Interview: Bodyfarm

Congratulations with the new album. Are you happy with the end result, or did everything turn out as you wanted?

Thank you. We are very happy with how the album sounds. I think we’ve outdone ourselves because we’ve certainly made a better album than the previous one. Almost everything turned out the way we wanted. Almost, because we are our own biggest critics. As a musician you should always strife for better, even if it’s good already.

How is the new release received in the media for so far. And are you happy with the feedback that was given already before the disc lays in the stores and online?

The press loves this album. I would never have expected this kind of response. The lowest score I could find so far was a 7.5 and the highest a 10. Literally every review is very positive. What more can you wish for when you’re releasing a new album?

How does the success feel that Bodyfarm has on the moment that we speak, after so many shows you seem to enjoy more and more fans with every gig, how far can “the Squad” go?

Well, it’s really hard to keep on growing as a band. I think we are, but it’s a very slow process. And most of the time you don’t even know what’s going on. We play gigs and we write music, see? That’s it! Our goal is to go as far as possible, but I don’t have a clue how far that would be. We are very realistic. I’m sure we can outgrow this stage and be a bigger band, but the most important thing is that we enjoy what we do.

How was it to work again with Ronnie Björnström and the talents of Juanjo Castellano, and how was it recording without Harry (van Breda red.)?

Working with Ronnie is always a pleasure. When Quint (drums) and I went to Sweden to record the drums he and his wife took us into their home for a week. The hospitality was just amazing! Besides being a very good friend of ours Ronnie is also a pro and he knows his stuff. For Quint it was almost relaxing to record drums with Ronnie, haha.

We’ve never met Juanjo in person but this was the second time we have teamed up with him. Working with Juanjo is very smooth and really listens to what the band wants.

We’ve actually recorded with Harry. We asked him to track our guitars and vocals. We did that in our studio just outside Amersfoort. Harry sent the tracks to Ronnie for re-amping and mixing.

In what way is Battle Breed different then it’s predecessors?

Battle Breed is faster, darker, more aggressive and has more outspoken melodics. We’ve actually tried to improve pretty much every element of The Coming Scourge and I think we’ve succeeded. Then there’s the sound. It’s clear yet aggressive and raw. There was almost no editing done after the recordings and there were no triggers or samples used. Battle Breed is very honest and pure.

So what’s next for Bodyfarm ? Months of touring for promoting Battle Breed or…

The next step is promoting Battle Breed by playing shows. We are looking for a suitable tour indeed but it’s hard to find one. We want a full tour to be a good experience, and the conditions some promoters offer are sometimes outrageous. We know that a night liner won’t pay for itself but the whole pay-to-play thing is not for us.

Thanks for your time, a lot of success and keep on blasting…

Questions answered by Thomas

Bodyfarm Facebook

Ron van Coevorden