BMS: Hello Megasonic. I'll start off with a cheesy question. How did the band begin?

Lieven: Dimitri, Jeroen and me have been longtime friends and the three of us already played in other bands before. In 2012 Jeroen opened his home studio and he wanted me to form our own band. He asked me to help write songs for this new project and I suggested to Dimitri that he would do vocals. Together, the three of us wrote some material and we were surprised by the overall quality of those first songs. Eventually we had enough stuff written and recorded for an album and so we went looking for a record label. We joined forces with Mausoleum Records and so our debut release, Sonic Tension, came to fruition in late 2014.

Jeroen: Yeah, that's Megasonic's origin story in a nutshell. I had several ideas in my mind but I needed the help from my buddies here to fully develop those ideas into songs. Although Lieven is the band's primary songwriter, all five of us contribute to improving our material.

Thomas: That's correct. Everyone in Megasonic has already been part of a band before so we already knew beforehand all there is to know about being a music act. I've been playing lead guitar for over 10 years and Megasonic is my first time as a bassist. And overall the transition wasn't that hard. During my audition Jeroen and Lieven told me to keep my bass rhythm in line with the drum beats. And their advice paid off since I successfully got the part. Since then I've taken bass lessons because I've got as much joy from bass as I do from lead guitar play. But I still keep my guitar shredding skills intact!

Jeroen: I had a great feeling about Thomas. His bass lines add a juicy 1970s rock n' roll feel to the overall more modern sound of Megasonic. I'd say we combine old-school with new-school.

Megasonic from left to right: Jeroen Debock (guitar), Dries Deturck (drums), Dimitri Verhoeven (vocals), Thomas Abeel (bass) and Lieven De Wolf (guitar).

BMS: Megasonic certainly is a band an average headbanger like me can easily get his teeth into! You're currently working on a new album, right?

Lieven: That's right! Our next release will have a similar style to its predecessor Sonic Tension. It will once again feature songs inspired by 1980s metal bands like Accept but other tracks will have thrash metal influences. We now feel we've fully developed a true Megasonic sound that, like Jeroen said before, manages to appeal to many different types of rock and metal fans.

BMS: What other future projects are there for Megasonic?

Lieven: Currently we're focusing all our attention on releasing the new Megasonic album. The recent deaths of Mausoleum Records' head Alfie Falkenbach and his wife shook the record label to its core. Don't worry, we'll certainly be able to get the new album out of the door. We recorded all the material we wanted to include on the release and we're now going to work on all other aspects of the album which includes mixing, mastering and doing a photo shoot.

Picture by Karina Wijckhuyze.

BMS: I wish to give my sincere condolences to the Falkenbach family. Now, I've got a question for you, Dimitri. Aside from being Megasonic's singer you're also an actor. Is it easy to combine these jobs?

Dimitri: I voice various animated characters such as Kay in the Dutch version of the Lego Ninjago animated series. I also do musicals and played roles in acts like Oliver!, Beauty and the Beast and '14-'18. Overall it's pretty easy for me to put sufficient time and effort into all these commitments. The only thing I really have to pay attention to is my voice. Because although I use various techniques to keep my voice intact, singing Megasonic songs is a pretty heavy job for my vocal cords. So I try not to have a Megasonic concert right on the day before I go voice acting, nor the other way around! I maintain a healthy schedule that doesn't allow one job to get in the way of the other.

BMS: My 10 year old cousin is a huge Lego Ninjago fan! He'll be thrilled if I tell him about this interview. And guess who's coming towards us? It's Dries, Megasonic's drummer!

Dries: Hi there! Can I join in?

BMS: Sure, Dries. I've got a question for you. What are your other activities aside from Megasonic?

Dries: I'm busy being a loving husband, a roof carpenter and an amateur boxer although my smoking habit does affect my stamina when training. I also play in two tribute bands. One is called Thundersteel and covers various 1980s heavy metal acts while the other is Fisted Sister, dedicated to Twisted Sister. And we're not gonna FAKE it!

Picture by Karina Wijckhuyze.

BMS: Ah, boxing. Always a fun sport to watch, although I personally don't like the idea of getting my face smashed. Even without hard feelings! And how about you, Thomas? What do you do in life?

Thomas: Some of my less wacky activities is that I play lead guitar in the aforementioned tribute band Fisted Sister. And I also have a huge interest in aquaculture. The underwater world is so intriguing and I can stare for hours at my aquariums wherein I breed various fish species.

Jeroen: I enjoy driving around with my motorcycle and recently I joined the organization Bearded Villains. It's a worldwide charity clan dedicated to friendship, loyalty and the power of beard!
Lieven: I collect LPs since I was sixteen years old. And other than that I dedicate plenty of time to my family.

BMS: All right. Is there anything else you want to tell me?

Dimitri: Thanks for your time.
Dries: I enjoy your work, Stijn.
Thomas: Whatever they may say, I've got the biggest wave in the whole world! And now I'm going to get some beers.

Jeroen: See you later!
Lieven: If there are any festivals who are interested in booking us, don't hesitate to do so! We provide fun and entertainment for everybody!

BMS: As you have proven tonight!