Belgian modern metal outfit Hope As A Weapon may still be a relatively young band, but they are already making their presence felt. After winning the Alcatraz Bash together with Death Fury, the band have been steadily building their live experience while developing a sound that draws from metalcore, nu-metal, alternative metal and a broad range of modern influences.
After their show at Alcatraz this year, we sat down with guitarist Lionel, drummer KaNa and vocalist Max to talk about their victory at the Alcatraz Bash that gave them their spot at the festival, the meaning behind the band’s name, their collaborative approach to songwriting and the ambitions that could take them well beyond Belgium.
GRIMM:
Congratulations. First of all, you won the Alcatraz bash together with Death Fury. How did you experience the battle?
KaNa:
It was intense. The bands were all fucking great. It was a high level with high stakes too. We were very happy to win.
Lionel:
There was no real expectation because the project was so new. We took it like it is and I was like, okay, we want this one(first round), we want this one (more rounds). And the Alcatraz bash was really something else.
Max:
We take all the occasions to experience and play before people and enjoy the moments. That’s the most important part for us. Sometimes there is more adrenaline because there are some competitions, even if we don’t like it. But in the end, the part that has the most adrenaline is when you wait for the announcement of the winner.
GRIMM:
Your bandname is Hope As A Weapon. You guys use hope as a weapon for coping with battles or how should I see the picture?
Max:
So in most of the cases, life in general is quite hard for a lot of people. Like now, there is a lot of tension everywhere worldwide, on the media and all that. So sometimes people can think there is no hope or no future possible. You have to fight with hope to get through. So there is a battle between two powers that are different: one of hope, one other that will be maybe more like game and short term things, I would say.
GRIMM:
How does a song come together of what is your process of working on one?
Lionel:
At the beginning I was doing a riff of guitar and then Max was working on the production. But right now he is setting a production with the electro vibes and everything. And I put some riff of guitar inside, some ideas. Same for the drum and the bass. And we put it together like this. Max is kind of holding the thing together but we know the direction we want to go. So that’s why we have kind of a draft of a prod, a basic draft.
KaNa:
Max really lays the floor and we build everything up on it. So we can all add our signature, our sound to it.
Lionel:
We have a few songs where we know what we want in this song. What we want to talk about and what’s the mood of this song. So the production is giving that kind of base.
GRIMM:
Meanwhile, you have played on Rock Durbuy and Hell On Air. Where would you like to perform in the future or where do you see yourselves gigging in the following three years?
KaNa:
Alcatraz again, because it was really good. If possible, the main stage. I think the dream of every Belgian band is to play at Alcatraz and Graspop. Let’s see what the future brings us.
Max:
Maybe Hellfest. There are many great festivals in Europe. So there are a lot of possibilities. We want to go to the US because there is a big stage, I would say. A lot of people. A big scene for all kinds of music. But it’s also a big project: a lot of budget, a lot of touring to organize. Maybe one day.
GRIMM:
Max, you have such a wide vocal range: clean, grunting… You had lessons for this, are you self-taught or is it just experience?
KaNa:
He’s just born that good.
Max:
I think the reason I go in such a wide range is because I didn’t go to school. I think it’s because I did it my way. Of course, I listened to a lot of different coaches, I learned about the voice and how it works. But when I heard something, I just tried doing it and seeing if it was working with my voice or not. Eventually, after years of working on it, you can do something interesting with it. I don’t want to stay in canvas. Just because you do that side and you hold on to it. I think every use of the voice can be very emotional and transmit a lot of things. Let’s be free about that.
GRIMM:
KaNa, I noticed you wear a special mask during the gigs. Does it have a meaning for you?
KaNa:
It’s not hard to breathe because there are holes. But I had to adapt a few things, like for hydration. I had to buy a special bottle with a straw. The reason I’m wearing a mask is mainly because if we one day get big, I want to be able to still go buy my bread and not be recognized in the streets. I don’t want my face to be famous. I want my music to be famous.
GRIMM:
What I would like to ask, if we are in the audience, I’d actually imagine what you guys are doing 10 minutes before you go on stage.
Lionel:
We don’t really have a thing. But I think, especially today, we just look each other in the eyes and check because we know we have to do the job and we know it’s something important. So to connect just with the others, like we connect with the people coming, connecting with the other musicians. We like taking a few minutes just to stay a bit inside. We are together, but focus on our job. So maybe 10 minutes after, I will drink water or a beer.
KaNa:
What I usually do right before the show, because the show begins with The Element, which is one of the heaviest songs we have, and it’s immediately in the face. It’s a sport to be a drummer, and especially with that song. So what I do is usually try to get my heart rate up so I can immediately get into it and don’t have the adaptation time on stage.
Max:
I think it will be kind of the same because I move a lot on stage and I need to warm up my voice because I do different techniques. I’m doing abs, push-ups, squats and all that, so I can move freely on stage when I arrive
Lionel:
Maybe if I could put the rage and just contain that rage that I put on stage. It’s really just giving it all out there for the public.
GRIMM:
How did you guys come together? How did you meet each other to form the band as it is?
Max:
It began with Lionel. We were in the same project before and we wanted to make something bigger, more coherent, more polished in every way. So we worked a lot during one year and placed some basics so people that we could hire could come knowing what they would do and know where we were going also. We sent emails, messages to people and asked them to do certain stuff to be sure that they are at the level, the vibe and the mental connection.
Lionel:
We had a moment where we had Laurent and KaNa at the same time at the rehearsal. It fit well. I think I came back with Max at home and I said, I think we have a band.
GRIMM:
If another band would ask you to join for just one gig or permanently, by which band would you be honored to be asked?
Max:
I really love Linkin Park but I don’t think we fit exactly now. The old Linkin Park with Chester. I would say now maybe Bad Omens or Bring Me The Horizon.
KaNa:
I know for a fact I don’t have the level but I would be so pleased to play with LANDMVRKS. I love them so much. Captain 8 is a god among the gods.
Lionel:
It wouldn’t suit the line-up really. But I would say just for fun, Backway Drive.
GRIMM:
I hear in your music you have multiple influences. What are your band inspirations? Or is it the bands you fantasy-wise just mentioned?
Lionel:
Yeah, there’s a lot of different influences. Maybe we have some new metal vibes, metalcore vibes also (more in the guitar riffs) and kind of alternative stuff between rock and metal. We love bands like Bad Omen, Sleep Token, Bring Me The Horizon, Parkway Drive for old-school metalcore riffs. Maybe even if we go further we can look to Slipknot or tribal things, you know, like The Hu for the throat singing. And Sleep Token maybe for the vibes and the visual things.
GRIMM:
And your logo, band logo, who designed this? Or what was the vision you had for that?
Lionel:
It’s a team of two French guys. They work together on the artistic direction of the logo and the first visuals of the Seekers.
Max:
Yeah, that was very interesting because it could help us to go from a basic lore kind of the Mannazium that we explained in the first EP to the next step that they added an avatar that became the Seeker. And that is our guide as messengers to give people the Mannazium and the hope that we can share through music.
GRIMM:
Besides being a musician, can I ask what you do for a living?
Lionel:
I’m a cameraman, a camera operator in fact. So that’s why I’m really into visual things also. I worked a lot in TV, corporate stuff, a bit on film. And now I’m trying to do a bit of acting but I’m still working as a cameraman.
Max:
I’m a sound engineer technician so I work in studios but also on festivals and concerts, which help the band because I can mix and record all of our songs.
KaNa:
I’m an IT technician. It has its uses because I’m the one who built the website. Same with Laurent. His job is… I’m not sure what his job is but it’s very social. He’s very natural when it comes to speak to people. With him, we have a lot of contacts.
GRIMM:
I guess, with being a musician and having to work, there is not much spare time left to spend. How do you use that time?
Max:
I like sports. Maybe there’s something I do that is not very known: LARPing. So it means that you have to wear costumes very intensely during weekends and live in a, let’s say, fairy world during a few days and live kind of a dream. I train fencing for that and also wear armors and all that.
KaNa:
What I do in my free time, it depends. The thing is, I’m lucky that my job is actually a passion of mine. And also, in my free time, I also do IT technician stuff. I have a home lab. I built a NAS and stuff. Very nerdy shit. And I have two cats (Stinky and Shaggy), and that takes time too.
Lionel:
Friends and family are really important to me. And I like just having a good time with them, doing activities. And yeah, I really like going to concerts and festival stuff. If life could be an endless festival, it would be okay for me. And also, I really like taking pictures. I think I like stories. That’s why I like people, because they tell their stories. I like just telling stories by doing things with people, and doing photography: it’s another kind of art.
GRIMM:
When you come together to rehearse, how does that flow?
KaNa:
It depends a lot. Sometimes we have stuff to talk about, because as a band, we have to communicate at one point, and when we’re all together, it’s the best time. So sometimes we discuss things before, sometimes it’s after when we have time. But most of the time what we do is go downstairs -because the rehearsal studio is in a cave- and just set up the things. While doing that, we talk and then we start just rehearsing for like an hour or two. Then we take a break, we eat, we drink, we chat a bit, and then we go back to rehearsing, and then we go home.
GRIMM:
Is there something I haven’t asked you guys that you desperately want to share?
Max:
A lot of new things are coming, a lot of new concerts.
KaNa:
Follow our socials, Instagram, Facebook, Spotify, I mean, the basics.
Lionel:
The best is yet to come.
Links
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!