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Resistance: finally the perfect sound

posted by: David on 12 March 2010

Resistance from Belgium plays a mixture of metalcore and death metal. But don’t call them deathcore, because they hate that label. Olivier Dris, who plays guitar in Resistance, talks to AsIce.net about his band and their new album on GSR Music. On that album they finally created the sound they were looking for since they started out in 2004.

There are a lot of different influences in your music. How did you create the style that Resistance plays?

Our members come from very different genres. That’s why there are all kinds of influences in our music. It’s mainly because our other guitarist Richard is 42 years old, so he’s straight from the eighties metal scene. I’m from the nineties metal scene, so it’s a combination of that mostly. We mix Machine Head with Kataklysm and Belphegor.

What kind of styles did you guys play before you were in Resistance?

I played in a hardcore band, Richard played in death metal bands, our drummer Jonas played in two bands, one is thrash metal and the other one is pop metal. It all comes together in Resistance.



There are many bands these days that mix metalcore with death metal. Is it a scene within a scene, like the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal?

Yeah, a lot of bands label themselves deathcore now. I noticed that when we played only new songs during our tour with Kataklysm, Belphegor and Darkest Hour, it didn’t really sound like deathcore. The audience members that like our music are usually fans of grindcore, black and death metal. For them the hardcore parts in our music are not hardcore parts.

I agree, actually. You’ve probably noticed the resemblance between early death metal and modern metalcore breakdowns.

Yes, I agree with you. It’s hard to stick a label on a band. Especially when there are many different influences. Even for a band like Hatebreed it’s difficult. I would say Hatebreed is metal music with a hardcore attitude. Others would say it is hardcore music.

To me they started out as a hardcore band and they evolved into metal. There’s nothing wrong with that. What about you: is there a scene you feel most comfortable in? What kind of shows do you play most?

Before 2009 we played more hardcore shows. But during 2009 we started playing with metal bands more. We had some dates with Sepultura, we played with Dew-Scented and we went on tour with All Shall Perish, Kataklysm, Belphegor and Darkest Hour. That was really cool, because we saw on that tour that we have a place in metal.

You guys master your instruments well. Do you challenge yourself every time you write new songs?

We keep in mind that we want to make music that is really in your face. Sometimes it’s technical, sometimes less technical. We don’t want to make it difficult all the time, just effective. Each time we write songs, we feel better in place as a band. That’s cool.

I wrote in my review of your new album that it sounds like you found your own style now. Do you agree?

Yes, totally. The Resistance sound in 2010 is the sound we all wanted to create. It all fits. We went into the studio with Xavier Carion to get the sound we were looking for. And we went to J-F Dagenais in Canada for the mixing and mastering. Those two guys totally understood what we wanted. It sounds like we play live. What you hear on the record is what you will hear when you see Resistance on stage.

You also wrote lyrics for this release. What topics do you use for that?

It depends on my state of mind. I can watch TV and see something that scares me, which will make me write a song about that. Or I write more personal songs. If I’m upset about something or someone I write lyrics about it. I always have a sheet of paper with me, so I can write anytime, anywhere. Life in general is frustrating for so many people, so there’s always something to write about.

In the title track you say “We, the lords of torment”, what do you mean by that?

The song is about all the people that have talked shit about me or the band throughout the years. It’s an issue in the Belgian scene. So we thought it was fun to write a song about those people and kill them in it. (laughs) People who read the lyrics will recognize themselves in them.

Not all album reviews can be only positive. What are the things you get criticized for most?

They call us deathcore all the time, which we are not. That’s the problem with reviews, they are the opinion of one person. They can label us as deathcore after 15 seconds and never reach the last track on the album. That’s a shame, because if you listen to the first song ‘Requiem’ and the last one ‘I Can’t Stand’ you hear a lot of differences. But it’s okay if people write a negative review about us. We learn from the positive and the negative.

I agree with you on the diversity. The songs are more diverse on the new album than before.

That’s what we wanted. We wanted to create a different atmosphere for each of the songs. Even a sort of history or background story for each track.



You co-produced the album. What did you add to Xavier’s ideas?

I was always in the studio and that was very cool. Since we did all our previous albums in Xavier’s studio as well, I already knew the gear and everything. It’s cool to work with Xavier. He’s a guitarist, just like me, and he helps us to play better. When we leave the studio we’re all better than before we entered. By being with him during the recording process he learned me a lot about producing.

So are you going to do the next one by yourself?

No. (laughs) I like to ask someone from outside the band, because they have a different opinion. That’s really the best way. We are already thinking about the next album. I think we’re not going back to Xavier for our fourth record. We want a new challenge. So that could mean another studio or someone else for the mixing and mastering. We like to change.

You toured with Sepultura, Kataklysm, Belphegor, Darkest Hour and All Shall Perish. Do you learn from those bands while you’re on tour?

Yes, but more on a personal level than as a musician. When you see Andreas Kisser, who has been doing Sepultura for over 25 years, it’s amazing to hang out with someone like that. By just looking at them, seeing what they do on tour, it helps you to be a better musician and person.

What kind of stuff do you learn? Can you give an example?

Have a limit when you’re drinking alcohol. (laughs) When you’re a young band, and you go on tour for the first time, you want to party every night. But if you go all out, you can’t tour anymore after five days.

You’re very active in the scene. Not only with your band, but also organizing a festival, booking shows and managing a label. Is metal your life?

Yes, it is my life. I am very comfortable with it and I do it fulltime. In the French part of Belgium there’s not much activity in the metal scene. I had a festival called Monster Metal Fest and Chris from Do Or Die had Maximum Hardcore Fest. We wanted to do it bigger, so we combined our festivals into Maximum Hardcore & Metal Fest. It’s an indoor festival with two stages. It’s a good thing for the future of our scene. Next to that I have a label called Ultimhate. I think I’m the first metal label in the French part of Belgium. (laughs) I really want to help bands. I released two bands now, Dark Sensation from Brussels and As They Burn from France. I also have a booking agency, so I really found my place in the metal scene and I’m very happy with that. I can live off the music, which is the dream of every musician! (laughs)

Why is it that your part of Belgium is not very metal orientated? Is it because of the culture?

I really don’t know. It’s just dead here. Although it’s getting better now. It seems like there are some barriers that need to be broken and that’s what I try to do. I organize shows and a festival, so hopefully it works out in the future.

You went from Apache to Alveran and now to GSR. Is it hard to find the right label for Resistance?

Well, most of the time we just get a deal for one album. I think that GSR is a better label for us than Alveran, for sure. Step by step we move forward. I was a little surprised actually when Rob from GSR contacted me. We hadn’t expected that we could fit on their label. (laughs) But I know that Theo and Rob from GSR have great expectations for us. They want to open doors for us. I trust them with that. Apache was our first label and label owner Mario gave us the opportunity to release our very first album. We will be forever grateful for that, because without Apache we wouldn’t be where we are now.

What’s the story behind the Dutch custom officer on 26th February 2009 that you thank in your thanks list?

That’s a funny story. It happened during the three dates that we played with Sepultura. We had a problem with our trailer at the border. Our backline was in it, but the trailer didn’t qualify to drive according to the Dutch standards. So the custom officers refused to let us continue into the Netherlands. We sat there for two hours and we didn’t have any money to go home. A third custom officer came and I said: “I know that our trailer is not good enough according to the rules, but we have a show with Sepultura at the Effenaar in Eindhoven. For us that is the opportunity of a lifetime.” The guy was a metal fan and he was very cool to us. We still had to pay a fine, but he let us continue to our show. That’s why we wanted to thank him! (laughs)

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