For Collision no grindcore but thrashcore or better: grinding thrashcore
To start this interview please give us a short introduction of yourself.
Hello everybody, I’m Wouter/Tammi, one of the 2 lead singers in Collision.
The band is around since 2000, so can you give us a brief overview in 10 words?
We have a great time playing shows and recording music!
Ofcourse a lot happened in those years. What do you consider as the highlight and what as the most fucked up thing over the years?
We have a lot of highlights in the past 10 years, most of them were on the road ofcourse, playing festivals like Obscene Extreme, Fekal Party, Rock Weekend… but also our mini tours across France and Czech Republic were awesome! I also count the release of our last album ‘A Healthy Dose Of Death’ as an absolute highlight! The most fucked up thing is that we had to cancel shows due to sickness and surgery.
Did this effect your personal life or your view on people or society?
Not really, but I feel privileged that I can go to other countries playing my own music, see something of the country and party.
After several releases and records labels you now release "A Healthy Dose Of Death" on Hammerheart. Does this feel like coming home? And is Hammerheart the healthy dose of death for Collision?
Yeah, ofcourse! I think it’s good to be on a Dutch label, because the lines are short! They spend a lot of time and energy in promotion so we get more exposure then ever.
Beside the CD it is almost obligatory to release it as vinyl these days. Who idea was it and how did you get it out on Nuclear Vault Records?
We just got an e-mail from Nuclear Vault Records if they could release our album on vinyl. Except 2 songs on compilation albums we never released something on vinyl, so this was the absolute oppurtunity for us. Also the artwork that Luis Sendon did for the cover works perfect on a 12” sleeve.
Nuclear Vault is from Poland and there are a lot of grind bands. This must be given opportunities to get on stage in Poland and other East European countries.
I hope so! At the moment we only played a lot in Czech Republic, but I won’t mind to visit Poland or another East European country with Collision. The future will prove.
Do you collect CD or vinyls yourself? What is your most proud item you have?
Yes, ofcourse! I collect mostly CD’s, but my vinyl collection is also going to grow. The item I’m most proud of is my 7” single from Guns N’ Roses (!!) with all the autographs from the classic line up (yes, I know… I’m a fanboy hahaha).
You describe your style as thrashcore. Most likely because the 5 of you are having different musical influences? Or is it just a selling point?
The 5 members from Collision got a different taste and influences… but the term thrashcore, or ‘grinding thrashcore’ as I would like to call it, fits the best with our music. We always had metal and hardcore influences in our style: so it’s just a name.
About the music there is no doubt but according the press info you're also using humor in the songs. Can you point out where that can be found or is it just in the songs titles?
It’s mostly in the song titles and lyrics, we tried political lyrics in the past, but it simply didn’t work for us. But I think the lyrics are a combination of fun, sarcasm and violence. The way we like it!
Fun is also a part when on stage. You played Obscene and Motocultor this summer. Do you have some fun anecdotes what happened on stage but more the stories backstage?
Ofcourse, we have lot’s of Spinal Tap moments. Our drummer and guitar player were lost once in the venue 5 minutes before we had to play, the cops had to drive us to the venue in our van (full of empty beer bottles) and ofcourse all the crazy stuff that happens at the Obscene Extreme festival. After the show we mostly like to drink, party and watch the other bands.
Do you agree having two vocalists is like having two captains on a boat?
Not really, I think it helps the band to give more agression on stage.
Can you give us an idea how songs come to life? How does it start and who has the veto?
We had different writing modes in the past, but now our guitarist and bassist writes tons of riffs. Then we (the singers, guitarist and bassist) will come together looking for the best riffs. Fitting them together and create a skeleton for a song and record it. We send this to our drummer and in the rehearsal room we work the song out. After this we will work on the lyrics… so we will do very long on a song, but it works the best and most effective for us.
Years and still grinding. What is the goal your wanna reach with the band? What would you like to do in the nearby future?
We would like to play more festivals, record another album and hope we can keep on growing.
And what in your personal life? What 'bout your hobbies or work? In other words where can we talk about when meeting in a pub?
For work: I run my own business in graphic design. So I’m also interested in design, photography and a little art. For hobby I collect and listen to a lot of music, play some poker with my friends, do some sports (to get in shape for the shows haha) and I love watching movies and series (I’m a big fan of Dexter!). Oh yeah, I also play in another band called The Guilt Parade, where I’m the only singer. We play metal(core).
Is there something you want to say before ending this little chat? You can do shameless self promotion if you wish...
Thanks for the interview and interest in Collision. I would like to invite everybody to our album release party at the end of this month! Cheers!