The band name Wolfer probably does not immediately ring a bell. Wolfer also exist not so long and debuted last December on stage. The band members have gained the necessary experience in bands like Despicable Heroes and Killing Goliath. Recently they have released their first music video, ‘Coward which can be seen below. The song appears on their upcoming debut EP “Old Ghosts & Present” which will be released somewhere this year. Wolfer is compared with bands like Touché Amoré, Hundredth and Defeater, expect catchy melodies. Recently we did an interview with the band, check it out below.
Next month Wolfer will play at the third edition of Rock for Eternity. Other performing bands will be: Innerwish (melodic metal from Greece), Metatrone (progressive power metal from Italy), Malchus (progressive melodic metal from Poland), A Sickness Unto Death (doom metal band from Germany), Nefast (psych black from the Netherlands). Rock for Eternity will be held on April 23 again at fluor (fka de kelder) in Amersfoort, the Netherlands.
TMR: Hey guys this is ‘The Metal Resource’, how are things going there ?
Hey man, things have been great, thanks for having us.
TMR: Will you Introduce yourself and the band please ! [name and instrument]
We’re WOLFER, Andrew is our frontman , on guitars are Andrei and Kevin, Carl plays the bass and Frank bangs the drums.
TMR: Tell us the brief history of ‘Wolfer’.
Well it’s actually a sad story, Frank, Andrei and Carl have known each other from playing in a band together which, after an period of extremely hard work (just before recording their for their first full-length) broke up. Shortly after that Kevin contacted Andrei to talk about a new project. After a couple of chats they decided to take this baby out for a spin and invited Frank as our drummer. Shortly after Carl joined on bass again, and not much later Andrew joined, what made us complete as a band.
TMR: Why the name ‘Wolfer’? Is there a story behind it ?
You mean besides the fact that it´s an awesome name? ‘Wolfer’ is a slang term for someone who likes to eat and drink a lot and as you can see our tummies, we like that. And we feel that we’re a family, a wolfpack so to speak.
TMR: How did you get into metal?
Well first, Wolfer is not a metal band. We play melodic hardcore, which has it’s origin in punk. We are familiar with the metal genre though, Kevin plays guitar in a metal band called Despicable Heroes.
TMR: Everyone, what is your musical background ?
Mostly punk, hardcore, metal and everything in between.
TMR: Who writes the music/lyrics in ‘Wolfer’ ? … how do you get in the mood for writing music? And which bands/situations have influences you for writing music and lyrics ?
Well we rehearse every Monday, Andrei and Kevin are the main writers for as far as the music goes. Andrew comes up with most of the lyrics. Sometimes someone else writes lyrics to a song, and when we like it, we use that. Writing is an organic process, and sometimes the inspiration flows and songs are finished in a few days, sometimes it takes months for a song to be finished. The lyrics we write are mostly about personal issues or how to maintain a positive mind through the struggles we face.
TMR: What are some key principles or philosophies that you hold onto as foundational stones as who you are as a person?
First of all we think music is a powerful thing. We are influenced by the music we listen to, and we think that people who listen to our music will be influenced by it too. So we want to write about things we struggle with, or that have helped us. So we write about the things we go through, or have gone through in the past. And we try to reflect on what has helped us in these times. For some of us that means we write about God, because we feel that’s a key. For others it’s more about friendship or love. The common ground we have, is that we all have a lot of hope for life.
TMR: Is there already a highlight you will always remember, since the beginning of ‘Wolfer?
We’ve been together for a little more then a year now, and the friendship that has grown between the five of us is really special. Haha, that really sounds corny, doesn’t it? Together as a band we’ve gone through two highlights. Recording our first EP, Old Ghosts and Present Demons, was a first one. For everyone personally (and as a band, obviously) this is the best sounding record we’ve made so far, so we’re very proud of that.
Our only show so far, Fearlessfest in Ede this last December, was a highlight. It was really awesome to play our songs for other people for the first time. Nobody left the venue while we were playing, even though we’re just starting out, so that counts for something, right?
TMR: And the worst thing were ? (if there is one)Rock for Eternity
Rehearsing in an ice cold rehearsing space where you can’t feel your fingers or toes. The struggle is real.
TMR: So what makes you laugh?
Haha well there are an numerous things, but they’re mostly inside jokes so we don’t think anyone but us would get them. In general “The Dude” makes us laugh.
TMR: What is your biggest fear ?
Justin Bieber
TMR: What are some of the things you like to do away from the band?
That really depends on the person. We all have different lives; some of us have kids and some of us are single. Things we all like though is watching good movies.
TMR: How do you promote your band and shows ?
Online we are present mostly through facebook, you can hook up with us on facebook.com/wolferhc
Also we have Instagram, Tumblr, bandcamp, etc.
Secondly, because we’ve been in other bands before, we already made a lot of friends in other bands, so that helps us to get shows in this stage of being a starting band.
TMR: Tell us about the hardrock/metal scene in your area please?
We live all around the country, Amsterdam, Velp, Barneveld, Ede, scene’s are pretty similar everywhere.
People love you, or hate you. The scene in Barneveld is pretty awesome, and that’s pretty awesome because it’s such a conservative village.
TMR: How do you prepare for a show?
We set up, do some warming ups, jumping, running, right before the set we circle up and have a moment of our own to talk about how we like the break down the stage we’re about to hit.
TMR: You guys play on the upcoming edition of the annual ‘Rock for Eternity’ in Amersfoort (April 23). What are your expectations?
Rock for EternityWe’re a bit out of place, not being a metal band, but we like that. It means the bar is high. We are really psyched to play.
TMR: Speaking of recording, your debut EP “Old Ghosts & Present” will be released this year, what can you tell us about the album [such as the recording process, the songs, label, release date etc.]
It was a really hard time, Kevin spent a lot of time doing most of it at home. In the end we think it’s all worth it, though. The EP sounds killer and will be out soon. We hope you guys will pick it up!
TMR: About the cover artwork. Do you think it is as important as your music? Does it visualize the lyrics of your songs or what’s the actual story behind its concept?
Like the recording we try to do the most ourselves, so we picked the cover and think it really suits how we see ourselves in our own minds.
TMR: What would be the ultimate cover tune for ‘Wolfer’?
That’s a hard question. Probably the reason we don’t have a cover song is because we didn’t find the answer yet.
TMR: What is your favorite concert that you saw and what made it so good?
We’ve been to so many concerts. Carl, for instance, has been around since the 90’s. He was working for Dynamo Open Air at the time, so it’s not easy to pick the most epic show we’ve seen so far.
TMR: Everyone, what is the most embarrassing music on your phone or in your collection and how do you justify it to others?
Frank loves Abba and is not ashamed of it. Carl has this weird Balkan music he totally loves. Kevin listens to Fokko, a dutch singer-songwriter and Andrei has a crush on Katy Perry. Andrew is our only true scene boy, but even he loves R Kelly.
TMR: If you could pick a band to tour with, who would it be? And where would the tour go?
Well any band would be great but if we really have to pick: Defeater, Touché Amoré or Worhtwhile.
TMR: What is the dumbest question you have ever been asked?
This one. Haha, no, kidding. We’ve been asked why we don’t have any clean vocals on our songs. Next thing you know, we’ll be asked why we don’t have trumpet, lol.
TMR: What are the biggest obstacles for bands ?
Kevin’s belly. It’s pretty big.
TMR: As a band today, what do you think is the biggest challenge you face?
I think it’s just getting noticed between all other bands who are around for way longer then we are.
TMR: Any (tour) plans for the near future ?
We’d love to tour in the future, but first major thing is the release of our ep.
TMR: Guys thanks for your time and the interview. We wish ‘Wolfer’ all the best for the near future … Is there anything you wanna say at last ? [any final statement ?]
Thanks for having us, make sure you check our EP once it’s available, we hope you like it. We hope to see you at Rock for Eternity in april!
Weblinks: Facebook / Instagram
Video below: ‘Coward’