Interviews: Wound Collector

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Death Metal band Wound Collector from Belgium. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it or came out like that?

Guy: It's insanely tough to come up with a band name that is both easy to remember and catchy, let alone fit in the mould of extreme metal. Sure, you could go for randomly slapping some groos-out terms together and voila, but that wouldn't work for us. Besides, the actual term 'wound collector' hails from psychology, so it's a tad more intelligent than something akin to 'Analblasted Vegicore Lumpicide'. A wound collector is one of those people who thinks the world is always against him/her and consequently blames everyone for their own failures, even going so far as to become completely disturbed and directing their anger towards others instead of fixing the real issue or problem ,which is themselves. So we didn't just flip open a thesaurus or medical journal and slapped shit together.

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

Guy: Why not? When you get a bunch of fans of extreme music together that also happen to like a myriad of other genres, you get a cross-section of our influences, and the mix will always sound like us. There's little point in blatantly copying others, because that's boring as fuck. I'm not saying rehashing bands like Suffocation or Entombed or whatever can't be fun if the songs are good, but in order to stand out, you have to try something different, something new. So we did, and we enjoyed it immensely. We can now combine the ferocity of extreme metal with the quirkiness of jazz, the grandeur of classical, and the pump of Balkan, not to mention everything else.

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

Guy: Vaguely. We did do a small tour with our bands back then, so we knew of each other. It took our previous bass player to bring us together, and almost ten years later, we're still going strong and becoming more brutal than ever in every way.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

Guy: How much time and space do you have? Suffocation, Marduk, Paradise Lost, Moonspell, Devin Townsend, Louis Prima, The Four Tops, Wu-Tang Clan, Poppy, Kate Bush, Ennio Morricone, Paco de Lucia, Queen, AC/DC, Rammstein, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Bonnie Raitt, Cryptopsy... I can keep going indefinitely if you let me. 

Peter: And how about Nile, Cannibal Corpse, Akercocke, Frank Zappa, Tower Of Power, Wiener Philharmoniker, Brussels Jazz Orchestra, ZZ Top, Dead Infection, so let’s not get started with the favourite bands of the others. You’d need to devote an extra article about our preferences alone! 5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

Peter: All of our songs are based upon forgotten or neglected parts of history. The musical inspiration comes from all the aforementioned styles and bands, and often comes by coincidence. Usually, I write down small bits here and there, and after some moments of lucid insight, I combine the bits and create extra lines and parts around those.

6. Where was your last gig?

Peter: That was in a renowned metal club in Ghent, Belgium, when we introduced our EP “Begging For Chicxulub”. After that show, there was a line-up change followed by a recording project for an exclusive single and video clip with a special guest on vocals. During the same time, we signed a contract with Wormholedeath Records for a new full-length album which we are currently composing music and lyrics. We do have a small number of gigs planned for the Summer and the second half of this year.

7. Where would you like to act?

Guy: Any decent venue or festival is fine by us. We've played a lot from extremely crappy to excellent concerning locations, but bring it on. I'd love to do some more festivals, though. It's the best way to get people to get to know you instead of playing for fans that already know you. Nothing wrong with that, but you do need to inject some new blood for world domination.

8. Whom would you like to feature with?

Guy: Whoever wants to. If I were to get to pick bigger names, I'd go for Imperial Triumphant, Suffocation, or Poppy. But I'll gladly share the stage with something completely different as well.

Peter: Since we are not aiming to be the most true and pure death metal band, any combination with extreme metal or progressive metal would work for us.

9. Who not?

Guy: I don't care. I'll play with anyone, even if it might not be my cup of tea or preferred music. I don't hold with that elitist sort of schtick some acts might have. It's all music, and the point of every musician is to get your music across, regardless of genre or perceived slights.

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

Guy: Nope. But vigorous masturbation always helps for pretty much anything. 

Peter: During my studies at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent, I did suffer from stage fright whenever I would see a jury scratching down notes on every possible mistake I had made. I’d say play and enjoy your music the same, regardless if it’s in your rehearsal room, a small club, or a big festival. Don’t think while performing, think beforehand, and analyse afterwards.

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Guy: For me, probably Dying Fetus, Marduk, and Death. Well, for Wound Collector anyway. For everything else, I'd like to refer to the endless list of artists I enjoy. 

Peter: When writing for Wound Collector, I do have influences from big names such as Nile, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Akercocke, but it might as well be Fanfare Ciocarlia or Michael Brecker, but I do prefer to put it all together in one thick death metal sauce.

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

Guy: So far, we don't have weird fans. Unless you count the large number of schooled musicians who like what we do because they can instantly tell how intricately it all clicks together. Up to this point, I guess they could have a guitar pick. Haven't heard the cry for a Slayer cover so far, so I guess we're good.

13. What do you think of your fans?

Guy: I'm happy they keep my laptop cooled.

Kidding: they're cool. Always need more, though. Which is why we continuously need to get our name out there and hopefully get booked more and more. Take a chance, festivals/bookers! Think outside of the box!

14. What do you think of our site?

Guy: It's nice. We need to keep the underground alive, and the only way to do that is through websites like yours. Extreme music is probably one of the few genres that still keep this stuff going, because how else is everyone going to discover some new stuff?

15. Something to add?

Guy: Come to shows, buy merch, buy music, have fun, get laid, don't be a douche, worship at the altar of Charlie Parker.

Peter: Amen to that!