, our biggest influences lay also in the outfits of the First wave Black Metal — raw, primitive, and expressive. Probably my favourite movie “Conan the Barbarian” was also a slight inspiration for the outfits.
Serial Metalbums: Your debut album, Wenn das Leben seinen Lauf nimmt..., was released in 2023. Can you tell us about the writing and recording process of this album? What themes or messages were you aiming to convey through it? And looking back now, how do you view this first full-length?
Doomhammer: We have been pretty much rookies in this production. The guitars on this album have been recorded through a vocal microphone in my dorm room. — very DIY. While I came up with most of the song ideas, the entire band contributed to refining and shaping them. The songs cover some personal issues and some stories about inner battles and suicidal thoughts. Looking back, the production could have been far better, but given the circumstances, we’re proud of what we achieved. Despite the amateurish setup, the album found some success in the underground scene and laid the foundation for what Lebensstille would become.
Serial Metalbums: You’re now set to release your new EP Abgrund Tief via Fetzner Death Records in September. What can listeners expect from this new release, musically and thematically? Does it mark a continuation of the debut or a new chapter for the band? Could you give us some insight into the concept behind the title Abgrund Tief?
Doomhammer: The listenters can expect a much better production. We perfected the sound layed down on the first release. The EP could be seen as the logical progression following the first Album. On the EP the first song “Schmerz befreit” covers the story of a person self-mutilating himself to feel anything again. “Hinab” is a personal song about damaging recurring patterns of behavior. “Bernstein” covers my personal fight with alcohol abuse to escape my problems and the reality. In “Verloren an die Dunkelheit” our guitarist Illusion processed the suicide of a lost friend. Another great step forward is that we have been able to produce the cover of the EP by ourselves. Our guitarist and backup singer Razorwitch painted the cover by herself. The EP Title “Abgrund Tief” is kind of hard to translate to English, it translates to “Abyss Deep”. Read as one word in german the title translates to “abysmal".
Serial Metalbums: What are your plans for the months following the release of Abgrund Tief? Do you envision more live performances, new material, or possibly a second full-length in the works?
Doomhammer: With the EP production complete, we've already started writing new material. Whether it will turn into a second full-length or another EP remains to be seen.
Our focus now is on our release tour. We’ve already confirmed 10 shows across Germany between September 2025 and March 2026, and we’re looking to add more.
12.09.2025 Ostfildern
27.09.2025 Herrenberg
25.10.2025 Rottenburg
01.11.2025 Köln
15.11.2025 Ingolstadt
31.01.2026 Heidenheim
07.03.2026 Karlsruhe
Serial Metalbums: How do you perceive the current extreme metal scene in Germany? Are there any bands, venues, or movements that you find inspiring or that you feel part of?
Doomhammer: We have a strong underground Black Metal scene in the lower part of Germany where we come from. While Modern Metal Festivals struggle to survive because of low pre-sale tickets, most Black Metal events get huge attendance.
A great example is the Metalnight Tübingen concert series, where we played the first sold-out show in our band’s history — and our first gig with the current lineup. We’re excited to explore new scenes and cities during our upcoming tour and hope to meet many new faces along the way.
Order your copy of the upcoming EP on the bandcamp below