Slapdown is a really
interesting metalband which plays metal and a
little bit of hardcore. They come from France
and they was very quick to give me an interview.
Oktober 2021
Please tell me a little bit history of the
group?
Slapdown
has been founded in 2013. At the beginning, we
were playing US nu metal. But after few months,
our singer left the band. So, we looked for
another nu metal singer in vain. Then, Estéban
contacted us on YouTube, and joined the band. We
began to write some new songs, but rather in a
thrash death metal style. In 2018, we released a
home recorded 7 titles EP called
“CULT”. The next two
years, we wrote some new songs, more violent,
more death metal. In 2020, we recorded our first
album
“FUNDAMENTALLY WICKED”
at the Kohlekeller Studio.
Please tell me a little about every member in
the group right now, age, family, work,
interests and something bad about everyone?
Earlier bands? Other bands on the side?
-Vincent
(guitar) is 30yearsold, he’s
a cellphone technician, he’s
lucky bastard at video games and he has the back
of a 90-year-old man.
Nicolas
(bass) is 36 years old, he’s
a delivery driver, he’s
the most ill-tempered and annoying guy in the
world.
Olivier
(drums) is 33 years old, he works at a post
office and is a chronic procrastinator.
Estéban (vocals) is 24
years old, he’s
a manager at a fast food restaurant, he has an
odd style, crazy socks in too big shoes, giving
you an irrepressible need to cut both legs to
never have to see that carnage again.
I can hear many
different influences but mostly death metal and
a little bit of hardcore? Favorites from the
past?
-We have
mostly been influenced by bands like Aborted,
Cannibal Corpse, Hypocrisy for death metal. Our
hardcore influences are bands like Madball,
Hatebreed, Get The Shot, Wall of Jericho… We’re
also fans of Iron Maiden, Pantera, Exodus.
Slapdown are you satisfied with the name? How
did it came up? What does it mean? You weren’t
afraid that some other band would be named like
this? Which is the best bandname you know?
-We’re
really satisfied with the name, it expresses our
need to sound like a big slap in your face. We
don’t
know if another band is named like this.
Whatever, zero fucks given.
What’s
the best thing with playing live? Have you done
any since the covid came?
-Playing live
is essential for a band, to share our music,
meet new cool people and have fun.
We only played
twice since Covid, but we hope for 2022to be a
more fruitful year.
And where is best to play? And the worst place?
-The best is a
little stage, a close fury pit and crazy crowd.
But in reality as long there is a stage to play
on and people to watch us and support us, it’s
the best place that we can dream of.
The
worst place is not having one!
How is to play this sort of music in France
right now? Which types of bands do you have
concerts together with?
-Extreme metal
got a well-welcome scene in France. We play with
all types of bands, hardcore, deathcore, thrash
metal, black metal, death metal…
How would you describe your music in three
words?
-Percussive, aggressive,
effective.
What does punk mean to you, is it only a word or
is it a lifestyle? I know you don’t
play punk but I think you have some hardcore
influences?
-Punk is
clearly a lifestyle, even if it has become
fashion since 2000. It can be argued that the
punk movement has declinedover time, which means
that it tends to disappear. However, we can see
a similar movement in hardcore right now.
Which song/album or group was it who took you
into music and play yourself?
-About Nicolas
and Olivier, they are brothers, their father was
a musician. Vincent was a fan of Metallica, and
Estéban of Marylin Manson.
What shall a young guy do today to shock their
parents as the way we did when we were young?
They have already seen everything ;-)?
-Parents have
seen so many things, but young people are so
creative. Read a book maybe or for a little
gore, introduce a dead goat your parents as if
it were your girlfriend?
How is it to live in France right now?
Politically? Fascists? I heard about this maniac
on TV today that said that 70 percent was afraid
of people who isn’t
born in France, some rightwingguy
-Well, a baguette, a
croissant and a wine bottle and voilà! The best
day ever you could live in France.
About fascist, there are
idiots and they can be anywhere in the whole
world, France is less racist than some other
countries.
Is there any good bands from France right now?
Is the punkscene/metalscene/hardcorescene big?
How is it in your hometown?
-Yes,
there are bands like Gojira, Benighted, Gorod.
Punkscene/metalscene/hardcorescene
is growing and begin to have a well-established
place. Unfortunately, it’s
not that good in our city.
What do you know about Sweden? Have you been
here sometime? What is typical Swedish?
-We’ve
never been in Sweden, but we’d
like to. About Sweden, we know so many famous
metal bands, snow, surströmming,
Zlatan… Typical
Swedish? Abba :D? Seriously, Melodic death
metaland surströmming!
Have you heard any good bands from Sweden?
-Yeah sure!
Amon Amarth, Meshuggah, Arch Enemy, Hypocrisy,
In Flames, and many others.
Your lyrics, who does them and what influences
you? Is it much horror movies or so which
inspires you? Is there any deeper meaning in
many of your lyrics?
-Estéban
write them.Sometimes
Nicolas can add his creativity to the lyrics
as well. 80’s
horror movies are a bit of an inspiration, but
our main focus came out from real
famous serial killers. The
fact that they are/were
human beings living close to anyone in this
world makes every
stories about them pure horror. Our
lyrics relate how they became like this, what
impulses they had,
etc.
Is there any subject that you never will write
anything about? Or isn’t
anything sacred?
-Nothing
is sacred, we’ll
never talk about politics for sure.
Politic and music, it does not goes hand in
hand?
-Music can be
political, but this is not for us.
Best political band/artist?
-Gojira
about ecology maybe, we have Lofofora in France
who’s
good too.
Do you think that music (lyrics and so on) can
change anyones life, I mean people who listens
to music?
-Everybody can
be changed by music!
Your favorite recordcoveralltime? Who does your
recordcovers? And do you have any good record
stores in your hometown?
-Iron
Maiden
“Powerslave”
is really cool. Our record cover has been
created by HP (HPB Graphic Design). We had good
record stores, but they closed.
Is it important to get out
physical records of your stuff? Why or why not?
Vinyl, CD, cassette, what do you prefer if you
could choose whatever?
-Yes, it’s
very important! It’s
really satisfying to have the final product of
our work out there. If we could choose, we’ll
choose a beautiful vinyl.
Please tell me a funny thing which have happened
during your career and under some gig?
-We
shared a stage with a band who played before us.
Their singer took painkillers, and drank too
much whisky. He couldn’t
stop falling down during the whole show, on the
cabs, on the drums… When they finished, he came
and told us:” That was because of my shoes! Look
at the sole! They are slippery!”
How does your audience look like? Which people
do you miss on your concerts? Which is the
biggest band you ever have played together with?
-We have a growing
audience, so any type of profile can be found in
our crowd. Mostly death metal fans because of
the music we used to make. Once we shared the
stage with “In Other Climes” which is the
biggest band we had the chance to play with.
Please rank your five favoriterecords, five
favoriteconcerts and five most important things
in life?
I’ll try to represent
everyone’s taste in these top 5, let’s go!
Five favorite records:
—Iron Maiden—Brave
New World
—Lamb Of
God—Sacrament
—Benighted—Obscene
Repressed
—Marilyn Manson—Holy
Wood
—Dying Fetus—Reign
Supreme
Five Favorite concerts:
—Iron Maiden—Legacy
Of The Beast Tour
—Iron Maiden—England
World Tour
—Godsmack—1000hp
Tour
—Alice Cooper in
Lyon
—Marilyn Manson in
Carcassonne
Well,
the five most important things in life are
probably family and friends, music, of course,
then food and beer!
First, last and most expensive record ever
bought?
-The first hmm…
I think it was “Let There
Be Rock”
by AC/DC. The most expensive probably the Blind
Guardian Live album and the last one is Obscene
Repressed.
Is it boring with interviews? Is it many
interviews?
-Not
at all! It’s
actually quite
fun.
Some questions raise answers that we would
probably never have thought of. Having to put
words on everything is not something obvious,
especially when it comes to music. It’s
rather suggestive, but I think answering some of
the questions can be eye-opening and
interesting. I can’t
wait for
the next
one!
Do you care about reviews? Which is the most
peculiar you ever had, with this band or any
other band you have been to? Have you ever
changed anything after a bad review?
-Reviews
are important. It’s
our first album, so we never had some yet. But
we still give importance to reviews because that’s
what can motivate or
even influence people to
listen to our stuff.
So even if it’s
not something that will make us change anything,
we stay tuned.
Which bands do people compare you to, is it
boring that people compare you to other bands or
is it understandable?
-We
understand that people compare us. It’s
just annoying when people ask you to describe
your music using a well-known band which is
reductive and counterproductive.
If you could choose five bands from the past and
the history and nowadays and both dead and
living bands to have a concert together with
your band. Which five have you been chosen?
-Pantera,
Benighted (as a friend and a fucking great
band), Motorhead, Death and Slayer.
Is music a good way to get out frustration and
become a nicer person outside the music?
-Of course!
You can put all your anger, sadness or love in
your music!
Which is the most odd question you ever have got in an interview? (Except this one)? -Fortunately, interviewers are always nice to us. We hadn´t had strange questions yet.
Which is the question you want to have but you never get. Please ask it and answer it?
-Is Jesus always by your side?
Of course, I believe that Jesus loves everyone and stand there for any soul to be saved by absolution.
Sorry, I have to admit I have no idea.
o idea.
Futureplans
for the band?
-More gigs,
more albums!
For yourself?
All our plans revolves around Slapdown. ´Cause there´s nothing cooler than doing music with mates.
Wisdomword?
- Support your local band.
Something to add?
Support us ,share our stuff, talk about it with your friends and obisiously listen to " Fundamentally Wicked"