TRANSMISSION FROM EUPHORIA

The death/thrash metal band Detonation from Holland are back with a new album entitled Portals to Uphobia, which takes the band a large step forward in their evolution, and is an album that every death/thrash fan should check out. When Osmose Productions offered me an interview with Detonation, I immediately jumped at the chance, and guitarist/vocalist Koen Romeijn was ready to let the readers of Evilution Magazine into the world of Detonation and their fascination of the Uphobia concept.

# Greetings! First of all, please introduce Detonation and try to elaborate on your style of music (for those who might not have heard of you until now).

“Hello Bo! Let’s see if I can briefly introduce the band… We started in ’97 as a three-piece under the name Infernal Dream with the sole purpose of creating ultra-fast black/death metal. When Otto, our bassist, joined in ‘98 we changed the name to Detonation. Our musical style also changed swiftly within the first year; more and more melodies came forward. Around the same time we recorded our first two songs for a compilation CD, and from that time on things started to go better and better for the band. We recorded a four-track EP in 1999 entitled Lost Euphoria, which we distributed through The Netherlands in order to play more gigs, and later on we decided to work on a full-length album. So after a shit-load of gigs we entered Excess Studios in 2002 to record An Epic Defiance. We were very happy with the way it turned out, although it had cost us almost all of our money we had at the time. Right after we printed the first 500 copies, we decided to send about 50 of them to labels and companies in order to get someone interested in signing Detonation for this album. We got a few offers and decided to sign with Osmose Productions for three albums. They released An Epic Defiance in July 2003, and from that moment things really started rolling for us. All of a sudden our CD was officially released, interviews were given, tours were done and fans were made – great things happened! And now we are here, back with a new album called Portals to Uphobia, which will be released on September 12^th… How’s that for an introduction?”

# What has happened musically and personally in the band since the release of An Epic Defiance? 

“A lot actually… Musically, we’re on a much higher level now. We’ve learned how to control our instruments and what we can and can’t do technically. We used to rehearse our asses off a few years ago, but since we did so many gigs and stuff, the need to rehearse is not that big anymore, and we like to focus more on songwriting when we come together instead of repeating the old songs over and over again. Of course, we still have to rehearse every now and then ;) Personally, we’ve also changed quite a bit, I think. We’ve become more open towards each other, which was something that had to happen. Although we still are the same group of individuals we started with in the beginning, we of course had our share of fights and troubles, I can tell ya! It’s a miracle we’re still together in this line-up, but I can honestly say that right now we are closer than ever.”

# You have been around for eight years now. What is your view on the career of Detonation, and have you accomplished what you hoped for until now?   

“The first years up to 2002 we were an unsigned band. We had no obligations towards anyone; we just wanted to make music and enjoy the things that would happen to cross our path. Ever since 2002 and the recording of An Epic Defiance, we started focusing more and more on the development of the band and our continuality, and since then we’ve accomplished quite a lot. So concerning the fact that we’ve only been doing this consciously for about 3 or 4 years, we’re doing a pretty good job, I think!” 

# You play a blend of aggressive and catchy/melodic death/thrash metal. Which element is – to you – the most important factor of you music, the aggressive parts or the melodic?

 “Hmm, tough one… Although Detonation wouldn’t be the same band without the ultra-fast drums and guitars, I have to choose the melodies. I obviously love playing fast stuff, but a good melodic lead or a brilliant harmony does so much more for me. I can’t play guitar without playing melodies. It’s the most important element of music… To me, of course.”

# What are your main inspirations as a band? Do you think the inspirational bands are obvious in your music, or have they mainly inspired you to become musicians yourself? 

“Now that’s a good question. We were obviously inspired and affected by bands from the Swedish death metal scene when we first started this band, but also by Megadeth, Metallica and Morbid Angel. We wanted to sound like our heroes and idols, like almost every 18-year-old that has just started playing an instrument. Like you said, they mainly inspired us to become musicians ourselves, because there was no way we could come even close to the style of our favourite bands when we just started playing. Simplistic black metal was the only thing we were more or less capable of – and that is how we started. Over the years we became better in what we did obviously and we just developed from there, basically. When we released our debut album, people were suddenly telling us we sounded very ‘Swedish’. We actually never realised that ourselves, until the first critics reached us…” 

# What is the musical environment like in The Netherlands, and are there any regional impulses that have had either a minor or major influence on what Detonation is today? 

“There are a lot of bands here in the Netherlands, and that’s a logical result of the facilities that are available for young musicians. Basically every large city has its music stores and rehearsal places, and because of our government’s financial support there are also a lot of venues, and those encourage youngsters to start a band and perform. The whole system here, although things are going a bit downhill with the facilities the last few years, got Detonation to the point where we are now. We were able to buy cheap instruments when we started, and we were able to move in a cheap rehearsal studio when we developed.”

# Skull Crusher Records released Crushed Skull Compilation Vol. 1 featuring two Detonation songs as well as Lost Euphoria. What are your thoughts on these releases as well as your time on Skull Crusher Records?

 “First I have to tell you that we never really had an official record deal with Skullcrusher Records! Yes, it says so on the back of those CD’s, but Skullcrusher was a very small label from a friend of ours who started this label to be able to release the music he made himself. The compilation contained the first two songs we ever recorded, and after we did that we thought it was just a very easy way for us to get our first demo ‘released’ if we put his Skullcrusher logo on the back of the CD. Our friend agreed and he didn’t really care. So there actually wasn’t a real deal whatsoever; we still had to distribute everything ourselves, haha! It was just a good way for us to start, no doubt about it. Both releases were meant to get us more gigs and attention, and it worked out pretty well. But the main reason back then was that we had new songs written and we wanted them to be recorded, primarily for ourselves to listen to. Looking back, the music isn’t that bad either, although the production of Lost Euphoria is absolutely horrific! Perhaps we’ll consider doing a remix in the near future…”

# You signed with Osmose Productions and released An Epic Defiance in 2003. How were the reactions in the media as well as underground, and did the contract open new doors for Detonation compared to Skullcrusher Records?  

“Well, you now know the true story behind the Skullcrusher deal, so you will understand that a lot of things changed for us when we signed with Osmose and got the album released in a proper way. We were absolutely stunned by the reactions and reviews we got from people and magazines. We were happy with the album ourselves, of course, but we didn’t expect other people to like it even more than we did. We received tons of positive reviews, and this eventually led to new opportunities for the band. Our gigs increased, and for the first time we also got several offers to play abroad. I also had shit-loads of interviews to do all of sudden which really gave me the feeling the band was doing really well.”

# You have now released Portals To Uphobia. What is the title of the album meant to signify or refer to more specifically?

“From the title Portals to Uphobia, the word ‘Uphobia’ is a combination of the words phobia, utopia and euphoria, and it pretty much sums up the most important topics from the lyrics. Each song on the album can be considered as a ‘portal’ to the particular lyrical theme. The title as a whole refers to making choices in life, deciding which paths to take, and of course I’m mainly talking about making the wrong choices. I simply do not have the inspiration to write about the positive things in life, haha. “

# An Epic Defiance features Lost Euphoria part II and Portals To Uphobia Lost Euphoria part III, and I assume it all started on Lost Euphobia with Euphoric Loss. Whats the concept of the ongoing saga of Lost Euphobia and how did it all start? Will it be part of all future Detonation albums?

“I was wondering when this question would pop up! Haha, it’s a long story… Mike and I are both pretty obsessed with the word euphoria. Don’t ask me why; we just have this obsession. Mike was the first to use it in one of his lyrics and I kind of followed him. I guess you can say it all started on the Lost Euphoria EP. When we were working on An Epic Defiance, I got the idea to name one of the songs “Lost Euphoria part II”, simply to make a connection between both albums, and because we thought it was cool. The song happened to be an instrumental, and last year when I was looking for a title for the instrumental song on Portals to Uphobia, I automatically named it “Lost Euphoria part III”. So there you have it. Personally, I think there won’t ever be a part IV, but never say never…”

# If you were to single out one track on Portals To Uphobia for a favourite, which one would it be – and why? Would it be detrimental to the overall ‘texture’ of the album to listen to the tracks separately, or can each and every song stand alone?

“That’s a tough one… I like them all, I guess, but perhaps I feel most comfortable with “End of Sight, End of Fears”. It’s pretty mid-paced but powerful, and I especially like to play the doomy intro and the choruses. But this track itself isn’t representative for the whole album; there is simply too much diversity among the songs. Most tracks are fast, but I feel they all have there own characteristics.”

# What would you describe as the most significant musical difference between Portals To Uphobia and your previous releases?

“Well, we definitely improved when it comes to songwriting, and that’s something we’ve been working on the most. The songs are also a bit better balanced, and of course there’s the logical instrumental skill improvement. But somehow the overall vibe of the songs is also a bit different when comparing to our previous album. Don’t know what kind of difference exactly, but it feels as if we somehow changed our style, even though we still play melodic death metal…”

# What does the future hold for Detonation and death/thrash metal in general in your opinion?

“I wish I knew! Detonation might just have a bright future if everything continues to go as well as now. But we just have to wait and see. As long as there are fans of extreme music we will have a chance to exist. One thing is certain, though: the four of us will continue to make music, in whatever form possible. For now our focus is set on Portals to Uphobia. If the reviews are going to be as positive as with our previous album, it will be just a matter of time before we reach our current goals: playing as many gigs, selling as many albums, and having as much fun as possible.”

# You are going on tour with Decapitated and Gorerotted. What do you expect of the tour and how would you describe Detonation as a live-act?

“Yes, the tour is just three days away when I’m writing this. What do I expect? Hmm… A lot of alcohol and parties to start with! We’re scheduled to play every show as the second band, which is a perfect place on the bill, if you ask me. We’ll be playing about 40 minutes per show, and we’ll focus on the new album, as most bands do when they are about to release a new one. But I expect a killer tour. The line-up is diverse and interesting for all kinds of metal fans. I’m really looking forward to it, especially the shows in countries we haven’t been to before, such as Ireland, Scotland and Norway, Sweden, Denmark and France! Detonation is live all about delivering an intense and tight set. We are extremely motivated to show people that we are live just as good as on our CD’s, perhaps even better. Come see for yourself to find your proof!”

# I have no further questions. Thanks for your time and please close this interview with some final comments and random thoughts.

“Thanks a lot for this interview and cheers to the Danish fans! Feel free to check out our website www.detonation.nl – and see you guys on tour, perhaps!”

Conducted and written by Bo.

NB: Detonation issued the following statement on the 13^th of September on their official website:

Detonation are no longer part of the 'Sensual Sickness Tour 2005', with Decapitated, Gorerotted and DAM. However, we will be able to play a number of the scheduled dates.

The tour bus originally ordered broke down shortly before the tour, and the spare bus contained too few sleeping places for four bands and crew to fit in. Due to the risk of accidents and lack of insurance one band had to leave the bus, unfortunately being Detonation.

We [are] very sorry to disappoint everyone who was looking forward to seeing us and promise to make up for this as soon as possible. We have been able to secure playing on a few of the UK dates by arranging our own transport. The dates we will be playing are:

2005-09-20
Jilly's Rockworld, Manchester (UK)

2005-09-21
Bierkeller, Bristol (UK)

2005-09-22
Joseph's Well, Leeds (UK)

2005-09-23
Edwards No 8, Birmingham (UK)

2005-09-24
Camden Underworld, London (UK)

2005-09-25
Patronaat, Haarlem (NL), festival with Vader, Rotting Christ, Anorexia Nervosa and Divine Empire

We're currently working on playing the last 3 shows of the tour as well, but nothing is certain at this moment. These 3 shows are:

2005-09-30
K17, Berlin (GER)

2005-10-01
Hagalaz e. V., Elterlein (GER)

2005-10-02
Rockpool Arena, Halle (GER)

We'll keep you posted through our website (www.detonation.nl) about these shows. All other shows are CANCELLED