“We decided to have the music more energetic and with more heavy metal vibes” – interview with Motorjesus

The German heavy rock band Motorjesus is currently preparing to release their eighth full-length album, “Streets of Fire.” Chaoszine spoke with the band’s vocalist, Chris Birx, about the new album as well as the origins of the band’s name.

Greetings, Motorjesus! How are you doing and who will be answering to our questions?

Chris Birx: Hey thanks a lot for the Interview and we are currently pretty excited to got a few singles out
and the Reviews are pretty good so far.

Your new album “Streets of Fire” will be out July 18th. What can we expect from the album?

Chris: Well I think we are pretty much staying true to the direction we embarked on with the “Hellbreaker” record. We decided to have the music more energetic and with more heavy metal vibes. I think we accomplished that what we had in mind.

You’ve already released few singles from the upcoming album. What has the feedback been like so far?

Chris: Yeah the reviews are pretty good so far, we really can’t complain here. Especially in Germany and France people really seem to like the stuff on “Streets of Fire”. Great reviews and feedback so far.

How did the writing and recording processes go? Did you try anything new, or have you found a good formula you tend to stick to?

Chris: We did the recordings in a pretty busy time schedule. We had a lot of festivals and shows in 2024 and we did the recordings in between. That turned out a bit too stressful. Next time we will take more time. Apart from that we stuck to our common recording methods in our home recording studio. It worked out pretty well apart from the busy schedule.

How does the songwriting typically work within the band? Is it a collaborative effort, or do specific members take the lead on lyrics or arrangements?

Chris : Well we work in different constellations on the songwriting. Sometimes we work together in our rehearsal room. Sometimes just with two people. Sometimes on the internet via skype or Zoom and sometimes in our home recording studio. It depends on time and effort. But its all working for us and it was fun to do.

Your band name is quite striking and memorable. What’s the story behind the name “Motorjesus”?

Chris: Motorjesus was foremost a songtitle from our debut album “dirty pounding gasoline” from 2004. The old band name was THE SHITHEADZ back in the day. We decided to rename the band in 2006. “Motorjesus” was a song about TV Preachers who are pulling up these big shows in the USA television. The theme of the song was similar to “Jesus he knows me” from Genesis. We then decided to take the name to have a link to our past with the first album. But we are not really religious.

What would you say has been some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a band, and how have those experiences helped you grow both musically and personally?

Chris: Oh I think every line-up change is always a big challenge to find fitting new people and to move forward. It’s always tricky to find the right human beings that fit musically but also character wise.

What does your tour calendar look like at the moment? Any shows coming up?

Chris: Yeah we will do a few summer festivals mainly in Germany, before we will start our headlining tour for the album in September. We are really looking forward to that one.

What’s next for Motorjesus? Do you have any future plans or dreams you can share with us?

Chris: Sadly the album got postponed so the release is set for July 18th now. We are currently preparing the new songs for our live set. But we are also working on new material already. Maybe for an EP or a smaller release next year. Theres always enough to do :)

Thank you for your time! Would you like to add something for your fans and Chaoszine’s readers?

Chris: Thanks for the interview and we really hope to come over for some shows to Finland. Would be mega awesome! Check out the album “Streets of Fire” if you like! Thanks a lot!