逃避现实 - 德国Atmospheric Black Metal / Shoegaze乐队Sternweh专访

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诞生于2025年的德国自赏黑金属计划Sternweh，以首张专辑"Sehnflucht"呈现了独属于自己的自赏黑艺术表达，主创Christian Witt兼具创作者与作家双重身份，将孤独、虚空与无尽向往融入音乐，在破碎与逃离中，诠释宇宙怅惘与情感隔离。本次专访，走进Sternweh的创作背后，探索这个独一无二计划背后的故事。

（V: 代表笔者 C: 代表Christian Witt）

Sternweh, a German blackgaze project founded in 2025, delivers its distinct artistic expression through the debut album Sehnflucht. Its creator Christian Witt works both as a musician and a writer, weaving loneliness, the void and endless yearning into his music. Amid fragmentation and escapism, he interprets cosmic longing and emotional isolation. In this interview, we delve behind the creation of Sternweh and uncover the story of this one-of-a-kind project.

(V: Represents the author; C: Represents Christian Witt)

采访对象：Christian Witt（Sternweh乐队创始人）

采访时间：2026.09.21

V: Sternweh在2025年创立，是哪些契机促使你开启这个自赏/氛围黑金属项目，而不是继续创作小说？这个项目的名字是怎么来的？

Sternweh was founded in 2025. What inspired you to start this shoegaze/atmospheric black metal project instead of continuing to write fiction? Where did the name of this project come from?

C: 归根结底，这一切源于一系列巧合——或者该说是命中注定？音乐和写作始终是我最大的热爱，大概也会伴随我一生。在音乐风格上，我原本更偏爱哥特摇滚和黑暗摇滚。但在我的一部小说里，出现了一个带有超自然色彩的黑金属乐队，名叫“Knochenherz”（意为“骨之心”）。起初，我只是想尝试一下这个乐队的音乐听起来会是什么样，于是为他们写了一首歌，并尝试从常规唱法转为嘶吼唱法。这次尝试在艺术层面上给了我极大的启发，促使我将其发展成一个正式的黑金属音乐项目。然而，正如小说中的设定一样，这个乐队的风格相当愤世嫉俗且充满恶意；尽管在音乐中尽情释放那种破坏欲很有趣，但我总觉得缺了点什么——那并不是真正的我。因为在内心深处，我其实是个梦想家，也是个浪漫主义者。于是，“Sternweh”乐队应运而生，成为了我表达这一面的载体。录制最初的几个片段后，那种感觉瞬间对了，音乐以一种前所未有的方式深深打动了我。“Sternweh”这个名字在我脑海中盘旋已久——它融合了希望、痛苦与脆弱——仿佛一直在等待被赋予真正的含义。而现在，我终于找到了这个含义：它是“Fernweh”（对远方的渴望/旅行的渴望）、“Stern”（星辰）与“Weh”（痛苦）这三个词的结合体。

Basically, it was a series of coincidences—or should I say, fate? Music and writing have always been my greatest passions, and they’ll probably stay with me my whole life. Musically, I was actually more into gothic and dark rock. But in one of my books, there was a supernatural black metal band called “Knochenherz,” and at first I wanted to experiment with what they’d sound like, so I wrote a song for them and switched from clean vocals to screaming. That inspired me so much artistically that I turned it into a full-fledged black metal music project. However, this band—just like in the novel—was pretty cynical and malicious, and as much as it’s fun to let those destructive sides run wild musically, I still felt something was missing. That wasn’t quite me. Because deep down, I’m a dreamer and a romantic. So the band “Sternweh” was born as an expression of that. And right after the first few parts I recorded, it just clicked, and the music spoke to me in a way it never had before. The name itself had been floating around in my head for several years—as a combination of hope, pain, and vulnerability—and was really just waiting to be filled with meaning. And now—finally—I’ve found that meaning. It’s a combination of “Fernweh” (wanderlust), “Stern” (star), and “Weh” (pain).

V: 你同时是恐怖奇幻文学作家和金属乐创作者，在这两个身份中有没有互通的部分？又有没有存在差异的部分？

You work both as a horror and fantasy writer and metal creator. Are there overlaps between these two identities? And what are their differences?

C: 我觉得这两种角色其实有很多共通之处。两者都是在探索内心世界，并试探想象力的边界。当然，它们也有所不同。尽管写作也饱含情感，但从情节铺陈和世界构建的角度来看，它本质上更具理性色彩；相比之下，歌曲则可以是——也完全允许是——某种瞬间的定格。那些爆发式的情感与转瞬即逝的灵感——往往到了最后，你甚至记不起它们究竟是如何交织成形的。这种充满联想特质的过程妙不可言。此外，这两种创作也需要不同的心境。每当我醒来时，通常就已经知道，今天召唤我的是电脑键盘，还是琴弦。

I think these two roles actually have a lot in common. Both are attempts to explore inner worlds and test the limits of the imagination. But of course, there are differences, too. Despite all its emotionality, writing is more rational in nature, with all its plot layers and world-building. Songs, on the other hand, can and are allowed to be snapshots. Explosive emotions and fleeting ideas—ones where, in the end, you often don’t even remember how they all came together. There’s something wonderfully associative about that. I also need a different state of mind for each. And when I wake up, I usually already know whether the computer-keyboard or the strings are calling to me today.

V: 对你来说，Sternweh是承载小说无法容纳的一些内在表达出口，还是一个独立于文学作品之外的另一种艺术形式的表达？

For you, is Sternweh an outlet for inner expressions that novels cannot contain, or is it an independent artistic expression separate from your literary works?

C: 正如你从这支乐队的起源所能推测的那样，两者之间的联系其实相当紧密。举个例子，我创作过一个名为"Fortgeschritten"的小说系列，其中的主角因对远方的狂热渴望而驱使，在各个光怪陆离的世界间穿梭。这无疑在一定程度上反映了“Sternweh”这一概念背后的理念。唯一的区别在于，在小说中，那种“恐怖感”源于遥远的距离；而在“Sternweh”的概念里，它更多地融入了日常生活之中。尽管如此，总的来说，我认为我的音乐世界与文学世界就像两颗行星：它们的轨道时常交汇，却又各自沿着独立的轨迹运行。

As you might guess from the band’s origins, the connection is actually quite close. For example, I also have a series of novels (“Fortgeschritten”) in which the protagonist, driven by a feverish longing for distant places, travels from one bizarre world to the next. That certainly reflects the concept behind Sternweh to some extent. The only difference is that in the novel, the horror lies in the distance, whereas in the concept of *Sternweh*, it’s more a part of everyday life. Nevertheless, I would generally say that my musical and literary worlds are like two planets whose orbits often intersect, but which also go their own separate ways.

V: 专辑名Sehnflucht融合Sehnsucht（无尽憧憬）与Flucht（逃离）。在德国文化哲学里，Sehnsucht本身承载独特内涵，能否详细讲讲这个词在整张专辑中的含义？

The album title Sehnflucht combines Sehnsucht (infinite longing) and Flucht (escape). Within German cultural philosophy, Sehnsucht carries a special meaning. Could you elaborate on what this concept means throughout the whole album?

C: 没错，确实如此。以浪漫主义传统为例，它赋予了“渴望”一种相当积极的内涵，以此作为对启蒙运动消极一面的反拨（尽管我依然认为启蒙运动很重要）；而在叔本华看来，渴望更多是一种永恒的痛苦；对尼采而言，它则是一种自我提升的动力。基于这些思维方式，我认为自己更倾向于前者，尽管其他观点也包含着真理的成分。是的，渴望意味着痛苦。但这种痛苦让人感到生命力极其旺盛，它也是创造力和期盼的源泉。没错，渴望能助你超越自我。但这往往是一段非常私人的旅程，未必非要以某种抽象的“超人”理想形象作为终点。对某些人来说，渴望可能仅仅是想要变得温柔、善良且富有同理心，而非成为所谓的英雄——而这种愿望同样是正当且有意义的。

在专辑的语境下，这种情感呈现出多种形式。例如，对我而言，有一首很重要的歌叫"Für das, was war"（为了逝去的过往），它的创作深受我父母离世的影响。这首歌捕捉了那种渴望重返童年与青春岁月的迫切心情——那时父母尚在人世，一切似乎都更为简单；同时也表达了那种无法再见到他们的痛苦——那些人对我而言，就像日月星辰般真实确凿，如今却只能在模糊的记忆、照片和回想中寻得他们的踪迹。

然而，这其中也蕴含着一丝微弱的希望——那就是意识到，相对于我们所爱之人的灵魂，我们依然拥有某种延续的优势。你可以继续前行，结识新朋友，不断惊叹于这个世界和自身的奥妙——尽管伴随着种种痛苦，但这本身就是一种美好的体验。

另一方面，"Sterngeborgen"则是一首献给夜间梦境的赞歌，因为梦境或许最能触及这种难以言喻的渴望。"Ruf aus dem Moor"、"Feenfeuer"和"Sehnflucht"这几首歌探讨的则是逃离日常生活的主题。其中一首歌讲述了一个孩子为了躲避严厉的父母，逃入一个充满庇护感的幻想世界的故事；在另一种情境下，它是一种关于某个更美好、充满神秘色彩之地的白日梦；最后，它还包含了一种幻想：即在办公桌前摇身一变，化作强大的蝎狮，随即悄然遁入夜色之中。而"Mehr als Verstand"则寄托了这样一种幻想——它宛如一道光芒，冲破了令人沮丧的沉闷惯性；至于"Den tausend Wegen"，它最终探讨了人生中那些本可选择却终未踏足的种种路径。

Yes, that’s true. The Romantic tradition, for example, has given longing a rather positive connotation, as a counterpoint to the negative aspects of the Enlightenment (which I still consider important), whereas for Schopenhauer it was more a form of eternal suffering, and for Nietzsche, a kind of incentive for self-improvement. I believe that, based on these ways of thinking, I’m more aligned with the former tradition, though the other concepts also contain elements of truth. Yes, longing means pain. But it’s a pain that feels incredibly alive, and it’s also a source of creativity and anticipation. And yes, longing can help you rise above yourself. But that’s a very personal journey that doesn’t have to culminate in the ideal image of some abstract superhuman. For some, it might also be the desire to become gentle, kind, and empathetic rather than some supposed hero—and that’s just as legitimate.

In the context of the album, this takes various forms. For me, one important song, for example, is “Für das, was war” (For that, what was), which was heavily inspired by the death of my parents. It captures the desperate longing to return to the days of childhood and youth, when they were still alive and everything was somehow simpler, and the pain of never being able to see those people again—people who were as indisputably real to me as the moon and the stars—except in faint memories, photos, and recollections.

At the same time, however, it’s also about a small glimmer of hope—namely, the knowledge that one still has a slight edge over the spirits of those we love. You can keep moving forward, meet new people, and continue to marvel at the world and yourself—and despite all the pain, that’s something beautiful.

“Sterngeborgen,” on the other hand, is simply a hymn to our nighttime dreams, which are probably what come closest to this indescribable longing. “Ruf aus dem Moor,” “Feenfeuer,” and “Sehnflucht” are all about escaping everyday life. In one case, it’s about a child who flees from strict parents into a protective fantasy world; in another, it’s a kind of daydream about a better, mystical place; and finally, it’s the idea of transforming into a mighty manticore right in the middle of one’s office desk and simply slipping away into the night. “Mehr als Verstand,” in turn, is dedicated to the fantasy that breaks through the depressive rut like a ray of light, and “Den tausend Wegen” ultimately explores the alternative paths in life that one could have taken but never did.

V: 有哪些乐队，文学作品或影视作品影响到了你的歌曲创作？能否讲讲你作品主题的灵感来源？

Which bands, literary works or films have influenced your songwriting? Could you talk about the inspiration behind the themes of your work?

C: 谈及将黑金属唱腔与那种神秘而脆弱的氛围相结合，奥地利乐队“Dornenreich”无疑是我的一大灵感来源。鉴于我的哥特摇滚背景，德国乐队“ASP”也必然在列——在我看来，他们极擅长通过歌曲讲述故事；此外还有芬兰黑暗金属乐队“Sentenced”，他们在将痛苦转化为声音这一方面，对我而言至今无人能及。当然，还有许多其他的影响因素。但我从未刻意想要写出某种特定风格的歌。这些影响更像是回声或幽灵，每当我发出自己的声音时，它们便在背景中产生共鸣。

至于书籍，斯蒂芬·金（Stephen King）的"黑暗塔"（Dark Tower）系列无疑值得一提。这部作品探讨了渴望、对美好往昔的怀念，以及在破碎世界中所见的奇迹与恐怖。此外还有H.P.洛夫克拉夫特（H.P. Lovecraft）的作品；尽管他的宇宙观并非源于渴望而是源于恐惧，但我们都在追寻某种“不可名状”之物，这一点将我们联系在了一起。还有像"指环王"（The Lord of the Rings）或"冰与火之歌"（A Song of Ice and Fire）这样的奇幻经典，尽管它们的影响不那么具体，更多是源于那种探索全新异域世界的着迷感，以及层层揭开谜团后又见新谜的奇妙体验。

说到电影，很难列举出具体的灵感来源。有许多电视剧、电影和动画作品中，都能让我捕捉到那种我所追寻的感觉。

I think a particular source of musical inspiration when it comes to combining black metal vocals with a mystical, fragile atmosphere is the Austrian band “Dornenreich.” Given my goth-rock roots, certainly also the German band “ASP,” which, in my opinion, is very skilled at telling stories through their songs, and the Finnish dark metal band “Sentenced,” which remains unmatched for me when it comes to translating pain into sound. There are certainly a number of other influences as well. But it’s never the case that I sit down intending to write a song in the style of this or that band. These influences are more like echoes or ghosts that resonate in the background when I raise my own voice.

As for books, Stephen King’s “Dark Tower” series certainly deserves a mention here. It’s also very much about longing, nostalgia for better times, and the wonders and horrors to be found in a shattered world. Added to that are the works of H.P. Lovecraft. For even though his cosmology is shaped not by longing but by fear, we’re united by the search for the unnameable. There are also classic fantasy works such as “The Lord of the Rings” or “A Song of Ice and Fire,” even if the influences here are less concrete and consist more in the fascination of discovering new, alien worlds and unraveling mysteries behind which new mysteries await.

When it comes to movies, it's hard to name specific sources of inspiration. There are quite a few TV shows, movies, and anime in which I find traces of the feeling I'm looking for.

V: 许多黑自赏乐队对逃离的表达都不尽相同。但你的“宇宙怅惘”，指向某种永远无法触及的事物，可以讲讲这其中的含义吗？

Many blackgaze bands express escapism in different ways. Your "cosmic longing" points toward something unattainable. Could you explain what this means?

C: 我认为它的独特之处在于，这是一种向内寻求的逃离，却又在外部世界中得到了映射。我本质上更倾向于不可知论者。我并不确信世上存在某种“更高力量”，尽管我也不敢断言绝无可能。但无论我们对此持何种立场，都无法否认内心深处燃烧着一种渴望——渴望发现这世上还有更多未知的存在。我们对这个世界的运作机制了如指掌——或者自以为如此。然而，在这样一个光线通透、一切都暴露无遗的“实验室”般的世界里，生活往往是一种煎熬。正因如此，我们需要故事、谜团和冒险来维系内心的光亮，让我们保持惊奇之心。因为在现实世界中，我们无法寻得这些东西。这正是它显得如此难以捉摸的原因之一。另一个原因是，即便再离奇的地点或生物，一旦我们对其过于熟悉，也会失去吸引力。唯有新鲜、神秘且未知的事物，才真正令人心潮澎湃。这种渴望既是我们的诅咒，也是上天赐予的礼物。

我们就这样度过一生。穿行于一个我们需要工作、购物、打扫居所并申报纳税的世界。这感觉就像是某种“增强现实”：在那个平庸乏味、一切都高度理性化的世界之上，叠加了一层由好奇心与想象力构成的滤镜。每一棵树后都可能藏着一个秘密；小径尽头的朦胧暗影中，或许正有一团鬼火等待着将你带离琐碎的日常；而在繁星深处，也许正静候着那处避风港——那份我们迫切需要的休憩之所——那是你自己的床榻无法给予的慰藉。

I think what makes it special is that it’s an inward escape that’s reflected in the outside world. I’m basically more of an agnostic. I don’t firmly believe that there are higher powers in this world, even though I don’t presume to rule that out. But whatever our stance on this question may be, we can’t deny that this desire burns within us. The desire that there is more out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered. We know exactly how this world is put together—or at least we think we do. But in such a well-lit laboratory, life is often a torment. That’s why we need stories, mysteries, and adventures to keep the light burning within us—to keep us in a state of wonder. Because we don’t find any of that in this world. That’s one part of what makes it so elusive. The other is that even the craziest places and creatures would lose their appeal if we knew them long enough. Only as long as something is new, mysterious, and unknown is it truly exciting. This longing is both our curse and our gift.

And so we go through life. Through a world where we work, shop, clean our apartments, and file our tax returns. It’s almost like “augmented reality.” A filter of curiosity and imagination is superimposed over a mundane and thoroughly rationalized world. A secret could be hiding behind every tree; at the end of the path, in the diffuse darkness, a will-o’-the-wisp might be waiting to whisk you away from everyday life; and up among the stars, that refuge—that much-needed respite—might be waiting, something your own bed cannot give you.

V: 你音乐里的“宇宙”并非科幻的宇宙冒险，而是凝视虚空的怅然。这种对宇宙主题的理解来源于哪里？

The "cosmos" in your music is not scifi space adventure, but the melancholy of staring into the void. Where does this understanding of cosmic themes come from?

C: 没错，这番描述真是再贴切不过了。我一直很喜欢在夏夜躺在草地上仰望星空。当然，有时难免会想到外星生命。但更令人着迷的是，这些生命——如果它们确实存在的话——或许也正凝视着那片星光点点的夜色，憧憬着一个能真正理解它们内心深处、能给感官带来愉悦挑战、并能满足其好奇心的地方。

与此同时，我发现没有什么景象能同时给人带来如此强烈的失落感与联结感。群星让你意识到，自己在宇宙中不过是一粒微小、孱弱且显得有些可笑的尘埃；然而，它们同时也彰显了你的重要意义。你身处此地，你活着，你是永恒的探索者之一。你拥有意识与想象力去追寻，并能用你的意象赋予这幅宇宙画卷以生机。你既是神明，又是微不足道的虫豸；正是这种张力，孕育了痛苦与美。

Exactly, that describes it very, very well. I’ve always loved lying down in the grass on summer nights and gazing at the stars. Of course, thoughts of alien lifeforms do cross your mind sometimes. But what’s far more fascinating is that such beings—if they exist—are probably also gazing into the starlit darkness, envisioning a place where their innermost selves are truly understood, their senses are pleasantly challenged, and their curiosity is satisfied.

At the same time, I find that there is no sight that gives you a greater sense of both loss and connection. The stars show you that you are a tiny, puny, ridiculous speck of dust in the universe. Yet at the same time, they also reveal your significance. You are here. You are alive. You are one of the explorers of eternity. You have the consciousness and imagination to seek and to bring this cosmic canvas to life with your images. You are a god and a worm, and from this tension arise both pain and beauty.

V: Yvonne参与了专辑人声录制，你们在工作中是怎样合作的？她的人声赋予曲目怎样不同的情绪重量？

Yvonne contributed vocals on this album. How did you collaborate during the creation process? What kind of emotional weight does her voice bring to the tracks?

C: Yvonne 本身就是一位资深音乐人，曾在管弦乐团演奏多年。她对音乐效果有着敏锐的判断力，总能就如何完善粗略的构思提出建议。在创作曲目"Ruf aus dem Moor"时，我需要一种能体现沼泽生物诱惑力的声音，而她的嗓音恰好完美契合这一需求。我相信，在我目前正在筹备的下一张专辑中，她会再次与我携手合作。

Yvonne has been a musician herself for a long time and played in an orchestra for many years. She always has a good ear for whether something works or not, and she often has suggestions on how to perfect rough ideas. For the track “Ruf aus dem Moor,” I also wanted a voice that represented the temptations of the creatures from the moor, and her voice was perfect for that. I think she’ll be by my side again on the next album, which I’m already working on.

V: 下一步你的创作会如何进行？有没有想要探索的全新主题？

What are your plans for future creations? Are there any brandnew themes you wish to explore?

C: 歌曲"Sterngeborgen"的歌词版MV即将发布。此外，新专辑的创作工作也正如火如荼地进行，前三首歌曲的初稿已经完成。在主题方面，目前的这些歌曲探讨了身处尘世时因自身局限而产生的痛苦，采用了某种神秘存在审视我们世界的视角，并试图与内心的梦魇和解。至于后续走向，尚待分晓；我很期待看到这一切将如何展开。无论如何，新专辑的首支单曲目前定于一月发行。

A lyric video for the song “Sterngeborgen” will be released soon. In addition, the songwriting process for the new album is already in full swing, and the rough drafts for the first three songs are already complete. Thematically, the songs so far deal with the pain of one’s own limitations in this world, adopting the perspective of mystical beings on our world, and making peace with one’s own nightmares. Everything else remains to be seen. I’m excited to see how it all unfolds. In any case, the first single from the upcoming album is currently scheduled for release in January.

V: 我很好奇你所描绘的逃离，终点究竟是什么，可以谈论一下吗？

I’m curious, what exactly is the destination of the escape you depict? Could you talk about it?

C: 正如我此前所暗示的，或许根本就没有所谓的“终点”。旅途中只有一个个可以驻足惊叹的阶段。毕竟，我们不过是受重力束缚、有血有肉的凡人，而非在多元宇宙间自由飘荡的空灵之魂。即便我们真是那样，恐怕也找不到一个能让渴望彻底平息的终点——因为那样的终点，无异于死亡。这场旅程永无止境；它只有休憩与方向，却无最终归宿。然而，我们可以选择如何去体验它：既可以将其视为一场沉闷乏味的煎熬，也可以透过仰望星空时那份苦乐参半的痛楚，去领略其中的况味。

As I hinted at earlier, there may be no final destination. There are only stages along the way where we can pause and marvel. After all, we are merely mortal, sentient beings of flesh, bound by gravity, and not ethereal spirit beings floating freely through the multiverse. But even if we were, there would likely be no endpoint at which our longing would cease. That would simply be death. This journey is endless; it knows only rest and direction, no final goal. But we can experience it as a dull ordeal or through the lens of the bittersweet pain that gazing at the stars bestows upon us.

V: 非常优秀的自赏黑项目！我会持续关注并支持Sternweh，希望通过本次采访可以给你带来更多听众，最后有什么想对读者说的吗？

It is such an excellent blackgaze project! I will keep following and supporting Sternweh. I hope this interview brings you more listeners. Lastly, is there anything you would like to say to the readers?

C: 非常、非常感谢。这让我感到无比快乐。能回答这些极其有趣的问题，我深感荣幸。我还想与读者分享一点：请尽情享受这段旅程，如果条件允许，尽量不要独自前行；用你内心世界里充满创意的光影变幻，去点亮每一条幽暗的街道。而如果你想在旅途中聆听音乐，Sternweh随时陪伴着你。

Thank you so, so much. That makes me extremely happy. It was a pleasure to answer these incredibly interesting questions. One more thing I’d like to share with readers: Enjoy this journey as much as you can, don’t go alone if you can help it, and fill every dark street with the creative shadow plays of your inner worlds. And if you’d like to listen to some music along the way, Sternweh is here for you.