In 2011 I Chaos released “The Human Repellent”, a good and brutal death metal album. With this release the Dutch band made it very clear that they are force to be reckoned with. They are currently busy putting the finishing touches on their second album and I cannot wait for it to be released!!! Joost van der Graaf, the bassist of I Chaos, gives a few updates about the status of the band and about the second album in this interview.
Hi!! First I want to say thanks for answering these questions. Can you introduce yourself and give the readers a little background on I Chaos? (When did the band start, how you guys met)
Hi I’m Joost the bassplayer and co-founder of the band. We started as I CHAOS in 2009 but Koen, Rory and me had been playing and writing since early 2007.
Can you explain how the writing process is within I Chaos?
Rory and I write separately and sometimes add things to each others songs. In the end stage (rehearsals) things are fine-tuned, also by input from Koen and Tobias.
I really love the lyrics from your first album “The Human Repellant”. They are well thought and not your typical death metal lyrics. Can you explain a little more what the lyrical themes are on “The Human Repellant”?
I guess looking back now; I can say that an important theme is human stupidity and the way everything humanity has built, fought and died for will eventually fade away. There is quite some diversity though. A few lyrics were written by Harry back then, which had a very different style than I have but I guess there is a strong anti-human and apocalyptic vibe throughout the songs.
“The Human Repellant” was released on the band’s own label Raped In The Face Records (in other words it was self-financed?). Why use this method and are there no record labels that are/were interested in I Chaos?
Maybe we didn’t know the right people and/or used a wrong strategy. We checked some labels but never got anything back. We just wanted to get our music out there so we did it ourselves. Yes we financed the thing and got everything paid back over the years so I guess it worked.
Of course you miss the bigger distribution channels and the opportunity to play big festivals but I am still very content with what we did ourselves. We did get proper recognition from metal heads worldwide.
“The Human Repellant” was released way back in 2011, which I bought immediately and still listen to it to this date. Why is it taking so long to release your second album?
Different things. The departure of Harry sure delayed things. But also personal stuff and the fact Koen, Rory and I started playing with German thrash act Dew-Scented in 2013 which meant quite a lot of touring and recording.
I noticed on the band’s Facebook that you guys are busy writing new material and that the band played new songs live. I know that you don’t have a date for the release of the album. But around when do you expect it to be released?
Actually, we are wrapping up the new album in this period and we are absolutely psyched with the result. All I can say is that it will be released this year.
Harry van Breda is not a part of I Chaos anymore which is sad because he really was a brutal singer. Care to shed some light on this matter why he is no longer a member of I Chaos and can you introduce the new singer for the readers?
Sure! I mentioned Tobias before. He is the new singer and does a great job. He is also a good friend of ours. His voice stands out in the land of metal screamers I think. Most importantly we think his sound really adds something the music.
Harry lost his love for metal along the way. There is only one thing you can do when that happens…. I respect his choice and I know he’s doing well. He’s a great guy and indeed a brutal singer!
Which metal band had a big influence on you that made you decide to start a band? What are your top 3 albums of all time? What are your favorite bands and what are you currently listening to?
The urge to start I CHAOS had little to do with other bands. When I came across Rory and Koen I knew we could make some crazy, intense music.
We have pretty different musical tastes actually…. Rory was into Meshuggah back then (and Today!), Koen more into prog metal and I was checking out Aborted but also Despised Icon, Behemoth and Decapitated.
Right now there are some bands we all agree on:
Cannibal Corpse, Misery Index, Decapitated and definitely Hate Eternal!
Thanks for taking time answering these question! Anything else you would like to share with our readers?
My pleasure man! Yeah please watch out for the upcoming album and if you have been waiting for it, thanks for waiting!
Chrz!
(c) Rottendamned
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