League of Distortion are a four-piece Heavy Metal band based out of Germany, consisting of the members vocalist & lyricist, Anna ‘Ace’ Brunner, guitarist Jim ‘Arro’ Muller, bassist Felix ‘Ax’ Rehmann, and drummer Tino ‘Aeon’ Calmbach. The band released their self-titled debut album through Napalm Records on November 25th of 2022. The band came together and formed with Anna’s longtime friends, Tino and Felix…And one day Anna called Jim to play in the band.
We caught up with Jim to chat about their new album, which has many songs that focus on empowering messages. When they were recording and creating the new album, Jim felt it was a break free feeling, especially since it was during all of the lockdowns, “things got really heavy in every way. And having such powerful Music and themes to put out, when I first heard a recorded chorus, it was like, ‘Yeah. That’s a thing. That’s a message. That’s an energy.’ Which I totally can relate to. It felt like breaking free and getting out of that shitty situation or make the most out of it. Let me put it like that. It was also for Mental Health, really, and enjoyment for Mental Health to protect and write these songs and hang out with great people.”
League of Distortion released their Music video for the song, Wolf Or Lamb, which is the opening track of the album. It was filmed in a region spanning 100 meters in Germany, the special video featured real wolves in the video with Anna, “We had guys standing on every corner of that area to inform people to not go further, especially people with dogs, because if people with dogs had gone in that area, the wolves would’ve gone crazy. That was a little bit scary. That’s where Anna, our lead singer, totally rocked everything she got because she was in between the wolves, playing with them. It was so crazy to see.”
Jim commented that it’s kind of fairy-tale like, “you’re open to such a huge amount of visuals. I’m really proud of that one. It also introduces the band really well because it’s got clear messages and kind of like getting you into a different feeling. We try to bring people to escape with us to the world of League of Distortion, which is not a fairy-tale, but in this case, we started with a fairy tale.”
I’m a Bitch is their newest Music video, and the messages within the song are about female empowerment, “what I see on the street or not even in my close friends, but when you get together with a bigger group, you have these nasty mannish, bullshit things you hear and you’re like, ‘we’re in 2022. This is not the Middle Ages anymore. Get your shit together.’ The more I’m also thinking about the whole thing, many men have big problems, didn’t get enough Love from their Mommy. I’d never go like, ‘you’re evil, but you’re fucked up and you should change something about that.’ I hope that many people will get the message and just re-think it for a couple of seconds, we won something.”
Jim talked about the song he got lost the most in from the album and it is a track called Sin, which is about the abuse that goes on in the churches of our World, “For me personally, it is a real tragic thing in society. It’s like everybody knows about it, but it’s still there, like nothing changes, and it’s really horrific.” Before the song was written, they had the idea in mind, and then met someone who was affected by this atrocity, “it’s really a personal thing. It’s important to us that we know someone. That’s why I also [think] the Music of Sin, it’s the most “Arty” song, got the most Art in it…Not just easy Metal listening, but really complicated chords and everything, just not standard. So, Sin is the song for me where I got lost the most. It’s not about a religion in particular, but because, I think in every group, it doesn’t matter if you talk about countries, regions, religions or everything, the percent of assholes are the same.”
The band also released a single called Hurts So Good, which features Christoph Wieczorek of the band, Annisokay. He also was a producer on the album, “it wasn’t clear until all the songs were finished that they thought about featuring Christoph. They chose It Hurts So Good because it’s kind of a sexual song.” Jim liked the idea of having Christoph in it because the song fits his voice really well. “You know the song is about ‘dirty little secrets’ – I Love it.”
Another song on the album that has messages of empowerment is called My Revenge, “That’s what I totally Love about League of Distortion, it’s really having a mirror to the social world and show them what’s wrong and say how it is. My Revenge really sums it up perfectly, not just lyric wise, but also in a Musical way I totally Love. I think it’s one of our most favorite songs of the band because when it’s on the set list or in the rehearsal room, it’s like ‘ok, everybody fuckin’ rock that!'”
Outside of League of Distortion, Jim plays in another band that is also on Napalm Records called Kissin’ Dynamite, and they released an album in January of 2022 titled, Not The End Of The Road. When we asked what’s going on, Jim replied, “we’re finally going on tour since it wasn’t possible when Not The End Of The Road came out, we’re hitting the road with Caliban and League of Distortion. And then we go on tour with Kissin’ Dynamite, mostly German dates. We’re working on at least a Europe tour maybe next year. We are ready to conquer the world, we want to play everywhere.”
An important message Jim wants to get out to the world is to enjoy and support new Music, whether it be from them or any other band, “When you like something, show them your Love. And if it’s just like an Instagram like or a Facebook repost, or whatever, talking about merch stuff, also the small things, just support Art and go to your local concerts, that’s really a big thing right now. For sure, P!nk is selling out stadiums. The small bands and the small locations, and the scene itself is dying. And that’s why I want to wake up everybody to go to a local concert again, check your local bands and support them, get some beer, and hang out, but the shirt for 10 Euro, just not focus on the big ones, also look at your scenery around you.”
Article & Interview by Jenna Williams, The Scream Queen
