Interviews: Behind Bars

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal/Groove Metal/Hardcore/Thrash Metal band, Behind Bars from Belgium. Check out the interview and follow the band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name, you planned it or came out just like that? 

The name just came to mind. However, it suits our vision perfectly. No matter what you do, you will always be dealing with some kind of obstacle in your life. Whether it’s physical, mental, or even imposed by your boss or by the government itself, complete freedom does not exist. Our music is a way to express how we feel and deal with situations that can feel claustrophobic and powerless. We think this is something everyone can relate to.

2. Why did you want to play this genre? 

Every member of the band listens to a wide variety of bands and styles. We just absorb everything we like and blend it into something we love. Hardcore, Trash, Death, Groove,… We use something of everything. In the end, the most important thing to do is to just have fun! We put our hearts and souls into this band, and we plan to stick around for a long time!

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Steven came in contact with Bjorn via a mutual friend. Searching for a bass player was not a big challenge because Steven already knew Andy from previous projects. With the three of us, the foundation of Behind Bars was born. Since May 2022 Ian Huyskens has taken the position of lead vocalist who’s also on our new album called ‘All In Due Time’, which we released on March 4th, 2023.

4. Each band member's favorite band? 

There are way too many bands to sum them all up, but here’s a list of artists we listen to on a regular basis: Hatebreed, Lamb Of God, Kataklysm, Caliban, Killswitch Engage, Napalm Death, Gojira, Death, Pro-Pain, etc…

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

In short… Life… Anything in our daily routine that sparks a sense of anger. Anything that makes us feel like we lost control. We wrote songs about mental health, the gap between the poor & the rich, child molesters, etc…

6. Where was your last gig?

On March 4th, we released our new album ‘All In Due Time’ in a venue called ‘Kid’s’ in Antwerp. It was a full house and the crowd went wild! We had a lot of fun that night!

7. Where would you like to act? 

Anywhere, anytime! But our favorite places must be the festivals! Every time you get to know someone new and there are so many opportunities to discover bands you never heard of before. Maybe we see you in Spain in the future ;).

8. Whom would you like to feature with? 

Jamie Jasta, Randall Blythe, Will Ramos, Alma Alizadeh, Tatiana Shmayluk… too many awesome artists on this planet to be able to mention them all.

9. Whom not? 

Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Kanye West, The Kardashians,…

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that?

We are all confident when it comes to taking the stage and giving our all out there! Sadly, this does not happen overnight. We all have years of experience performing on stage in front of a crowd. We dealt with empty venues, poor organizations, bad sound engineering, broken gear, etc… These are things you learn from by doing this for a long time. Feeling a little nervous is normal. We love the adrenaline flowing inside us every night we get on stage! But being afraid of it is something different. Just keep doing it and most importantly, enjoy these moments!

11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

Hatebreed, Lamb Of God, Pro-Pain, Pantera, etc…

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

We once played a show in the middle of a forest in front of 100 Girl Scouts. We were playing at a festival in the afternoon near our hometown. They came to us after our show and asked if we would like to sign up for a small festival later that day. Apparently organizing a festival was one of their assignments that year. So after connecting a dozen wires we finally had electricity in the middle of the woods, where we set up on a stage made of empty beer carriers and wooden planks. As we were playing they all went nuts! Haha, that was fun!

13. What do you think of your fans?

They are the best! Without them, we wouldn’t exist! Attending our shows, paying entrance fees, buying our merchandise, and sharing our music,… We can never thank everyone enough for supporting us over the years. Be sure there are many years to come!

14. What do you think of our site?

Wonderful! After we got your message, we visited the website and got to know a few bands we never heard of before so that’s nice!

15. Something to add?

We just want to thank everybody who supports what we do! We thank you for taking the time and making the effort to interview us. It was a pleasure. Big thanks to everyone who takes the time to read this and keep supporting bands to keep this scene alive! We will keep on playing and making music. As a matter of fact, keep a close eye on our socials, because we have a lot to share in the near future!