AFTER ALL (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. You have just finished a tour with SACRED REICH and DEGRADEAD, how has it been? How has the response toward your new songs been?
Hey there! We had a really nice tour with Sacred Reich. The response to the new songs couldn’t have been better. It seems like a lot of people had been awaiting our return to Germany for some time. We met a lot of old friends and made a lot of new ones as well… Sacred Reich was really cool by the way. We always were fans back in the 80s, so it was really cool to be on the road with them.
– Being from Belgium your sound seems to draw influence from Bay Area Thrash, is this right? And what could you say have been the main musical influences for the band?
Well, the whole Bay Area thing is the music we grew up with. It is what comes most naturally to us. Next to the thrash influences, I think the whole classic metal vibe is important as well. We are all big fans of the big classic metal bands: Maiden, Priest and Dio.
– Your new “Dawn of the Enforcer” has been released just a few days ago. How is its feedback being so far? And are your personally satisfied with the final output?
The response has been amazing. We were in the top 10 of Rock Hard in Germany, we were album of the month in Snakepit here in Belgium, we had a really great review in Aardschok (Holland) and in Rock Tribune (Belgium). So yeah, we couldn’t be happier with the response so far. For us personally, it is a very important album, because it is the first one with the new line-up. With the new album out – and the great reception it is getting – it is more than clear that we made the right decisions…
– In 2010 Piet Focroul and Erwin Casier left the band; what were the main reasons behind this?
There were some issues, both musically and personally. I am still very grateful for what Piet and Erwin contributed to the band. It just was time to move on, time for something different.
– So this is your first opus with Frederik Vanmassenhove and Sammy Peleman. What could you say they have brought to AFTER ALL?
Well, I think Sammy’s voice altered the band’s overall sound quite drastically. We moved from Piet’s heavy, rough voice to Sammy’s clean high-pitched classic 80s metal vocals. That’s quite a difference! Frederik used to play with deathmetal band Aborted, but in fact he’s totally into classic metal.
– On this new record we can find 4 re-recordings of your previous “Cult of Sin”, why did you decide to do this?
That’s quite a long story. When ‘Cult Of Sin’ was released back in 2009, the record company went out of business, just a couple of weeks after the release of the album. We felt that the record never got the chance it deserved. There was no promotion, hardly any distribution. We really thought it was a waste. Because we are still playing a lot of the songs of ‘Cult Of Sin’ live, we decided to included some of them on the new record. They are really great songs, and they deserve to be heard.
– I could say this new “Dawn of the Enforcer” is faster than “Cult of Sin”. Whas this something you were looking for?
It probably is a bit faster in some place. But at the same time, we included ‘To breach and grieve’, which is a ballad. But it is true, as a band you always try to do better than on your previous record, so the new stuff always has to be a little faster and heavier, haha.
– In fact it has more energy. Maybe the new blood has had something to do with this?
Absolutely, the new line-up injected the band with a lot of new energy. It really was a good thing to be forced out of the comfort zone. We really had to prove ourselves again as a band.
– This time you’ve had several guest artists such as Steve Smyth (FORBIDDEN), Joey Vera (ARMORED SAINT) and Juan and Bernie from AGENT STEEL. How did you come up with the idea and why did you choose them?
These are all people we toured with and who became friends over the years. It is really cool to have them on the record, since we have all worshipped these bands since we were kids, way back in the 80s.
– The cover artwork I think depicts quite good some of the lyrics on this record. If I’m not mistaken was crafted by Ed Repka. Would you mind to tell us how did you work on the artwork?
I had this idea to have artwork on the subject of mind control and mass manipulation: a really cool subject that perfectly fits our style of 80s thrash metal. So in fact, there was only one guy who could deliver this, and it was Ed Repka. Obviously, we have been big fans of his work. A lot of the albums we listened to when we were kids have artwork designed by Repka: Megadeth, Toxik, Nuclear Assault, Death, Evil Dead, etc, etc. We got in touch through internet and he was really into our idea for the cover. He sent me a first pencil sketch, and that was it. It was perfect from the very start. Really cool guy to work with. You really should see the vinyl cover. It is glorious!
– On the other hand, seasoned Dan Swanö has produced the album. Are you happy with the work done by him?
Oh yeah! We have been working with Dan several times now over the last 3 or 4 years. He perfectly understands our music and how we want it to sound. He’s about my age, so like me he grew up on all those 80s bands. When I ask him to use a delay effect like on the first Agent Steel record, he instantly knows what I mean. That helps, haha.
– This being said; how could you describe “Dawn of the Enforcer” in just 3 words?
Thrash with class.
– You have already filmed a video for “Parasite Within”; how did the shooting go? And do you plan doing any other clip off this new release?
The video was shot and edited by a guy called Jeroen Mylle, a very talented young Belgian artist. The shooting went down really smoothly. It was filmed in less than a day. We really wanted to have a cool looking video, so people could share it on Facebook and stuff. The video got 10.000 views in just a couple of months, so yeah, it’s really good promotion. We’ll have a new video out for ‘Digital war’ right after the summer.
– You’ve been around for over two decades now so, throughout all these years of musical career; what could you say have been both the best and worst moments with AFTER ALL?
One of the best moments was our show as support-act for Judas Priest, about two months ago at the Lotto Area in Antwerp, Belgium. Biggest show we ever played, and really cool to meet Priest. Rob Halford came out to watch our show from the side of the stage. That was really cool. Other cool moments involved touring with bands that we’ve been fans of for ages, like King Diamond, Anthrax, Overkill, Agent Steel, Testament, Fear Factory, etc, etc. Also cool is playing shows in ‘exotic’ places, like Finland, or Greece, Slovenia, etc. The most amazing thing is that we have been going for more than 20 years now. This summer, it was exactly 20 years since the release of our very first EP. So yeah, we feel really fortunate that we can keep doing this, and that we had the opportunity to release 8 albums and 7 Eps so far. The worst moments always have to do with the business side of the music industry: record labels that go bankrupt, tours that get canceled, that sort of stuff.
– And finally, what the near-future plans are for AFTER ALL?
Right now, we are still in full promotion mode for the new album. Starting next week, we have a series of shows coming up in Belgium and Holland. We hope to do a European tour by the end of the year, or early next year, we’ll see…
– That has been everything from my side, thanks you once more and good luck with this new beginning for the band. If you want to add some final words; last lines are all yours.
Thanks to you Sergio for the interest in the band. The last time we were in Spain was on the Vicious Rumors / Agent Steel tour in 2007. So it is about time we return to Spain… Hope to see you soon! All the best, Dries.
