The Amped Alternative: The Charm The Fury: The Interview

It is Monday and that means it's time for some new music. The Charm The Fury is a female fronted metalcore band out of Amsterdam. The band consists of vocalist Caroline Westendorp, Mathis Parent on guitar, Rolf Perdok on guitar, Lucas Arnoldussen on bass, and Mathijis Tieken on drums. Their sound is anything but ordinary as they pair melodic vocals with plenty of screaming and growling. Don't let Caroline's beauty fool you because she can scream and growl with the best of them. While the band is still in the process of making a big name for themselves, they have a good start thanks to a lot of talent, practice, and a growing fan base. I was lucky enough to ask the band a few questions about different aspects of being a band, recording, fans, and much more.

The Charm The Fury: The Interview

How and when did the band start?

The band started out in the summer of 2010. Caroline, Math, Lucas and Mathijs found eachother through the internet and immediately started writing songs. The search for a second guitar player was a long one, but in the end we found Rolf. We only knew him as a old school rock musician, but he proved to be much more than that!

Did you know each other outside of the band?

Lucas and Mathijs were friends since high school, and we already vaguely knew eachother because we were in the same scene, but of course we were not as close as we are now. Yes, we're a band, but we're a bunch of friends as well!

Who are some of your influences?

Our main influences are bands such as Underoath, Stray From The Path, Memphis May Fire and a lot more actually… There are a lot of inspiring bands out there, and we take small parts of everything we hear and like to our own music.

Who are your favorite artists?

The bands I stated before are definitely favorites. Some others are Architects, For Today, Everytime I Die and August Burns Red.

Has music always been a part of your lives?

We all have a different musical background, but I think I speak for all of us if I say that we've loved music right from the start. Actually, 3 of us study or have studied music. Right now, it basically ís our life!

Regardless of what critics/magazines/television say, how would you describe your sound?

We always describe our sound as a mix of metalcore and post-hardcore with a little bit of southern and a hint of electronics! Some bands hate being labeled. We don't. Label us anyway you want! It's nothing but handy that you know what to expect when you go listen to a band, right?

What is the atmosphere of your concerts?

I don't think it differs a lot from other metal concerts. People going crazy, hardcore dancing, moshing etc.

Maybe it's a little more mellow because we have some mellow parts in our songs.

What do you have that other live metal acts don't?

Boobs.

But seriously, I think the fact that we have a girl singer matters. Guys finally have something to look at and girls like the fact that there's a girl on stage.

I love female fronted metal bands because I feel as if they bring something really different to the metal scene. What is like for you having a female vocalist in a somewhat male dominated genre? Have you faced any negative feedback because of it?

We've only had positive feedback on the female fronted thing! People often don't believe that it's a girl screaming, and when they do believe it, people assume she's ugly, fat and scary.

I love the look on their faces when they find out that isn't the case!

So: only positive aspects to having a girl screamer!

For Caroline: What is it like for you specifically being a woman in this genre? Are there any experiences you'd like to share?

Metalcore mainly consists of a male environment. It's actually funny to see guys not expecting this as all. They often think of women in metal either as very bad, gothic or as fan girls. I've often been criticized based on the demos, because people don't expect a female to pull this kind of things off. But: this only gets me to work harder and harder, to show to everyone that women are equal to men, even when it comes to growling or screaming. You just have to practice practice practice!

And: I don't mind being surrounded by tattooed, bearded, hot guys hahaha.

How would describe your fans?

We love our fans! We haven't been around for that long yet, but people have been really supportive from the start! I still can't believe that we have actual fans. That there are people on the other side of the world listening to and liking our music!

The EP album drops April 24th. What was the recording process like?

It was a long one! We didn't have a full-time studio available, so we recorded everything at home.

In the meanwhile we all had to go to our jobs or school. That definitely slows down the recording process!

If you could choose one band or artist in the world to tour with who would it be and why?

Wow, that's a hard one. There are so many band we'd like to tour the world with! Our biggest dream is to be part of the Vans Warped Tour. A lot of bands at once ;)

Do you have any future plans of touring in the United States at all?

'Plans' is too big of a word. A lot of people are asking us to tour the US and we'd really love to! Unfortunately our budget isn't sufficient yet. But when we get the chance: count us in!

Do you have any advice for kids just starting out in rock and metal?

What really helps our songwriting is the fact that metal isn't the only music we listen to. Of course we love it, but it's always good to get inspired by thing that have nothing to do with the music you want to write. You can come up with more surprising, unexpected stuff that way!

The Charm The Fury- Family Values