RMP Magazine #23 by RMP Magazine

THANKS TO

Executive Staff

Writers

Kenny Leys // CEO

Cameron Smith // Copywriter liaison

David Marote // Managing Editor

Jesse Mouart

James Cross // Photo coordinator

Holly Reijs Renske gommers James Cross

Design

Rob Watson

Jolien Krijnen // Chief designer

Steven Vanmassenhove

Editor Frederik Geuvens // Editor in chief

Photography Jake Lahah Victoria Salanรงon Eliza Muirhead Mayk Wendt Glenn Lockitch Chris "Metal" Morgan

www.rock-metal-punk.org 2

RMP Magazine #23

Barbara Maes

CONTENT

Inter view//Lionheart

Inter view//Sea Shepherd

6 I n t e r v i e w / /The Black Heart Rebellion

18 I n t e r v i e w / / Hardcore Help Foundation

24 Inter view//Elegies

32 I n t e r v i e w / / Earthside

Inter view//Random Q&A with artists on Ieper Hardcore Fest

Album r eviews

RMP Magazine #23

THE EDITOR

A W

FROM THE EDITOR

Hello again! Fall has come, winter is closing in, the blissful summer of outdoor festivals has flown by, but fear not, dark cellars, bars and venues are dusting off their PA-systems to submerse you into the darkness of the indoor show. Great acoustics, the right lighting and a fitting bill and audience will beckon you in once more. Amidst all the chaos in the world, from Europe countering a refugee crisis to the base of that crisis where the MiddleEastern region is burning, even the mighty US of A has its own issues with gay rights and gun control. The world outside is dark and scary, but for escapists as we are in our human nature, music is the tool to ease the troubled mind, to vent our anger, to guide us through. And isn't that what we at RMP and all of you reading this share together? The love for music with substance, not just some notes slapped together to scratch the last buck from your wallet; meaningless and dull, repetitive and numb, soulless. We at RMP want to share new and exciting sounds with you, thoughts and ideas from bands that are full of passion for what they create. Be it in rock, metal, punk or whatever genre they define themselves with. We at RMP want you, our loyal reader, to know them: who are they, what drives them, what's next and so much more. That's why we've compiled another great round of excellent bands for you in our latest magazine to discover: from Belgian revelation The Black Heart Rebellion to our flashback of Ieperfest where we spoke with Lionheart and non-profit organisations such as The Hardcore Help Foundation and Sea Shepherd. And of course our monthly section of reviews and live pictures. Enjoy.

David Marote

Managing editor RMP magazine

RMP Magazine #23

YOU MAY WANT TO LIS

STEN TO... Joey Cape – Stitch Puppy “Stitch Puppy” is the title to The Capers’ newest solo album on Fat Wreck Chords. After spoiling us with a new invigorating Lagwagon album “Hang” last year, Mr. Cape decided it was time to write off some more of his observations through the medium of acoustic punk rock. After the loss of the late Tony Sly and various other key moments of life happening, Joey was compelled to pen down his thoughts on life, loss and coping with everything that crosses your path. Good or bad, there is only one road to go down and who would be better to guide you through than Joey Cape? Taking on the persona of Stitch Puppy, a Victorian mourning doll once received as a present from his daughter, he witnesses his surroundings and tells the tale of how he copes with these experiences: sometimes reaching the darkest corners of the psyche, conquering them step by step to transpose his findings to those close to heart, guiding them through as if no one is ever alone to witness the break of dawn one must first endure the darkness of the night. “Stitch Puppy” delivers ten acoustic tracks that will guide you through that night.

Generation 84 – Let's Do This “Let's Do This”, prophetic words by Belgian melodic hardcore punks Generation 84 and also the title to their latest EP, soon to be released through various Belgian and European labels. I'm guessing the prelude to the album title was chewing gum and kicking ass, and it seems that Generation 84 is all out of gum. Their new EP is set out to kick your lazy whiny punk ass ten foot high off the ground and bound to get you back into tune with the voice of reason. That voice being the one of vocalist Teun, whose vocal chords provide a very melodic sound to the release: a clean singing voice thrusted by rage and distaste of modern day society and its strange apparatus. Given the overall sound of the band, the vocals could even be placed next to Zoli's from Ignite but there's more to Generation 84. Tracks like “Take It To The Floor” could have been from the Good Riddance playbook, or what about the Bad Religion influence. Socially-political inspired lyrics forcing you to think for yourself are abundant here with tracks as “Trying To Belong” or “The Production Line”. All I'm going to say about his EP is: LET'S DO THIS!

Gehenna – Deathkamp ov the Skull Gehenna, for those familiar with Hebrew, some sort of hellish place. Even though Judaism doesn't support the idea of hell, Gehenna was an ancient place that would come close. But there's more to the moniker with these West-Coast outfit brewing up black, death and other metal with hardcore punk to release their demons upon the world. “Deathkamp ov the Skull” is their latest EP released on Magic Bullet Records and features eight ferocious songs of pure vile and disgust for the human race. Mike Cheese on vocal duties relentlessly tortures the microphone to spit his rage accompanied by blasting drumbeats and scorching guitar riffs. Typical Gehenna one could say, kill first, ask questions later. On “Deathkamp ov the Skull” we get eight full-on tracks of the classic Gehenna recipe, although the track “TormentORR” lends itself to some cooperation with guest vocals by Dwid Hellion and guitar shredding by Robert Orr, both from Integrity Fame. Get ready for some amphetamine psychosis and be prepared to release your inner beast when laying ears on Gehenna and its unholy madness.

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ard work pays off, or at least that is what we are taught when we are growing up. This also applies to the music industry, but often gaining popularity walks hand in hand with growing in a direction you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to grow. Does this mean that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got to sell out if you want to see the world and grow as a band? No, it does not! Lionheart is a band originated from Northern California and they are determined to keep doing things their own way.

RMP Magazine #23

Writer // Rob Watson & Jesse Mouart

RMP Magazine #23

INTERVIEW // LIONHEART

I just saw your show here on Ieperfest, really great show. What did you think of it yourself? Thank you. Yeah it was a great set, really awesome. We had to play really early in the day, so we were all kind of, I don’t want to say nervous, but maybe apprehensive on how the set was going to go. I think we probably had one of the best sets yet today on the main stage, so I feel really good about that. I’m very appreciative to everybody that came out to see us play, that’s really cool and we had a lot of fun. You mentioned on the stage it is the second time that Lionheart is playing Ieperfest, tell us about that experience? Yeah, it was in 2008. I think we opened the

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main stage that year if I remember correctly. Or maybe second or something, but it was okay. Not as good as today, because it was the first time we came here and nobody really cared. Not a lot of people showed up, compared to this time it was nothing. What do you think of a festival such as Ieperfest? I think it is a great festival. But I’m not vegan, so I wish it wasn’t all vegan [laughs]. I just wish I could get a fucking hamburger, but it is cool. I think veganism is cool if you are into that, but I just think it would be awesome if they had some options for people that didn’t necessarily feel the same way. Other than that, Ieper has a great fest and I hope we will

play it again. Maybe you could sneak me in a hamburger [laughs]. Well maybe you should try one of the hamburgers on the fest. I’m not vegan myself, but I would trade any typical festival burger for one of those caterings right here. They are real nice you know. Actually the waffle sandwich place is very good. I got some Indian waffle sandwich, very very good. Haven’t had them, but I’ll check them out later. We were talking about festivals. If you had to choose about a festival show or a venue show, what would you choose? That is a hard question. Obviously festival shows are great because we play for exponentially more

people, you sell a lot more merch, and you reach more people and stuff like that. Of course festival shows are great, what band wouldn’t want to play Ieperfest? Every American band that I know from home that never went to Europe, talks about on how much they would like to play Ieperfest. Really? Yeah of course, a lot of people know about it in America. It is very big there, so of course you would want to play there. But on the other hand, club shows are also very cool because then you know everybody is here to see you play. You can really look people in the eye and meet some of them afterwards. Just hang out and stuff like that. You can play what you want

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INTERVIEW // LIONHEART

to play. So I honestly think that it is unfair to compare them because they are totally separate entities. Fests are amazing for what they are and club shows are amazing for what they are. When we are on tour you can combine them. Play club shows all week and in the weekend some fests, so that makes for a very cool mix. I believe it is fair to say that Lionheart is a hard-working band. You guys tour a lot and stuff like that, but is it also fair to say Lionheart is a DIY band? Yeah I mean the last record came out on Fast Break Records in the States, which is a really small label. They are just some friends of mine which I known for years, one of them is Tony. He is a really nice guy so I offered to help him and he put it

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"IT IS THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND I LOVE PLAYING MUSIC. WHEN I CAN DO IT FREELY AND DO IT FOR FUN, THE MONEY IS NOT IMPORTANT." out. This is really just a part-time band, everybody does it for fun. It is not a career, it is not a job, it is nothing like that. We write exactly what we want to write and I sing exactly what I want to sing. We are not trying to be anything we are not,

no bullshit. We do it just for fun and so yeah, we put it out on a small label because fuck it. It ended up going really well and that is why we are here. So do you think Fast Break was the best choice because of

the freedom you get as an artist? Yeah, we just recorded the album, send it in and they’ve put it out. It was just like that. So yeah absolutely. I wouldn’t do it any other way. Just like I said it is not a job, we don’t have any aspirations or anything. We do it for fun. If I can’t play what I want to play then fuck it. I’m not doing that. Do you think that Lionheart could become something that you would want to life from? No. Honestly, we did it like that in the past. It was our job and we toured like nine months out of the year. But I think when you do it like that and you do it as a main source of income, there is no way that you create. It alters the way that you operate. You don’t write a riff because

you like the riff, you will write the riff to pay your rent or to pay your cell phone bill. This changes the riff because you are less likely to take risks and to write things you want to write, because you’ve got something to lose. Right now we don’t have anything to lose. When we put out ‘Welcome To The West Coast’ we didn’t had anything to lose. We did whatever we wanted to do with that album. I don’t care if zero people are about the album, or a million people are about the album. It doesn’t change my day to day life. But when you are a band and that is how you pay the rent, you will end up writing the same album over and over. That’s because you are too scared to do something else. For me, I’m doing it for fun. Honestly, it is more

enjoyable. It is the love of my life and I love playing music. When I can do it freely and do it for fun, the money is not important. It is cool that you can keep it that way. Let’s talk about the album ‘Welcome To The West Coast’. There was a song that popped out lyric-wise. I’m talking about the song ‘Hail Mary’. Are you a religious guy? Not really [laughs]. It is funny because when you see all the YouTube comments on that song, everybody is like: “Ow fuck religion”, bla bla bla. All this corny shit is really childish. But no, I’m not like a religious guy. Maybe I believe in god, maybe I don’t. I haven’t figured it out yet. But that is not what the song is about. It has nothing to do with that, I just think the imagery is cool.

RMP Magazine #23

INTERVIEW // LIONHEART

If you really pay attention to the lyrics [sighs]. If Tupac can write a song called “Hail Mary”, I can also write a song called “Hail Mary”. It doesn’t mean that I’m religions. Do I believe in God? Maybe I do believe in God but not necessarily in religion. I believe that there is something out there or maybe I just want it to be, but I just don’t believe in religion. Another song I found peculiar was “Rest In Power”. What is it about? When I was a teenager, one of my best friends died in a car accident. The song is about him, his name is Francis and was 18 years old when it happened. I’m sorry to hear that. I don’t know why but by reading the title “Rest In Power”, I’ve gotten the idea it was

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a patriotic song, about soldiers who fought and now are resting in power. Oh no, not at all. My brother in law was a soldier though. I’ve had a lot of family who served the army, but this song is just a homage about my friend who passed away. Back to the band, you guys are labelled as a hardcore band. I get the feeling that there are more influences than just hardcore in Lionheart’s music. Is this something that comes naturally or is it like a choice that you make? I think it is both, because I think it is a choice not to limit ourselves. Whenever you are inside of a genre, the only way to stay inside that genre is to follow rules. To be a hardcore band, album after album, you will have to sell your soul and

you will have to play by numbers. You’ll have to play exactly this, exactly that way, exactly all the time. It is the same with punk music, same thing for metal, same thing for indie. To be part of a genre, you follow the genre’s rules. I don’t care about the genre at all. I got into music because music in general saved my life. I had a hard time as a kid, but music in general got me true. I loved punk, I loved rap, ska, rock, and it really didn’t make a difference to me. I really enjoy playing hardcore, but if I find a riff that I like or a way of singing that I like, I’m going to do it. If someone doesn’t like what I do, they can just fuck off, I don’t care. Hardcore to me isn’t following that exact set of rules. Hardcore is just being you. The most hardcore person I know in the world is my mom

and she doesn’t give a fuck about hardcore music. She is more hardcore than anybody in this building. Why do you feel like that? What is hardcore to you that makes your mom hardcore? Why do I feel like that? Because she worked three jobs and raised two kids by herself. She never tried anything to be that she wasn’t. She taught me about hard work, about not giving up, about being loyal, about loving your family, about protecting your family and about being you at all times. I’ve heard a million bands sing about these same things, I heard them in the lyrics but I’ve seen them in my mom. You know, hardcore is not even music to me, it is a thing that is bigger than that and it should be bigger than that. It

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INTERVIEW // LIONHEART

is not a breakdown or some hard riffs. I think it kind of sucks that in any genre or subculture, they eventually make their own boundaries and their own rules and with that inclusion comes an exclusion of other people. I think that defeats the initial purpose of that subculture. It is a bummer, honestly. Yeah, that’s hardcore. My mom is way harder than me, for 100%. I could never do the shit that my mom did. I could get a million tattoos all over my body and sing a million fucked up lyrics, but I’ll never be as hard as my mom. Wow, that’s one hell of a statement. I do believe that some people lose track on what hardcore is. This is real. That is real dude, straight up. Anyway, if we look at

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Lionheart as a band for a second. Is there something you would really like to accomplish with the band, any goals or such? Honestly, it is hard to say because I feel like I’ve already accomplished so much more than I thought I would. Just to meet someone that has my lyrics tattooed on them is incredible. My favourite thing in the entire world, the best thing that ever happened to me, is that when somebody talks to me after a show and they share a story with me of a hardship that they overcame, just because they listened to Lionheart. That is the coolest thing in the world to me. When I started this band I only wanted that to happen one time. Because when I was a kid Blood For Blood saved my life. When I was at my

lowest point, the Blood For Blood lyrics got me through that. When I started a band, I was like: “Man, I just want to have that impact on one person, I just want one person to relate to my pain and to feel better about their pain”. Once I got that, I felt pretty good. So, I don’t know. Of course there is stuff that you want to do, play bigger fests and bigger shows and all that. But that is not really a goal, it is a wish. I didn’t ever really thought about that, so it is interesting you ask me that, but I think I’ve actually hit my goals to be honest. That is cool. It is very noble of you to think like that. It is very cool man. It is very humbling to meet someone and that has these things to say to you. After you have somebody cry to

" I COULD GET A MILLION TATTOOS ALL OVER MY BODY AND SING A MILLION FUCKED UP LYRICS, BUT I’LL NEVER BE AS HARD AS MY MOM." you and tell you how much a song means, a festival doesn’t mean anything. I think that I’ve already done what I wanted to do. I’m very grateful. There is more to life than playing music, there is more to life than playing shows or selling merch. It doesn’t matter, because after this everybody goes home and they pay their bills, they go to work, they get in fights with people or have arguments with their girlfriend. This is just such a small part of life, there is more to it. So when you meet somebody and you affect them outside of this life… What more do you

want? Anybody can climb on stage and play a big show, play for a bunch of people and not give a fuck. But to affect someone outside of here and to affect a change in a person’s life, I think that is insane. It is mind-blowing. Most people go their entire lives without ever doing that, so that is incredible. It is a very humbling feeling. After that I don’t know what you could possibly want more. I can imagine. We’ve come to the end of this interview, so do you have any exciting things happening in

the future of Lionheart? Yeah, very exciting. We are going to put out a full-length album, the first full-length in four years. We are going to put it out in January and we should be back here in February, touring. So I’m very excited about that. It will be very cool.

Next album : "Love Don't Live Here "

Out January, 22

facebook.com/lionheartca

RMP Magazine #23

Silver Spring, Maryland 2015, US Photographer / Jake Lahah

RMP Magazine #23

o many of us, the name Sea Shepherd rings some bells. We know them because of the stands that they have on shows and festivals, but also from the discovery show: ‘Whale Wars’. On that specific show you can watch Sea Shepherd in full action on how they protect whales against the Japanese whalers. With full action we mean really taking matters in their own hands to stop these practices. This raises some eyebrows with some people and often Sea Shepherd gets labelled as ‘extreme’ or as 'eco-terrorists', by people who don’t agree with their way of working. Of course Sea Shepherd had their stand at Ieperfest 2015, so we thought it would be very interesting to have a little chat with the Belgian chapter, to see on what Sea Shepherd is all about. But first a brief history: Sea Shepherd was founded by Paul Watson, a former Greenpeace activist who parted ways with Greenpeace after some internal disputes in 1977. Sea Shepherd was officially founded in 1981, with main purpose the protection of marine sea mammals. In the beginning their main focus was on the illegal hunt for whales and the hunt for seals. Afterwards their focus spread more to oceanic live in general. Their focus is on taking act, as Paul Watson stated once: “I did not establish the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society as a protest organization. I have not gone to sea over all these years to simply bear witness to the atrocities that whalers continue to inflict upon the most gentle and intelligent beings in the seas.

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INTERVIEW // SEA SHEPHERD

We are sea cops—operating legally under the guidelines of the United Nation's World Charter for Nature, which allow for the enforcement of international conservation law by non-governmental organizations in international jurisdictions.” On first thought this is exactly what Discovery Channel shows us with Whale Wars. It are people taking actions in their own

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hands, trying to defend some highly intelligent sea creatures, but let us not forget that it remains a television show and that television has to sell in the first place. If things get heated or more spectacular, the higher the viewing rates get. This means that after editing they created an image of an animal rights organization which is in constant battle with the

big bad whalers. It sure helped Sea Shepherd getting their name out and it gave a boost to their popularity. In reality this is not the only thing that Sea Shepherd does. They have several other projects going on, even things on shore. One of those projects is the campaign against poaching on the Galapagos Islands. The Galapagos Islands are isolated islands in the

west of South-America. Being this isolated, it is home to a lot of different and rare species of animals, which attracts poachers. Sea Shepherd has installed devices on the islands that can track the incoming ships. If the ships are found suspicious, they go and check on these ships. Other than that they also give financial support to the rangers who try to prevent the

acts of poaching. Another project that Sea Shepherd is working on is a project around confiscated fishing nets. Whenever Sea Shepherd does campaigns on illegal fishing, they often confiscate the fishing nets that are used to do these illegal practices. A lot of these fishing nets are made from plastics, which is harmful for the environment. For the moment

they are talking with Adidas, trying to find a way to recycle these nets into shoes. Other than that they do a lot of campaigns on keeping the oceans free from trash and litter. On the moment they are doing one at the harbour of Marseille. Of course Sea Shepherd keeps their focus also pointed at the thing that they started with in the first place: making an end to whaling in general. At the moment one of their biggest campaigns is running on the Faroe Islands in Denmark. The natives hunt pilot whales as a form of tradition, because they have been doing this for centuries. These â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;grindsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, which is the Dansk name for pilot whale, are held each year and to Sea Shepherd it is a barbaric way of slaughtering these animals. Throughout the whaling season

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INTERVIEW // SEA SHEPHERD

the whales are stalked by motorboats and are lured into the bay. Because these animals are in panic they swim towards the low water by the beach. The whales are trapped between the shore and the boats and are then stormed by people on the beaches with knives and spears. They say the whales are for consumption and in the past this probably was a way of getting a main food income for the islanders. Today it isn’t a need for these animals to get killed, it remains as a sport. The meat isn’t even this healthy, because there are a lot of heavy metals in the meat of the whale. There is also nothing traditional about the modern motorboats that are used in this practice. But where does this go on a legal point of view? Isn’t there a law that can

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protect these animals? The political situation on the Faroe Islands is quite special. Denmark has signed with the international whaling commission to stop the commercial hunting on these animals. Although the Faroe Islands are a part of Denmark and the executive powers are from Denmark, the Faroe Islands arrange things on their own. This means that everything gets lost in a complicated web of politics and jurisdictions. It even got to a point that Denmark started supporting the Faroe Islands by sending two war fleets to protect the islands from the Sea Shepherd activists, which makes them guilty to Sea Shepherd of helping illegal practices that are forbidden by international law. It is a conflict that is not about to end soon. Of course Sea Shepherd knows only

tch - Sea Shepherd Australia

Sea Shepherd Global

these actions won’t stop the hunt on these animals. They have to be backed up by laws and legislations that protect these animals from getting killed. Commercial whaling has already been forbidden by the international court in Den Haag, but that doesn’t stop a million dollar industry to keep going on with these practices. Debate is also very difficult in lands such as Japan, were whaling is accepted by the public. In their culture you cannot debate with someone that is higher on the ladder, so there is very few opposition, although that the idea is changing with the younger generations. If debate becomes impossible, you hurt them where it hurts most: money. This is why the Sea Shepherds keeps pumping money into their campaigns,

because if the Japanese whalers lose catch, they lose money. Due to their methods a lot of people are very outspoken on Sea Shepherd; even other environmental activists such as Greenpeace dissociate themselves from them. Sea Shepherd doesn’t believe in the protests with the billboards, they are past that stage. You can always reject their actions, find them extreme if you will, but who will react to people that keep violating an international law? Of course there is a law, but as long as there will be money involved, there will be people breaking those laws. There are no protecting means or no patrols that control these law; as long as whalers keep doing what they do, Sea Shepherd will stay this very course, whether you like it or not. facebook.com/SeaShepherd-Belgium

RMP Magazine #23

THE BLACK HEART REBELLION

Writer // David Marote

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he Black Heart Rebellion has been turning heads for some time now; armed with a their third release â&#x20AC;&#x153;People, when you see the smoke , do not thinks it's the field they're burningâ&#x20AC;?, this band from Ghent, Belgium, is continuing on their own path. Passionate about their music and aesthetics, making sure that each element that forms The Black Heart Rebellion is progression. A path that has crossed with fellow city inhabitants and like-minded souls of the Church Of Ra. RMP Magazine recently had the chance to delve a little deeper into their strong conviction and what THBR makes what it is now.

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INTERVIEW // THE BLACK HEART REBELLION

The Black Heart Rebellion sounds self-explanatory but still: what defines ‘a black heart’ and how does it ‘rebel’? I don't think it is that easy to define. Maybe what bounds us together is that we are very eager to create something that actually matters, although to us. We do not see this band as a ‘job’, nor as a way to spend our free time, but as something that actually has to happen for the five of us. From the moment we get on a stage or start playing the music, we realise what it's all about. For the new release you're working with Ghent-based record label and shop Consouling Sounds. What led you to them? I guess we met each other at the right time in life. The people at Consouling are just like us: 100% dedicated with

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what they are trying to achieve. They don't manage their label and shop from a commercial point of view only, the passion for music and the search for likeminded people brought us together I think. Your previous release “Har Nevo” was a shift in sound compared to your earliest work “Monologue”. Has the band sailed into new territory with the latest release? With “Har Nevo” we succesfully discovered new ways to express ourselves. The use of different instruments and the way of singing learned us we should never stop with questioning ourselves, and always try to improve what we do or why we did something. With the new record we started from those main ideas that had been formed after recording “Har

"THE OUTPUT,

Nevo”. So we went further and deeper on some of those items, to create the sound that felt right to us. The Black Heart Rebellion has gained close ties with the whole Church of Ra, including bands as Oathbreaker,

mentioned bands, a country that doesn't receive too many Western bands. How was the experience? Great, we met people who can actually be really grateful with what we are doing. We met some people who came from the upper north part of Russia and had to drive for two days to come the concert in Moscow!

T, AS IN 'THE MUSIC ITSELF', IS JUST THE RESULT, NOT THE MAIN GOAL." Wiegedood, Amenra and Syndrome. You've played shows together and toured together. How did this kindred connection come forward? The same as for example the connection with Consouling; we share a same interest in expressing ourselves

through music, video art, photography. The output, as in 'the music itself', is just the result, not the main goal. It is the way of creating the music, of 100% giving yourself to the music that bounds us. You've toured Russia with some of fore

You had records released in Japan with the previous albums and even played Japan. How does a Belgian band end up in Japan? Just by an amazing guy who is named Kimiyuki! He had the guts to release our music in Japan just by hearing it on the web, and putting a lot of time and money into it. After that he asked us if we would be interested in performing the music live. Some months later we were

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INTERVIEW // THE BLACK HEART REBELLION

actually sitting on the plane to Japan. For the new album I've noticed pictures flying around where it seems you are in the process of making a video. Could you let us in on what's coming? The song deals about a feeling of disconnection of something that has always been very evident. It has a feeling of solitude. We tried to

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do the same with the video. We started from some sort of scenery that should feel very familiar, but yet you start looking to it from other perspectives. Nothing is what it seems. Arts and its various incarnations seem to be close to the band, TBHR has even provided the musical background to a theatre production. Any plans in the future

to do more collaborations with other artists? It would be nice to write a soundtrack someday. Movies have always been a big inspiration for us during the writing process of the songs. To write music especially for a specific movie must be quit inspiring. The visual aspect of the band leans close to other Church Of Ra's projects, from dark to

"WE TRY TO CREATE IMAGES WITH THE MUSIC WE MAKE."

light and back seems to be a central theme. How do you see the aesthetics of the band? I think we are a very visual band. We try to create images with the music we make, so it is evident that we put a lot of effort and detail in the actual visual output of our music, like the artwork of the LP or CD, poster design, and so on. Just like the music, an image can bring a

certain overwhelming feeling. We try to find or create that feeling that goes with the music. Most band members hail from other longgone bands, but are there any current projects that are gaining ground or about to emerge? Right now we are focussing on the new record, and the coming months we will be very

busy with live shows. So in the near future there won't be any side activity I suppose. New album : â&#x20AC;&#x153;People, when you see the smoke, do not think it is fields they're burning.â&#x20AC;? Out now!

facebook.com/theblack heartrebellion

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Washington, D.C 2015, US Photographer / Jake Lahah

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Writer // Jesse Mouart

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very hardcore fan has its own definition on what hard core means to him or her. We read it in the lyrics of our favourite bands, feel it in our hearts and try to live our lives with these values in mind. It is not about a certain brand or the way that you look. It is more about camaraderie, being a family and being part of something bigger. Every now and then we come across people who take these ideas to the next level; people who work hard to make this world a better place, with the morals of hardcore as their main output. These were the first stones, the foundation for building the Hardcore Help Foundation. We talked with founder and hardcore enthusiast Rico on Ieperfest about his journey with the HHF.

RMP Magazine #23

INTERVIEW // HARDCORE HELP FOUNDATION

What do you think about this festival? Ieperfest is one of my favourites. I’ve been coming here since the early nineties just as audience. Over all those years it always kept small and kept their DIY roots, they kept it real and like a family, no big sponsors, a lot of underground bands with a great message: not only music, but about straight edge, ANTIFA, Sea Shepherd and things like that. Basically how hardcore should be. This is something unique in Europe. I suppose this fits right into the Hardcore Help Foundation’s ideology? Can you tell a bit more about your organization? It is a non-profit organization which was founded in 2011. I’ve always been doing hardcore shows back in the day, but then in 2011 the

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tsunami happened in Japan. I had some friends over there who played on my festival one year before this happened. We kept contact and after the tsunami hit, they told me a story about a teacher who was in trouble and I was moved by this story. I felt like I needed to do something to help them somehow. At that moment I was planning a Madball show, together with Wisdom in Chains and Trapped Under Ice and I decided to use this event as a help. So I asked visitors to bring donations like clothes or merchandise, so we could sell it and get this money to be sent to Japan. This idea kind of blew up and this is how it got started. For me it was like the first time that I saw that you could combine Hardcore with a charity. Yeah, it was really cool

because there was merchandise coming from over the whole world. Everybody was getting evolved in this. After that, I decided to make this a stable charity. As I was setting this up, I ran into some good people from Bochum Germany, they were mainly focusing on the homeless people there. We came together and made a better structure and this is how it got started. Our first project was basically Japan, like this one thing, but Japan was quickly rebuilt after the tsunami. After that we focused more on Africa. We have now the Kenya project and also the refugees and homeless people projects in Germany. Is there some sort of balance you have between projects in Germany and in other countries? No not really. We are

" IF SOMETHING CROSSES MY PATH AND THE PROJECT IS GOOD OR MAKES SENSE, THEN THERE ARE NO BORDERS." based in Germany, so we want to do a lot of things for people in our area. The main thing at the moment is the refugee help in our town. At the moment we have more refugees coming in who just arrived and that are in need of help. We try to help a lot in Dortmund and other areas in West-Germany. I think this is very important to do, but also the rest of the world is important. If something crosses my path and the project is good or makes sense, then there are no borders. This is a non-profit

organization, but I can assume that you have a lot of expenses if you go to Africa. How does the HHF cope with that? Basically our organization is split in half. We have the merchandizing: we produce our own t-shirts and stuff and with the profit of the shirts I finance myself and the fixed costs like flight tickets or so. Then we have the other part of the organization which is only HHF. A 100% of these donations go into projects, so the profit of these donated shirts goes straight to the projects. Most of the time when I go to

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INTERVIEW // HARDCORE HELP FOUNDATION

Africa I buy my own plane ticket, because it is something I also do for myself. For me it is visiting friends too, so it doesn’t feel right to take this from the organization. I probably will get a bad consciousness if I would do it otherwise [laughs]. I don’t have a big wage or don’t drive a fancy car, which is okay for me. What I save from that, I just put it back in HHF. It is a passion, you know? I see it as a way for living; it is not work for me. When I go to Africa it is something that I need, it is hard to explain. You talked a little bit about the refugee situation in Europe. How is your point of view on how things are handled? I can only speak for the situation in Germany and it is very chaotic. These people are often treated like animals.

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"YOU MIGHT SEE A LOT OF NEGATIVE THINGS IN THE MEDIA, BUT THERE IS A MOVEMENT BUILDING UP AND THAT IS VERY POSITIVE." They don’t have any rights, can’t do anything, can’t work and have to stay in their town. It is really sad. Politicians should wake up and give these people some rights. Also how the media puts the refugees in the picture, it is always very negative. I really don’t like that, it angers me. You should really go to a community centre and get in touch with them, talk to them and listen to what they’ve been true. You

will be shocked. If you are a human being, you will wake up. Nobody should go true the shit that they’ve encountered. If we would have the same situation in our countries, we would do the same. We would run and hope for better life. I remembered that there was this big issue of refugees having phones and smart phones. People were all like “why are they coming here, they have money” and all that.

Of course they have money, they are not really poor. They sell everything that they have so they can go on the run. A smart phone is like a small computer, so this way they can stay in touch with the rest of the world and their families as well. But that is not a sign that they are rich. Things like this get spread very negatively in the media and I don’t like that. The people that are coming here from Syria or Iraq, what they want the most is to go back, back to their countries when it is peaceful and return to their families. Nobody wants to leave their home, it is all you know. It gets often countered by the European public and also the politicians that the country is full and that there is no room for refugees.

Europe is not full. There is room for everybody. It is just a way of managing things. I don’t believe that our countries are full. The thing also is; nobody is helping the problems in these countries. They just keep selling and promoting guns over there, but that doesn’t solve any of the problems. You should go to the source and solve that. There is this organization in Germany which tries to persuade people of taking in a refugee, to get them to know the country, language and stuff like that. Do you think this is a solution for the refugee problems in Europe? It could be yes, but a lot of people are very negative about refugees coming over. A lot of people think that they are criminals or that they are dangerous, but

that is not true. They are very nice people and if you would invite them, they won’t steal all your stuff. They are very grateful; I know a lot of them in my town. There was this thing about some African refugees being aggressive, but you have to think to yourself “Why are they aggressive?”. If you are treated as an animal, you will get aggressive too, they are in survival mode, you know. But I’ve seen something in the paper about regular people like you and me from Aachen, who are taking people into their homes. I think it is nice. They need like the basic things, so these people can help them with that. Things such as reading the signs, learning the traffic, general talking, these are things that they need to learn. For them it is very difficult to learn, but there are a

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INTERVIEW // HARDCORE HELP FOUNDATION

lot of people focusing on that, which I think is great. You might see a lot of negative things in the media, but there is a movement building up and that is very positive. Like I said before, the media should also show the beautiful things and not only focus on the bad ones. Some of these negative thoughts are growing

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out of a sort of Islamophobia; you can see that with organizations such as PEGIDA who are growing stronger now. Are you religious in any way? No. I have no problem with religion and I have a lot of friends who are very religious. If it makes you better or a stronger person and you don’t hurt anyone else, why not. I know a

lot of people, in Africa for example, they need that. That’s the only thing that they have. As long as you don’t hurt anybody and don’t get radical, because that is a lot of bullshit. It is the same in the Islam. 99% of the people who follow Islam are very peaceful people, but there is a small percentage that is just sick in the head. These people

don’t even read the Koran, you know. They just get fed lies by mouthto-mouth propaganda. Most of them don’t have a job, have troubles with their families or society, if those people come in contact with these radical movements they are lost. It is the same with PEGIDA; they are all stupid people who don’t have any brains. They never had an experience with someone from a third world country on how they are living or anything about their culture. It is just stupid. In some way PEGIDA is not so different from IS. They are both radical and both sick in their heads. Their ideology is violence, nothing else. It is only about hate, I don’t like that. We should just put them on Mars and let them fight over there or something [laughs]. Both of them have so much hate in

them, that to me it is the same. We’ve gotten a little bit thrown of topic here; let’s get back to the organization. I believe this is your fulltime job, is this correct? Yes, before I was a tree doctor. Wow, that is something you don’t hear every day. Exactly. I started out as a landscaper and studied to become a tree doctor. I worked in a company to do research on trees. We were hired by the city to examine them and to see that they are still proper and not dangerous in the traffic or so. A very nice job, very well-paid, but then HHF came and this hobby got bigger. At one point I also broke up with my girlfriend and this got me thinking on what I should focus

in live. I chose HHF obviously [smiles]. I gave up a very good job for this organization, but I don’t regret it. My salary is way lower, but I don’t see this as a job. I wake up every morning with a very good feeling. You get so much love from the people, you can’t imagine. For example if you get someone a wheelchair, their world changes and it is beautiful to see that. If someone is in need and you help them, what they give you back is indescribable. Also the motivation coming from the hardcore scene from a band such as Sick Of It All or Dog Eat Dog saying :”hey that is awesome, we should collaborate”, really gives you the confirmation that you are doing something right. This keeps me motivated to keep on going.

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INTERVIEW // HARDCORE HELP FOUNDATION

About those shirts do you contact them? No, not at all. They always come to me and ask me if we could do a shirt together. Wow that is cool. Do you have any bands which you would love to work with? Of course: H20! We have a positive message, H20 is a positive band. That would be awesome, but it is up to them to decide that. So big shout to Toby Morse and crew to check out the HHF and get together with this positive foundation. Yeah that would be cool [laughs]. Isn’t it hard to combine this with your personal life? It is hard yeah, but family goes first. I need my son and family around

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me. It is sometimes hard like now, I have him normally on the weekend, but I’m supposed to be here. That sucks, but we live very close together so that is good. In a few years, if his mom allows it, I’m bringing him with me to Ieperfest [laughs]. But yeah it is sometimes hard to combine. Especially when he is sick and somebody calls that he has twenty wheelchairs to pick up, but family goes first. You have to find a good balance between that. Of course I have a lot of good friends and volunteers that help me with all this, without them it would be even harder. I’m very thankful to all the people that help me in their free time, without getting paid or so. I don’t think that this would be possible without them, or not at this level. When you get

bigger you need help. Otherwise you can’t keep doing it. Are you thinking about starting any new projects? For the moment our projects are the same. We have the Kenya projects, with the water and wheelchairs. We have one in the Philippines running. Also the homeless and refugee project, it is quite a lot actually. It is difficult to do a new one, because these don’t end. I might do something quick for something that is in need, just like a onetime thing for a few weeks, but these four things are the main projects. We are planning a new container like we shipped one last year, filled with wheelchairs and stuff. We got some donations from hospitals and we have some hospital beds too. At the

moment our warehouse is packed, so we need to get it there fast. Last week I got a call from a hospital, they had thirty beds for a donation. I had no place to put them, so I made some phone calls and we actually got them on a truck to Syria. In the first place I wanted to get them to Africa, but at the moment we don’t have any space, so it was impossible to keep them stored until we have a new container ready. That is a problem. Over the years I’ve built a very strong network of people who all do stuff like this. We help them and they help us. So this way the beds had a place to go to. This is how it should be, everybody helping each other. facebook.com/HardcoreHelp

RMP Magazine #23

Writer // David Marote

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heffield, UK has been the hometown to many great musicians, from Bring Me The Horizon to Artic Monkeys and it still remains a breeding ground for great bands. Elegies can be considered to be one of those up and coming Sheffield-bred talents. With a new EP that just hit the streets it's time that we at RMP Magazine interviewed Elegies to find out more about the new release and what the band has been up to lately.

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INTERVIEW // ELEGIES

Congratulations with the release of your EP, Deadlight Disease. It's been for out some weeks now. How has the response been? Thank you! The response has been great so far to say it’s only a 3-track but we have had the sort of response we were looking for setting us up for our future plans. You released the new EP on Hassle Records, a label that leaves you in good company, like Lonely The Brave and Frank Iero. How did you get involved with Hassle? We were first contacted by Hassle after we had some exposure when we released “Throne”, the single from “Daylight Disease”, and after performing in front of a few of their representatives at a show in London the rest is history.

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Elegies recently did a tour in August, it was called the Road To Nowhere tour. You even made a tour video, how did this idea come forward to feature the glamour of touring? We never intended on making a specific tour video for our time on the road in August. Aiky (bass) has some camera equipment so we just filmed as much as we could between the six of us and he managed to throw it all together so we could show people what we'd been up to. I believe I even heard the X-files theme song in the background, any fans in the band? In all honesty I don’t think any of us is a huge fan of the show. The theme song just seems to be a perfect backdrop for Ben (guitar) who is X-tra ordinary.

You also went to Leeds festival this summer. How was the experience? Leeds festival was great. We managed to score backstage passes which gave us the opportunity to see some of our favourite acts of the weekend side stage. There was that and getting particularly wavy with all the festival-goers. We left our van in the backstage production car park which seemed impossible to get back to at 6am the next day as security was tight. We all tried to sleep off huge hangovers while the Saturday acts and staff were preparing for the day ahead. When in Rome, right? You even got to watch Kendrick Lamar perform, is the band influenced by hip-hop? We managed to see Kendrick side stage

"THE IDEA CAME FROM US NOT CONFORMING TO THE 9 TO 5 REGIME WHICH IS EXPECTED OF LADS LIKE US WHO AREN’T STUDYING OR STARTING A

‘PROFESSIONAL’ CAREER. "

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INTERVIEW //ELEGIES

and it was probably the best set we saw. Not just Kendrick but also his live band. An incredible set played by incredible musicians. We try and take a lot from hip hop down to Dayle’s (drummer) rudiments to the way we lyrically try and tell a story. You also released a great video for the song “Throne” from the new EP. A real storyline with a suited guy getting kidnapped by the band wearing balaclavas and all black clothing Where did the idea come from and how is it linked to the song? We’re glad you like the video! The idea came from us not conforming to the 9 to 5 regime which is expected of lads like us who aren’t studying or starting a ‘professional’ career. The idea to kidnap and force someone to

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watch us came from thinking about the film Clockwork Orange as we wanted to try and bring someone around to our way of thinking. The video doesn’t necessarily link with the song lyrically but it has a strong specific message and the target audience should sit down and listen. Can we expect the balaclavas and black clothing to become part of your stage outfit? I doubt we will be wearing balaclavas when you see us play live, as we don’t really plan what to wear, but I’m sure we’d be up for it if it floats your boat. Elegies consists of six persons and holds two vocalists. Is it hard to keep the band in line with quite a large group? Having six members

has its ups and downs. Sometimes agreeing on certain things can take a while as keeping everybody happy can prove difficult. Fortunately, we are all on the same wavelength and we all know what we want so it’s just a case of going out and getting it. Or what about putting six guys in a cramped van for a long time? No fights or quarrels involved? To be honest we can’t recall any arguments during our time on the road but maybe there will be at some point? The only reason we could see an argument occurring is about who gets the best sleeping space but who cares where you sleep when you’ve drank and smoked yourself to sleep?

"WE ARE ALL ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH AND WE ALL KNOW WHAT WE WANT SO IT’S JUST A CASE OF GOING OUT AND GETTING IT." For the release of the new EP you made some great mock-up posters featuring the old 'devil weed' quote. So you all like 420 in the band? Yeah the majority of us do like a smoke. Marshall (guitar) seems to stay away as he prefers a drink but the rest of us will smoke ‘til we are bone dry and looking for more. It has a big influence on “Daylight Disease” and if you look

closely at our EP you may see more than meets the eye. Elegies has been a band for over two years now, things are going steady and good. Any big plans in the nearby future? We have been constantly writing and developing ourselves ready for 2016. You’ll all have to wait and see.

New album : "Daylight Disease"

Out now !

facebook.com/ELEGIESBAND

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Writer // James Cross Photography // Ian Christmann

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amie van Dyck of cinematic rock band Earthside recently took the time to chat with us about the band’s upcoming debut full length “A Dream In Static”. The record has been released on CD and digitally on October 23rd, 2015, with a vinyl release to follow. Read the interview below!

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INTERVIEW // EARTHSIDE

Thanks for joining us today. From my understanding, Earthside came about as a progression from your previous band, Bushwhack. Can you tell the readers a bit about how Earthside was formed, and the decision to record a fulllength record came about, even before you played a single show? With Bushwhack we felt like we’d run our course both creatively and we felt like we hit our ceiling as far as what we could accomplish. Almost like our history was holding us back. We wanted to just start anew, I think there was a stigma attached, in Bushwhack we had just been in college the whole time and in different locations, and I think it was symbolic more than anything. Also, we felt like that name had kind of worn off on us, so Earthside felt like something

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we could re-define ourselves with, reinvent ourselves with and we were looking to make more ambitious music and we felt that another element of disappointment with Bushwhack was we felt that the local scene we were part of couldn’t really propel us any further than it already had, so we wanted to also take a different approach which was sort of incubated for a while so we could make the record we want, make the connections we want, the collaborations we want, work with the people we want, and build it up sort of silently and in the background, and then just appear as “Hey, we’re Earthside!”. We’ve been working on this for a while and it kind of feels like a project that’s already on the scope of a national act. You know, a label signed

act and just jump on the scene right away like that. It seemed like a lot of other bands that had some success, it feels like they came out of nowhere and it made us wonder if maybe the model of just grinding the local scene isn’t the best thing for us and that the best thing we could do is really showcase our compositions and our creativity and make the record we really want and write the music we really want and then take our time with it and really hone it, and then just show up as like “Hey you’ve never heard of us, but this is what we can do.”. That was our approach. I think a lot of times the bands that do start small in the local scene and build up from there tend to get a following, but they don’t get nearly as big as the

arthside felt like something we could re-define ourselves with, re-invent ourselves with..."

acts that just come out of nowhere – which is what you’re planning to do. Of course you’ve released two songs already of “A Dream In Static”, namely “Mob Mentality” and “The Closest I’ve Come”. If you go on YouTube, they have over 50,000 views between the two of them and the video alone for “Mob Mentality” which came out about a week and a half or two weeks ago has about 15,000 (now 25,000) views which is insane for a band when this is the second song you’ve

ever put out. We feel that way a little, yeah. We’re pretty excited about its initial launch for sure, the reception out of the gate has been really great and it obviously helps when you have a guest vocalist like Lajon from Sevendust and I’m sure there’s a decent chance your line of questioning was going to go there at some point, but having some headline worthy things in there; working with an orchestra, the dancers. I think the early adopters and the sites that cover our

kind of music were really enthusiastic. Having them fully backing us right out of the gate has really helped us reach a lot of people very quickly. How do you think you can capitalize further on the success of this video and who you’ve been working with to create this masterpiece? Well first of all, thank you [laughs]. Second of all, oh man, how would I capitalize on it? I think it depends on what you mean, right now obviously we’re

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INTERVIEW // EARTHSIDE

doing it to propel us into the album release and with the album there will be more people involved and that will help; the other vocalists and other collaborations and other songs that can also go to work for us. As far as this video and this song, I think it really shows the breadth of what we can do and that we’re really, really ambitions and that we like reaching out and collaborating across disciplines, across genres. That way, I think it sets us up to do whatever we want in the future, creatively, which is very important to me. I don’t want to be a band that’s pigeonholed as “they do this.” A lot of bands have a sound and I don’t know if we even have a sound, somebody could say that’s a weakness, but we have an ethos. We have something about us that says we’re this

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creative enterprise that goes where our hearts and our ears want us to go, and we’ll do whatever it is that we feel musically turned on by. I think “Mob Mentality” sets us up to either go in a more film score direction, to continue to collaborate. This time it was with dancers, who knows what other visual artists we might collaborate with, Maybe we score a film at some point, maybe we go in a more classical direction, maybe we go in a more traditional rock direction, but we’ve laid the groundwork where any direction at any moment is possible and I think we like having that artistic freedom. You describe yourselves as cinematic rock, is that part of the film score idea, or something different? It’s at least an ac-

knowledgement that our music naturally would fit in that realm in a sense that it’s highly emotional and dynamic. Therefore I feel like we have the tools to paint an emotional arc or tell a story with our music. The difference between scoring a film and writing these pieces is our music comes first in these cases, so we can tell whatever story we want with our music and then any visuals that come around it are basically sound tracking us. I think by showing at the same time the whole palette that we have, the colour palette of sound and dynamic and emotion that we have available to us, it does mean that the inverse process is possible too where somebody comes to us with something, whether it be a film or some other visual art or non-visual art, and we can then

” A lot of bands have a sound and I don’t know if we even have a sound, somebody could say that’s a weakness, but we have an ethos. "

Photography // Chris "Metal" Morgan

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INTERVIEW // EARTHSIDE

take our music and be inspired specifically by whatever object or enterprise or project it is and map our music onto that. Kind of react to what we’re seeing or feeling based on that. If you scored a movie in the past, which do you think it would have been, or which would you have preferred? It depends on if it was me scoring it by myself or Earthside as a whole with our rock band instrumentation. I’m trying to think of my favourite movies, what would we have been appropriate for. Doing the first Matrix movie would have been sweet, but the soundtrack that already exists for it is also sweet. Or like Memento, or something like that; something that has the action but also the psychological aspects. I think that

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combination, where it’s a psychological thriller aspect, that genre would be a good fit for us where there’s intensity but also a cerebral aspect to it. I think Memento would be a great choice, especially how it all plays out since it’s a huge mental time-warp basically. We would musically want get in on the mindfuck, so to speak [laughs]. Can you give us a quick description of the musical experience of each member of the band? Frank, Ben, and I were the original three so I’ll start with us. Frank and I grew up together, so a lot of our upbringing musically was through each other. He and I both took lessons at Suzuki, he actually started on violin and I started on piano, and then he

Artist // Ravis Smith

moved to piano and very quickly got better than I did and I moved to guitar [laughs]. We were in bands together ever since we were, like, 10 or 11. He went to college at Berklee College of Music for a year and a half before feeling like it wasn’t the right fit for him, but I’m sure he got a lot out of that year and a half. He moved on to Hampshire where he explored music on more his own terms. Hampshire College is a more laissez-faire style school as far as letting you have a lot of academic freedom. I did music at Yale, where the music department had very much a 20th century classical feel to it as far as the composers they would expose you to like Ligeti, or John Cage, George Crumb, composers like that. I’d never been exposed to that, and at first I kind of resisted it because

I felt like they really didn’t respect the rock music that I was really obsessed with, and I felt like the rock music I liked was as high brow because it was Porcupine Tree and Radiohead, stuff like that. I felt like they were still not fully respecting it so it was kind of a push and pull. Actually, “Mob Mentality” came out of that experience of them finally acquiescing to let me do rock projects and me saying “Well if I can do a ten-minute full orchestration, maybe you’ll take it seriously.” This project actually came out of wanting to prove to Yale professors that rock music could be more cerebral than they were giving it credit for. By that time I think they had come around and I’d come around that they just wanted what was best for me and wanted me to see what I could

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INTERVIEW // EARTHSIDE

"It’ all hands on deck now in the compositional process, which is awesome."

gain from learning about that music and I was not insecure anymore about how they felt about my music, so I was more open to it. That was a little detour there from your question, but it was the story of how “Mob Mentality” started, it was my senior thesis, so it was worth nothing. Ben, at age three, he was in a day-care and he got kicked out of the day-care because they thought he was so disruptive and

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ADHD. He just kept banging on things and they were just like “this kid’s maybe like violent, he’s got anger issues, definitely ADHD, we don’t know he hasn’t hit anybody but he just keeps bashing things, and we’re just like afraid to have him around the other kids.” So Ben’s parents were very concerned, they took him to his paediatrician, who actually happened to be my paediatrician growing up too,

who I also adored. The paediatrician talked to Ben about it, and observed him, and talked to Ben’s parents about it. I believe the story goes, the paediatrician said to the parents “Well, I have some very concerning news,” I don’t know if those were the exact words, very serious news and they’re really terrified “Oh god what is it?” “Your son is a drummer. You’re going to need to buy him a drum set, you’re going

to need to wall off a part of your house or a room in your house, soundproof it as much as you can, get him drum lessons, yeah he’s afflicted and it’s bad.” Sure enough, the paediatrician was right because now Ben is a phenomenal, phenomenal drummer. Not a super violent angry person at all, he just likes to hit things in rhythm, and hard. So it’s funny our paediatrician when Ben was like three or four was able to nail him that well. Ryan is four years younger than me, and three years younger than Ben and Frank, and we only met him in the last five years, so his upbringing we know a little less about. He’s a multi-instrumentalist and plays probably an instrument in any string family you can come up with. He just finished recently at

Hart School of Music, University of Hartford’s music conservatory; I believe it was a music technology program. I should say about Ben, for most of his life he’s been just a drummer, but one change from Bushwhack to Earthside is Ben has been much more involved in the creative process and learning about music outside of just rhythm and meter, getting more into harmony, melody, timbre and composition. It’ all hands on deck now in the compositional process now, which is awesome. Thank you for giving us that insight into each of your lives. I think I gave you more than 30 seconds, but oh well. That’s totally fine, I think the story about Ben will be big a hit… No pun intended. [laughs] Oh yeah, I was

going to say! Right on. Thank you so much. The record was dropped on October 23rd, and it’s called “A Dream In Static”. We hope you all love it, we certainly do. It’s an up-and-down journey, so we’re going to take you for a rollercoaster ride of emotions when you check it out. If you have an hour to immerse yourself, we ask that you please do. Let yourself be emotionally vulnerable to the ride we want to take you on. Thank you so much for having me on, James.

New album : "A Dream In Static"

Out now!

Facebook.com/EarthsideMusic

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// RANDOM Q & A WITH ART AT

Writer // Jesse Mouart

RMP Magazine #23

ISTS

he cool thing about a festival such as Ieperfest is the open atmosphere that floats there. People are nice and the artist walk among us as regular human beings. We took the liberty of releasing some random questions on some of the artists that played Ieperfest 2015. Here you will find some of the answers that we have picked out for you guys to enjoy.

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RANDOM Q & A AT //IEPER HARDCORE FEST

//WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON IEPERFEST?

ANCHOR: Claes (singer) It is cool, I really like Ieper. Mainly because it has been around for quite a long time and it kept their ethics and focus on being an eco friendly festival. This makes it a very cool festival. TOUCHE AMORE: Jeremy Bolm (Singer) This is our second time here. It still has all the great things it had last time, but it seems smaller. I mean more people on a smaller space. I’m feeling a little claustrophobic, but it is cool that so many people showed up.

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STICK TO YOUR GUNS: Josh James (Guitarist) I just walked into the more than music tent and I was listening to this girl talking about commercial fishing (red. Blackfish) and I was thinking to myself: “This is so fucking cool”. We are in this tent right now, there is no band merchandise, it is rather about animal rights, anarchists and about stuff that have effect on the political and social views. This is really cool, because when I started going to punk shows I saw a lot more of this. It is very cool that there is an environment for

people at this fest to go to, so they can learn stuff or share ideas. This girl is sitting here and talking about something that she is obviously passionate about. It is so fucking sick that there are people sitting here and just listening and watching her. I really like this place, there are so many people here that are either just reading literature or checking out the different booths from very cool organizations. Just the thing that there are so many cool people here that are sharing thoughts and views, I think it is sick.

//IS IT WORK OR PLEASURE?

TOUCHE AMORE: Jeremy Bolm (Singer) I always like to hope it is pleasure, but it is work. It is like half and half. I always tell to myself that when it starts to feel more like work that I would stop doing it. Is it something that pays the bills? It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hurt. I have struggles with money at home like everyone. But it is worth not having a lot of money to keep doing this.

OBEY THE BRAVE: Stevie Morotti (Drums) It is kind of both. It is what I do for a living, but it is kind of hard to call it work when you do something that you love that much. It pays the bills as much as it can, but I do it because I love it.

"...it is kind of hard to call it work when you do something that you love that much."

RMP Magazine #23

RANDOM Q & A AT //IEPER HARDCORE FEST

// WHAT IS YOUR WORST AND BEST TOUR EXPERIENCE?

ANCHOR: Claes (singer) When we were on tour in de US, it was in San Francisco, the brakes from our bus stopped working when we were on a mountain. That kind of sucked. Also once we were stuck in Bilbao for a week, because our van broke down in Spain. We have plenty. As for the best, we played in São Paulo for like a thousand people with other bands from Brazil. That was pretty cool. ALL FOR NOTHING: Cindy van der Heijden (Singer) [laughs] Years ago we had our own van and we were supposed to do a three weeks European tour. On the

RMP Magazine #23

first day, the van broke down in Holland. It was pretty close to the place where we bought it, so we went back to that place and the guy who sold us the car was just laughing in our face. He was all like “fuck you, you’ve bought it. It is your problem now”, So what could we do, right? Eventually two of us hopped on the train to find a rental and the rest of us stayed to find a place for all our stuff and gear. We found this local bar where we could place our stuff while we were waiting. The people there were all like, “what the fuck is happening here” [laughs]. We also sold some t-shirts to some of the people in the

bar, so that was pretty cool though. When the rental arrived we drove like eight hours straight and arrived during the night, played the show right after that. We were totally broken after the show and we had to crash on that very same stage, but at the end of the hall there was this techno party going on, so we were almost like bouncing on the stage [laughs]. The cool part was that the guy who organized it was the same guy from Sucks’n’Summer fest in Leipzig and he thought it was so cool that we did all that just to play there, so since then we played every year on Suck’n’Summer fest. In the end it all paid off.

// MOVIE OR BOOKS AND WHICH ONE?

OBEY THE BRAVE : Stevie Morotti (Drums) Whew, I guess anything from Whitesnake. TOUCHE AMORE: Jeremy Bolm (Singer) Leonard Cohen, Songs Of Love And Hate. X REPENTANCE X: Patrick (Pat) Hassan & Robb Edge (Guitarists) Robb: A birthday song [laughs], no I don’t know. My life is like very normal. I listen to music a lot when I’m at work, but I couldn’t describe that as the soundtrack of my live, it is just “what is playing” [laughs]. Probably elevator music, you know what I mean? Casual and easy to listen to. Patt: Probably Everyday Is Like Sunday by Morrissey [laughs]. This

is what basically sums up my life.

ANCHOR: Claes (singer) Definitely movie. Anything that is scary I guess. One of those psychological thrillers, something that get under your skin. STICK TO YOUR GUNS: Josh James (Guitarist) I’m going to be honest with you and say movie [smiles]. I mean, I read books, but I watch way more movies then I read books. If I had to pick one favorite movie, I’d choose True Romance. My favorite book is The Count Of Monte Cristo, a very cool book.

RMP Magazine #23

RANDOM Q & A AT //IEPER HARDCORE FEST

// SOUNDTRACK OF YOUR LIVE?

I couldn’t describe that as the soundtrack of my live, it is just “what is playing” [laughs]. Probably elevator music, you know what I mean? Casual and easy to listen to.

Patt: Probably Everyday Is Like Sunday by Morrissey [laughs]. This is what basically sums up my life.

"Probably elevator music, you know what I mean? Casual and easy to listen to."

RMP Magazine #23

31.10 TRIX ANTWERP

22.11 M.O.D. HASSELT

17.01 DE MAST TORHOUT

CARCASS

SHEER TERROR(US)

+ TERROR(US) + H2O(US) + IRON REAGAN(US) + TWITCHING TONGUES(US) + WISDOM IN CHAINS(US) + RISK IT(DE)

Deathcrusher Tour 2015 (UK)

Old fashioned sunday hardcore-punk-trash matinee

+ NAPALM DEATH(UK) + OBITUARY(US) + VOIVOD(CA) + HEROD(US)

+ BISHOPS GREEN(CA) + FORESEEN(FIN) + LIFESPITE(B) + GET OUT(B)

01.11 ZAPPA ANTWERP

(AUS) DEEZ NUTS (BE)

------------------------------------------------------

BANE

------------------------------------------------------

27.11 M.O.D. HASSELT

(US) + CODE ORANGE(US) + WOLF DOWN(GER) + SUNDAYS(B)

+ NASTY

07.11 TRIX ANTWERP

29.11 KAVKA ANTWERP

------------------------------------------------------

Impericon Never Say Die! Tour 2015

THE AMITY (AUS) AFFLICTION (US)

+ DEFEATER + BEING AS AN OCEAN(US) + CRUEL HAND(US) + FIT FOR A KING(US) + BURNING DOWN ALASKA(GER) ------------------------------------------------------

08.11 M.O.D. HASSELT

OUR LAST NIGHT(US)

+ PALISADES(US) + CROOKS(UK)

------------------------------------------------------

12.11 HET BOS ANTWERP

THE-----------------------------------------------------DRONES(AU) + ...

13.11 VK BRUSSELS

HIGH ON FIRE

(US)

+ BASK(US) + ...

------------------------------------------------------

16.11 MAGASIN 4 BRUSSELS

LEFT LANE (US) CRUISER +... ------------------------------------------------------

19.11 KAVKA ANTWERP

TURNSTILE

(US)

+ EXPIRE(US) + ASTROID BOYS(UK) + LOUIE KNUXX(AUS) ------------------------------------------------------

+ ZOAX(UK)+...

------------------------------------------------------

04.12 KLINKER AARSCHOT

CARNIFEX

(US)

+ WITHIN THE RUINS(US) + FALLUJAH(US) + BORIS THE BLADE(AU) ------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------------

06.12 KAVKA ANTWERP

MONDO GENERATOR(US)

------------------------------------------------------

10.02 KAVKA ANTWERP

MAYDAY PARADE(US)

+ HAVE MERCY(US) + BEAUTIFUL BODIES(US) ------------------------------------------------------

LIONHEART(US)

------------------------------------------------------

14.02 M.O.D. HASSELT

ESCAPE THE FATE(US)+... ------------------------------------------------------

NICK OLIVERI’S

16.02 AB BRUSSEL

+ KOMATSU(NL)

+ ARCHITECTS(UK) + THY ART IS MURDER(AUS)

------------------------------------------------------

08.12 M.O.D. HASSELT

THE BRONX(US)

+ LUCIFERIAN LIGHT ORCHESTRA(SE) + EGO FALL(CN) + IMPERIAL AGE(RU)

20.11 KAVKA ANTWERP

13.12 KAVKA ANTWERP

------------------------------------------------------

THERION

(SE)

------------------------------------------------------

MANTAR(DE) + ...

(US)

+ MEWITHOUTYOU(US)

+ DESOLATED(UK) + KUBLAI KHAN(US) + FALLBRAWL(DE)

+ VEIL OF MAYA + GOOD TIGER(US)

MEAT WAVE(US) +...

+ GRAVE PLEASURES(FI) + VAMPIRE(SE)

+ SILENT SCREAMS(UK) + CAPTURE THE CROWN(AUS) + WALKING WITH STRANGERS(SE)

THE BROWNING(US)

10.01 M.O.D. HASSELT

------------------------------------------------------

TRIBULATION(SE)

13.02 M.O.D. HASSELT

20.11 M.O.D. HASSELT

PERIPHERY (US)

------------------------------------------------------

27.01 M.O.D. HASSELT

05.12 KAVKA ANTWERP

+ FRANK CARTER & THE RATTLESNAKES(UK) + POUNDED BY THE SURF(US)

(US)

IGNITE

BUSTER SHUFFLE(UK) +... 07.02 TRIX ANTWERP -----------------------------------------------------THE WORLD IS A 03.12 KAVKA ANTWERP (US) BEAUTIFUL PLACE NOTHING MORE & I AM NO LONGER AFRAID TO DIE

+ FORCED ORDER(US) + ...

------------------------------------------------------

EMP Persistence Tour 2015 (US)

PARKWAY DRIVE(AUS) ------------------------------------------------------

02.03 TRIX ANTWERP

(JP) CROSSFAITH + ... ------------------------------------------------------

04.03 M.O.D. HASSELT

(NL) TEXTURES +... ------------------------------------------------------

05.03 TRIX ANTWERP Together Fest 2016

GORILLA BISCUITS(US)

+ MODERN LIFE IS WAR(US) + TOUCHE AMORE(US) +GWLT(DE)+...

RMP Magazine #23

RANDOM Q & A AT //IEPER HARDCORE FEST

//WHAT IT YOUR GUILTY PLEASURE?

OBEY THE BRAVE : Stevie Morotti (Drums) I just said my favorite band is Whitesnake [laughs], but that is just a great band. I don’t know. I don’t know if it is a guilty pleasure, but I’m a huge pop punk fan. Being in like hardcore bands or metal bands that sometimes raises eyebrows [laughs]. Good tunes is just good tunes.

RMP Magazine #23

STICK TO YOUR GUNS: Josh James (Guitarist) [long pause] I know I must have a good one. Oh, Avril Lavigne [laughs]. Love her. Oh and also, I don’t have a television anymore, but when I did there was this channel in probably whole North America called lifetime movie network. It is all like these stupid tv movies, like the women thinks her husband is cheating on her and finds out he is. Out of revenge she steals the mistress her baby, so really bad and cheesy movies [laughs]. I really used to love that, because it is so absurd.

// WHAT DOES HARDCORE MEAN TO YOU?

X REPENTANCE X: Patrick (Pat) Hassan (Guitarists) It is kind of an arena for venting your frustration in a constructive way, instead of a destructive way. You could ask this question to so many people and you’ll get different answers, but 80% would be like “if it wasn’t for hardcore, I would be blablabla”. It sounds cheesy but it is a culture. So basically venting frustration in a positive way and getting stuff of your chest in a constructive manner. That’s what it is for me anyway.

ALL FOR NOTHING: Cindy van der Heijden (Singer) I would describe hardcore as a feeling in your heart and in your soul. I’ve never had this feeling with any other genre of music. It feels like coming home. When I go to a hardcore show, I don’t have to explain a lot of things, like why I am the person who I am or why I look a certain way, why I hate a lot of things that are going on in this world. There is just an understanding. Basically it is like friends and family with this band. It also doesn’t matter where you are going, inside or outside Europe,

everybody just shares the same feeling. You just have to look into someone else’s eyes and see this is my brother or this is my sister. That to me is hardcore.

RMP Magazine #23

ALBUM REVIEWS

Jusska L'homme de l'ombre

Luna Sol Blood Moon

Mountains To Move Cotard

Jusska, when you first hear this band name, one instantly drifts towards Scandinavian sounds but less is true. Hailing from the Antwerp area in Belgium, this three-piece is on a mission to deliver groove back to heavy music. Taken the lead from bands such as Vola, Karnivool and Deftones, the Belgian trio decided to brew their own conjuncture of the wall of sound.

Stoner rock is the name of the game that Luna Sol plays. Only in this particular case we're talking about ‘mountain rock’! The project formed around vocalist/guitar player David Angstrom (Hermano, Superfuzz) was conceived when David moved to the rocky mountains of Denver, Colorado. Inspired by the solitude of the mountains, he gathered fellow musicians Shanda, Shannon and Pat to form Luna Sol.

Pessimism and downward spirals, these are the main themes to Mountains To Move new EP, “Cotard”. This EP by the Antwerp based emo-punks deals on dark thoughts and feelings of alienation, written into songs as a cathartic experience. Influenced by their musical peers as Brand New and Citizen, the musical expression swings between punk and emo parts: from hard to melodic.

Brick by brick the notes build up to create a trip into the inner depths. Angst-driven lyrics will guide the listener through the maze of inner demons up until confronting them. These first three tracks are now available and more tracks will be released working up to their debut album. Let Jusska guide you through the shadows with “L'homme de l'ombre”.

‘Dark’ and ‘heavy’ are the keywords with “Blood Moon”, their first full album full of stoner rock ridden with filthy riffs and a whole lot of influential friends such as John Garcia, Nick Oliveiri and Dizzy Reed, who bringing their skills to this record. The tales of the mountains are vibrant; “Blood Moon” is a great debut album that will take from the valley to the summit.

‘Heart on the sleeve’ songs as “Saint-Joseph's Burden” display the deepest inner feelings of a struggling being coping with life. “Cotard”, the title track, serves as the closure to this introverted EP, with its acoustic guitar play which lets the grim tale end with hope: the hope for more tracks from Mountains To Move as this is definitely their proper path and story to tell.

By Barbara Maes

RMP Magazine #23

By Steven Vanmassenhove

By David Marote

ALBUM REVIEWS

Neck Deep Life’s Not Out To Get You

Pop Punk band, Neck Deep, are back with another brand new album, “Life’s Not Out To Get You”, and boy it’s a right corker! It has a much more pop punk feel to it than their previous album “Wishful Thinking”. This is the album where the five-piece is going to get their big break, especially with A Day To Remember’s frontman Jeremy McKinnon, who helped producing the album. The second song, “Threat Level To Midnight” gives your ears the pop punk vibe and you know the album is going to get better and better just by listening to this track. The whole song has effective rhyming all the way through and the song will get stuck in your head all day. The one song that stands out throughout the whole fifteen tracks, which include three acoustic tracks, the sixth track “Lime St.”. The drum work during the whole song is outstanding and the powerful lyrics that tell a whole love story in just three minutes that has happened to one of the members makes this track definitely one to have on repeat all day long. Neck Deep always include a sappy song in their albums, and this one is called “December”. Vocalist Ben Barlow sings it so beautifully, and a lot of people, boys and girls can relate to the lyrics to this wintery love song. This will definitely be pop punk album of the year by far! Let’s hope their next album will be just as good! By Holly Reijs

From What We Believe Sink Or Swim

From What We Believe is a five-headed band hailing from Hermeskeill, Germany. These five guys already released their first album “Sink Or Swim” in June, 2015 and has been touring ever since. The dubstepish intro to the album called “Coming To Light” gives you the impression that you’ll be listening to a metal album with lots of electronic elements but nothing is less true. Of course, one can ponder on the real necessity of this song in the overall concept of the album but that would bring us too far. The rest of the album provides a full-on wall of sound with very tight guitar and drum riffs, roaring screams and angelic clean vocals. Everything sounds very polished and clean but this subtracts nothing from the pure, raw emotions in songs like “My Lighthouse”, “Compass” or title track “Sink Or Swim”. One demerit of this album we have to admit is that each song could be of another band like Parkway Drive, Bury Tomorrow and many others. The influence of these bands cannot be overlooked and while listening to “Sink Or Swim” you have to admit that these guys must have listened very carefully to their heroes so they could sound like them. After listening to this album you’ll be left with no breath and the only thing you could do is just sink or swim.

By Frederik Geuvens

RMP Magazine #23

ALBUM REVIEWS

Grave Pleasures Dreamcrash

Atreyu Long Live

Yotam California sounds

After the demise of that other rock revelation, Beastmilk, the remaining members decided to rise from the ashes into a new form: Grave Pleasures was conceived earlier this year and set out to record straight away, the result being “Dreamcrash”, an apocalyptic tale comprised of deathrock and other sinister sounds.

The five-headed band from California, Atreyu has been paving their way since 1998. And after all these years they’ve stayed true to their signature format of shredding guitars, ripping screams and heart-breaking clean vocals. So don’t expect something completely different while listening to their latest release “Long Live” but who could blame them?

This album is what every singersongwriter album should be: light, easy-listenable and catchy. Still, the songs do sound a little alike and there isn’t really one that has the ‘wow’-factor. So it’s a good album to relax to, to listen to on a Sunday morning, but it could use some spice, some twists to the gentle guitar riffs.

Taking their post punk to a new level, incorporating the diverse member rosters special skills ranging from black metal to goth and rock, weaving a sonic web of dark tunes. Stating influences from groups as Killing Joke, Samhain and others, even touching grounds with The Damned. Grave Pleasures paints a picture that's intense and descends into the deepest abyss of the human mind.

By David Marote

RMP Magazine #23

They’ve found their lucky recipe and changing their sound just for the sake of change would be plainly dumb. So if you want to hear the real Atreyu, listen to songs like title track “Long Live”, “Brass Balls” and “Start To Break”! The Special Edition of this album provides the fans with hit single “So Others May Live” and new masterpiece “Stronger Than Me”.

By Frederik Geuvens

Lastly, I have to say I do appreciate the song’s subjects. They’re not all about love, like so much music is nowadays, but about more refreshing things like the singer’s grandfather and the fleetingness of time. So all in all, this is a good album if you’re looking for something simple and calm, but not if you’re more into something provocative and novel.

By Renske Gommer

ALBUM REVIEWS

Moments Hopes & Dreams The Belgian melodic hardcore revelation Moments has finally found the time to record their first full album, “Hopes & Dreams”. The album starts off with the instrumental “Faith”. This ‘djent-ish’ and heavy intro immediately sets the tone for this super tight album. Each song corporates light-hearted twostep grooves with earth-shaking breakdowns, clean-cut riffs and the ever positive hardcore message. The only downside on this album could be the monotonicity of the screams, but we are eager to turn a blind eye on this when hearing songs like “Brothers”, dedicated to their friend Koen Daems who passed away last year, “Lost Souls” with the beautiful instrumental intro “Lost Thoughts” and “The Architect”.

By Frederik Geuvens

After All Rejection Overruled

Banquets Spit at the sun

Bruges, not just home to fancy lace, tasty chocolate and medieval sightseeing but also home to the finest band in the Belgian thrash metal scene: After All. Following their 2012 release “Dawn Of The Enforcer”, After All decided it was time to kick some ass again, so songs were written, the studio booked and a new full album is on its way as we speak.

The album title represents the album quite well, I think, because "spitting at the sun" seems like kind of a rebellious act, right? And that is just what this album sounds like: rebellious and passionate. However, there are also a few things I don’t like that much about it.

But first they leave you with “Rejection Overruled”, a three-song EP on limited 300 pieces pressed in nuclear green vinyl. Featuring two new tracks and one reworked track the band once proves its talent and delivers a fine display of old-school metal vocals, energy, melody and hell-hard riffs. “Rejection Overruled” can keep every thrash metal fan satisfied while waiting for their next full album.

By David Marote

For a example the singing/screaming starts to sound a little monotonous after a while. Also, the songs seem to lose a little of their power as they go along. Most of them start really fierce and then droop at the end. So I guess this should be Banquets’ challenge: to keep us entertained to the last second of every freaking song.

By Renske Gommer

RMP Magazine #23