“Unique, edgy but charming. The Charm the Fury from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, has brilliantly managed to stand out from the crowd. The band, formed in September 2010, has a unique take on metalcore and is not only known for its harmonious but chaotic tracks, but also because of female screamer Caroline. They recently won a place on Groezrock Festival 2012, they are also the support act for Swedish metal band Intohimo, next month [In Belgium and the Netherlands].
TMR: Hello to you from´The Metal Resource’ Holland, how are things going there in Amsterdam?
It’s going great! Our EP is coming out soon, and were really looking forward to some amazing shows!
TMR: Will you Introduce yourself and the band please ! [name and instrument]
Caroline: Vocals
Math: Guitar
Rolf: Guitar
Lucas: Bass
Mathijs: Drums
TMR: Tell us the brief history of ‘The Charm The Fury’
A: Caroline, Math and some other dudes started jamming and trying some stuff out. A few weeks later Mathijs en Lucas joined them, and a band was born. The search for a second guitar player was a long one, but in the end we found Rolf! Not a guy you would think of at first, but he proved to be a great addition to The Charm The Fury!
We started rehearsing and recorded some demo’s.
These were unexpectedly well received and before we knew it we joined a bookings agency, got a manager and got asked to play some great shows! And that’s where we are now!
TMR: Why the name ‘The Charm The Fury’ ? Is there a story behind it ?
A: Well, it’s nothing more but the obvious: ‘The Charm’ is our not-so-badass-looking female singer Caroline. ‘The Fury’ stands for the heavy music we make. And besides that, it sounds cool! So yeah….
TMR: Are you guys full time musicians ? If not what kind of job or study do you do beside the band ?
A: We all dream of being able to be a full time musician! But unfortunately, none of us is at the moment. Caroline and Mathijs are still studying at the university (biomedical sciences and communication sciences). Lucas studies at the conservatory of Amsterdam. Rolf works in healthcare and Math takes phone calls from annoying people to earn some money.
TMR: What is your musical background ? [for everyone personal]
Caroline: I grew up in a musical, jazz-oriented family. My dad and sister both play in jazzbands and indoctrinated me with names such as Miles Davis, Marcus Miller, Stanley Clarke. As a true rebel I wanted to play the guitar and started listening to bands such as Slipknot, KoRn and System of a Down – I thought I was ‘different’ ‘punk’ (especially because I grew up in a snobbish town as well haha!). As I grew older I developped a big love for more punk oriented bands (back then when Good Charlotte was still acceptable punk haha) – and Bowling for Soup, Mest, Blink 182 etc. It was only until I was 17 when someone showed me videos of Underoath and I discovered my favorite genre and band of all time.
Lucas: My family wasn’t and still isn’t very musical. I started out with piano lessons when I was 10, but I lacked motivation. When I was 12, I discovered the mainstream rock bands, such as Blink-182, Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. 3 years later, the classic rock kicked in, and I knew what I wanted: Become the new Slash or Jimmy Page. I failed.
There were two guitar players in my first school band, and the other guy was a better player than me. Bass guitar it was! And that’s what I still do now, and I’ve really grown a love for it!
TMR: Who writes the music/lyrics in ‘The Charm The Fury’ ? .. how do you get in the mood for writing music? And which bands/situations have influences you for writing music and lyrics ?
A: Mathijs is the main music writer. His musical inspiration changes every week or so!
Sometimes it’s a song that makes him to write something similar. Sometimes it’s just a snaredrum sound. He’ll write some stuff on his keyboard (he’s an awesome keyboard-drummer and keyboard-guitar/bassplayer) and eventually Rolf, Math or Lucas will join in to give directions, check the playability and think of some mind-blowing riffs themselves.
Caroline writes most of the lyrics. They’re mainly about the people around her and things she sees in daily life. When the music and lyrics are finished, we sit down to fit it all together. We change some words and turn some sentences around until we feel the song is finished.
Bands that have influenced us are Underoath, Stray From The Path, For Today and Every Time I Die.
TMR: How do you describe the music of ‘The Charm The Fury’ the best ?
A: We try to combine melody/harmony and heaviness as best as we can. We love ground shaking breakdowns, but I think a song with just breakdowns doesn’t give that much of an impact anymore. That’s why we use melodic, spheric parts as well. Dynamics are very important to us!
TMR: How does ‘The Charm The Fury’ stands in life till events in the world, religion and politics and in which proportion stands that till your music and lyrics ?
A: Well, that would depend on the kind of event ; )
The Charm The Fury isn’t a religious or political minded band. We just love to make music!
As stated before, the lyrics are about people you meet in real life.
Of course we all have our political preferences and believes, but we won’t jam it through your throat.
TMR: For a lot of bands the lyrics are just a accidental circumstance, but for some bands they use them to communicate ! ..can you tell us how that is for ‘The Charm The Fury’ ?
A: All of our lyrics have some sort of story behind them. That’s what we want to get across.
But lyrics aren’t some sort of holy grail to us. If a line doesn’t fit the song, it has to move or go. As long as the message is still there, we think it’s ok to change the original lyrics.
TMR: Name some of your favorite bands to play with live [past and future] and tell us why ?
A: Actually, we didn’t play live yet, so we wouldn’t really know! We’re really looking forward to play with Of Mice & Men, While She Sleeps and Campus. We’re also playing this years edition of Groezrock. That’s a dream coming true! But how awesome would it be to tour with bands we look up to and heavily influenced us?
TMR: First record you bought? [for everyone personal]
Caroline: Single: Pretty Fly For A White Guy by The Offspring. Album (this is soooo uncool) The Backstreetboys – Millenium haha.
Lucas: Single: Freestyler – Bomfunk MC’s. Album: Blink 182 – Enema of the State. Nothing to be ashamed of!
TMR: What makes you laugh? [for everyone personal]
Caroline: Southpark, Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother, Hot Rod, Superbad, Will Ferrel, Chuck Norris jokes and bad sex jokes.
Lucas: Guitar throw-fail YouTube clips.
TMR: How do you promote your band and shows ?
A: Facebook is a really important tool for us. We love to communicate directly with fans and people who have questions.
What also really helped us was YouTube. Carline recorded a couple of vocal covers of Underoath and Like Moths To Flames. They got quite some views, and people were directed to The Charm The Fury!
TMR: How do you prepare for a show? [for everyone personal]
Caroline: Put on my headphones and listen to angry metal bands (Gets me pumped!)
Lucas: I try to be as relaxed as possible all evening. 20 minutes before stage time I start warming up by playing some scales on my bass and jump around like an idiot.
TMR: Describe your show, visual and musically ? And tell us about your next shows and why we should be there.
Caroline: My perfect show would be: we rocking out a tight, energetic show in which every breakdown and bridge comes together perfectly, dynamic and melodic with a great sound in the venue – conducted by a great soundengineer. Visually it would be cool to have a lightman that puts emphasis on every climax or melodic interlude in a song to give the show an extra dimension. THAT IS WHY SHOULD BE AT EVERY TCTF SHOW!!
Lucas: What she says ^
TMR: What is the dumbest question you have ever been asked? [for everyone personal]
Caroline: Is that really you screaming? (get’s frustrating and tiring after a while haha)
Lucas: Are you a boy or a girl? (I had long hair in primary school, very annoying)
TMR: Do you have a life philosophy? [for everyone personal]
Caroline: Be the change you want to see in this world.
Lucas: Hakuna Matata
TMR: Are you visiting many gigs and what do you listen to these days? [for everyone personal]
Caroline: Yes! I ocassionally write for ROAR E-Zine and I live on the same street as de Melkweg. De Melkweg is pretty much my second home, and whenever I’m bored I’m off to the Melkweg to check out bands.
Lucas: I’d love to visit more gigs, but I just don’t have the time! I’m working on that. Right now, I’m addicted to Memphis May Fire’s ‘The Hollow’!
TMR: Tell us about the hardrock/metal scene in your area please?
A: The metal scene in Holland is kinda dull. You can see a lot of awesome bands from abroad in the bigger venues, but there’s nothing new to the dutch metal scene. We’re trying to change that!
TMR: What’s your outlook on the record-industry today?
A: It’s obvious that things are going to change. Nobody knows how or when, but it’s gonna happen. Eventually it’ll be alright I guess. People will always feel the need for new music, so they’ll find a way.
TMR: About your upcoming album, tell us about the songs, the recording proces, album title, release date, label etc. Will this be your debut album ?
A: Our EP is coming out April 24th, and it will be our first release! It’s called ‘The Social Meltdown’. We recorded and mixed everything at home! Will Putney (For Today, Asking Alexandria, Stray From The Path) will be mastering the EP.
‘The Social Meltdown’ contains 5 songs, and we love every one of them! We can’t wait to let people hear what we’ve been up to!
TMR: What about your plans for this year or the near future ?
A: In the upcoming months our focus will be on releasing and promoting the EP. We’ve got some cool shows ahead of us as well! We’ll try to play as many summer festivals as we can, and after that we’ll start thinking about our first full length!
TMR: What advice would you give to fellow bands?
A: Be clear to yourself and others what you want to achieve with your band. Make sure everyone has the same goal. And don’t just think that things will happen automatically. Planning is really important!
TMR: What are the biggest obstacles for bands ?
A: I think the biggest obstacle for a band is that you’re working with 4/5 individuals, when a band is at it’s best as one unit. It’s hard to get everyone on the same track at the same speed. But as soon as you achieve that, you can achieve almost everything as a band.
TMR: Guys thanks for your time and the interview, we wish ‘The Charm The Fury’ all the best … Is there anything you wanna say at last? [any final statement ?]
A: Thanks for interviewing us! It’s an honor!
Upcoming Shows:
March 23 @ Rockclub The Cave, Amsterdam, Netherlands
March 24 @ Fakurafest, Aalsmeer, Netherlands
March 31 @ Rockfest, Hasselt, Belgium
April 12 w/ Intohimo @ Winston Kingdom, Amsterdam, Netherlands
April 13 w/ Intohimo @ Fuzzfest, Habay, Belgium
April 14 w/ Intohimo @ Shelter, Hasselt, Belgium
April 27 @ Supermarkt, The Hague, Netherlands
April 28 @ Groezrock, Meerhout, Belgium
May 8 @ Dynamo, Eindhoven, Netherlands
Aug. 25 @ Heat Of The Mosh, The Hague, Netherlands
From left to right: Matthijs T, Matthijs P, Caroline, Lucas, Rolf