Interview with BEEHOOVER

The Band: Beehoover

Answers by: Claus (drums, vocals)

https://www.facebook.com/beehoovermusic

Beehoover is releasing their new album “Primitive Powers”, probably their most brutal delivery till date. But it’s more than that, in fact, it’s quite difficult to believe they can do all they do with just drums, bass and their voices. Here they are and they sound so fresh that it is a good chance to talk to them right now.

Hello Claus, in february, 26 you will have in the streets your new album "Primitive Powers". For those who don’t know, for sure only a few freaks, what are we going to find on it?

Eight songs we think are among the best we've ever written, altogether forming an album that is homogenic, powerful, eclectic and groovy.

According to Slam magazine, Beehoover is  the “most brute mini orchestra in the world”. What do you have to say about that?

It's a very nice compliment. Because “brute“ means that we seem to be able to produce quite a bit of noise with only two instruments, whereas “orchestra“ may point out that we have to offer quite a bit of variety and complexity.

However, we don't want to make a fuss about us being a two piece. It's nothing special nowadays anyway. It's just that many people probably don't really know what can be done with bass and drums.

I love the cover art of “Primitive Powers”, how did you get the idea and what were you trying to express?

Finding the appropriate artwork is always difficult. Since Concrete Catalyst we were lucky to have found artists that were happy to make their works avialable for us. This time we used collages made by a Dutch and an American artist.

“Primitive powers” is a line of the song “Tickling the Dragon's Tail”, which is the name of an experiment carried out by nuclear scientists in the 1940s. It was a very dangerous experiment, however safetey precautions were neglected and in the end something went wrong and some scientists died from radiation. We think this shows how arrogant human beings can be. The cover artwork may give some space for interpretation as well.

Sure, I suppose that cover has a lot to do with the lyrics in the album, right?

The album covers topics like domination, aggression and suppression on one and those like hope, despair and disappointment on the other side. I would say the cover clearly shows the ugly side of things.

To my ears your music has a 90’s style...

This is interesting because doing an interview with the German Rock Hard magazine we were asked if we're still stuck in the 90s as we named bands like Primus, No Means No, Tool, Ninewood and such as possible influences. Since we can't play any different from how we do anyway it's very well possible you're right.

How was the composition of the “Primitive Powers”?

We live quite a bit away from each other so we met every other weekend over a couple of months. Mostly Ingmar comes up with riffs that we work on. We record them, share them online, listen to them again and again, combine them with others or may throw them away and so on until songs emerge. This means we always work on all songs at the same time. Our way of working may seem a bit chaotic for outsiders but it suits both of us perfectly well.

Beehoover is Ingmar Petersen and Claus-Peter Hamisch, but did you get any kind of cooperation or contribution from other musicians?

No, it's all done by ourselves and all in a way it can be reproduced in live situations.

Millwheels Of Being is my favorite track in the album, it has an awesome Hendrix spirit

Thanks a lot. But I think we have to disappoint you, we've never really listened to Hendrix so it's probably a coincidence. But we're glad you like it.

However, Anti Zoo has a frenetic rhythm that keeps me glued to the speaker, variety is one of your trade marks or strong points?

We started playing together because we've had the same ideas about music. We wanted it to be dynamic, elaborating, narrative, sustainable and something for the brain and heart at the same time. We want our music to be danceable, yet give you something a bit challenging to discover.

What do you think you will be composing in ten years from now?        

It probably won't be that different. Perhaps it will be more ambient or punk or doom but I'm pretty sure the style will remain about the same. An album is always a snapshot of your current situation in life, reflecting into songwriting, sound and lyrics. So we can't really know.

Do you have touring plans? Anything in  Spain?

We try to play as much as possible, which isn't easy with co-ordinating it with family life, everyday work and the fact that we still do the booking ourselves. We have some mini tours coming up as well as something a bit longer later this year, but it won't be Spain I'm afraid. We've thought about that but it probably won't happen any time soon. Check our website for more dates to come.

How do you see the Metal scene right now?

We're probably not the best to ask but we listen to a lot of compilation CDs from the magazines. The variety is remarkable and offers something for every taste. However, whenever I listen to some old stuff like Metal Church or Maiden I'm surprised by how good that sounds. I get the feeling that on average today's productions sound very similar to each other, trying to be as bombastic as possible, but lacking dynamics and thus wearing off and getting boring quickly. Personal opinion of course.

What are your plans for the future?

Touring and of course another album in the long run.

Thank you very much for your time!

Thanks a lot for the interview!