1. Hello my friend, pleasure to have you on Rotten Pages ´zine. How are you doing today? Let us set the scene first. Where do we find you right now? Please describe your surroundings.
Hello, thanks for having me. I’m in my ‘man cave’ where my music collection is, my guitars and this is also where I work on my music. I live in the Antwerp region, outside the city. Antwerp is the second biggest city in Belgium. It’s a vibrant city with a beautiful historical centre and has the second biggest port of Europe.
2. What's driving force behind SLAVE GRID and your most important influence while creating music? And what has has been the greatest challenge you´ve faced up as musician until today?
I’ve always been a creator rather than a performer, it’s what I love to do. And I write the kind of music that I want to hear. The greatest challenge is actually playing guitar solos. I’m not a great guitar player, and I’m certainly not a shredder. But sometimes a part in a songs calls for a solo. So I’ve had to push myself. I often hear solos that are technically impressive, but that are not memorable. A solo doesn’t have to be difficult to be good. So my approach is to play something that is melodic, memorable and fits the vibe of the song.
3. If you look back at the band from the time you started to where you are at now how would you like to describe that journey?
I don’t know if it was clear, but Slave Grid is not a band but my own project. I found it quite difficult to find band members, I did not want to wait and keep searching, nor did I want to compromise on my ideas/vision. The vocalist is a ‘hired gun’ but the all the rest I do myself. This has allowed me to write and release an album faster, and it has been rewarding.
I would love to let Slave Grid evolve into a full band, but my focus right now is on writing and releasing music.
4. How much time and effort do you spend on the band to get everything to look and sound the right way?
As much as it needs. I have songs that I started writing years ago, but where I felt that they were not there yet, maybe something was missing, or a part was good but it was not the right one. I definitely spend the most time arranging the songs. When I feel it is good enough, then I send it to the vocalist. And then once the vocals are done, I can determine if there are parts that still need work. And usually I still rework the songs and even sometimes even re-arrange the vocals. So yeah, it takes a lot of time for me.
5. Let´s talk about your album “Architecture of Oppression”, what were the goals you had in mind when you started to record it, any elements you definitely wanted to have on the album?
I wanted it to be varied, but coherent. It had to be between 35 and 45 minutes long. The songs had to fit together but each with its own identity. Except for the first two songs, all of them are in another tempo. And lyrically I also wanted all the songs to be connected somehow.
6. The album has the ability to sound both menacing as quite groovy, the result is very fresh yet comfortable. Is this something you consciously aim for when writing your music?
Yes and no. It’s indeed what I consciously want, but I don’t have to try or force it, because it comes naturally. The groove and the aggression need each other and make each other stronger and more interesting. You won’t hear a song that’s full on blastbeats the whole time, I like to have that dynamic.
7. How does look like creating process of your music? I imagine such music as a really deep and personal opus of one mind.
It usually starts with a guitar riff, on which I build further. Together with the guitar riff I have a drum pattern in mind. And then as the song takes shape, with rhythm guitars and drums, I start adding lead guitar as a background texture or a melodic pattern. Maybe some melodies sound better as keyboard sounds, so I experiment with that as well. Once the vocals are added, I put the finishing touches. Sometimes I get stuck, I cannot write the ‘right’ part for a song. Then I end up writing multiple ideas which can make their way into other songs. But I have songs that I have more or less finished a year ago, that I feel are still not where have to be. And then after some time I can continue with a fresh perspective.
8. Is it predetermined process, or do you leave substantial space for improvisations?
At the start, I usually have a rough idea of the direction a song should go. And for writing lead guitar melodies, I improvise most of the time.
9. Where is your favorite place to write your songs? And from what symbols, feelings, stories or environments do you get inspiration?
I’m almost every day on the bicycle, and I always think about songwriting while I’m riding. Because I don’t put headphones on, and the surroundings are usually quiet, it allows me to just think.
As far as inspiration goes, I don’t have something specific that inspires me consciously.
10. Many bands seem to take it a little too easy when it comes to the lyrics. Would you say that the lyrics are almost as important as the music? What are some of the key themes you’ve chosen to focus on in Slave Grid?
Lyrics are important, but not more important than the music. The rhythmic patterns of the vocals, the melodies, and the delivery are just as important. But that doesn’t mean that the lyrics should be about some random thing.
The term ‘Slave Grid’ refers to a totalitarian surveillance society where everything is monitored and connected digitally. A variation on ‘1984’. The opening track ‘Submit’ is about this topic. ‘Crown of Lies’ is about the rotten political system. ‘Unveil the Disguise’ about media manipulation and propaganda. I’ve always been fascinated by dystopian stories, and wanted to have that in my music as well. On ‘Architecture of Oppression’ I wanted to tie it all together into a story where these themes have become a reality.
11. What ways has been the best for you in order to promote the band? What do you do to reach as many interest as possible?
Honestly, I am very bad in promoting, I even have trouble setting up a Facebook page! I know it is important but it takes a lot of time and money that I just prefer to put into creating music.
12. What is music for you? Does it bring you some new emotions or it helps you to get ride of some negative emotions?
Music means everything to me, it brings me happiness. When hearing sad doom metal or aggressive thrash, it obviously makes me feel different, but in a good way. And when having negative emotions, I will choose the fitting style of music to accompany them.
13. It seems like deathcore as of late is almost a dirty word. The scene, the trends, the saturation, the band names…what’s your opinion on that?
I didn’t pay much attention to deathcore until a few years ago. The genre is saturated and sometimes it looks like it’s just about the breakdowns and animal noises, but some bands are pushing the boundaries and trying to be innovative. Lorna Shore has set the bar incredibly high, it will be interesting to see how they evolve. Slaughter To Prevail will have a big moment when their new album comes out this year. Shadow Of Intent, Fit For An Autopsy and Whitechapel all introduced new elements to their music and have moved on from the typical deathcore sound. So I think there are some really interesting deathcore bands but the genre as a whole has to keep evolving to stay relevant – as all genres do.
14. Belgium isn’t known as a huge breeding ground for metal bands, though there is actually quite a bit of history in metal from Belgium. How is the metal scene in Belgium?
I think the biggest name is Aborted, which is well known around the world. But other than Aborted, I don’t think there is another band that is signed to a major label and getting that kind of exposure. Interesting fact: In the national radio’s list of top heavy songs, which is chosen by the listeners, there were 5 Belgian bands represented (Aborted not even one them) in the top 10, next to classics like Metallica and Iron Maiden. And something that strikes me is that there is a post rock/metal element in these bands. That seems to resonate well with Belgian audiences.
A shout out to Evil Invaders, a thrash metal band that I really enjoy.
15. How much of a DIY scene is there still left around the world that can support you if you want to tour or release an album on your own?
Releasing an album independently has never been easier, even I could do it!
16. It might be too early, seeing as you’re working on it right now, but what can we expect from the forthcoming album?
The overall tempo of the songs is a bit higher. And the songs will be shorter. On June 6th there will be a new song released. I have about six songs that are instrumentally nearing completion. My goal is to release at least 3 or 4 songs this year. Don’t know yet if they will be part of an album, it will depend if I feel they fit together musically and thematically.
17. The last word is yours. What would you like to say to those who support you and by extension the readers of Rotten Pages?
Thank you for taking interest in and supporting underground metal. This is where heavy music’s roots are and where the spirit of metal lives!
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