Interviews: Black Rabbit

On this new occasion, we have had the opportunity to interview the Thrash Metal/Death Metal band, Black Rabbit from the Netherlands. 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?

Jelle: When Hidde and I (Jelle) were watching a football match in the Netherlands, it was a match at the world cup in 2014. I think it was the match against Costa Rica. We had a good time, drank some beer, and were joking about band names that could rhyme with animals or food. And we came up with Black Rabbit rhyming with, obviously Black Sabbath, haha. After that, we kept the name in our Instagram posts as a hashtag, first as a joke but later on, I thought it could be a really cool name for a metal band which we later started and turned into our own concept.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Jelle: I started to listen to rock music at a really young age. My dad made me CD’s with songs he liked on them. The CDs included songs by Thin Lizzy, Saxon, Metallica etcetera. When I picked up the guitar I learned the first songs from my uncle who played a little. Soon after that I bought my own guitar and learned songs from Metallica and Megadeth. I really liked the power of the music, the emotion which it contains. And after seeing some live performances of the bands I was listening to, I wanted to play and perform like them. It was so cool!

Hidde: As Jelle said, when I started playing Guitar Hero, I already listened to heavier music. At a very young age, I was already listening to metalcore and whatnot, so I kind of knew I was going to stay in this music genre. At some point, it became a sort of outlet to blow off some steam, for which it’s a great genre!

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

Jelle: I knew Hidde from high school. We were in the same class in the second year. After we met and knew we liked the same humor and music we started to hang out and create the band together. We didn’t know Max, Nino, and Robbin before we started with the band. At first, we had a different lineup. After some lineup changes and auditions, we met the other guys.

4. Each band member's favorite band?

Jelle: Of course, it's hard to say which band is my favorite, but if I had to choose just one band I would go with Megadeth. I love almost every album and I think Dave Mustaine is one of the best riff writers of all time.

Hidde: For me, it’s always a different band at different times, which always makes this a difficult question. It used to be Megadeth as well, but I don’t listen to them as often as I used to. In the last couple of years, I’ve been listening to more extreme metal, but always stayed true to my origins. A worthy middle ground would be Suicidal Angels, which I listen to a lot lately.

Max: It really depends on my mood but my all-time favorite has always been Avenged Sevenfold. I fell in love with the drums and their sound. The band evolved over the years and it feels like I kind of evolved in the same direction as a musician. But to be honest, there are so many great bands that I love like Iron Maiden, Lorna Shore, Gojira, and Lamb of God.

Nino: I never really have a favorite, but I really like Death, Revocation, Necrophagist, Fit for an Autopsy, and Linkin Park.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Hidde: Our upcoming album has its very own story. The chronological order of the album translates to the patterns, tempos, and activity of the human brain during its sleeping process. We implemented a story to this structure that follows Black Rabbit hypnotizing his victims to sleep (by reading to them in his book), in order to condemn them to hell. To understand why this is their fate, they need to complete a number of tasks. This story is the first introduction to many more stories we will tell from our Black Rabbit’s perspective. This album tells a story about a person who did wrong and is confronted by his wrong-doings. Having these stories and concepts makes it really interesting to form a song that fits a feeling or a vibe you have with the story you’re writing. For me, that makes the writing process a lot of fun, and telling this story inspires me to write.

Jelle: The writing process of the album musically took us a long time. From the first song ideas to the final product. So you can imagine that the inspirations for riffs, drums, and bass lines changed over the years. Hidde and I were just riffing around and putting together the parts we had to a song. The first songs were more thrashy and fast. The further we went into the writing process tried more different styles because we were listening to different bands at the start of the writing process. The last song we wrote was Descending, you can hear that it is different from the rest of the songs. I think we all have our own influence and inspiration for the music we make.

Max: As a drummer, I definitely try to write my own drums. Usually, someone comes with a riff and I hear that riff with a beat. I always think that inspiration comes from all the different kinds of music that I listen to.

Nino: Lyric wise I don't really have inspirations or people I look up to. I just have an idea and just start writing in one go. But Chuck Schuldiners writing process is pretty impressive, and lyric wise combining non and fiction together makes for a pretty interesting combo.

6. Where was your last gig?

Jelle: Our last gig was at a birthday bash at Het Podium in Hoogeveen. We were invited to play at a birthday party of a huge supporter of the local metal scene in the Netherlands. We played there with the bands Disquiet (NL) and Scars (NOR). Unfortunately our singer Nino was feeling really sick after the dinner we had. We ditched one song from the setlist during the show because he couldn’t perform any longer. After the show, he ran backstage and threw up in the nearest trash can. Luckily we had, except for Nino, a great time at the show. The audience was really nice and the response was awesome.

7. Where would you like to act?

Jelle: In my opinion, I would really like to perform at the biggest summer festivals like Wacken Open Air or Hellfest. But I must say that I just want to perform with the band. Of Course, bigger stages and audiences are a dream, but I really like the small venues as well. Because you can really connect with the people and feel their energy.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Hidde: For now it would be good to perform with some of the bigger bands in our scene, bands like Cryptosis (NL). To be able to grow bigger, it would be a good step to open for bands like that, and maybe bigger. If we’re talking about really wanting to feature, it would be bands like Aborted, Cannibal Corpse, or Lorna Shore. The bands that matter!

Jelle: I think it would be cool to play/tour with some band I look up to. Bands who are young and growing just like we want to. We once played with Baest (DK), and I would love to play with them again. But my biggest dream is to play with bands I grew up with, Testament, Death angel, or any of the biggest Thrash Metal scene! 

Max: Iron Maiden, I mean, I am allowed to dream right ;)

Nino: Baest again for sure, but in general any relatively big band I'm always open for any. My dream would be to play with Revocation or The Black Dahlia Murder.

9. Whom not?

Jelle: This is a difficult question. I never experienced bad times with any band and I hope I won’t. At every show, we should just be ourselves and give everything we can. Personally, I don’t like Kiss or Iron Maiden, but hey, who doesn’t want to play with them? ;)

Hidde: I don’t think there are any bands we would not want to play with. Every gig is an experience, every gig gives you beautiful memories, whether it was a good show or not. We want to play as many shows as possible.

Max: I never think that way. You can’t like everyone but that is life.

Nino: No one that comes to mind to be honest. Most bands that I dislike are still very big so that would still benefit us.

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

Hidde: In the beginning, yes, a lot. It was a tough task to be performing for all these new people who all judge a band of our size. Over the years though, we have always been told how well we perform. and since we keep seeing the same people at our shows, it definitely helps with the nerves. A tip I would give to beginners is just to believe in what you do and show you’re having fun. That’s the most important part. Nobody is going to notice a little mistake you make, so just have fun!

Jelle: Oh yes, sometimes I still have stage fright at the bigger and more important shows. I was lucky that I already had some stage experience. I started with music when I was about eight years old. I started playing the flute and continued playing the clarinet after that. In the second year of practice, I joined a youth orchestra, and we played some performances with the orchestra. When I started playing the guitar I performed with a music class at school concerts. So when I started playing shows with Black Rabbit I already had some experience. My advice is just to be yourself, and enjoy every moment of it. Before you know the show is over. And making mistakes at a live show just makes you stronger! I can’t count the moments that I screwed up a guitar part anymore...

Max: To be quite honest, my first gig, was when I was 12. I had to play for the first time in front of an audience. However, when playing the first few notes, the stage fright was gone and never came back. Of course, I am nervous sometimes, but that’s completely normal. Doing what you love on stage is something magical. Don’t ever be ashamed or afraid when doing that. There will always be haters but those are just a few. No one can take your moment away from you.

Nino: First time on stage was with Black Rabbit. And yeah I was pretty nervous of course. But what I learned from all the times we've been on stage is to just let go of any feelings and just have fun. 11. What bands have inspired you the most? 

Hidde: I think bands like Megadeth (in the beginning), Obituary, and Kreator have been very big influences. In more recent years, bands like At the Gates and Havok have been more of an influence.

Jelle: I think I totally agree with Hidde.

Max: Which bands didn’t. In my early years as a drummer, it would be Iron Maiden, Metallica, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. Becoming older, you get to know new bands. My biggest inspirations now are Gojira, Lamb of God, Leprous, Avenged Sevenfold, and Testament.

Nino: Megadeth, Death, and The Black Dahlia Murder for sure. Writing-wise Death. I started out playing guitar and then after some time, I started adding vocals to it.

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

Hidde: Fortunately, we haven’t had too many weird requests, haha. The weirdest would be a T-shirt we all had to sign on the back for when we’d be a huge band, to make it worth a lot of money, haha!

Jelle: One time we were packing our stuff after a show. Once everything was packed an older man was coming over and asked if we had some merchandise to sell to him. We showed him our shirts, CDs and other stuff and he told us he wanted to buy a shirt. After he bought it he said: I want to buy everything you have!

Max: Well, this one time, I was low on drumsticks. The new sticks were coming a week later but I still had to play 3 more gigs with only 6 pairs. So the weird thing was, after the show, this kid demanded, not asking, but demanding a drumstick. I was surprised by that. The guy didn’t understand that I could be low on drumsticks and that he just wanted the stick for free. Weird people man.

Nino: I don't recall any weird fans to be honest. After the show, I'm at the merch table and I always get nice people that come over. Only once was a guy who was really pushing to tell us that our band name is kinda weak.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Hidde: We have a lot of already loyal fans. We often see the same people come to our shows, and make nice talk or buy some of our merchandise. We are grateful to be having a fanbase this loyal already, while we’re still quite a small band. 

Jelle: I love the positive responses we are receiving from our fans. Especially when we see people enjoying our music when we are playing our songs live. I always love to chat with the fans afterward and drink a beer with them. We are so thankful!

Max: Just one word. AWESOME.

Nino: I love hearing responses about our shows and music. It's such a weird feeling that people actually like your stuff.

14. What do you think of our site?

Your website looks very clean and neat. All subpages have their own genre or country, which makes them very organized!

15. Something to add?

We thank you for your fun interview! We hope you really enjoy our album Hypnosomnia, cheers!