Stagnation, formula, expectations – these words have long been banned from the lexicon of LONG DISTANCE CALLING. It is this irreverent attitude that has fueled them to record three albums, play several tours throughout Europe, garner slots on renowned festivals such as Rock am Ring, Summer Breeze, Wave-Gotik-Treffen or Roadburn and even secured them an impressive #36 in the German Media Control Charts. But if you thought these successes would convince LONG DISTANCE CALLING to settle into form with their fourth album, “The Flood Inside”, the band instead attempted an even bolder metamorphosis.

Flashback: In early April 2012, LONG DISTANCE CALLING amicably parted ways with founding member and electronic wizard, Reimut von Bonn. Von Bonn’s departure however opened up new possibilities for the remaining members. The band had previously worked with guest-singers such as John Bush (Armored Saint, Anthrax) or Jonas Renkse (Katatonia) and they felt the new material was shaping up differently and gravitating away from purely instrumental rock. “We just noticed that adding a voice simply made sense. Stagnation and special formulas are not our thing, so making the step was easy.” Since all members in LONG DISTANCE CALLING have diverse tastes in music it was easy for them to decide what they were NOT looking for: no screamers or a whiny shoegazers. Instead, a timeless rocking voice in the vein of Faith No More or Soundgarden: a role perfectly suited for Martin “Marsen” Fischer (Pigeon Toe, ex-Fear My Thoughts). “We met Marsen on tours we did together. Hence, we knew each other on a personal level and we were certain that we would match perfectly when it comes to the music. The fact that he is playing keyboards is a nice add-on, as he is also in charge of them live.”

Despite the changes, “The Flood Inside” remains intrinsically LONG DISTANCE CALLING. “We questioned a lot and did a whole lot of fine tuning this time. A part is as long as it needs to be, but we took our time to discuss and revise every single one of them. Many ideas make many parts, but a good song always needs a certain flow. That was the overall aim.” The plan came together and resulted in countless parts that should cause the Serotonin to flow. The band further explains: “What really characterizes our sound is the combination of cool and heavy riffs with melodies that come without any kitsch.” The band had guest vocalists before, however this time you don’t just get one track with vocals, but four with the same vocalist. “It is always exciting to see what other people can do with your songs. We as artists as well as our music can only gain from the input. It is all about adding talent and an extra level. The genre is secondary. The range of the album should speak for itself.” Indeed, “The Flood Inside” features collaborations will names as varied as Vincent Cavanagh (Anathema), blues talent Henrik Freischlader and Jahcoozi-mastermind Robot Koch (known from his work with Casper, Max Mutzke or Marteria). Additionally, there is the Norwegian singer/songwriter Petter Carlsen, Tuneverse cofounder Alex Komlew and Mario Cullmann (formerly known as DJ Coolman for Fünf Sterne Deluxe). “We have never bowed down to any rules for what you may or may not do as an instrumental band. It is only us making the rules.”

In art, rules exist to be broken. Atmosphere and diversity don’t always conform to the parameters of the 3:30 song structure. Yet “The Flood Inside” [produced by Martin Meinschläfer at Megaphone Tonstudios in Arnsberg, Germany] is a lot more focused and compact than any of its predecessors. “The past 12 months were emotionally draining: charts, splitting with a member, new album and new singer… The Flood Inside is a summary of everything and all the emotions around and within us. That is the not so simple idea behind the title. It shows the entire spectrum of life: joy, grief, euphoria, anger and everything in between. How to deal with emotions is a huge part of everyday life. Nevertheless a lot of things are happening in the grey areas – and we are trying to show those in our music.”

LONG DISTANCE CALLING didn’t only make an attempt, but also succeeded which will be underlined by their upcoming European tour that is kicking off March 1st, so right in time for the release of “The Flood Inside”. Be prepared for a versatile billing, because LONG DISTANCE CALLING will be supported by Solstafir from Iceland as main support whereas Norwegians Audrey Horne and Sahg will share the role as opening acts.