I N T E R V I E W

Interview Willem Verbuyst (by mail)

Hi Guys and thanks for taking some time to talk to us, we are the French webzine Aux Portes Du Metal.

Hi there, this is Willem, the guitarist from Vanderbuyst. Thanks a lot for your support!

Your band is a power trio, is it easier to work when there are only three members? Can we say that you are closer than members in regular bands? Do you always get along well together?

I’ve played in all kinds of bands, and I must confess that working as a three-piece is great. The communication, both musically and personally is very direct. Of course you have to work harder to get a decent sound but we like the extra challenge. When you are only three there is no room for hiding or dirty games. On top of that the three of us are pretty down to earth guys and are not interested in bullshit. We were friends before we started this band. I believe we have a good foundation.

What can you tell us about the name of your band?

It started as a joke. When I was in Powervice (my former band) the bass player joked that when we would split I would start my own band called Vanderbuyst, which is partly my name, i.e. Verbuyst. Obviously this is a reference to Van Halen and Vandenberg. When I started Vanderbuyst, I remembered the name. The three of us liked it so we stuck with it.

This year you played at the Hellfest, did you enjoy this experience?

That was awesome! Normally I don’t like these huge festivals but Hellfest was different. It had a really good atmosphere. For the band it was definitely a highlight of 2012. We opened the main stage on Sunday. Later that day Blue Öyster Cult, Mötley Crüe and Ozzy would play on that same stage. It was like holy ground, haha.

Since 2010 you've released one album per year, you work really intensively. Is it not too demanding?

It is demanding, but it is worth all the work. Due to this attitude we realized a lot of things most bands only can dream of.

Do you enjoy working in the studio?

I never did. But that changed with the Flying Dutchmen recordings. Sven from Ván Records gave us the time we wanted for the studio so we could do what we had in mind. Also, we were well prepared so there was no stress. After four years of playing together, the band matured a lot, and we personally became much better musicians. I believe this time we were ready, haha.

Now let’s talk about your new album "Flying Dutchmen", what can you tell us about it? Is there a theme or a special meaning in it?

It’s not a concept album. The title: “Flying Dutchmen” doesn't really refer to the myth “the Flying Dutchman” but rather to the three of us. The last three years have been a roller-coaster ride for us. It’s like we’ve been flying. The song, to make it confusing, is partly referring to the myth. In general, I think you can say the album is as Vanderbuyst as it can be. Of course the music we play is nothing new, but with this album I believe we proved we had our own sound in some way.

What are you favorite songs in the album?

That’s hard to tell; it always depends on my mood. Maybe in a musical way “Waiting In The Wings” stands out, as it is one of the more complex songs. I mean there is a lot going on there, and the three of us play at our highest level. Besides, Jochem’s vocals are killer in that one. “Give Me One More Shot” is special as well, since we never recorded a real ballad before.

We can describe your style as 1980's hard rock, and compare your band to Thin Lizzy or UFO. But most of all we can find in your music elements which strongly recall Triumph, do you agree?

Triumph, cool! Not many people say that, but I agree. It’s a great band, with some great songs. And Emmett’s an underestimated guitar player. I consider this a great compliment.

Are you still promoting your album? Are you working on a new one?

Yes, right now it is all promotion for the new album. I have already written some new songs, but I didn’t find the time to really work on them yet. It would be cool to release another album in 2013, but quality comes before quantity. But who knows? It would be great I think.

Is there any tour planned?

Right now we are in the middle of a tour, together with Canadian bad-asses Cauldron. By the way, a week ago we played in Paris. People can expect us on the summer festivals. And we are looking for a band to tour with early next year. Being on the road is what we love the most, so I hope we can continue our endless touring in 2013.

Will you come to France soon?

As I said we were there a week ago, but I definitely would like to come back. You guys can be pretty wild!

Is there any other new or any solo project from band members you want to talk about?

There is hardly time for things like that. Vanderbuyst is a very time consuming enterprise. I know Jochem has a band with his brother, but they hardly have time to rehearse. At the end of the previous years I used to do a few shows in the theatre with a friend, but this year I had to cancel that due to lack of time.

Do you have something to say to the people who download your music illegally?

Those people know exactly what they are doing. I don’t have to explain it to them. I did it myself in the past but I stopped doing it. If I like something I buy it. Mostly I check music somewhere, like on YouTube. If I want it, I just buy it, simple as that.

And finally, do you want to say something special to our readers?

Well, I hope your readers will enjoy our new record “Flying Dutchmen”. I’m sure you can check it out on YouTube, haha. And if you guys do like it, please visit us at one of our shows when we are in France, and show how crazy you French can be! Cheers.

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