Intumescence Mp3 Sample: "Cerebral Meltdown"
Live Video: http://www.stillonline.be/
Website: http://www.angelfire.com/band/intumescence
Hey, thanks for answering these questions! First can you quickly sum up how Intumescence got started and introduce the band members? What other bands/projects are and have you been part of?
M: Intumescence is: Rob- guitars, Helmich- bass, Rogier- vocals, Maarten- drums. Rob started the band with Rogier in 2000, Rogier on drums and both did vocals. After a few months I met Rogier at a napalm Death show and he asked me right away to come and check them out, and a week later I joined the band. Rogier played bass then, but he always wanted to just sing. After he joined LDOH as a bassplayer it became too much for him and we asked my brother to play bass with us and he did.
We've all done solo projects, but I think the ones Rogier did are most known, like Tumour and Carnival of Carnage who have a lot of stuff out. But there were a lot more projects and he also was in LDOH as bassplayer/singer. Rob also played a lot with Tumour and some other old projects together with Rogier. I play in a half serious Deutschpunk band together with Rob and two other guys, and some friends just started a heavy hardcore band in which I try to play drums.
R: It was after Rogier and I did a jam session together with two friends from Switzerland (which was recorded and later released as Bodies in the Basement 'One General Sore' cd-r), when we decided to start a pathological grind/gore band with real drums, rehearsals and maybe even gigs. Tumour, in which I played/recorded some years before the BITB-session (the early low-tuned stuff), was basically the opposite of that those years. Recently Tumour also started to play live, and I've helped them out a few times on bass, I also play some 'guitarsolo's' on their last recordings.
Your stuff is really grinding but there are definitely some heavier, slower elements to it. How would you personally describe your music? What are some of the bands that really influence you?
M: I would call us just grindcore. We're also pretty raw, so maybe 'raw grind' like Grudge, hahaha. Ofcourse we're really influenced by Carcass and Napalm Death, but over the years we added more influences. I myself am really influenced by Japanese bands like DxIxeE, Grudge, GBN, CSSO because they are so fucking raw and are total rock 'n' roll. I think I've been listening to slugde/doom as long as grind, and Rob also loves stoner/doom/psychedelic rock. When we rehearse together sometimes we just play slow jams and nothing fast. We love to do it, so when we got better at it we decided to add it into Intumescence, we even cover Goatsnake which we always fuck up. Rogier doesn't like the slow stuff so much, hahahaha. As Rob writes most of the songs maybe he should explain more about influences...
R: In the beginning the influences were, songwise, a lot of the early grindcorebands. Currently a lot of other influences are added, while still playing raw grind if that's possible or whatever. Grudge 'Raw Grind' is the shit. As well as Carcass' R.o.P. and NxDx's peel sessions. Rock & roll is here to die!
What upcoming releases have you got lined-up as of now? How did you get involve in splits with DxIxE or Maggut, etc. Are you in touch with these bands or is it through a third party or label?
M: We will do a split 7" with Vomitrocity from Ohio on VCV records from there, but not very soon. No Fucking Labels from Noiseape (Cheers!) will do a split CD with Deranged Insane from Brazil. They're very brutal noisy grind, really good. It will have our first split ep's and a lot of unreleased stuff, out at the end of this year. Also there will be a overview cd of Dutch grind bands for which we will record some tracks. The split 7" with DxIxE I'm not sure when it will come out. I have all the tracks, but DxIxE need to master it first and send me the artwork.
I've been in 'contact' with DxIxE for quite some time now, but sometimes it takes them a long time to reply. As for the split with Maggut, Ronald asked us to do something on his label, and we just heard the Maggut demo so we immediately asked them for a split, and they realy like the idea. Malignant Tumour and Camp were good friends of us, and the split with Embalming Theatre was arranged by the label.
What are the Intumescence releases or maybe upcoming recordings you're most satisfied with so far?
M: The new stuff for the split cd and 7" with DxIxE is my fave by far. But I also think the stuff on the split with Embalming Theatre is great, but not the sound. Also some old live/rehearsal stuff is totally fucking raw and dirty. Some other older stuff suffers from many drum mistakes and you can't hear the guitars very well.
R: The latest studio recordings, the split with ExTx and a rehearsal tape from 2002 which has that early Carcass/NxDx guitarsound but unfortunately no vocals.
Do you have an interest in doing a full length Intumescence release some day or is this not a priority for you?
M: We've been talking about a 12", but we were always stoned then. I dunno, there's so many full-lengths comming out now. Many grindcore bands don't even make demo's or ep's anymore. They make one promo, and want to do a full length CD as soon as possible. Also among crust bands you see this more and more. CD's are really cheap to make, so there's a lot of them being released. A lot of them are not very interesting though. I myself like vinyl and especially split ep's a lot, and I would never do a CD only album, we're not a fucking metalband... And if we do and album I want to make it really good, not just 20 random songs. Invest a lot of time in it and make it raw, and interesting song-wise. Right now we don't really rehearse/write songs that much, and I don't think we are good enough to make an album that is not boring.
R: Yes, I hope to do one someday, but as Maarten said, it has to hold up to our demands.
Can you say something about the "Dutch scene"? You seem to be in touch with a lot of the underground from the Netherlands? What bands/people do you feel close to? What are some of your favourite acts from Holland? Probably a very stupid question but I always wondered why your country could either be called Netherlands or Holland while the people were called Dutch?! Any enlightenment on the subject?
M: I've been involved in the Dutch hardcore/crust/grind scene for quite some time. It's a small country, so you meet most of the people and bands once in a while. I myself feel close to the squat/DIY scene, bands like Kru$h, Matka Teresa, Sangre, SAF, Mary Bell, CSMD, Humus are all good friends and amazing bands. I also love Seein' Red, Makiladoras, the FUBAR lp is very good, still too bad My Minds Mine broke up...
The Netherlands is the name for the whole country, Holland is just a part of it, but it's where the government is and always was in the past, so it's kind of the old name for The Netherlands before it became as 'big' as it is now. Dutch is an English word, we call 'Dutch' people and our language just after 'Netherlands' (Nederlanders/Nederlands).
You're using gore in your song titles but you don't seem to use the usual violent Goregrind imagery, real life atrocities à la Last Days of Humanity etc. Is it a case of music priming above all else and the gore stuff being just incidental?
M: The gore stuff is because Intumescence wanted to play goregrind and sound like Carcass, and most of us love old gore/zombie/exploitation stuff. We don't take it serious, and for record artwork everything's been done before, it's all become boring. Some bands even have the same picture as coverart. Most of our art is done by our bassplayer. The art on the cover of the split with Embalming Theatre is and installation at an exhibition done by our dad. It's gore, but still a bit different. The title is a quote from William Burroughs. I love good lyrics myself, but I can't write them, and besides, it would be hard to find subjects that we all feel close too. So no lyrics or image, our only message is: stay raw and DIY.
How much do you guys rehearse? What kind of place is your rehearsal room? How do you compose songs, is it collective or a personal creative effort from only one of you guys?
M: It depends, when we have upcoming shows we try to rehearse more, but usually we rehearse like once every one or two weeks. Not enough to write more songs though... We rent a rehearsal room for the night or we rehearse at Rob's house, but we can't do the vocals there. Rob also comes up with the riffs and songstructure. Than he explains how he thinks about the drums, I try to play it. Sometimes I can't play it, or I don't like it, and I make up different things. Helmich also makes changes he thinks sound best, and Rogier writes all his own vocals. Rob's ideas are always great, so most of the time we don't change the song itself, just tell him to play an extra solo or something.
R: I line up all the riffs in a form at which they sound logical or come close to a 'song', explain the basic form to the other guys, and they do their thing how they want it. Those solo's are funny; I don't know how to play them, I cannot play the same solo twice, they're always improvised and are also a big fuck you to all guitar wankers.
How much do you play live? What are some of your most memorable performances, best or worst shows you've been part of?
M: Not so much. Maybe an average of ten times a year. Our worst gig we played in Marseille in France (our only gig there). We drove two days to the shows, and two days back. If was very badly organised, we only had 15 mintues to soundcheck and play, we were all really stressed, and there were also technical problems. We played extremely bad, but it was just like ten minutes or so, hahaha. Best gigs I don't know, at some festivals we played well with nice crowds, and also when Malignant Tumour were our neigbours we played some great shows together in Oegstgeest.
R: The most 'memorable' was one gig in Germany on the tour with MxTx. We had a day off, and we could sleep at the place of our drivers friends. We ended up rocking the night away high on drugs, alcohol and lack of sleep. And this all took place on an improvised stage in a squat backyard right in the middle of nowhere. Our best gig was on the Grind over Gemert part 25434 this year.
M: The live song on the split with Malignant Tumour is from that gig in Germany.
You're also doing a label/distro thing called Brigade of Natural Genocide? What are you putting out through this? The name is an anagram for BONG, is this dedicated to pot-smoking?
M: I put out Intumescence stuff and stuff I like. Only 3 releases so far though. I needed a name, I thought of BONG because I just build a great one and was using it the whole time. Than the first thing that came up to form these letters was Brigade of Natural Genocide. It means absolutely noting, but it sounds great. We all smoke a LOT of pot, except for Rob who smokes just a little every now and then.
Why are you doing whenever you're not playing or listening to grind/music? Any other interests/hobbies?
M: I have a job and I study at the University of Amsterdam. My other hobbies are reading and watching movies/anime/crap tv series and hanging out with friends. Music and the scene are my life.
R: I go to gigs, spend time with friends/family, watch a movie, be silly, work, be silly, computer, write, read, draw, be silly again and create evil plans!
And now the mandatory playlist question! Please list the latest Music & Movies you've been listening/watching!
The last ten records:
Kimya Dawson- Hidden vagenda LP (singer/songwriter with great lyrics)
Exit Hippies- Hardfunk 12" (mix between noisecore and techno/electro from Japan)
Ramones- It's alive 2LP
Laukaus- 3 song CD
VA- Amebix Japan, tribute to Amebix CD
Sloppy Seconds- Destroyed LP
Disclose/Flyblown 7"
Youth of Today- We're not in this alone LP
Reality Crisis- Open the door and into the new world LP
Napalm Death- Scum LP
I haven't seen movie in weeks, no fucking time, but I've been watching The OC (oh yeah, love that shit!) and some anime like Mahou Sensei Negima, Lain and Love Hina on my computer.
R: The last 10 for me were:
Noothgrush-Failing Early, Failing Often
Goatsnake-Trampled Under Hoof
Eyehategod-10 Years of Abuse
Zoviet France-Just an Illusion
Hass & Gewald-rehearsal June '05
The Red Krayola-Kangaroo?
Stikky-Where's My Lunchpail
The Red Krayola-Soldier Talk
The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band-BBC Recordings
New York Gong-About Time LP
Ok, that's about it . Thanks again for going through this. Any closing words maybe?!
M: Thanx for the interview and for doing Braindead for such a long time! And ofcourse thanx to everybody who came to our shows and bought our records, and all our friends. Cheers!
R: Yeah, thanks a lot Pierre for including us on the zine of all zines gore and grinding and all the support over the years! Keep it going and fukk trends!
