Interview with BROWBEAT
Interview with BROWBEAT
Interviewed by Beth Jones
Italian Hardcore band Browbeat were a new name on me when their about to be released EP dropped in my inbox. I do like a bit of Hardcore, and their bio sounded like they would be right up my street! I reviewed the EP, and decided that we all needed to know a little more about these guys. Luckily, I managed to grab a quick email interview with them, so we can all get a bit more of a flavour for what makes this band tick. Enjoy…
Hi guys, it’s nice to talk to you. Firstly, can you tell us a bit about the band? What style of music do you play, how long have you been playing together, and how did you start out as a band?
Hello to everybody! It’s nice for us too! When we formed in 1998. We had a common idea which was to create music in the most intense way possible by combining anguish, heaviness and lyrics that would highlight the problems of society. At that time, we were in the middle of the 90’s Hardcore / Crossover/New Metal scene, and it still gave us a great inspiration to play our music. In the band you can hear everything. Our sound ranges from old school Hardcore to more modern, from 80s Thrash to Death Metal and the most extreme Grindcore. Let’s say we don’t have a favourite band or genre, we like to listen to good music and take inspiration from that. We have been doing shows since 1998, then we broke up in 2007 and reformed in 2017. From the original line-up there is only our singer M.V. The current line-up has been together since 2018.
Your new EP, “The Showdown” is about to drop – tell us a little about that – what inspired the songs, and how long have you been working on it?
The Showdown was born naturally in a few months, trying not to follow trends but playing simply what we liked. After the pre-production phase, we found ourselves in the practice room testing out the songs and fixing the last details. Right from the start we had an excellent feeling about the total performance of the songs. Listening to a lot of different music, and what we feel every day in our life, are the main factors for writing songs.
Musically, who have been your greatest influences?
Hatebreed, Merauder, Madball, Rage Against the Machine, Earth Crisis, Lionheart, The Acacia Strain, the first Machine Head and Biohazard are the bands that have influenced us most. We are very related to the 90’s scene, but we also appreciate more modern bands, such as Nasty, Knocked Loose, Antagonist AD, etc …
Obviously, the world’s been in a weird place for the last couple of years. How have you managed to keep your music going, and have you been able to get back to live shows yet?
During the pandemic, we took the opportunity to write new songs and record pre-productions. We did a few shows but not like we used to do before Covid.
What have you got planned for 2022 (covid permitting)?
We love the stage and the contact with the fans, so we simply hope in 2022 to do all the shows that can be done in our country and abroad, also because we will have to promote our new EP.
You guys have been around for a pretty long time now, and you’re all very experienced musicians. What advice would you give to young bands just starting out on their journey?
Definitely study music and practice every day. Believe in what you do, have patience and perseverance, and try not to throw money to incompetent and unreliable managers. But especially, always try to have fun.
How do you approach songwriting – is it a collaborative thing between you, and what comes first, the lyrics or the riffs?
Luca Cocconi is the main composer of the band. He takes care of the music, by writing the guitar, bass, and drums sessions. After the pre-production phase, we meet in the rehearsal room to rehearse the songs and fix the final details. Later when the musical part is complete, MV, the singer, writes the lyrics.
You’ve already played gigs with some of the greats of the genre, but if you could organise a dream gig, which bands would you want alongside you on the line-up?
The list would be very long but if I were to organize the concert of my dreams, personally I would call the Rollins Band as headliner, then Biohazard, Downset, Inside Out, Gorilla Biscuits, Public Enemy, House of Pain, Earth Crisis, Hatebreed and Browbeat as openers of course … ha … ha …!!!
The EP contains a cover of ‘Slave New World’ by Sepultura – why did you choose that song to cover?
Because for us, Sepultura represent one of the best bands of the 90s Metal scene, in their powerful and innovative sound, and for the lyrical concepts.
“CHAOS AD” and “ARISE” are two absolute masterpieces. Even though almost 30 years have passed, the lyrics of ‘SLAVE NEW WORLD’ are still very relevant, especially for the period we are living.
Thanks for your time guys, it’s been great to talk to you. To finish off, can you give us one sentence to describe what Browbeat, and this new EP, will bring to the listener.
Thanks Ever Metal for giving us this opportunity. 22nd January 2022 our new EP “THE SHOWDOWN” will be out, and will surely bring to the listener so much brutality, impact, power and energy! Stay tuned!! Stay angry!! Stay HC!!
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