OBSIDIAN
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Just wondering...Why did God create
disco? Who can answer this question? Surely not me and not Obsidian.
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Whoever knows the answer please
contact the band!
1.TELL US IN A FEW WORDS THE MOST IMPORTANT
MOMENTS OF THE BAND'S HISTORY. WHICH IS TODAY'S LINE UP?
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Well that would be the final of the
Amsterdamse popprijs 2001 in the Melkweg and getting through to the
finals of the Metal battle 2002. The preround in the OCCII was a
great opportunity to meet other people.
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Simon Lawford - Guitar and vocals
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Sjaak Kassies - Guitar and vocals
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Glen Loupias - Bass
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Gertjan Bouman - Drums
2.WHY HAVE YOU NAMED THE BAND OBSIDIAN?
ARE YOU AWARE OF THE USE OF OBSIDIAN AND WHAT IT REALLY IS? DO YOU THINK
THAT THE SHARPNESS AND BLACK COLOR OF THIS ROCK REPRESENT YOUR MUSIC? HOW
DID YOU COME UP WITH IT?
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Most of all it sounded good and from
a geologist point of view the best kind of rock. The Incas used obsidian
knives for human sacrifices. But we don't write splatter/gore lyrics.
3.WHICH BANDS CAN BE LISTED AMONG YOUR
INFLUENCES? CAN YOU REMEMBER WHICH BAND AND SONG IN SPECIFIC MADE YOU REALISE
THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO IS PLAY MUSIC?
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The guitarists started to play mostly
because of Metallica but our current influences are Death, At the
gates and Meshuggah amongst others.
4.WHY HAVE YOU SELECTED THE GUITAR
AS AN INSTRUMENT INSTEAD OF SOMETHING ELSE?
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What's there to say. It's the coolest
instrument on the planet. But that's just us guitarists.
5.AREN'T YOU AFRAID THAT SOME MIGHT
ACCUSE YOU THAT YOU PLAY MELODIC DEATH METAL CAUSE IT'S POPULAR? WHAT DO
YOU HAVE TO ANSWER TO THEM?
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We didn't choose to play what we play
but it evolved by listening to what we liked through the last 5 years.
Besides we live in Amsterdam and Melodic death metal is not popular here
and not everything that we do is melodic death metal but you have to give
it a name. We try make all sorts of metallic sounds.
6.IF YOU DIDN'T PLAY MELODIC DEATH
METAL, WHICH OTHER GENRE WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE PART OF?
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I think that if we didn't play death
metal we would try be the best florists we can. Let's just play death metal.
7.TELL US SOME GENERAL THINGS ABOUT
THE BAND RELEASES AND ESPECIALLY FOR YOUR LATEST DEMO. ARE YOU STILL SATISFIED
WITH IT?
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The problem with a demo is that it
is always outdated. As soon as we have finished it we want to record the
next one. Our last demo was recorded over a year ago and the new songs
we are working on are much better. But we still get good responses of the
old demo.
8.WHICH WERE THE REACTIONS OF THE FANS,
MAGAZINES AND LABELS? DID YOU HAVE ANY INTERESTING OFFERS?
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We got some good reviews and crowds.
We haven't send any material to labels because we want to do that with
the next demo which we will record soon. Usually when we play live someone
comes and offers us a gig.
9.WHICH WAS THE BEST AND WHICH WAS
THE WORST REVIEW YOU'VE RECEIVED?
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Over all people have been really kind
to us and it's always nice to hear some feedback on your music, especially
when it's good but you can't take everything serious. Once they called
us a true blackmetal trio (there are four of us) and once that we play
a mix of death metal and nu-metal so that was interesting.
10.HOW ARE YOU THINKING TO PROMOTE
YOUR WORK? WHICH SONG OF YOURS DO YOU THIK IS THE MOST IDEAL TO REPRESENT
YOU?
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Mainly we promote ourselves on the
Internet. It's a great way to reach people so we spent a lot of time working
on the site. It's http://www.obsidian.nu
by the way. Poison dreams is the song that is downloaded the most we wrote
it two years ago and the songs that are not recorded yet represent us in
this period of time. We try to make every song we write totally different
from the previous one so it's not easy to choose.
11.TELL US SOME THINGS ABOUT THE CONTESTS
YOU TOOK PART. HOW WAS THIS EXPERIENCE FOR YOU AND HOW DID THEY HELP?
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It gives you a great opportunity to
play on big stages for a lot of people that haven't heard of your
you before. Also people behind magazines tend to go to these nights. We
got a lot of reviews by playing in two contests. Getting far in these contests
gives you a lot of motivation to work harder. It's also fucking cool.
Booze, cannabis and adrenaline is a great combination.
12.WHICH IS THE BEST PART IN YOUR MUSIC
AND IN THE BAND IN GENERAL AND WHICH THING DO YOU THINK YOU SHOULD CORRECT?
WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU NEED IMPROVEMENT?
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The diversity and complexity is our
strongest aspect, we feel. But the downside of it is that it takes a lot
of time and energy. We try get more from the vocals. We try to sing clean
but we are still learning. Also we just started with promoting ourselves.
We learned that things don't fall out of the sky.
13.IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO COMPOSE MUSIC,
WHAT ELSE WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO?
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Pfff... what a question. Drinking I
guess.
14.WHAT ARE YOUR LYRICS TALKING ABOUT?
WHAT INSPIRES YOU? WHY DO YOU THINK METAL KEEPS INVOLVING SO MUCH THE OCCULT,
RELIGION AND MYSTICISM?
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We write about things around us that
piss us of. Things like you experience in your own life or what you see
on the news. We try not to go with the cliche. there are enough bands doing
that. Things like dismemberment of human beings doesn't have anything to
say but that is just our opinion. It is entertaining but we try to take
it more serious. We don't worship satan or make our own chainmail.
15.WHAT'S HEAVY METAL FOR YOU AND WHY
DO YOU THINK PEOPLE CHASE IT SO MUCH?
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It's pure energy and emotion. You can
take all your negative emotions to be creative. Also it is a broad genre.
16.IN WHICH HISTORICAL PERIOD WOULD
YOU LIKE TO TRAVEL AND WHY? WOULD YOU MISS ANYTHING FROM TODAY?
17.AND SUDDENLY ELECTRICITY EXISTS
NO MORE...WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO HEAVY METAL MUSIC? WILL IT DIE?
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We just beat our heads to a rock and
make growling noises and drag women by their hair :)
18.HAVE YOU READ OR SEEN LATELY ANY
INETRESTING BOOK - MOVIE?
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We do get inspired by certain books
and movies. Apocalypse now or Catch 22 for example. Things that make you
think more than once about life.
19.IF SOMEDAY YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO
MEET THE CREATURE THAT CREATED THE UNIVERSE, WHICH WOULD YOUR BIGGEST QUESTION
BE?
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What is the meaning of life, the universe
and everything but we already know the answer is 42 so maybe: why disco?
20.WHAT PROLOGUE AND TITLE WOULD YOU
LIKE THIS INTERVIEW TO HAVE?
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Make what you get out of it. That's
more objective.
21.THANK YOU!HAVE I FORGOTTEN TO ASK
YOU ANYTHING AND YOU'D LIKE TO MENTION?
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Thanks
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Christine Parastatidou