"There's no boundaries with PAIN. I just get an interesting idea for a song and along the way it can turn into anything. Sometimes, I also like to deliberately surprise people by following an exciting musical path where unexpected things happen," Peter describes.

"If I had one big goal this time, it was to add more intensity and edge to the songs. "Coming Home" turned out great, but looking back now, I was maybe a little too deep into my 'David Bowie worship' with the orchestral stuff and the acoustic guitars. This time around, I definitely wanted more tempo, aggressiveness, and an industrial atmosphere. Going back towards the old times of PAIN? Maybe a bit..."

He continues, "I Am is also more of a family affair than ever before. My son Sebastian, also a PAIN drummer, wrote the music of "Revolution" and "Don't Wake the Dead". These absorbing songs add width to an already versatile album. All in all, completing I Am required a lot of composing, writing, thinking, experimenting, doing, and re-doing. It was a long and sometimes challenging process, but never painful!"

Speaking of surprises... What song will give fans the biggest wow effect this time?

"It must be "Go With the Flow". I dare to insist that when it starts rolling, even the deep connoisseurs of PAIN music are wondering what the heck is going on here. I would say it's my 'DEPECHE MODE in the 80s' song," Peter laughs. "Lyrically, "Go With the Flow" represents a slightly brighter moment in the darkness. I always tend to think that everything is going to hell, but with this song I tell myself, 'Come on dude, let things be for once and go with the flow.'"

There may be these rare rays of light from the beacon, but darkness still prevails.

"The album's title track starts with the line 'There's no hope in the valley of death.' And if I look at the lyrics, I could dig up a lot other examples of similar sinister moods. But hey, a sarcastic guy like me and such gloomy times we live in... Are you expecting some sunny faces here? Well, sunny or not, PAIN is going to be busy for the foreseeable future. There will be a lot of touring to support the record - summer festivals, extensive tours here and there, and more," Peter says.

He finishes, "And what about the future anyway? Ask me again in eight years and there have been a few studio albums from different bands, a lot of gigs and something else. Yes, I am what I Am..."