-- Earupt gets shredded --
15/04/2019
Stijn Daneels
Last January
me and my crew got our hands on Earupt’s brand-new album “Elements.” A release
we all enjoyed very much (read our review: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/reviews/110) and my good friend Mike from
Hardlife Promotion suggested me to get Earupt on the shredding table. Something
I of course was very willing to do. So Wednesday March 20th I went over to
guitarist Walter’s house to meet up with him and vocalist Rick to talk about
the album’s production and the excellent mixing job by Lucas De La Rosa, Earupt’s
many metal and non-metal influences (including Prince) and the possibility of a
new bassist!
BMS: Hey there! Last month you organized a release party for the “Elements” album in the Elpee Music Bar in Deinze. How did that gig go?
Walter: Very
well, actually. Despite the many other events taking place that same day, we
were really pleased with the number of people who came to see us and judging by
the cheers we had heard in the crowd they had very good time.
We also sold about 30 copies of the “Elements” album so that’s a second triumph
for us!
Rick: Yeah,
personally I was also very happy about our supporting act. A young alternative
rock band called Blackfall whose style I would describe as a mix between
Smashing Pumpkins and Helmet, good stuff!
BMS: Ah
yes, Blackfall, I still remember that band from the time I shredded them way
back in spring 2016 (read that interview: http://belgianmetalshredder.be/interviews/12). Now, let’s talk a bit about the
making of the “Elements” album.
Rick: Usually
Walter provides the main foundation for Earupt’s material (although it may
happen that I or one of the other members provide the basic ideas) and then we
all sit together and provide our own inputs as well as me writing adequate
lyrics. For the course of two years we’ve written all the songs for “Elements.”
Walter: And
we began recording that material early 2018 and finished it in the fall. We
prefer to take our time to produce new stuff. After all, what’s the point of
writing songs just to hope that it would satisfy a certain fan base or that it
would put you into a certain subgenre? You know, sometimes we write a song and
let it rest for a month or so. It helps to further improve on the material you
had written because you can look back on that material with a fresh pair of
eyes and ears.
Rick: We
also want to give huge props to Lucas De La Rosa for mixing our album. He’s a
young French multi-instrumentalist and aspiring mixer who did a tremendous job
in making our album sound as multifaceted and powerful as we wanted it to be. Be
sure to check out his YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkrsqeFnXE6baBCSqOKzmfQ).
BMS: Yeah, I’ll check it out!
Rick: You
do that! You know, we’re mainly interested in making songs that we, as
musicians, would love to listen to and to perform on stage. No matter if it’s
the first time or the millionth time. Our goal is not to be original for the
sake of being original or to take the rock and metal world by storm, we’re just
five guys who love what they’re doing.
BMS: Indeed. So, what would you consider to be your main creative inspirations?
Rick: Both
Walter and me have currently accumulated 50 years of life experience and we
both have been listening to music for over 40 years. And of course, that leads
to a lot of musical influences, both rock and metal and other music genres
which all slip into Earupt’s songs. Our influences range from 70s pop and rock
to 90s alternative, funk, groove metal, death metal, thrash metal, classic
heavy metal, classical music and many more.
Walter:
Earupt’s main musical philosophy is to provide music that’s melodic, easy to
listen to and even easier to dance and move along to. But on the other hand, we
aim to combine that accessibility with some twists and turns. For example, our
songs never employ the cheesy verse-chorus-verse and we also change the rhythm
very often during a given song.
Rick: I’m a
huge fan of progressive music because of its unpredictable and very diverse
nature. It doesn’t follow any specific conventions so you’re basically allowed
to run free! Plus I love the idea behind progressive music. It encourages you
to look past the usual music conventions and either create or discover
something truly fresh and exciting.
BMS: I admit that when I was listening to the “Elements” album, I indeed felt a lot of rock and metal subgenres merged together. Some songs were very progressive, others were more straight forward. A very diverse but well put together package in my humble opinion.
Walter:
Thanks for those kind words! You know, a lot of people who listen to Earupt
have much difficulty putting us into a certain subgenre and we’re glad to hear
that because that means people feel our music is pretty unique even to those
who listen to all those rock and metal subgenres we mentioned earlier.
Rick: In
fact, those influences are there, spread all over Earupt’s material, but we
allow our listeners to listen to our material multiple times so that they can
discover each song’s individual influences for themselves.
BMS: One thing I personally love about Earupt’s style are the many extensive instrumental sections. The guitar work you guys come up with is very technical and pretty cool to see live on stage.
Walter:
Thanks a lot! It’s one of our main traits but we’re not overdoing it. Not just
because we don’t want to be seen as a one-trick pony, but also because we want
to give the other elements of our sound an equal share. We’ve already seen
artists who just randomly throw everything together in the hope that at least something
will stick in their listeners’ minds. Everything we put on the sonic table has
a specific purpose.
BMS: I see,
one other thing I noticed about your band is that you don’t have a bassist.
Will that change anytime soon?
Walter: As
a matter of fact, we’ve found ourselves a new potential bass player. He’s a
long-time friend of ours and he’s nicely working his way through our material
so with a bit of luck he’ll be joining us on stage very soon. Plus he’s got
some neat songwriting ideas of his own.
BMS: I’m
very curious to see how things will evolve with your new recruit! So, what are
your future plans for Earupt?
Rick: The
highly positive feedback we received from several rock and metal webzines
regarding our “Elements” album has given us a huge motivational boost. After
all, making music for yourself is fun, but to see and hear people tell you that
they enjoy your material just as passionately makes it even more satisfying.
Walter: So
that’s why for our next songs we’re going to even further expand on the
experimental edge of our music. Maybe we’ll go for some jazzy, funky or disco
inspired rhythms.
Rick:
That’s right! In fact, one of my all-time favorite artists is Prince and he was
one of the most diverse songwriters I’ve ever heard. Just compare the slow
blues rock tune “Purple Rain” with the funky party song “1999.” Both legendary
tunes, both written by the same artist and yet both songs have a completely different
style and atmosphere.
Walter: But
to go back to Earupt’s future, we hope our well-received material will motivate
promoters to book bands that don’t really fall into any specific rock or metal
category. We understand, it’s tempting to, let’s say, book an event full of death
or thrash metal bands but it can be very rewarding for both the organizer and
the audience to allow in a band that does things a bit differently.
BMS: Well, it has been my pleasure to book you for our Loco Shredder’s birthday party in April.
Walter:
Thanks, we’re looking forward to it!
BMS: So, what other things the two of you do in life aside from Earupt?
Walter:
I’ve a huge love for guitars. And not just the art of guitar playing but also
its aesthetics, its technical parts and its endless customization possibilities.
Rick: I’ve
always been a music explorer. I can spend hours sitting behind my computer to
check out new talent through the internet and social media. Hearing new,
exiting tunes keeps me young, happy and hungry for more!
BMS: Thanks for the great time, folks! Is there anything you wish to add before I’ll leave for my nightshift at work?
Rick: It
was great seeing you here. We’re going to throw one hell of a party for your
comrade Kevin AKA Loco Shredder!
Walter: Yes
we will, but don’t forget to take your traditional band picture!
