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Tuesday, 11 December 2007 |
They made a perfect start with an incredible album. Ivor Van Beek, guitarist, singer and lead songwriter of Non-Divine from Nederlands, speaks very down to earth about the beginning of the band and... hands over the supplies folder at "Asylum 45". Interview: Dimitris Kazantzis
Rockpages.gr: Ivor, first of all congratulations on your debut album. Listening back to it now, a few months after the album’s release date, does it seem the same as it was for you back then? Would you change anything?
Ivor Van Beek: Thanks a lot for the congratulations! Jacob Hansen did a very good job producing this record and I think it’s one of his best productions so far. I also think that the songs fit well with the concept so no, we wouldn’t change anything. We are very satisfied with “Asylum 45”. However I think that our new songs are much better and they are not on the album. So we are enjoying our debut album but we also look forward to work on more new material for our second album.
Rockpages.gr: I would say that “Asylum 45” is a representative concept album. Were you influenced by anything specifically in order to come up with this?
Ivor Van Beek: Non-Divine has so many influences that it’s impossible to mention one particularly band. “Asylum 45” reviews speak of influences like Fear Factory, In Flames, Nickelback, Megadeth, Dream Theater, Waltari and many more. Each of these mentioned influences sound logical because if you want, you can hear those influences. If I have to mention some bands that really influenced me in my roots that I would come up with bands like Metallica, The Cult, Carcass, Haji’s Kitchen and Queen.
Rockpages.gr: Tell us in a couple of lines what the hell is going on into the “Asylum 45”?
Ivor Van Beek: Asylum 45 is the name of a fictional lunatic asylum. The concept is that ten of the patients of that asylum tell his or her story in a song. The atmosphere of the songs match with the characters of the patients. It’s like reading ten files of Asylum 45. Some of the patients are completely nuts and some of them are people with a temporary problem that makes it impossible to function in their social lives. The lyrics are not denigrating to people with a psychiatric disease but it makes their situation understandable.
“Mended Doll” for example is about a woman who was happily married but they she couldn’t get pregnant. Her husband thought she was doing fine but meanwhile she was making fantasies about her perfect baby. One day she stole “her” baby in a mall. Her husband visits her often but she doesn’t react anymore. She only stares at the walls holding a doll that is mended.
“Breathe” is about an old guy that likes a street fight just for fun. On the streets or in a park he just asks people to join a little fight for fun and before they know they are hit. Now he hits patients and guards for fun.
“Sleep” talks about a teenage girl that suffers from nightmares. She doesn’t want to sleep because when she does the nightmares begin. Her social life was destroyed and she couldn’t go to school anymore because she was too tired. With hypnoses therapy they learned about her nightmares. She dreamt she was in a sticky big cocoon and about a monster that was following her. It turned out that she was transforming into that monster and that extreme hidden insecurity was the main problem of the girl.
In “One Man, One Soul” a man recovers from his work he had. He worked on an ambulance and he thought he just had to get used by accidents where children died in his own hands. It was too much for him and he discovered that too late.
Rockpages.gr: The whole album sound and vibe reminds a lot bands from the other side of the Atlantic and especially the Seattle scene. Have you been influenced by that American sound?
Ivor Van Beek: The grunge scene from Seattle is a scene that also frequently appears as one of the mentioned influences. I understand that but those bands do not appear in our favorite list of bands at all. I do think that the album has an American sound but not particularly from the Seattle scene. However it’s fun and special that a Dutch band records it’s album in Denmark with Jacob Hansen and have an American sound.
Rockpages.gr: So, your first album was released in 2007, but since when Non-Divine is a musical entity? What preceded the band’s deal with Rusty Cage Records?
Ivor Van Beek: In 1999 I wanted to start a new band so that is the year Non-Divine was born. We released a demo-CD called “My Obsession” with already some patients of the concept album. That demo opened lots of doors for us. We toured 7 weeks with 3 other bands in the Netherlands and Belgium in the larger venues and we did our first supports for artists like Dio, Anthrax and Murderdolls. Later Non-Divine won the “best band of Arnhem” in the year 2003 and the Aardschok’s Metal Bash, the largest Dutch competition in solid music in the year 2005. After our search for a label we had several interested labels. I also had contact with Rusty Cage records and they offered us a deal. We signed with Rusty Cage Records for two albums because they offered the best deal and the communication was excellent. They are a new, very fanatic label that really puts in lots of work and energy for their bands.
Rockpages.gr: Many Dutch bands –from various musical genres- have gained commercial success in Europe and not only. In which way, do you think that Non-Divine will keep up with them?
Ivor Van Beek: The Netherlands has got many talented bands indeed. I think we got pretty far till now but there’s still a long road to go. Hopefully it works out to keep up with the bigger Dutch bands. We haven’t toured Europe before but I have great news! In March 2008 Non-Divine will do a European tour with Flotsam and Jetsam! For us that is a great step ahead.
Rockpages.gr: I had the chance to see you live as an opening act for Queensryche in Holland and a while later you opened for Nevermore. Tell us what do you keep from those experiences and how did you find the crowd’s reaction to your performance?
Ivor Van Beek: Since “Asylum 45” was released in February, the year 2007 turned out very well. We did lot’s of shows among supports for W.A.S.P., Sabaton, Alchemist, Primal Fear & U.D.O., 3 shows with Volbeat, 2 shows with Queensrÿche and 2 shows with Nevermore. The experiences to do such supports are great of course. Also we can promote our album to many and different audiences this way. Because of the many styles of music involved within Non-Divine’s style that is very hard to categorize we can play with many different artists. The response overall is very well so we are very satisfied.
Rockpages.gr: Your stage presence is surely something eye-catching! How important is for a band to display on stage in a variety of ways the concept of its latest album? Is it something that Non-Divine will do also in the future?
Ivor Van Beek: Thank you! The white psychiatric suits Non-Divine wears on stage is something we do since the beginning of the year 2001. It fits great with the concept about the lunatic asylum, it is beautiful to lighten onstage and Non-Divine also likes to think ahead and do something completely else. In this case wearing white clothes instead of the usual black clothes. I have to say that people who think that Non-Divine is a copy-cat from In Flames about the white clothes are totally wrong. In Flames and Darkane started their white clothing for a while in the year 2003 so it’s impossible to be a copy-cat. Other Non-Divine live features on stage are a psychiatric VJ-show by our VJ Akasha and sometimes we have flames on stage. I think it’s very wise for bands to think about how to display your band on stage anyway. A good stage act is very important I think. For the next period Non-Divine will dress up in white psychiatric suits and we’ll see what the future brings concerning live performances.
Rockpages.gr: From all those 2007 album releases which records are the ones that gathered your interest and your preference?
Ivor Van Beek: Lot’s of them! At the moment I listen a lot to “Collision” from C-187, the new band of Patrick Mamelli from Pestilence, a band I loved in my early days. Also Alter Bridge is a band I discovered since their release of “Blackbird”. “Scarsick” from Pain of Salvation is also a great album that reminds me a lot of Frank Zappa.
Rockpages.gr: Ivor, thank you sincerely for your time. Hope to see you again soon!
Ivor Van Beek: Thanks a lot for the interview! Hope to see you again too! For all readers: please feel free to visit the following Non-Divine websites!
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