ADRENALIN: How did Engines of Pain get its start?

PAT: The band is founded in May 2003. We recorded a 5 track MCD in February 2004 called “Here is Pain!”. Thanks to this MCDemo we were personally chosen by the Wacken Open Air Organization to play at the 15th anniversary festival. All because they bombed us to be the best unsigned metal band. A hell of a kick off! The same year we played the finale of the Aardschok / Jägermeister Metal Bash, a very well known Dutch metal band competition. Also I was asked to be Dean Guitars Artist. So to be short: all went very, very fast! After all this we only had one thing in mind: record a kick-ass full-length album, ditto artwork and trying to get a nice reliable record deal.

ADRENALIN: What type of metal would you label yourselves? How do you feel about metal sub categories/genres?

PAT: The album I Am Your Enemy is about pounding thrash metal in the veins of Testament, Pantera and The Haunted, no need to doubt about that! This kind of metal is running through our veins. However, the new songs will contain some more melodic metal (twin) riffing and even some more amazing soloing. But don’t worry  it will still sound like a punch in your face!

BASTIAAN: Thrash with, since I joined, a touch of good old heavy metal. Sub categories are good in the sense that it is easier to differentiate between bands. I like progressive metal myself, so when I’m buying cd’s, I’ll know not to look in the black/death metal shelves. On the other hand, you can easily be stereotyped.

ADRENALIN: Do you recall the defining moment when you became a "metalhead"?

PAT: Cool question…of course I remember! A guy on high school had created his own Dutch Kiss Army fanzine back in the days. He gave me a tape of the Kiss album Creatures of the Night (1982) and Alive II (1977). When I put the thing in the cassette deck and hit ‘play’ the damage was done. As of that time it only get worse, haha.

BASTIAAN: 1992, when I first heard …And Justice For All. It just blew me away.

Is there a statement you are trying to make with your music?

PAT: No, we are not a political band or whatever. It’s all about fun for us…if the fun is gone, the band will be dead. Hmm…perhaps fun is the statement...Aggressive Fun!

Bastiaan: I agree…We’re just writing the music we love and like to listen to ourselves. And if other people like it, well, that’s always a bonus, haha

 Next Page