Rise And Fall (04.06.09)



Rise and Fall so trenutno eden izmed najbolj rušilnih hardcore bendov na ozemlju stare celine. Pred vrati imajo novo ploščo, še prej (14.07.2009) pa se bodo ustavili v Ljubljani. Evo, naj bo tale intervju usluga za vse tiste, ki jih še ne poznate...   

Ivo: So tell me, what kind of a band is Rise and fall? What keeps you going and what do you want to achieve with the band?

Bjorn: Rise And Fall is all about riffs. The power of the riff, the striking of a certain chord, the making of impact... musically and lyrically. Those are all things that are important to us. We are well aware that in 2009 no one is likely to re-invent the wheel but we try to be a band that is challenging to us as well as to anyone listening. We love what we do and have kept this band going throughout the years because of that simple reason. Regardless of the fact whether or not our music can be labelled as such, we're all hardcore dudes that grew up in this scene and we are all still firmly connected to it, but not limited by it.

You guys are touring constantly and there is yet another tour scheduled  with a bunch of killer bands in June/July. Excited?

Very. It's actually been a while since we did some serious touring. The last few years were mainly spent getting our shit together, practicing, writing new songs and doing the occasional show or short tour here and there. If a month with Have Heart won't tempt Cedric to stagedive for the first time ever then I don't know what will.



-What about your new record? Is it going to be ready for the tour? Please tell us something about it. Are there any surprises you have for us or are you just gonna take the safer path and continue with where you stopped with Into Oblivion?

The new record is done and recorded. We spent 2 weeks in the lovely town of Salem, MA with a reckless genius called Kurt Ballou back in March to record it. It will be out sometime this summer but unfortunately not in time for the Have Heart / Shipwreck tour. It'll have 11 songs, it will be called "Our Circle Is Vicious" and it is very different from what we did before but it still sounds like Rise And Fall, if that makes sense?

-In the past 7 years you have probably achieved everything you wished for. We could say you became quite big and popular, not only in Europe , but also elsewhere. How do you feel about that?

Popularity is a very relative thing. We feel honored that we have gotten to play to the places we've played in front of the people there, toured with the bands we've toured with and worked with the people we've worked with. Well, most of them anyway. I feel like we are definitely a band that people know, but obviously there are bands that are far bigger than us or that draw more kids to shows, sell more records or whatever but that's fine... What I appreciate the most is the respect and love we've received from many of our peers, here as well as in the States or wherever in the world. I would hope that we are not involved in some popularity contest but rather in some sort of underground scene that is all about creativity, energy and true meaning.



-What about your lyrics? How important are those for you and what's your message you are trying to convey?

I can't speak for anyone else but myself, but to me lyrics are almost as important as music. Lyrics can make or break a band for me. However, you could write the best shit ever but without an awesome song to back those words, no one's going to listen. Simple. That been said, I have worked long and hard on the lyrics for "Our Circle Is Vicious" and I'm glad with the way it all came out. There is not a specific message that I am trying to get across, that never was the case really, but the lyrics and the album title tie in together perfectly. A lot of them deal with the person I am today. I'm trying to dig a little deeper these days to try to find out why I am the way I am and why I have become the person I have become. I hope people are going to be able to relate.

-How do you remember the glory days of H8000 scene and what influence did it leave on you, if any? What's the current state of Belgian hardcore scene?

Those days had a huge influence on most of us. Vince and me both saw Congress in '95 (different shows though, but our first shows nonetheless) and they are one of the bands that dragged us into this whole thing. Shows back then were awe inspiring, you could literally see those bands and that scene grow as you watched. Until I guess it got a little too big, watered down and stale. But Congress, Liar, Blindfold and some of the other bands that were around back then shaped the way we experience hardcore today. To see local bands like them move crowds, tour Europe and put out sick records was mind boggling. Right now Belgium is still good, although since the demise of Dead Stop, Justice and everyone's favourite venue, The Lintfabriek, things have been a little slower. However, my friends at Powered Records have been putting out some great records, incl. Belgian powerhouses like True Colors and Rhythm To The Madness. Check them out. Other than those bands check out Reproach, Amen Ra, Man's Ruin, Blind To Faith, Joshua's Song, The Reactionaries and Oathbreaker.

-What do you think is the biggest problem in the world today?

Good question. I wish I knew, but there's too many answers to that one.

www.riseandfall.org/
www.myspace.com/riseandfall13
www.deathwishinc.com