BMS: Avast, fellas! How did you embark on the Phoenix Rebellion journey?

Kevain: It began when our guitarist Niels wanted to write music on his own. Back then he was part of a Motörhead cover act along with our drummer Clint. Niels and I have already been friends so he asked me if I were interested to join his new project. So we played together for a little while and then we decided to look for a crew! Fun thing was that Clint here wasn't very interested at first to set sail with us!

BMS: How's that Clint? Are you easily seasick?

Clint: Like those damn sea sirens they kept on seducing me to join the gang! Eventually I said ok, let's do this! And it became one of the best decisions I ever made in my life. There's a lot of brotherly love in our band!
Kevain: And brothers share everything! Both the good, the bad and the ugly!

BMS: How did you come up with the pirate theme for your first release, Pirates of Ibiza?

Kevain: From the get-go we wanted to become a party metal band. Which simply means that we go out, provide drinks for everybody, play songs about the joys of life, add some fun show elements to our performance and give everyone a damn good time! The pirate theme for our Pirates of Ibiza EP was rather coincidental. The EP's title track was fully written and it had cool lyrics and energetic riffs so we decided that, in line with the happy go lucky atmosphere we aimed to create, our first demo should be pirate themed.

Kevain: However, our next songs may be about something completely different. We may write songs about the Old West or about latex-clad women! As long as it's not about pessimistic subjects like war, politics or injustice. We want people to party along with us!

BMS: How's the feedback being for the Pirates of Ibiza EP?

Kevain: Rock Tribune gave us a positive review regarding Pirates of Ibiza but they did criticize the audio quality. I'll admit, it's not crystal clear quality, but given the fact that we recorded the demo in a low-budget recording studio, I'd say we used our limited resources the best we could.

BMS: I agree with Rock Tribune regarding the audio quality, it wasn't the best sound I've heard, but the songs themselves were great. Therefore I've given the EP a good score as well!

Picture by Karina Wijckhuyse.

BMS: What other projects are there in store for Phoenix Rebellion?

Kevain: We're currently writing a script for a music video for the song Phoenix Rebellion. We want to do more than just making a video for the song as we're going to write a storyline for the video thus turning into a kind of a short film. The project will be directed and financed all by ourselves.

Kevain: We also got plans to go on our first tour with a couple of shows in other parts of Belgium and Germany. But Clint and Bart are a bit more ambitious.
Clint: Yeah! I want to visit locations such as Jamaica, Ibiza and Miami! Where the sun is hot and the rum is cold!
Bart: And I want to go to Mexico to see lucha libre wrestling and cock fights and gear up on tequila, illegal fireworks and even more rum!

BMS: Then tag me in for the ride! I also would love to visit Mexico one day! And what else?

Kevain: We're currently establishing the Filthy Four of Belgian Metal pretty much like the Big Four of Bay Area Thrash and the Big Four of Teutonic Thrash were formed before us! The group consists of Phoenix Rebellion, Infantile, Nocardia and TurboWarrior of Steel. And together, we'll be conquering Belgium, Europe and finally the world!

BMS: Ah yes! You recently did a tour with those aforementioned bands. How did the journey go?

Kevain: It was a tour of fun and games! We visited several locations all over Belgium, met several new people, drank tons of alcohol and grew closer together as brothers of metal! It also was a huge learning experience as this was the first time we did a tour and we saw how tightly everything had to be arranged for the tour to become successful. We can't wait to do this again!

BMS: You mentioned earlier that you like some showmanship in your gigs. Now let your imagination go wild and tell me how the ultimate Phoenix Rebellion party would look like!

Kevain: Our goal is to turn our show into a fucking party! So let's say we're playing Pirates of Ibiza we want to have some boys and girls dressed as pirates appear from behind us to dance and party with the audience and treat them all to Captain Morgan rum! And if the song were about the Old West, then it would be cowboys shooting revolvers in the sky and treat the crowd to Desperados tequila or Jack Daniel's bourbon! You know, we don't believe in limits, the only limit there is, is your own imagination!

Picture by Karina Wijckhuyse.

BMS: What other activities do you have aside from Phoenix Rebellion?

Clint: I dedicate my life to my family and to Phoenix Rebellion and I'll keep on drumming until I'm no longer physically capable of. Actually, I've got to thank my wife Sophie for inspiring me to become a drummer.

BMS: And Sophie's right here! Share the story with us!

Sophie: Yeah! Clint used to try various instruments such as guitar, bass and saxophone. None of that suited him. So I suggested him to try my old drum kit that was collecting dust in the attic. It was a match made in heaven! Three months later a friend of mine was looking for a new drummer to play in his punk rock band called Tarmac and I convinced Clint to audition for the role which he successfully did.

BMS: And what else you've got in life, Bart?

Bart: I occasionally draw logos and tattoos. Phoenix Rebellion's logo is my own creation. And other than that I enjoy all the good things in life.
Kevain: Me too! When I'm not at work I'm having fun with Phoenix Rebellion or with pretty much every other band I attend.

Picture by Karina Wijckhuyse.

BMS: Speaking of touring, are there other Belgian metal bands you hope to tag along with?

Kevain: I'd say At The Front, Dyscordia, Speed Queen, Leave Scars, Decades of Metal, and so many others.

BMS: Time for a fun question. How manly is the Manly Man? Is he so badass that he can chop wood with his finger?

Kevain: You know Manowar's mascot, the Manowarrior? Well, our Manly Man's manliness is the result of mixing the Manowarrior's hair with Chuck Norris's beard and Charles Bronson's moustache and then soaking it with rum! That's how manly the Manly Man is!

Kevain: But seriously, the Manly Man is actually our vision of how a real man should be. A man who lives with honor, dignity and respect. A man who you can rely on in times of need and who isn't afraid to defend his principles! And to answer your question, no, the Manly Man doesn't chop wood with his finger! He just stares at a random tree until it chops itself down out of fear!

BMS: Ha, ha! That's a good one! Are there any other funny remarks you want to share with me?

Kevain: If you're looking for a party, then Phoenix Rebellion is right up your alley! We provide energetic music for you dance to, rum for you to drink and fun for you to have!

I didn't have the time to take a good picture with the band. But here's a picture of the Manly Man!