Interview with GRINDPAD
!!!DUTCH THRASH METAL!!!
We had a conversation with Axel (Guitars). Enjoy!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
1. Tell us a few things about GRINDPAD (Members, Starting Year etc).
Well, skipping the irrelevant vague beginning in 2005 with coming and going names (people and band names), it was beginning 2007 when things started to get more serious. I (Axel) joined JG (JanGerard) in the project, the thing became an actual band and the name Grindpad, which was always floating arround, stayed.That's what we call now "Grindpad 1.0", which released "Killing for a Living" (2008) and "Grave Matter" (2009) and won the Dutch Metal Battle. The style was more death metal. Then, kind of all of a sudden for JG and me, the other members left almost at once... So, the death metal part of the band left and die hard as we are JG and I, we decided to go full throttle on what we grew up with and really tickles our pickle: THRASH, MOTHERFUCKER!!!And that's it, re-enter "Grindpad" as it should be!"Olivier has been an awesome fellow grindpadder since almost 10 years, singer, promo, mate, friend, idiot, you name it. since Sharkbite we have finally found our monster drummer Paul; and since a year now Rik is with us pounding that low end like the madman he is.
2. You have recently released your new album ''Violence''. What is the Feedback from your audience as well as from the Press?
As you know, the album was released right after harder measures were taken during the current Covid-19 pandemic, so you can imagine that live audience is difficult to get nowadays! Hell, we cannot get together to rehearse! In any case, we have got a lot of online contact with people supporting us, complimenting us, and ordering the album and shirts.On the press side, we have been blown away! Reviews from different places, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, all over the place in Europe, are giving us really high ciphers and what they say is great, i mean they say mostly what we mean to transmit with our music, as if they were reading our minds and feeling the same rush as us! How cool is that!I'm curious of what outside Europe the reception would be, but seeing how was it with Sharkbite, i think the taste will not change that much for people from outside the Old Continent.
3. Label or DIY and why?
This time (and most likely from now on) label. Violence is been released by Iron Shield Records. They had done a distribution job that we would never be able to do by ourselves. After trying DIY for 4 EP's, we have learnt to know ourselves and for us to work at larger scale we need a label.
4. Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Here i answer for myself only:
- Vinyl: they sound awesome but not for me, i can't take care too much of stuff and they need a lot of care, I even scratch my CDs!.
- Tape: the best! they can withstand a summer in the beach (sand sand sand!!! ) and they keep on blasting in your car!
- CD: Great for selling and for listening at home, car, etc... but alas they don't survive me longer than 1 or 2 years, haha!!!
- Digital is very practical as you can yank it everywhere, but no touch feeling.
5. Your music style is Thrash Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
Uf! i need to speak for myself here again and that'd be Exodus, Slayer, Pantera, Metallica, Megadeth... mmm sounds like a typical list of someone repeating classics, but that's it... Still there is much stuff that i used to listen that still contributes. For example lately i've been inspired by Morbid Saint and Judas Priest (maybe because i'm from Chile, a catholic country, hahaha! )... Did i say Exodus, Slayer and Pantera?
6. Describe your ideal live show as a performance Band. Have you already experienced that?
Have you seen the live video of Gung-ho from Anthrax? That says it all.Similar was when we played in Ostrava (CZ), together with S.D.I. Goddamn, there i remember in the middle of our show seeing this guy in the front row with a blue eye and the nose pointing anywhere but where it should. I told him go get himself checked, and then he said no-no and went straight into the pit again!We'd like always that with our shows people feel what we feel every time the pit during an Exodus concert. Yes, that is our mission!!!
7. Which attributes, do you think, that a new Thrash Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
Include tambourines, a tuba solo and some wierd-ass tempos that you need six degrees in engineering to figure them out. NOT! What the hell!!! JUST THRASH YOUR BALLS TILL THEY EXPLODE!!!There is no formula, you just have to feel it and mean it. If you are authentic, it transpires to the music and then transpires to the audience. Get that live and lively crazy feeling out there, it will always be unique to each one of us and therefore the rest will feel it unique too.
8. Do you believe that Bandcamp and other Digital Platforms help the new Thrash Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a Band to promote its work?
I would say that digital platforms definitely help a band like us reach way more people than we would have otherwise been able to reach. It’s awesome to see people from around the world listening to our music and responding back to us.
We also sold a lot of CD’s through the internet and this has been an amazing experience.
On the other hand there’s also way more bands out there and it can be hard to stand our from the crowd. But in general I would say it’s a really positive thing.
9. Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Netherlands (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
It looks like thrash is experiencing a bit of a revival which is great. But in general, the scene seems less active than let’s say 10 years ago. There’s still a lot of great bands and concerts though. But we do notice it seems less big than in some other countries.
10. Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
SUICIDAL ANGELS, you rule guys!!!!!
11. What are your future plans?
Personally, catch Corona and survive it without killing anyone. On the band level, we already are working on some new material. I can't say that much at the moment for the concerts that had been cancelled and that we would love to do given that playing live is by now out of the question, but as soon as the curfew is lifted we want to give Violence all the support that it and our fans deserve with live gigs.
12. Thank you very much for your time & Keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Overused, but also over-true: Thanks to all the people which has supported us and worked together with us in the release of Violence. Specially in these difficult times, grab that beer, crank the volume to 11 and listen to VIOLENCE!!! Stay healthy, stay strong and stay metal.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
GRINDPAD CONTACT:
https://grindpad.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Grindpad