Bodyfarm Interview

1. Can you tell us a little bit about the band for those that have never heard of you before?
Quint (drums) and I (vox/guitars) started BODYFARM in 2009 as a twosome. We wrote this EP and entered the studio, where the producer Harry van Breda (I Chaos, Detonation) did bass. As we where recording Bram (guitars) and Mathieu (bass) joined the band to help us out live. They practically became full-members since then. We play death metal the way it was supposed to sound. We are certainly not trying to be innovative, technical, or experimental. The main ingredients are groove, brutalness and aggression.

2. How would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the ep?
We have chosen for a bright but heavy production. The music on the EP is pretty aggressive, so we think this production suits the music well. The most important is that every instrument is pure. No effects or something. The vocals are pure also. Nothing is dubbed (except for 3 lines) or pitched

3. What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the new releases explores?
I mainly write about anything that comes to my mind. On this EP it’s mostly about war, hate and horror. But some lyrics are about everyday life, like Heartraped. The new material I’m writing for the full-length have also a good balance between gore/serial killers and everyday life topics. For example, I wrote some lyrics about meth and it’s horrors. I hate writing lyrics though hahaha. It bores the crap out of me because I don’t have that much lyrical inspiration.

4. What is the meaning and inspiration behind the bands name?
The Bodyfarm is a research facility somewhere in the USA where rotting corpses are monitored for science. We thought that was pretty ‘metal’ hahaha. After we wrote the track ‘bodyfarm’ (which we did in 15 minutes!) we didn’t have a moniker yet, so we used it.

5. What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and how would you describe your stage performance?
One of the best gigs we did was together with Hail Of Bullets. The place was pretty crowded, we performed well and the HOB guys are good company. Another great gig was in Koblenz (Germany). The German crowd are the best in the whole world, they seem to live, breathe and eat death metal haha.
We are currently working on our stage appearance because we think it can be a whole lot better and energetic then it is now. You can check some live-footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqQ_whcy8ao
It’s a new track which we introduced there for the first time

6. Do you have any touring plans for the future?
We wish! Being in an underground death metal band is pretty hard you see. Especially in the Netherlands where people are spoiled because every big tour is coming to the Netherlands twice or more. Abyss Records and Clawhammer PR are currently doing a great job promoting us, and I hope venues all over Europe will hear about us. But at this time, with only and EP out there, it’s pretty hard to put yourself out there in the circuit.



7. On a worldwide level how has your music been recieved by death metal fans?
Oh very good! We’ve got a lot of good ratings by magazines all over the world, and even fans who contacted us to let us know how they love our music. Those are the things we’re doing it for. In our own country we got great response too, but our biggest fanbase is in the USA, mostly from California and Florida. We really hope to get there somehow in the future and do some gigs.

8. Are there any other projects besides this band or is this a full time line-up?
Quint plays also in a harcore/punk band which he joined last year. Bram and Mathieu are both playing in other death metal bands. I only have Bodyfarm, which is plenty for me hahaha. The good thing is that we are all most dedicated to Bodyfarm.

9. What direction do you see the music heading into on future releases?
The same direction as on the EP, but maybe a little more melodic and versatile. That does NOT mean things are gonna get cheesy or technical/innovative. Our minds just get more creative, haha. We will always be a brutal band with an old school taste.

10. What are some bands or musical styles that have influenced your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
Bodyfarm is mostly influenced by death metal from the nineties: Early Deicide, Obituary, Massacre, Grave, Vomitory, Vader, Morbid Angel, etcetera.
We are all listening to very diffirent kinds of metal. Bram likes the technical stuff, Quint and I are more old school guys, and Mathieu listens to pretty much everything. This can lead to interesting riffs while in the rehearsal room.

11. Outside of music hat are some of your interests?
We like to sacrifice baby’s to Satan, be misanthropic and mutilate ourselves. Hahahaha. Not we are pretty down to earth. We love drinking beers in the pub or at a good concert. As for myself: music is my life, I don’t have many interest besides that. Oh, and we all spent much time in the tattoo-chair, except for Bram.

12. Any final words or thoughts before we wrap up this interview?
First of all, thank you for this opportunity. And to all you death metal fans out there: Keep supporting the underground! And buy that fucking EP at Abyss Records! Hahaha. Cheers to all of you guys! And check us out on Facebook or www.myspace.com/bodyfarmnl

Thomas