Interview: Tarre

Recently the Frisian doom metallers of Tarre released their debut album Unheil fan ‘e klaai. You can read our review of the album here and now DutchMetalManiac’s Tim van Velthuysen interviewed Tarre’s bass guitarist Meindert Sterk.

Hey, congratulations with your debut album, Unheil fan ‘e klaai. It’s nice!

Thank you!

How does it feel to have your debut album released?

Great, we are very proud to have captured the sound we pursued and we love the songs.

How are the reactions you get on it so far?

The reactions so far are very good and promising. We had a couple of reviews and they are very positive, without exception. They all mention the dark and eerie sound and the raw and heavy compositions.

The title of the album is in Frisian. What does it mean and what is the story behind it?

The title Unheil fan ‘e klaai literally means Disaster from the clay (region). The clay region is in the northern part of Fryslân, close the the Wadden sea and just behind the sea wall and below sea level. This song is about the threat of the sea and the day the sea will conquer the land again and will wash all life away.

However, the title track is the only track with Frisian lyrics, the other lyrics are in English. Can you elaborate on this choice?

We chose one song in Frisian, because we are all Frisians, but not a Frisian band in particular. So we wanted to do the other songs in English, because we don’t want to limit ourselves.

What was the reason to do that specific track in Frisian?

Fryslân and the clay region mean a lot to me personally, I feel a strong connection to this region and its language. I wanted to express that in our music. And this song is about a specific threat in this region – the risk of a flood. It feels natural and logical to link the theme and the language of this song.

The lyrics are partly inspired by nature. How important is nature for you?

First of all: nature is everything. I use nature as a starting point for different topics. Mostly abstractions of alienation, decay and transiency, which translate perfectly to nature and its seasons.

Tarre and guitarist Rene Palmen recently parted ways, what was the reason for that?

Unfortunately René could not proceed as a member of Tarre for private reasons. We are thankful for what he added to the album. Maybe René will play a future role connected to Tarre, not as a band member, but as a sound engineer.

Recently he got replaced by your new guitarist Dirk van der Zee, what made him the perfect person for this job?

Dirk has a passion for music, a broad history in different bands, among them are doom bands. He’s talented and apprehended the Tarre sound in no time. And he has a very down to earth attitude, which we all have.

What does it mean to be Frisian for you?

First of all, Fryslân is one of the most beautiful provinces of the Netherlands. We are blessed to be born here. We are proud of our land, our heritage and our language.

How do you see the Frisian metal scene?

The scene in Fryslân is very vivid, there is a lot going on here. We have a few venues with often great bands and a couple of (open air) festivals which are well known, even abroad.

As a Frisian, what does it mean for you that Dokk’em Open Air is back in 2019?

Dokk’em Open Air is a great festival, because it’s not that big. It has a history of booking great bands and I’m glad it’s back.

Any other Frisian bands you would recommend to check out?

Check out Kjeld, a Frisian black metal band and Trumpets of the Apocalypse, a mixture of punk, death metal and hardcore. And Pander of course, the other band of our singer. They have more of a stoner sound.

Can we also expect some shows in the near future?

Yes certainly there are shows coming up, but nothing fixed yet, because of our recent change of guitarists.

Thanks for your answers! Is there anything you want to say to our readers?

Thank you for your interest in Tarre. We hope to see and meet great people in the near future. Stay dark and doom on.

Tarre Official Website
Tarre Facebook