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BORN FROM PAIN interview by Damjan

Born From Pain is one of the best young hardcore bands available at the moment... and their new album, "In Love With The End", truly delivers all you bargained for. We spoke to their frontman, Che. 

You did some really intense touring in support of “Sands Of Time”. Would you say it helped you to reach more mature and balanced sound as witnessed on “In Love With The End” album?

I think so. You’re inspired through what you experience in life. WE found ourselves playing the same tunes over and over again, it all became clear to us personally that we wanted to do an album with more depth. We didn’t want the new CD to sound just like a steamroller on the loose, but we wanted the album to have more groove, more maturity and more depth and then make it sound like a steamroller ready to tear your house down.

Your lyrics are quite straight-forward and uncompromising. Given the chance to communicate with millions, which social message would you like to send? Let’s put it this way – BBC gives you one minute to speak on air about whatever you like. What would you say to the humanity?

I’d just ask the world, no I would tell the world to open their eyes for what’s in store. That there will be a time for the world to come and collect, and for us to pay the price for what we’ve done. I’d try to make clear that everything we do has an effect on either ourselves or someone or something else. I simply believe in cause and effect and that’s something a lot of people don’t see.

Even if described as traditional hardcore, your music also features some clear metal influences, such as Black Sabbath or maybe even the likes of early Venom… Would you agree? Which influences would you point out?

Well, I thank you very much, Black Sabbath is to most part of the band a really important band, Black Sabbath really meant a lot to the music industry in the early 70’s. You can still notice the effect they had on heavy music. The early stuff we did didn’t sound like we liked Black Sabbath or that they were a big influence to us. We thought we could incorporate that sound into our own sound to give it more depth and let people see where we come from. I never got into Venom, I’m sorry, although I do have a lot of respect for what they did for music, and especially black metal that came years after.

The music on “In Love With The End”, as I see it, has a certain “call-to-arms” feel. Would you agree?

And again thank you. We were aiming for that feeling, the subjects we talk about in out lyrics aren’t very positive it’s mainly about the downsides of life, for this record we talk directly towards the listener. I also think the lyrics are more depressed as opposed to angry.

What’s your opinion on the battles among the different sub-genres of alternative music? Do you think there really are “true” and “false” bands?

Of course there will always be people in a scene for the wrong reasons. But I still believe it’s better to respect other people, other bands, other labels and other scenes as opposed to talk shit on them. In the end that will get you nowhere. The hardcore scene is not just for the elite hardcore kids, the metal scene isn’t just for those few “real” metal kids. Who sets the standards, who makes the rules? I’d rather have 500 kids at a show than 50, the more the merrier. The same goes for bands, I think it’s awesome when kids start a band and try and do something constructive, even if they suck really bad, it’s still cool, they at least do SOMETHING. Who would I be to judge them for not being real, or for playing bad. I’m just a normal kid who likes metal and hardcore.

What’s the symbolic meaning of the title “In Love With The End”?

You can compare it with being in love with the wrong person. Love makes blind, which will see a person putting that other person on a pedestal, which means you won’t see the negative sides of that person. Same goes for humanity and our ways. Be it political, economical, sociological or whatever, we just don’t see what’s coming and what the future has in store for us. We’re blind to the future ourselves, because we’re so in love with the life we live, and because of that we can’t see the consequences or way have for the future. It’s not very pretty but mankind is not meant to survive, and that’s something we don’t see either...

You did a video for "Rise Or Die" track. Can you tell me something about the atmosphere on the shooting of the clip, and about the song itself? Why you choose that one to do a video for?

We wanted to capture as much emotion as possible since the lyrics to this song are very appropriate for the whole album. It deals with humanity being in love with the end, we’re basically saying we face the problems which are in front of us, how we should learn from the past. We did a video before, but this one was really hard work, because the focus was emotion, everything you did had the have the right atmosphere if it didn’t the take had to be done over again. My back still hurts from that shoot ;-) The images move from side to side real fast.

You also did a special edition box set. So, what does it offer to an average Born From Pain fan?

All our releases will come in picture disc or even shape vinyl (?) which will be a first for us, the “Immortality” MCD which has been sold out for quite some time now will be included as well in a double 7”format. All releases have different artwork than the CD’s. I’m really looking forward to it.

In the review of “In Love With The End”, Noisetheory.org reviewer says: “My upper-body muscles grow larger when this CD is spinning… I’m going to go beat up someone now.” Any comments?

It’s funny, if he/she “beats someone up” in the pit, it’s cool. Well, if it gives him that feeling, who am I to argue with him, but I think this CD is pretty easy to listen to, it has got a certain groove and is not just aggressive anymore, there’s enough melodies in it to make it sound interesting for non muscular kids as well ;-)

Overstock.com categorized you as hardcore/punk band. Again, any comments?

That’s okay, we’re a hardcore band with a big metal influence...

Can you tell me something about your touring plans in support of “In Love With The End”?

The tour starts basically on April 21st, we have three release dates. After that we're three days off, and then our tour starts, we’ll do most European countries in the whole month of May. The first weeks of June we’ll be at home. The last two weeks of June see us going to the UK again, to promote the CD over there as well. So readers: BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR US!

Ok, thanks for the interview. Any “last words”?

Thank you for investing you precious time in our band. Check out our new CD which is out now (worldwide) through Metal Blade.