Archaic-Magazine.com :: Thrash til death!

It appears to be high season for old Dutch mofos who keep going strong and keep releasing quality albums! Dead Head is another excellent example and their recent Depression tank shows that these guys still thrash till death! Guitar player Ronnie van der Wey bravely answered all my questions

So Ron, que pasa in the Dead Head Quarters? Its been four years since Haatland came out, could you tell us what happened after its release? Did you do a fair amount of gigs? Why did you leave GMR Music Group, was it just a 1-album contract?
-No spectacular things happened after the release of Haatland. But I think it is a good album, and most reactions were positive. For the first time we had a really good sound. We did our regular gigs, but no tours or very big shows. Thats all a choice we made ourselves. Maybe GMR expected us to be more active, but every one of us has his own job and family matters. I think the interest dried out a little, so for the next album we had to find something else. I suppose the situation would have been slightly different if the album had sold a million copies.

Obviously we know about Toms departure. Since hes been out several times before do you think its really permanent this time? You guys split on good terms?
-Nothing is permanent in this life. But fact is that we never have recorded anything with a different singer, so this time it seems a different situation. And although there had been building up some tension between us, I think we dont have any problem with Tom personally.
I am very satisfied with the way the problem has been solved. It could have been very difficult for us if we hadnt been able to find a decent successor for Tom. (Im making the bridge now to the next question)

How easy was it to find his replacement Ralph de Boer? Did you consider any other people for the vacant position? Did you consider what youd do if you wouldnt find a good replacement (quit or keep looking until the end of days?)?
-Apparently it was quite easy, looking back on the way it turned out, but at the time we had some serious concerns about the whole situation. We realized that Toms voice was quite an important feature for the band, and you dont find similar voices on every corner. The closest one, Mille, lives in Essen, Germany, as far as I know. And hes already occupied too. We have tried a couple of singers before we ran into Ralph. Those singers were good enough (otherwise we wouldnt have invited them) but they would have changed the Dead Head sound so much that we thought it wouldnt be Dead Head anymore. If Ralph hadnt shown up, I think we still would have been searching, writing instrumental songs meanwhile. The other option would be recruiting a keyboard player and a female singer and leave the high strings alone. But two epic/gothic-two-chord bands from the city of Zwolle seems more than enough to me.

The new album Depression tank has been out for a while now, how have the press and fan reactions been so far?
-Mostly the reactions were extremely positive. And a few were quite negative. But actually not too much has changed since the release of Haatland, and some people didnt even notice that it was a different singer until they read the booklet. It is always risky to replace the singer in a band, but we were convinced that Ralph could easily compete with Tom.
Reacting to the music, some people said there should be more fast and intense songs on the album. An interesting opinion, as a musician its always difficult to find the right balance when composing and arranging songs. When its all fast there is not enough variation, and when its all slow it might be boring after a while.

In contrast to Haatland you guys decided to stay close to home this time around for the recording of Depression tank. What were the main reasons to use the Hooiland Studios? I dont think Ive ever heard about them so could you enlighten me about other bands that have recorded there?
-The main reason is that it was logistically the easiest way to go. It was not just a considered choice. This time it seemed very logical to do the recording very much 21st century. We didnt want to go in a far away studio for a couple of weeks, so we did everything fragmented, digital, and different. No other bands have recorded in Hooiland Studios, since we were the first. At this very moment the band Dictated, a thrash band from the city of Kampen, is recording their debut album there.

If I remember correctly you guys re-recorded the vocals entirely when Ralph joined. How much studio time did you use in total? Furthermore, did Ralph only record vocals or did he also get the chance to have a go at some of the lyrics?
-In total? I dont know exactly, but it must be around a thousand hours or so. For some things we used extremely little time, and for some other things a whole lot of time. We took the opportunity to experiment with different guitar- and drum sounds and digital possibilities. The biggest advantage was that we could record whenever we wanted. We werent bound to any limitation or schedule. The disadvantage (for every advantage has its disadvantage) is that you might get pretty lazy (lets do that tomorrow).
Ralph had, in the end, certainly some input in the lyrics and vocal-lines. We changed some things during the recording of the vocal parts.

Depression tank was released by Displeased Records with whom you almost signed for the release of Kill division, right? What made the difference to actually hook up with them this time around? For how many albums did you sign?
-Right. We always have had good contact with the guys from Displeased, but it never came to a concrete cooperation. In the end it is finally there, and up until now to mutual satisfaction. I think we will stay with them for a while, unless they kick us out, or Geffen is knocking at the door.

Boring question perhaps but often musicians have their own favorite songs on their new album. Which tunes on Depression tank are especially dear to you?
-My personal favorites are Green Angel, Daemonique and Firegate. I find it difficult to say anything whatsoever about our own songs. I think other people should decide what they make of it. I rarely listen to Dead Head anyway.

One of the stand-out tracks on the new album is the re-recording of Pesticide. Usually Im not a big fan of bands doing revamped versions of older songs but the Pesticide 2009 version fucken slays. Im sure you get this question all the time but what are the chances of you redoing the entire The feast begins at dawn album?
-I share your conviction concerning rerecording older songs. Im not a big fan of it either. In most cases the result, in my opinion, never beats the original, although the sound might be a lot better. Its a matter of feel, I think. Its the same with all those tribute albums.
More so, I dont see the reason to record an old song that already has been done before, whilst you can invest your effort into new material. So in particular cases it seems a matter of lack of inspiration.
Nevertheless, we did Pesticide again and I find the result pretty interesting. You might see it as an experiment, since we dont plan to do any old songs again.

Please explain to me the link between the album title and the album cover. Is the girl the depression tank? Shes way too skinny to be called a tank wouldnt you say?
-The link is that you shouldnt see the meaning of tank as a physical entity, but as a metaphor for a container that is about to burst. Hans our drummer introduced the term for the standard type of women you see around you, acting like a fashion doll, but boiling inside with frustration and unfulfilled desire.

Btw, you seem to be the spokes person for Dead Head or is it just coincidence that I mostly see interviews handled by you?
-You are aiming at Robbie Woning, in this case. (this interview is done by Ronnie van der Wey). Thats right, most PR is done by Robbie, but we tend to delegate things more now.

What makes Dead Head persevere for so long? Are you simply metal as fuck or is there a deeper connection that keeps pushing you to continue thrashing out?
-Good question. It would have been more obvious that we had quit a long time ago. But for some reason we always needed to carry on. And the motivation is just our own fun. I think when you are a musician, and the riffs keep coming, you just need a band to let it all out. Sometimes you get fed up with it, but then after a while you just need to pick up a guitar and canalize some weirdness.

Its interesting that the oldies from the Dutch extreme metal scene are still active or have reunited in recent years. To me it seems like there isnt that much new blood anymore. Am I missing out on relevant new acts now that Im not in the Netherlands anymore or would you agree with my statement? What keeps the old mofos going, are you guys wired with some gene that younger bands lack?
-Thats also a good question. It is weird actually that the old names still have such a strong position in the Dutch metal scene. In other words: there are not so much newer bands who have taken lead positions. Of course there are a few bands of a newer generation, such as The Monolith Deathcult, Severe Torture, Textures. It seems to me that the real young bands just prefer to play different music, things like Limp Bizkit or anything in the vein of Within Temptation. But thats a different world.

Would a package of Dead Head/Pestilence/Thanatos/Sinister/Gorefest be interesting for you to play or am I being an arse whos living in the past? Heck, even Acrostichon is gonna do a one-gig reunion. How can I resist suggesting such a package!
-That would be interesting musically, but on the other hand that would feel like playing a sort of Arrow Rock/Golden Oldies festival. (Ron: sounds fucken good to me!)

By the way, how do you look back on Dream deceiver? Its a much less aggressive album and features a different drummer. I remember from an old interview that the Sinister dudes thought the album was way too slow haha. So, you still okay with the album or would you rather erase it from your discography?
-Well, its just the way we were thinking in those days. It was sort of a reaction to The feast begins at dawn. We wanted to do something a bit different, more controlled, more chorus-written kind of compact songs. The result is a more melodic and laid-back album. Looking back I can live with it, for it is significantly different from our other albums.

And another btw, am I the only one who noticed the similarity between Shifting sands and Gorefests Reality when you die?
-Its the first time I hear that. And it doesnt ring a bell with me, so I will check this today. (Problem is that I dont have any of the older Gorefest albums - it has never been my favorite sort of metal, although I think Gorefest are one of the best in what theyre doing).
I myself found some similarity with a piece on Niles In their Darkened Shrines.
Anyway, Robbie wrote this tune, so you should actually ask him in what state of mind he was when he made it. The chord progression in Shifting Sands has some universal touch, it seems.

Im sure the Dead Head band members are busy with daily jobs and families, so how much time do you guys have to plays gigs? Any chance of doing some mini-tours or will it mostly be festivals and weekend gigs?
-The performance frequency will be very low. Indeed, since we all have our daily occupations there isnt much time left for extended touring. And we are not in the circumstances anymore that we can easily take a couple of weeks off. Thats just the way it is.
Now we just pick the gigs that we find interesting to do, for any reason.

You recently played your 20th anniversary gig on last Friday (March 20, 2009)! Did you do anything special? How long did you play, any songs in the setlist that you rarely play?
-It actually was our first performance with Ralph. Especially for him it was a big effort to jump in this new band, and do the vocal- and bass guitar parts. So it was quite kind of a new start for us. There was a large-screen video compilation of Dead Heads history shown before the show, just above the stage. For the rest we didnt do anything, since we tend to live soberly.
It was the first time we played the new songs. So those were all songs we had rarely played live.

How do you perceive the advances of technology and the internet changing the music industry in the future? Will the CD as a product become a fanatics item like the LP is nowadays? Will record labels become redundant? What effect will it have on festivals and tours?
-In essence nothing has really changed for the people who dont want it. But in terms of production, distribution and marketing there are a lot of differences now, of course. It is quite amazing that the vinyl record has made a major comeback. And I can understand that, because a large group of serious music lovers only care for the best they can get. And then it is important to have a solid thing in your hands that truly represents the precious content combined with the best possible sound. And thats something different than an mp3 on a hard disk somewhere invisible. I think the people who really love music rather live with the relative inconveniences of the old-fashioned stereo set, than to have to listen to a digitally undressed product which is only easy to handle.
So, for me the biggest advantage of the whole development is that I can taste some new music on the internet, and then, if I like it I will buy it on the medium that is most convenient for me.
The role of the traditional record-company has already changed dramatically. They just have to adjust to the new situation, wherever possible. I think record-companies have had too much influence on artistic processes anyway.
An interesting element is of course the way in which the internet and its worldwide distribution abilities will have an effect on the music industry. Now anyone can have his artistic outlet be out there for anyone who is interested.

Its interesting to see that the reunion virus is raging even more widespread than before. When bands like Believer get together and deliver a great new piece of music my old metal heart rejoices! Have you heard any reunion albums that really impressed you?
-Yes, I liked the Perfect Strangers album by Deep Purple very much. For the rest I dont see many succesful reunions, but I will certainly check out that Gabriel album by Believer. The new Pestilence seems good (though Im still waiting for the jewel case version instead of the cardboard digipack which was released first) but that can hardly be seen as a reunion.

Does Dead Head plan for the long term or do you guys just take things as they come and not give a fuck about anything else? Will Dead Head still be thrashing shit up in 2019?
-The latter. We dont plan anything. And we are not that ambitious anymore that we want to become rich and famous. It all has become an intuitive thing without any concern for the future. We simply write new songs and make another album. And I think it only ceases when no more riffs are coming up or if our arms fall off.

Well Ron, all things, even shitty interviews, come to an end. Heres your chance to address our readers and tell them to stop being fashion whores and explore some more good fucken metal! ;-)
-Alright, thank you. Well readers: stop being fashion whores and explore some more good fucken metal! But I can also recommend the complete Mahler symphonies by Riccardo Chailly with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra on the Decca label. Just in case you want to try something else