| Grope from Danmark are back after nearly two years in absence. It's been two turbulent years that have sent the band through extreme highs and lows Their new album 'Intercooler' also introduces two new band members. But read now what founding member Tue Madsen had to tell about past, present and future. This interview got airplayed on Radio ARA on November 21st. |
In which year have Grope been founded?
Me and our drummer Anders have been playing music together for ten years, but we started Grope
in 1994. We got signed during that summer and put our first album out in November.
You have meanwhile released your fifth CD called 'Intercooler'. Why
has there been a two-year-break between your last two CDs?
First when we put out the 'Desert Storm' album in 1997, our bass player Jimmi took ill with cancer
and unfortunately he died six months later. This was a very big blow to us. We also decided that we
had to change our lead singer because we weren't really happy with the way Per was doing his vocals.
We needed a different singer to go somewhere else with our music. We needed some time to integrate the
new singer and the new bass player into the band. We started recording the new album about a year ago,
and due to different kinds of bullshit which is hard to explain, it took us almost a year to bring
the record out. After we had finished the recordings, we got in contact with John Custer who produced
C.O.C. and Cry Of Love. He was very high on our priority list. But he couldn't mix the album until
March '99. The album also needed mastering and the cover artwork wasn't ready at time.
Why was it so important to you to let your album being produced
by John Custer?
He's very good at making seventies kind of sound, but sounding nineties. We've always been
big fans of his productions, they have an amazing sound. On 'Desert Storm', we tried to
immulate that sound, but it's quite hard when you're not that man.
This was the first time you worked together with a producer.
It was time for a change for us as we produced the other records by ourselves. We needed to hear
ourselves through someone else's ears.
On your info sheet, your style is described as Soul with Distortion.
Why don't you call it Rock music?
There's a lot of real soulish music out there. What they call nowadays Soul or R'n'B has
nothing to do with it as far as I am concerned. Only good songs come from the heart. Our songs
are soulful and contain distortion.
Before the 'Intercooler' release, a maxi single of 'Hope For The Best' came
out. Did you do this with the intention to get some radio airplay?
In the beginning we have written music that was not very acceptable to the masses. This time the
CD contained some stuff that might interest more people than usual. The only way to reach them is by
promotion through the radio.
Did you get some airplay in Danmark?
On some stations it did really well. All over Europe there are radio stations that have started
playing the song.
Was it hard to find a new singer?
I have already produced a number of local bands and discovered two singers I really liked and
wanted to try out. We talked to both and gave first Alex a tape without vocals to see what he
would do. When we heard what he did, we didn't want to waste any time or try another singer.
What are the differences between Alex and your former singer?
Our two first albums were much like Pantera or Machine Head. Very aggressive, loud and shouty
music. On our forth album, we already started going more into a melodic direction.
Do you consider Grope as a Metal band?
Yes, but in the same sense than you can consider Metallica or C.O.C. as a Metal band. As in Metal
we have drums, heavy riffs and bass guitars, but we work a lot with melodies and give ourselves
a different approach than lots of other bands are doing. As far as I know, there is no band sounding
like us.
Your CD contains very fast songs like 'I Fell For You', but also
very quiet ones like 'Just Like The Devil'. Do you have several songwriters in the band?
'Hope For The Best' was entirely written by Alex. 'Someone Died In You' was written by our
bass player Obersten. He thought it was sounding like Fear Factory when he wrote the riffs, but
this finally wasn't the case. One guy may write something and the rest of the band can fuck it
up. You never know what's coming out. We all write different parts, and together we see what
will be changed and what not.
Are there sometimes hard discussions when you decide which songs
should appear on the CD?
Of course there are. If you didn't argue, it would mean that you wouldn't care. So discussions are
healthy. At the end we find agreements. And if someone really hates a song, it won't come on the
album.
What are your expectations for 'Intercooler'?
It should sell a lot and give us a tour around the world. We're really hungry to get out and play
in front of as many people as possible.
Would you prefer touring as a headliner or as a support act?
At this point we prefer to be a support act. We want to play with someone who already has lots of
fans. That way they get confronted with our music. [Later, Grope supported Weissglut on their
Germany tour]
Why have you put such a strange guy on your CD booklet?
He's a big, fat and cool truck driver and is looking bad ass. We're not playing academic music.
Everyone can understand our music, especially this guy.
What will be your future activities?
Touring and writing new songs. In summer 2000, we want to start with the new recordings.
Thank you very much for your time and the interview.
Interview published on April 18th 2000
