Outside of all his musical achievements, Triptykon’s Thomas Gabriel Fischer has managed to forge a more stable life for himself. Following a tricky divorce in 2004 the front man has formed a new group, got engaged to girlfriend Corinne Kühne and seems more at peace with himself than ever. The calm yet driven figure is certainly a world away from the demon with the kohl smeared eyes and rasping vocals which is unleashed upon the stage. In spite of all this positivity, Fischer experienced a tragedy in the death of his mentor, the great artist H.R. Giger, famed for his work inspiring the Alien movies. Visibly moved by the mention of Giger’s name, he recounts the influence the artist had upon him. “I am now assisting his widow who is managing his estate. I am still working for the museum, his sculptures are being manufactured and there was a documentary film which was released about him recently. His death was a great tragedy and I miss him very much. I am close to his circle of friends and I was honoured when they asked me to stay on after his passing. His absence is felt every day and I feel his presence even though I know he is gone. A lot of people know him for Alien, but that was just a fraction of his personality. He was a very generous and warm hearted person and you could talk about him about any topic. He was a very inspiring person. He was very shy and uncomfortable with the honours people bestowed upon him. I had to tell him what he meant to me and what he did for Celtic Frost and Triptykon.”

Looking to the future, while Fischer seems very comfortable with his own mortality, he intends to forge ahead with Triptykon’s work. “I see us all as perishing goods. I don’t feel it is so important that I make my mark on the world before I go. Should I live long enough I will make many more albums. I am writing the new material now and have a very definite idea of how I want it to sound. I started writing it six months ago and H.R. Giger and I worked on the album cover when he was still alive. I am honoured that this album will be the last to feature a cover by H.R. Giger! The new album will be more straightforward than Melana…. more raw and crunchy. I have always wanted to make the album that Hellhammer have never done. I am not sure if that is possible with Triptykon but let’s see what we can do!”

Tom is often portrayed by the media as being a shadowy, bleak figure yet behind this façade lurks a sense of black humour which has clearly seen him through the dark times. When describing his future plans, Fischer is keen to point out he has achieved all he could dream of in music but it is clear that the dark riff lord’s work is far from over. “Spring will be spent rehearsing in earnest. If I die before the next albums are released then my fellow young musicians will get rich beyond their wildest dreams! Century Media are always asking me to promote the record but my death would be perfect! We could put out a boxset with my ashes inside! We could pulverize the remainder of my diabetes medicine and include that too. Sooner or later it will end but if I am here we will do more albums. I detest the capitalist culture and greed that has harmed this planet. I am grateful I have got to make thirteen albums and tour the world. To want more would be egotistical.”

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WORDS BY ROSS BAKER