Ruben Willemsen, Edwin Hann, Sean Lubbersen, Daniel de Coninck
Xeno
Ruben:
Hey Dave, thank you so much for the interview! The release of our debut album "Atlas Construct" was pretty rough to be honest. We were pretty new in the world of music and didn't really know what to expect. With recording the album we had multiple big setbacks and went 6 months over deadline. That resulted in a record that was not bad for a first album but we knew we could do much better. Also, making an album is expensive. We had a successful crowd funding campaign (we really have the best fans!) to finance the album. With "Atlas Construct" we didn't have a record label to back us up, and made many mistakes. We learned a lot!
Ruben:
Progressive music is an ever changing genre. It doesn't shy from reinventing itself. That is also why we love it so much. I think we are mostly influenced by the more modern progressive bands, but most prog music is quite timeless. So older prog bands still have a big influence in our music. The coming of djent is also a big factor I think, it is a pretty new genre. Although I don't see our music as true djent, we are influenced by it. We try to pick up little pieces of everything we like and shape it into our own.
Edwin:
It can sometimes be difficult to come up with ideas within this genre as so many things have been done before! I think Xeno is at the start of a long journey full of inspiration and the coming together of us as musicians, and that our sound and style will keep being polished and updated along the way. As to the question about what we bring to the genre, I think we should leave that up to the listener to decide. We are far too biased to be able to give an objective answer!
Ruben:
With "Sojourn" we wanted to up the quality of everything. Better songwriting, better production, interesting lyrics, etc. "Atlas Construct" was meant as a concept album, but I think we did a lot better on "Sojourn". It feels so much more connected, musically and lyrically . The new album also marks the coming of new talented musicians in the band, only Daniel and me remained from the line-up of the previous album. I even switched from keys to bass. In the end it all worked out pretty good. With the experience from the first album we knew what to expect and everything went way more smoothly. Our label, Art Gates Records, has been tremendous for us. We really went from 'guys who like to play music' to professional musicians with their help.
Sean:
We as a band also feel close to the narrative of the album. It reflects the changes we have been undergoing when looking for the sound we have now. Switching band members brings a lot of change in the process of writing songs, so we wanted that to be a part of the story. About the journey of the band.
Sean:
I agree with you. Metal is of course a big love letter to the guitar. But in adding keys to the mix we can expand our sound in interesting directions. Its great for creating atmosphere and harmony or sometimes just really weird stuff. I feel like the possibilities with keys haven't been explored as much as with guitars in the genre, so I'm very excited to experiment further in future albums.
Edwin:
The initial start-up with three guitarists was also one of the many struggles we faced with this album, as we all came from very different backgrounds instrumentally speaking. However we were able to sync up and find our strong and weak points together, which has resulted in a complimentary style of playing.
Ruben:
We all wrote different parts on the album. Each of us has a different style of writing, sometimes that is a real puzzle to put together. But if it all fits together we can make something really special. We believe dynamics in a song is super important, if you go hard all the time it loses it's power. But put a heavy riff after a soft passage and it hits way harder.
Edwin:
During writing and recording this album we frequently discussed about ideas and whether or not to use them, resulting in some hotheaded discussions haha. I think this was one of the reasons why we were able to take the time for dynamics and contrasted features, trying to make the pieces fit together. But we all write, experiment, analyze and share our music and I think that creates the mix of styles that we have at this moment. There simply isn't 'one' songwriter.
Ruben:
My favorite song is Sojourn. That song really has it all, and is also super challenging to play. It brings the whole album together for one last enormous blast.
Ruben:
Thank you! But we aren't full-time musicians yet. Maybe in the future! It's pretty difficult to be completely financial depended from music. Especially now... But it is something we slowly build up to.
Edwin:
Joining this band was the clear point when my life changed to revolve around music. These guys literally blew me away with the drive, ambition and skill, and fed my hunger to match. We started recording within a year after the lineup change, which resulted in an even more ambitious collective mindset, and I simultaneously got accepted into a college of music. So a slow build up isn't true for everyone haha! It is safe to say we all got a few gray hairs at the time.
Ruben:
With our debut album "Atlas Construct" we didn't do a real tour, but we played shows throughout our whole country. We played with some amazing bands, met a lot of super nice people and learned a lot. High and low points for me were both the crowd. I've played shows with an amazing crowd, nothing feels better than that. But I've also played shows for almost empty venues where the couple of people watching wish you get off so they can see their favorite band. But if I see only one person in the crowd enjoying it, it is more that worth it for me.
Ruben:
Haha well... In the early days we've done some.. questionable.. things. I was always the designated driver so couldn't drink, so fun being the only sober guy... We had this tradition of taking a "trophy" of the gig that went in the trophy case. First couple of times it was something innocent, but one time we went home with a toilet seat!
Daniël:
For me, inspiration comes at unexpected times. I tend to get creative at like 2 A.M. in the morning, or when I'm traveling with public transport for example. You will probably find me with my headphones on in public, and I'm frequently checking out new music that way. It's like setting a mood to a scenery. Continuing on that, I think what inspires me most is the Dutch scenery when I'm traveling by train, the Dutch countryside is very flat and repetitive, almost hypnotizing. I've come up with a lot of Drone-like riffs in that state of mind. Traveling is like a state of standby for the body, but the mind keeps on going, it's a unique kind of focus that's not easily summoned at home. If I had to name bands that influenced me in composing, the list would go from bands like Oranssi Pazuzu (very cool experimental black metal) to Gojira (powerful hook-driven riffs) to stuff like Enslaved (for the esoteric feel). There's just so much to take into account when creating or composing, and every aspect carries its own weight. I hope this gives a little bit of insight in my creative process!
Sean:
I love long story driven compositions. It started when I got into Pink Floyd and Steven Wilson and from there it got a little out of hand. Taking the time to set the mood and shifting towards something in contrast within the same song captivated me. That feeling of getting completely lost in a song. It comes with a lot of creative freedom but also challenges when writing a song like that. But I can't think of anything more rewarding than when all the pieces come together. That's what I love about being in a band where everyone has a different preference in music, we learn so much from each other.
Daniël:
Between playing and writing music and working/studying, we consider ourselves gamers and self proclaimed meme-lords. I think having a good sense of humor and being able to have a laugh together, or at each other, is a very healthy social construct for a band. We obviously share a lot of time together, so it's great to know that we all get along as good as we do. In terms of video games: FIFA, World of Warcraft, The Witcher and Monster Hunter: World are games that come to mind.
Edwin:
Strictly music.
Ruben:
At this time of writing the Netherlands is in a light lock-down. Only shops and schools are partially open. Normally when you drop an album you want to play as much as possible to promote it. That is impossible for us. We did a live stream concert, that was amazing to do. But I really miss the energy from our fans!
Ruben:
At the moment we try to focus our attention on social media. It's pretty much the only way right now to reach other people with our music. And writing more music of course!
Thank you Dave!
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