Category: News

(English below)

Nog meer winnaars van de Metal Battle Voorrondes! Dit keer de band ‘A Part Of The Problem’, die het won van Cannibalistiq Sqvirrel, Shoot the Messiah en One Remains. Ze bestaan nog niet zo lang, dus wij gingen op onderzoek. 

Gefeliciteerd met jullie winst! Hoe voelt dat? 

De winst voelt nogsteeds onwerkelijk omdat wij niet verwacht hadden dat we zouden winnen van zulke goede concurrentie. Maar we zijn natuurlijk enorm trots en blij dat we door zijn!

Voor degene die jullie nog niet kennen: wie zijn jullie en wat doen jullie? 

Hey! Wij zijn A Part Of The Problem, een core band uit Ede die onze passie voor herrie gevonden heeft. We terroriseren lokale venues met onze harde riffs en smerige breakdowns en we bouwen feestjes als emotionele uitlaatklep. Wij bestaan nu uit 5 leden, Daniël (19J), Jesse (18J), Joël (25J), Vigo (20J) en Niels (23J). We maken muziek die een combinatie is van metalcore, deathcore en hardcore-punk met vleugjes andere subgenres er bij gemixt.

Volgens mij zijn jullie in deze formatie relatief nieuw. Kunnen jullie iets zeggen over hoe jullie bij elkaar gekomen zijn?

We komen allemaal van origine uit Ede en omgeving. We hebben elkaar de afgelopen 3/4 jaar leren kennen, deels via via en deels via poppodium Astrant in Ede. A Part Of The Problem bestaat sinds 2020. De huidige formatie bestaat sinds oktober 2023 met als laatste aanwinst Joël op de rhytm guitar.

Ik lees online dat jullie meerdere ‘core’ genres mixen, maar ik hoor toch ook wel technical deathmetal invloeden terugkomen. Door welke bands zijn jullie geinspireerd. 

Leuke vraag! Het meeste van onze muziek wordt geschreven in samenwerking met, of alleen door onze gitarist Jesse. De eerdere nummers heeft hij zelfs geschreven toen hij 15/16 jaar oud was. We zijn zelf met name geïnspireerd door bands zoals Wage War, Knocked Loose, Chelsea Grin, Boundaries, Parkway Drive en Paleface.

Onze muziekstijl maakt echter binnen de metal subgenres bijna dagelijks een 180 graden twist.

Was Estrado een van jullie grotere optredens of zijn jullie gewend om al op grotere podia te staan? (En hoe was het om daar te spelen?)

Estrado was een super leuke zaal voor ons om op te treden! Het geluid was echt super en het was allemaal tot in de puntjes geregeld door de staff van de metal battle en van Estrado! Eerder hebben we in 2021 geopend voor Kabaal Am Gemaal in Wageningen, wat ook een super grote show was en we hebben in Astrant in Ede ook vaker hele gevulde zalen gehad maar het blijft enorm vet om voor zo’n grote zaal te mogen spelen!

Stel dat jullie niet gewonnen hadden, wie had er volgens jullie dan moeten winnen? 

We hadden zelf van tevoren echt niet gedacht dat we uberhaupt kans maakten om te winnen doordat het niveau echt heel hoog lag. Een band als Shoot The Messiah gaat al jaren mee en zet een dijk van een show neer. De vocals van de zangeres van One Remains zijn ook echt ongeëvenaard en Canniballistic Sqvirrell zet ook een enorm vette show neer met aankleding en alles er bij! Altijd super vet om te mogen spelen met andere getalenteerde bands en om daarvan uitgekozen te worden, blijft nog steeds niet te geloven!

Wat kunnen we van jullie verwachten tijdens de halve finale? 

Wij kregen als compliment van de jury dat wij een “maniacale” podium aanwezigheid hadden. Hier gaan wij extra op inzetten 😉

Reken op heavy breakdowns, moshpits, enorm veel energie en een te gekke avond!!!

Je vind A Part Of The Problem hier. 

More winners from the Metal Battle Preliminaries! This time the band ‘A Part Of The Problem’, who won against Cannibalistiq Sqvirrel, Shoot the Messiah, and One Remains. They haven’t been around for long, so we went to investigate.

Congratulations on your win! How does it feel?

The win still feels surreal because we didn’t expect to beat such tough competition. But of course, we’re extremely proud and happy that we made it through!

For those who don’t know you yet: who are you and what do you do?

Hey! We’re A Part Of The Problem, a core band from Ede who has found our passion for noise. We terrorize local venues with our heavy riffs and filthy breakdowns, and we throw parties as an emotional outlet. We currently consist of 5 members, Daniël (19), Jesse (18), Joël (25), Vigo (20), and Niels (23). We make music that’s a combination of metalcore, deathcore, and hardcore-punk with hints of other subgenres mixed in.

I gather you’re relatively new in this lineup. Can you tell us how you came together?

We’re all originally from Ede and the surrounding area. We’ve gotten to know each other over the past 3/4 years, partly through mutual acquaintances and partly through the pop venue Astrant in Ede. A Part Of The Problem has been around since 2020. The current lineup has been together since October 2023, with Joël being the latest addition on rhythm guitar.

I read online that you mix multiple ‘core’ genres, but I also hear some technical death metal influences. Which bands inspire you?

Great question! Most of our music is written in collaboration with, or solely by, our guitarist Jesse. He even wrote some of the earlier songs when he was 15/16 years old. We’re particularly inspired by bands like Wage War, Knocked Loose, Chelsea Grin, Boundaries, Parkway Drive, and Paleface. However, our music style almost takes a 180-degree twist within the metal subgenres on a daily basis.

Was Estrado one of your bigger gigs, or are you used to playing on larger stages? (And how was it to play there?)

Estrado was a super fun venue for us to play at! The sound was really great, and everything was arranged to perfection by the staff of the metal battle and Estrado! Previously, we opened for Kabaal Am Gemaal in Wageningen in 2021, which was also a super big show, and we’ve had packed venues at Astrant in Ede as well. But it’s always awesome to play for such a large crowd!

Suppose you hadn’t won, who do you think should have won?

We really didn’t think we had a chance to win beforehand because the level of competition was really high. A band like Shoot The Messiah has been around for years and puts on an amazing show. The vocals of the singer from One Remains are also truly unmatched, and Canniballistic Sqvirrell also puts on an incredibly cool show with props and everything! It’s always super cool to play with other talented bands, and to be chosen from among them is still unbelievable!

What can we expect from you during the semi-finals?

We were complimented by the judges for having a “maniacal” stage presence. We’re going to focus on that even more 😉 Expect heavy breakdowns, mosh pits, loads of energy, and an awesome evening!!!

(English below)

Obstruktor is een soort local legend in de regio, dus we waren niet verrast dat deze band de overwinning in de wacht sleepte, ook al was de concurrentie sterk. Laten we deze feestband wat beter leren kennen voordat ze optreden in Baroeg!

A while ago during The Metal Jam presents, we sat down with None Shall Fall to get to know the band a little better. None Shall Fall has been around for 14 years and have played gigs all over. Later this year the band is releasing a new EP. We talked about their journey so far, the upcoming EP and of course tour stories… which you might not want to hear. Or, want to hear again. Because it’s such an epic story, we’ve made a separate video just for the legend of Goulash. Of course, you can see the rest of the interview as a video on our Youtube as well. Eet smakelijk!

For those who don’t know you yet; who are you and what do you do?

Maarten: “We are None Shall Fall, we are from the Netherlands. We are from Bakkum, Castricum, Alkmaar, all over the place. We’ve been in existence for almost 14 years, I think 14 years this year. And we play hardcore, metal, punk, kind of a combination. I think lately it’s been more metal. Trash. A lot has been thrash lately. We’ve been playing faster and faster lately.”
Pieter: “We kinda play whatever genre we like.”

So who’s in the band?

Lucas: “So Lucas, originally from Brazil, I’ve been living in the Netherlands for about 8 years. I’ve met this guy 4 or 5 years ago. And since then we are rocking. I play guitar.
Maarten: “I play guitar and do backing vocals”.
Marijn: “I’m the best bass player in None Shall Fall so I play bass. And I joined around the time Lucas joined as well, so 4 or 5 years ago.
Pieter: “ I’m Pieter, the singer, and also the merch slut, the gear slut, the slut in general haha.

How has the journey of None Shall Fall been so far? You have been around for quite some time!

Maarten: “Originally Pieter and myself about 22 years ago were in a previous band. At one point that broke up, in a practise space called Decibel in Haarlem. And we met our drummer Eric in that practise space, and he auditioned and we started with the three of us. We had original members who became parents and they left, but luckily we met Lucas and Marijn.

Hardcore generally carries a very clear message in its lyrics. What message do you want to convey on stage?

Maarten: “It boils down to PMA: Positive Mental Attitude. Whether you make hardcore, punkrock, thrash, doom metal, death metal, or any kind of music. Just a Positive Mental Attitude. The lyrics are grabbed from life. I think I wrote all the lyrics. Pieter wrote one song. That’s the coolest song by the way, that’s about us being on the road, which is awesome. It’s just about us being on the road, having fun. We tour a lot in Europe, mainly Eastern Europe. We’ve gathered quiet a following in the Czech Republic. So yeah, positive message, having fun on stage while acting like tough dudes while we’re actually pussy’s.

Do you also believe that as a band you should contribute to the public debate? Think, for example, about a stance on equality or discrimination.

Maarten: “We have a song called greatest war of minds. Which is by the way a theory derived from Mathama Ghandi. Basically he fought a war with dialogue instead of physical violence. So yeah, that’s quiet political. You know, we’re against all war, all oppression, all sexism, all kinds of racsicm. We’re against everything that is negative. And we wish everybody would just get the fuck along.

You released an EP in 2015 and then came out with a new single in 2021. Actually, we expected more new work from you after 2015. Is there more coming? Why didn’t that happen back then?

Maarten: “The other two bandmembers quit so we kind of came to a standstill. And then covid happened. These guys joined us, we started writing again. Wrote a new single, called ‘Trapped inside’. Lucas wrote all the music, I wrote all the lyrics. But we just came from the studio, and we recorded five brand new songs. So there’s gonna be new shit coming out. I think in about a month, we just approved the artwork. In about a month we’ll be releasing our first single, “Lie of Ommision”. Which is a song about kind of, omitting to, stepping over things you normally wouldn’t step over. Like all the shit that happens in your life. Still a positive message but quiet dark. And then the second single will be another one, we don’t know yet which one. And after we will release the full EP. Probably within the next 6 months I guess.

What can we expect from the new EP?

Marijn: “We stepped up our game regarding the production. We worked together with a couple of friends of ours for the mix, the master, the recording. So productionwise it should be a big step up. The songs themselves are groovy, catchy, thrashy, and hardcore like the perfect None Shall Fall mix.

In the interview I asked the band for a tour story. It’s such an epic tale that it deserved it’s own video, so just check that story here.

You’ve been touring all over Europe. Where is the metalscene the most fun?

Maarten: “Czech Repulic. We’ve been touring the Czech republic from day one because we met a couple of guys from Born Again, a deathcore band back then, and they kept us touring, they kept giving us shows. We work a lot with Matti, the singer from Gutalax, a grindcore band. And he books us still for hardcore shows, metalcore shows. And everywhere. So that’s just really fun. We love other countries as well. But somehow we go back to the Czech Republic.

Do your colleagues know that you are in a hardcore band? What do they think about it?

Maarten: ”Up until I think last wednesday, I think, most of them didn’t know at work. Some of them do, some don’t. I don’t know.”
Pieter: “ My family knows that I’m doing this and they all love it, because I’m happy doing it. But some people, my neighbours, they don’t know. They see me in black and sometimes they see me with their band gear. And sometimes they ask and I let them hear our stuff and they’re like, oh jesus, that’s, something different haha. We didn’t know that. And that’s really funny haha.
Marijn: “Yeah for me it’s basically the same. All of my friends do know that I play in metalbands. Most of my colleagues don’t, because I tend to keep my work and private life separated.
Lucas: “Yeah for me kinda the same. Most of them don’t know, but at work we have this metalheads group in the communication channels of the company. The right people who need to know, they know.

Thanks a lot None Shall Fall for taking the time to do this interview, and we’ll be looking out for new music!

You can find None Shall Fall on Facebook, our database and check them out on Spotify.

(Dutch below)

Neverus battled it out in the preliminary Wacken Metal Battle Noord Brabant against Sapphyr, Dodentocht and Everything Decays. After releasing a very successful debut album last year, they are now advancing to the semi-finals later this year, and competing for a spot at Wacken Open Air. We asked the band some questions to get to know them better.

(English below)

I’ll Get By, Titan, Canyon Literature en Domspringer stonden afgelopen donderdag in Utrecht tegenover elkaar in de Utrechtse voorronde van de Wacken Metal Battle. I’ll Get By ging er met de winst vandoor, dus stelde we de band wat vragen om ze beter te leren kennen!

Gefeliciteerd met jullie winst! Hoe voelt dat?

Voelt zo goed! We zijn enorm tevreden met de show en hoe we deze hebben gespeeld.

Voor degene die jullie nog niet kennen: wie zijn jullie en wat doen jullie?

Wij zijn I’ll Get By een Melodic hardcore/ metalcore band uit Utrecht. De band bestaat uit Ward Fierst (Vocals), Wessel van der Spek (Gitaar), Jerry Klein (Gitaar), Joost Lammers (Drums) & Marijn Borsboom (Basgitaar).

Wat zijn jullie inspiratiebronnen?

We houden allemaal gezamenlijk van progressieve/ technische bands maar het verschil ligt in het genre: Joost bijvoorbeeld houd enorm van bands zoals (Periphery, Fallujah etc.) maar Wessel Marijn en Jerry houden meer van rauwere Post Hardcore/ Melodic Hardcore (Defeater, Touche Amore) en Ward is meer van de pop punk/ emo (The Story So Far, Hot Mulligan, Neck Deep) maar onze grootste inspiratie is de band Countertparts specifieker het album “Tragedy Will Find Us”.

Het was een leuk feestje in Utrecht. Jullie kregen het publiek ook goed mee. Lukt dat ook als je straks misschien wat minder fans in het publiek hebt? Of krijg je jullie fans ook zo gek om voor de (halve) finale het hele land door te rijden?

Het leuke aan shows waar we het halve land voor door rijden is niet weten wat je treft. Wij zullen hoe dan ook onze 100% geven en genieten van elke seconde op het podium. Dat is de kracht van I’ll Get By: waar we ook spelen je bent welkom zo gek te doen als je wilt, te zijn wie je wilt zijn en jezelf te uiten hoe je jezelf wilt uiten. Want weet dat wij dat ook doen.

Wat vinden jullie van de andere bands die meedoen met de voorrondes? Zitten er nog bands tussen die we volgens jullie in de gaten moeten houden?

Het is gaaf om zoveel diverse bands te zien in een line-up en in onze ogen had elke band evenveel kans om te winnen. Canyon Literature speelde een brute show weg voor een 2de optreden. En heel veel respect naar Domspringer om als bassist zo goed de rol over te nemen van een frontman en zo’n vette set te spelen. En Titan ook een bizar gave set met drie zangers waaronder de drummer?! Heel vet. Kortweg hou ze allemaal in de gaten!!

Stel dat jullie niet gewonnen hadden, wie had er volgens jullie dan moeten winnen?

De jury heeft het zelf goed gezegd de avond van de metal battle. Het kaliber lag erg hoog en het is een keuze die wij niet hadden kunnen maken.

Wat kunnen we van jullie verwachten tijdens de halve finale?

Zoals ik al zei een show waar we hoe dan ook 100% zullen geven en misschien wel een nieuw nummer… we will see.

Check I’ll Get By op Facebook en natuurlijk op Spotify.

English version

I’ll Get By, Titan, Canyon Literature, and Domspringer faced off against each other last Thursday in Utrecht in the Utrecht preliminary round of the Wacken Metal Battle. I’ll Get By emerged victorious, so we asked the band some questions to get to know them better!

Congratulations on your win! How does it feel?

It feels amazing! We’re extremely satisfied with the show and how we performed.

For those who don’t know you yet: who are you and what do you do?

We are I’ll Get By, a Melodic hardcore/metalcore band from Utrecht. The band consists of Ward Fierst (Vocals), Wessel van der Spek (Guitar), Jerry Klein (Guitar), Joost Lammers (Drums), and Marijn Borsboom (Bass guitar).

What are your sources of inspiration?

We all collectively love progressive/technical bands, but the difference lies in the genre: for example, Joost really likes bands like (Periphery, Fallujah, etc.), but Wessel, Marijn, and Jerry prefer rougher Post Hardcore/Melodic Hardcore (Defeater, Touche Amore), and Ward is more into pop punk/emo (The Story So Far, Hot Mulligan, Neck Deep), but our biggest inspiration is the band Counterparts, specifically the album “Tragedy Will Find Us”.

It was a fun party in Utrecht. You also got the audience going well. Will you be able to do that even if you might have fewer fans in the audience later on? Or can you also get your fans excited to travel across the country for the (semi) final?

The fun part about shows where we travel halfway across the country is not knowing what to expect. We will give our 100% no matter what and enjoy every second on stage. That’s the power of I’ll Get By: wherever we play, you are welcome to be as crazy as you want, to be who you want to be, and to express yourself however you want to express yourself. Because know that we do too.

What do you think of the other bands participating in the preliminaries? Are there any bands that you think we should keep an eye on?

It’s cool to see so many diverse bands in a lineup, and in our opinion, every band had an equal chance of winning. Canyon Literature put on a brutal show for a second performance. And much respect to Domspringer for taking on the role of a frontman as a bassist and playing such a cool set. And Titan also had an insanely cool set with three singers, including the drummer?! Very cool. In short, keep an eye on all of them!

If you hadn’t won, who do you think should have won?

The jury themselves said it well on the night of the metal battle. The caliber was very high, and it’s a choice we couldn’t have made.

What can we expect from you during the semi-final?

As I said, a show where we will give 100% no matter what, and maybe even a new song… we will see.

You can find I’ll Get By on Facebook and of course on Spotify.