PHOTOGRAPHY BY DR - BENWAYWEBSITE: http://www.voiceofdestruction.com
COUNTRY: South Africa STYLE: Metal / Death Metal / Rock
HOW DID THE IDEA OF REUNITING V.O.D. AFTER TEN YEARS COME ABOUT?
PAUL BLOM: Just like the 10th anniversary of our Bloedrivier album in 2006 was an inevitable event, so was the tour. Bloedrivier was never available locally - we recorded it in the UK for our German record label and it was only distributed in Europe, Japan and the U.S.A. So the re-release (subtitled The V.O.D Archives Vol. I ) was the first time the album was available locally. Our last V.O.D show was a decade ago in ’99, and the time was just right for all of us to converge and do it both for the pleasure of doing it again, and to appease the many loyal fans who had been screaming for a reunion for years.
Ironically we never got together at the end of the '90s deciding, “right, we’re breaking up!” We needed a perspective shift and just naturally went off doing other stuff (not necessarily music) – it’s quite an intense thing having 4 people together in such close proximity around the core of a band, everything happening around this single axis.
WILL ALL THE ORIGINAL MEMBERS RETURN FOR THE REUNION?
PB: Yes, the core members of the V.O.D Metal era are back together (the band started as a Punk/Hardcore act in 1986 and evolved through Crosscore into Metal): Francois (vocals), Greg (Guitar), Diccon (Bass), Paul (drums).
WHAT HAVE ALL THE MEMBERS OF V.O.D BEEN UP TO FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS?
PB: Diccon remained in his native UK after our ’96 tour, and played in bands like DEMONIAC, which became DRAGON HEART, which turned into DRAGON FORCE – he played on the latter’s first album, but left as he didn’t enjoy the music. Still living in London, he now plays in PAGAN ALTAR.
Francois did a one man project called DIE KRUIS and also formed K.O.B.U.S. with Theo from the NUDE GIRLS, winning a SAMA last year. (www.kobusmusic.com).
Greg moved to the West Coast where he is the editor of a community newspaper.
1998 I created my one-man project F8, and in 2002 started TERMINATRYX.(www.terminatryx.com). I also created and run the South African HORRORFEST- and X FEST Film Festivals (www.horrorfest.info / www.xfest.org); write about movies, music and games; and recently launched the KOPSKOOT! Compilation CD featuring (for the first time ever) a 16-track collection of heavy Afrikaans music (www.flamedrop.com/kopskoot).
WHAT CAN PEOPLE EXPECT TO SEE AT THE REUNION SHOWS AND CAN THIS TOUR BE THE START OF NEW BEGINNINGS FOR THE BAND?
PB: People can expect V.O.D in full force. Listening to those songs now not only brings back many memories, but they are still killer tracks with a very unique sound that set us apart from all the other bands of the time (and today). What is also great about this reunion is the fact that so many young kids heard about the band but were too young to attend the shows – while others weren’t born yet! This will be a blast for the band, the old fans, and those who never got to experience V.O.D in its various modes since the mid-‘80s.
Not all the members are keen to give it another go, but I am completely open to anything, as you don’t know what it may spark. There are also many songs that we never recorded. It will be difficult though with Diccon in London and Greg on the West Coast…
YOU HAVE ALSO RE–RELEASED THE ALBUM “BLOEDRIVIER”. WHERE CAN PEOPLE GO THE BUY THE ALBUM?
PB: Bloedrivier is available at most stores (if they don’t have it, ask for it: an ENT Entertainment release, distributed by IRIS – catalog number CDENT 008). Otherwise it can be ordered on-line form OneWorld.co.za: http://www.oneworld.co.za/index.php?main_page=product_music_info&cPath=1_8&products_id=3925
It will also be available at the shows, together with T-shirts and tour posters.
IN THE YEAR 1986 WHEN I WAS BORN YOU GUYS WERE MAKING MUSIC SO I MUST ASK HOW THE LOCAL SCENE WAS BACK IN THOSE YEARS AND HOW WOULD YOU COMPARE IT TO TODAY’S MUSIC SCENE?
PB: As mentioned, V.O.D started as a Punk/Hardcore band. It was quite wild and brought together a wide range of music fans of all races. There weren’t too many venues catering for extreme music, and without the internet it was DIY all the way with flyers and word of mouth. Systematically it grew into quite a scene, especially when V.O.D morphed into Metal. The bands and the fans were totally into it.
HOW WOULD YOU SAY THE BAND’S STYLE EVOLVED THROUGHOUT ITS TIME AND WHAT PERIOD OF THE BAND’S HISTORY WILL YOU BE REVISITING MUSICALLY FOR THE REUNION?
PB: The Punk/Hardcore days (with Stewart on vocals) was very in-your-face, raw and conscientious in approach with several political songs. When it reached the Metal-era with Francois on vocals the subject matter shifted somewhat with some more religious subjects filtering in as well as narrative and fantasy elements, a social angle not discarded.
We’ll be covering a wide range of the band’s history, but will retain some of the Punk songs for the final Assembly show (28 March) in Cape Town, where Stewart will guest doing a few of the early tracks.
Some of the late-‘80s Cross-over songs like Stormbringer, Trojan Horse and The Path will be played, as well as the ‘90s favourites like Goodbye, Black Cathedral, JMSP, A Beast Is Born, Religion, and (maybe) the entire If I Had A Soul epic.
HOW MANY SONGS HAS THE BAND COMPLETED IN ITS MUSIC CAREER SO FAR AND WHICH ONES STAND OUT AND BRING BACK THE MOST MEMORIES?
PB: It must be around 4 dozen or so. Every song has its own significance for each member. Personally Black Cathedral is a landmark song for me, because that really galvanized the new V.O.D as it got to be known – diverse, intense and unforgettable songs like those that followed, incl. Religion and A Beast Is Born.
A song like JMSP brings back great memories because of the effect it always has on the audience – going nuts! It’s also very surprising how many people love silly tracks like My Cat’s Cock – probably because it reminded them of the live shows where Francois pulled out a stack of crap local vinyl albums for the audience to destroy. Naturally If I Had A Soul is up there for its sheer scope, ambition and overall accomplishment, its multi-part saga clocking in at over 15 minutes.
THE BAND DID MAKE IT WHEN YOU WERE SIGNED TO A GERMAN RECORD LABEL AND RELEASED THE ALBUM “BLOEDRIVIER”, HOW DID THINGS SLOW DOWN TO THE POINT THAT THE BAND HAS BEEN OUT OF ACTION FOR SO LONG?
PB: After our European Tour in ’96, I think we were quite burnt out and needed a breather. It was a steep, tiring climb. For me personally I had enough of the UK and wanted to be back home near the ocean. Francois eventually also came back. Greg moved to the Isle of Mann.
Besides some other club shows, we then played Oppi Koppi in ’98 (two nights in a row) with 2nd guitarist Johan (flying down from Namibia) and Adam from Pothole on bass. When Greg came back in ’99 we played the first Woodstock festival with Tom on bass. That’s when we redirected our attention, and time simply flew by.
While those festival shows were brilliant, it just wasn’t the same without the proper line-up.
METAL HAS REALLY GAINED POPULARITY AGAIN IN SOUTH AFRICA OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, ARE YOU HOPING TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE YOUNGER GENERATION OF METAL LISTENERS THAT ARE NOT SO FAMILIAR WITH THE BAND WITH YOUR REUNION TOUR?
PB: Definitely. History is important in all areas, including music – and V.O.D influenced or inspired many local bands to pick up guitars and make uncompromising music. And no matter how old music may be, it remains music and will live forever. Whatever your age, this music will have an effect on – be it sweeping you up into a moshpit or driving you from the venue, or on CD for repeated listening.
V.O.D has become legendary, but you need to back it up. On the tour we’ll put all our energy into playing the best shows we’ve ever done and give the audience what they came there for: be it reliving a great time or satisfying their curiosity.
What people will realise when they hear these V.O.D songs again is how we didn’t try to sound like anyone else but ourselves, and that the songs are as cool today as they were back then. The new generation music is different to our style in many ways, often trying to emulate popular bands of the moment which often make them hard to distinguish. With V.O.D the combinations of all our styles created a unique sound which is instantly recognizable, infectious and unforgettable.
COMPARING THE OLD WITH THE NEW. THE MUSIC INDUSTRY HAS CHANGED A LOT OVER THE YEARS WITH THE HELP OF THE INTERNET. HOW DO YOU THINK THE MUSIC INDUSTRY WOULD BE LIKE TODAY IF MUSICIANS ALREADY HAD THE INTERNET AT THEIR DISPOSAL IN THE ‘80S?
PB: Quite different! We toured up to Johannesburg in the late ’80s and early-‘90s with no cell phones or web pages, having to call venue owners from phone booths and if they weren’t home, you had to hang around in Hillbrow record stores or wherever until you can reach them!
Connecting globally has become so much easier and more convenient, but this also has its drawbacks as any garage band and professional act have to vie for attention, and the listener needs to wade through a swamp of shit to find something they really like. Anyone can shove anything on-line without any quality control, so it takes a lot more patience to find something that appeals to you. And gaining friends on your MySpace page doesn’t mean they’ll buy your album or attend your shows…
It has become an essential marketing tool whereas back in the day it was done the old-school way – playing shows building a fan base that helped spread the word. Guys like Barney Simon and Phil Wright helped a lot in spreading the word between cities back then.
WITH SO MANY BANDS MIXING DIFFERENT GENRES OF METAL INTO THEIR SONGS THESE DAYS DO YOU THINK THAT THE GENRE HAS LOST ITS ORIGINALITY OR IS “EXPERIMENTATION” NEEDED SO THAT IT GROWS INTO SOMETHING BIGGER AND BETTER?
PB: Everything evolves inevitably, as V.O.D did. Nothing is sacred and no-one can stop you from blending genres, sometimes it works damn well, other times it’s a joke. My attitude is always, if it speaks to you, who cares what it’s called and who made it?
If you enjoy it, who can tell you it’s not your place to appreciate it? And if someone creates something with passion, I don’t feel anyone has the right to tell them they suck – if it’s a carefully planned commercial exercise following the tried and tested recipes to cash in and duck, that’s when the pointing fingers can come out.
ANY LAST COMMENTS/ADVISE OR PEOPLE YOU WOULD LIKE TO THANK?
PB: Late March we’re releasing the first V.O.DVD, The V.O.D Archives Vol. II, consisting of two of our home video releases, featuring Welcome To South Africaaaargh!!! – Live ’93, and our stint in Europe ’95-’96. It features live shows, on the road footage, interviews and a whole lot of madness. Extras include A Brief History (looking at the band’s timeline), and Before The Storm (a short capturing the band’s first rehearsals together after more than a decade, in preparation for the 2009 Reunion Tour).
This will be followed by The V.O.D Archives Vol. III: Return To The Great Abyss on CD, including classic V.O.D tracks and rare demos.
We’re aiming at 2010 for an in-depth feature length documentary on V.O.D’s history and the effect it had on South African music, tentatively titled The V.O.Documentary: 25 Years Of Destruction.
All updates will be on the official website and Facebook Group:
www.VOICEofDESTRUCTION.com
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5711375805
We definitely want to thank everyone who kept the V.O.D fire burning after all these years, and those attending the shows on the reunion tour.
And, whatever you do, be true!
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