#Interview with Mike Heß about Last Cathedral Records (Germany)
Interview conducted by Sílvia
You probably know Mike Heß (pronounced as “Hess”) as the skilled musician and mastermind behind Tales of Mike, a band that mixes dark tunes with strong rhythms, has touching lyrics, and infuses all their music with overflowing emotion. In this interview, I talk with Mike about another topic: Last Cathedral Records, a project that he started for a very noble cause. Let’s know what this is all about.
Hi Mike, thank you for doing this interview. Besides your musical path with Tales of Mike, you’ve recently launched a new project, Last Cathedral Records. This is not an ordinary label, right? Can you explain what it is about?
First of all, thank you for the invitation.
You’re right – Last Cathedral Records is not a traditional record label. At the moment, I see it more as a DIY platform for doom metal samplers and other atmospheric styles.
The idea behind Last Cathedral Records is to bring doom metal bands from all over the world together and create releases where the songs work together musically and atmospherically. I want every sampler to have its own feeling and not just be a random collection of tracks.
The charitable side of the project is very important to me personally. The idea of combining music with helping others has been with me since the early days of Tales of Mike. With Last Cathedral Records, I finally have the opportunity to bring this idea to life.
My role is to put the samplers together, bring the bands together, and create releases that can hopefully support both the bands and a good cause.
Right now, my focus is completely on the sampler series. Where Last Cathedral Records will go in the future remains open. I don’t want to force it into a certain direction. I would rather let it grow naturally and see where it takes me.
How did you come up with the idea of starting this?
The idea of doing something in the field of promotion for bands had actually been in my mind for quite some time. I kept thinking about which direction I could take, but I wasn’t really sure yet what it could look like.
For several years, I’ve been running a doom metal playlist on Spotify where I regularly add songs from bands I discover. At some point, I had the idea of combining these two things: the playlist and supporting bands through promotion. For me, Last Cathedral Records was a natural development of something I had already been doing with the playlist.
I simply wanted to do more for the artists and give them another opportunity to reach new listeners. When I started working on the first sampler, I was honestly speechless about how many bands agreed to be part of it right away – even though there was no artwork yet and they didn’t know the other bands involved.
That showed me that there was real interest in this idea, and it gave me even more motivation to continue with Last Cathedral Records.
Are there more people involved in Last Cathedral Records? Do you have some collaborators?
The sampler selection and the whole process around it is something I do on my own. It involves a lot of listening to music, discovering bands, getting in touch with artists and sometimes also contacting labels.
For the artwork, I work with the amazing graphic designer Nicole Dau, who has already created several designs for Tales of Mike. I’m very happy to have her involved because she really understands the atmosphere behind my projects.
This is a very noble act. When did you know about nina+nico e.V. organization and the work they do? Maybe you know personally the people behind it?
Nina + nico e.V. has been around for over 30 years. They are based in Gummersbach, which is close to where I live, so I had heard the name before. But I only really started to look into their work when I was searching for an organization for the donations.
I contacted them and explained my idea and Last Cathedral Records. I liked them immediately because of their way of thinking and the way they approach their work.
We agreed that there will be an official donation handover at the end of the year. They would like to meet me in person, and I think that is important because it is not only about the donation for me, but also about the connection with the people behind the organization.
I need to ask… Why doom metal? What does this genre convey to you?
For me, doom metal has a very special atmosphere. A sad doom song can create such a special mood. There is a strange kind of happiness I only find in sad songs.
I think that is the magic of doom metal for me.
Of course, there are many different styles within doom metal. That is also the challenge with the samplers – to bring different sides of the genre together, from epic doom to death doom, funeral doom and other atmospheric styles, and create something that feels right as a whole.
And, why did you choose the name of “Last Cathedral” for this?
I spent many years in a Catholic orphanage. The experiences I had there changed the way I see the church as an institution.
That doesn’t mean I don’t believe in God. But after going through something like this, it is hard to trust the people who were supposed to protect you.
For me, “Last Cathedral” is a symbol of that feeling.
Not only one, but two compilations you have done so far: “The Silent Remains” and “The Final Witness”, released in May and June 2026 respectively. What is your criteria for selecting the bands and the songs you want to include in these albums? Must be a hard task…
The bands come from different places. Some of them I already know from my own Spotify playlist, where I have been collecting doom metal bands and adding new songs regularly for years. At the same time, I’m always looking for new underground bands to discover.
When it comes to the selection, it is important to me that the songs work together and that the sampler feels like a complete journey. I try to bring different sides of doom metal together – from epic doom to death doom, funeral doom, and other atmospheric styles.
Of course, the bands also have to want to be part of the project. That’s why I’m really happy that so many bands have supported the idea and joined the samplers.
How’s been the response of the bands once you contact them and explain your project?
The reactions from the bands have been really positive. Many bands also wrote to me about the donation and said that they really liked the idea behind it.
For me, it was great to see that it is not only about the music, but also about doing something good through the project.
And how is it the public response being to your initiative?
The response so far has been very positive. I have received a lot of positive feedback from people who discovered the project, especially through social media and from doom metal fans.
There have also already been some articles in the regional press and online magazines, which I was really happy about. It means a lot to me that with Last Cathedral Records I can also contribute to helping people here in my own region.
Are you thinking of doing more compilations of this kind and for this cause?
Yes, definitely. The third sampler is already put together and is expected to be released at the beginning of next month. Work on further samplers is already underway.
My original plan at the beginning was to release around four samplers per year. How this will develop in the future remains to be seen.
I think that we must be thankful that organizations like nina+nico exist, as they give support and help to many victims. But, if we think about it, they exist because there are certain people who perpetrate violence against others, which is utterly infamous… What’s this big duality, in which there are despicable people acting that bad, and humans with a big heart willing to help others?
I think it is hard to understand why some people hurt others, but it also shows that there are people who care and want to help.
From my own experience, I know how important it is to have someone there when you are going through a difficult time. As a child, I would have been grateful to have someone like that. Even though I have learned to deal with many things better over the years, these experiences stay with you.
For me, the work that nina + nico and other organizations do is very important. Sometimes people just need someone who listens and is there for them.
Taking a look at how society was many years ago, and how it is nowadays… Big technological and knowledge advances, but repeating the same mistakes and making some new ones as decades go by… Do you think that we can dream about the world being a safe place some day? And in your opinion, what kind of actions should be taken to change things?
I think we can wish for a better world, but I don’t think there will ever be a completely safe world. Unfortunately, there will always be people who hurt others for different reasons. Sometimes just because someone is different or because they don’t accept that person.
But that doesn’t mean we cannot change things. We can have more respect for each other. Many problems start when people lose respect for others. We need to look closer and not leave people alone when they need help.
From my own experience, I know how important it is to have someone there for you.
I won’t let you go without asking about your band. How are things with Tales of Mike nowadays? Is there some new music on the horizon? I guess it’s extremely difficult to think of live gigs… or, who knows?
We are currently working on the second album. Gonzalo has started recording the vocals for the first single, and I think the song will be released in autumn. If everything goes well, the album should follow next year.
At the moment, Tales of Mike is a studio project, and it will probably stay that way. But I don’t want to completely rule anything out. You never really know what can happen in life.
How proud are you of your journey in the music scene to this day?
I think I can say that I’m proud of something very special: that my daughter Shannon is part of this journey. The fact that we can create something together and that she writes the lyrics means a lot to me. It makes this whole thing even more special for me.
Music has always been something very personal to me. It helped me through many things, and I’m grateful that I can still make music and share this with the people I love.
What’s something you dream about that isn’t related to music? If you don’t mind sharing.
I’m grateful for what I have. I just hope that I stay healthy and that the people I love stay healthy too. That’s what is important to me.
Many thanks for your time, Mike. Is there anything more you want to say to our readers?
First of all, thank you Sílvia for giving me the opportunity to talk about my music and Last Cathedral Records. Thank you to everyone who follows the project and supports the bands.
Music has always been an important part of my life. I’m grateful that I can still be part of it and use Last Cathedral Records to support bands and a good cause.
Interview by Sílvia
Check Last Cathedral Records for a great compilation of doom metal songs, and you can also check nina+nico e.V. organization. Support the underground, support the good causes.
Last Cathedral Records
Website
Instagram
Facebook
Bandcamp
Youtube
nina+nico e.V.
Website
Instagram
Tales of Mike (Mike Heß band)
Instagram
Facebook
Bandcamp
Youtube
Spotify
**Please support the underground! It’s vital to the future of our genre.**
#WeAreBlessedAltarZine
#TheZineSupportingTheUnderground
