With:	Marco Van Der Velde [Vocals, Guitar]
Conducted by:	Undercraft
Published:	06.08.2004
Band profile:	The Wounded

01. Hey there! How are you ? I noticed you got yourself a Gothic Metal band, I could go and start describing it, but I'll let you do that job, tell me about your band!


Well, some people call us Gothic Metal but I must say that we have nothing in common with bands like After forever, Within Temptation and Nightwish. marco van der velde
I think The Wounded is more rock and new wave then those bands.Maybe it has something to with the influences that have slipped into our music. Bands like Anathema, Fields of the Nephilim, The Gathering, Marillion and Pink Floyd are bands I listen to a lot for a long time and the bands named as gothic nowadays, I don't even really know their music.
I really heard a lot of names from people who wanted to describe our music.
That's cool because if no one really knows where to put us, then were not Nightwish number 40. With respect for Nightwish of course, but you know what I mean.
Trying to do a bit your own thing is not something we are planning for But it's also not or goal to copy things just cause. Being in the wounded and the all that what we experience as a band in that period just grew us into this direction. From Goth metal to Nu- wave!!!, I heard them all.
If I should pick on then I guess symphonic wave- rock was one I understood best.
But what's in a name? Our music is very intense with spheres going in every direction you can imagine.
Lyrically the words are based on thing that happened in my life and around me. I write my frustrations and angers a bit away from me. It sounds a bit cliché but it's the way it is.

02. Your last album "Atlantic" is out now, could you tell us about the process and creation of the album?

After our second album Monument we played a lot through Western Europe. But things didn't go anymore as they should have. People just weren't doing their best for the band anymore.
Andy and I are in this band from the beginning and we thought we have to give all we have for the band that saved our lives from a boring and unsatisfied existence.
So we had two choices, to break up with the band totally or break up with the guys and search for musicians that we think are more motivated to create music and give the songs all that they deserve. We found three new guys very soon after the break up.
I had already started to write on new songs, so that never was a problem.
In a few weeks we had a complete album.
It should have been out much earlier, but there were problems with the record label and the
studio. We did a good job bringing out Atlantic, it's the first album I am fully satisfied with.
Well for 90% that is hehehe.




03. Hey, how come you decided to put a Jim Carrey sample on "18 Carat Dust"?


Also on Monument we used samples from movies and sounds that we recorded anywhere.
It gives something extra to the songs.
In the case Jim Carrey we used it as a final statement for the theme of the song. The song is about something that gothers, punkers and metal heads all know of.
The normal ones who don't understand others and start to laugh or nag about them, what even can result in a form of discrimination. "No metal shirts aloud in this pub", you know what I mean? Well In my life I was the one in the class everyone picked on. That left some scars on my soul, yet I don't complain about it because it made me that what I am and gave me the creativity that is important for me to give my a satisfying life.
In 18. carat dust I wrote down a bit of a vision about the fact that we all die very soon. In time my life is less than a blink of an eye. Why should I care about people laughing about me or whatever? Because you and I are turning into dust very soon, after that were both gone.
So at the and Jim Carrey says as a statement to show again that this life is to short to care about some idiots who fill their time with looking at the life's of others. So the bye bye message is explained. Life is a theme park man.
You buy yourself a ticket, you move from roller coaster to roller coaster and in the meantime you have to work to pay the bills and food and you take a lot of shit from everywhere. But beside that you enjoy as much as possible.
At the end of the day when you are leaving life, the only thing that matters is how much fun you had and how much of the beauty, presented to us, did you have seen and enjoy.
Life is all about the last minute of your life, the point when you think back.
I'm busy creating memories every day.
A diary. I write down the sad and hard things in life, and its also good that they are here also. Because how can you measure positivism if there is no negativity.
That is what life is all about, the lessons you learn here, the memories you create and that what you can give true at your children. So why should I care if people think I'm this or that.
People say to me, well yeah and what about responsibilities?
Well enjoying your life, don't step into the way of how others want to live and make sure that my children have a great time on this planet.
That takes more responsibility then a business man who is always from home fucking around with pore people I think. Now ask yourself 'at what do you want to look back at when your dying on a bed or in a car that just crushed on the highway'.
I am lucky that I live in a place on earth where I have the choice still to do what I want with
my life and I know my choice. It's like Jim Morisson said once "I wanna kick my kicks before the whole shithouse goes up in flames". The shit I have see I write down because they are also very important. And there is lots of terrible things in this world but I have learned to see trough that some
times.
Lucky me.




04. And why did you recorded a cover version of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ? are you a fan? Just for fun? Or personal request from someone?

I receive mail from all over the world from people who thank me for the lyrics and the music we make. Especially people who have it a lot more difficult then we here, say they were helped by the lyrics. From Vietnam, Argentina, Greece, Mexico the messages come from everywhere.
It happened more then once that I read a letter in where a person described his life and said he didn't commit suicide because he read my lyrics and heard our music.
Or a guy stepped up to me telling me thanks for the music and the words it helped me through my mother's death. It's a bit scary but of course I'm very happy with it.
Not a million of dollars can make you feel what you feel when you hear what The Wounded can do for and to people.
Some say: ' Marco you will never become rich playing in that band.
But its not only money that can make you rich, there is more in life then money.
Much more. Because when you can help people with words you write in your bedroom, and get feedback from them as I described earlier, then you won't hear me complain as I lay down in my grave with no penny to scratch my back.

05. what are your main influences (Metal and non-Metal) when you compose?

I grew up in the 80's so of course the music from this period influenced The wounded.
I always was someone that was becoming bored very soon listening to only a few different styles of music. So I listened to everything except hip hop and soul.
But from Gorecki and his depressing classical works to the Heavy Death Metal of Entombed. From the synth pop of Depeche Mode to the rock n roll of AC/DC.
I enjoyed listening to it all. So I get my influences from lots of different kinds of music.
But also from movies, books and things that happen to human beings.

06. How do you see the Metal scene worldwide right now? Are any new bands that caught your attention?

Oh yes there are always good bands coming through in the metal scene still.
I like Finntrol very much and the new Amplifier is cool although it's more rock then metal but I think metal will never die.
It will change in very different directions but never looses the true character of heavy metal.
In my opinion death metal bled to dead a bit when it came to a halt in the early 90ths.
Most of the listeners will not agree maybe but the sphere and pureness as it had back then will never come back in new bands.
Napalm Death, Morbid Angle, Entombed, Carcass which I hope will come back once are all bands who created work that no band can ever compete with in the future.
Death Metal is a part in the musical history that I want to look at as a scene where bands had the guts to do something that was not understood by lots of different people in the music industry.
And when kids for example over here in Holland stop shouting the old Manowar-like words as "Death to false metal", then maybe Metal will be taken also more serious by the older generations hehehehe.




07. Does the band members have dayjobs or you dedicate all your time to this project?

No, we can't live without money and with the band you can't earn any. So we all have to work or study beside the band.
And the world became a place where you have to get some money to live and enjoy so.
It's no problem for the band because we all have secured with our bosses that if we go on a tour we can leave. For a short while of course but some of us have to feed children.
Things that have to be done. It's a hard job, but it depends how you like at it.
I can imagine working 20 hours in the sex-industry for example without getting enough of it, and getting bored already sitting two hours behind a desk telling people why they don't have any right for this or that.



08. How does it feel to be one of the leading acts of new label Ebony Tears? Or it was just like working with Cold Blood Industries?

We don't feel better or bigger then any of the other bands.
I don't care that much about the other bands also, we have a deal with the label not with the
bands. From the time we were becoming a known band in Holland we always did our best to help bands that were a bit less known then us.
Because I think that if bands would combine their work more, we all would get better of it.
Unfortunately it doesn't work that way because you have to deal with lots of jealous people and also people that you cannot trust. We never had any help from other bands in the beginning. It may sound strange but as a band we didn't have a lot of luck.
And especially nowadays luck is something you need lots of in the music business.
No, we gained nothing out of the music business itself. And with that I mean the bookers and promoters. But we moved on because we believed in what we had supported by short groups of fans all over the world. Atlantic is our latest work for cbi/ebony tears.
We are looking for a deal with a new label. Also with that you have to be blessed with some luck. But I'm sure there will coming a fourth the wounded album coming out.

09. Any tour plans ahead?

We have plans for a few European tours, but nothing real yet. It's hard because it all depends on money. We don't have to gain money from a tour but we don't want to pay money for it. The case is that as a support act your label has to pay lots of money to get you on tour with a known band. Something our label doesn't have that much because it's to small for that. Again with a bit of luck I am sure we or coming to other country's next year.




10. So, what does the future has in store for The Wounded? Any plans?

We already started writing new songs. Together with that I am working on a solo thing which will be more of an epical post rock thing. But the sooner we find a label the faster we can deliver an album again. For now everything is as uncertain as a duck in the great Atlantic.

11. Well, this was interesting right? Any last words?

Yes, this was interesting.
Well I hope people take the time to discover our music on www.the-wounded.nl
Above all stay consuming music anyhow, anytime and everywhere.