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Caliban - German Metalcore in Tilburg
With Caliban Roadrunner Records has got a great new band in its repetoire. We got the chance to ask lead singer Andy when they were supporting Machine Head. You can read the result here.

1. Your album ‘The Opposite From Within’ was released on Roadrunner Records, the reactions once again were promising. Right now you are touring with Machine Head and God Forbid, this must have been a great year for you guys?
Yeah, for sure! It’s an honour for us to be on this tour so…We are very happy to be on tour with Machine Head and the response of the people is great, we’re just very happy! And the response is very good.
Yes, that was in April or something like that. This time the people are more into our style of music and because of that they are more open for our style of music.
Yes but the In Flames audience is more into death metal and stuff.
2. Your album was produced by Anders Friden and mixed by Andy Sneap. These are big names in the music industry, what was the reason to choose these guys?
Well actually Anders choose us. Because he and our management were just talking and Anders heard we wanted to do a new record. So he asked our management if we already had a producer and they said no. Later our management called Anders and asked him if he wanted to do this job and he told them he wanted to do it. And we’re his second or third band he produced so it’s good for him too. It was fun working with him.
With Andy Sneap it was just like us calling him and asking him if he wanted to work with us. Luckily he said he wanted to do so, that’s how it went.
3. You started with the name 'Never Again', what happened to change this name into Caliban?
We actually didn’t like this name in the first place so we started to think of a name.
But it had nothing to do with the reactions from the crowd? Like yelling ‘Never Again’?
Well, maybe a bit yeah. But it’s just that we didn’t like this name so we decided to choose a new one.
And why ‘Caliban’?
We all just liked the name. He was reading Shakespeare and that is where the name comes from. And we started to read this part about he was closed up on this album. And we all liked the way Caliban did all of this and that is why we choose Caliban.
4. In the beginning of your career the critics were comparing you with Hatebreed, Poison The Well and Slayer. What do you think of comparing you with those bands?
Well, they’re good bands so maybe people get interested when they read ‘Hatebreed’ and ‘Slayer’ so that’s good.
But if you’re a band and somebody is comparing you with Slayer, isn’t that like: wow!?
Yeah that’s great! And like I said, people show their interest in us when they hear about the comparison. And maybe it gets us new fans in the future.
You’re a band from Germany and I think it’s pretty hard for a European band to get known, especially�compared to America. How did it work out for you guys?
We tour there every time we can. For four years now we have been there four times and it just is the place to be musically wise. We were touring there the last time with a couple of bands in May. Especially the west coast like California was awesome. It was the first time we played there and every show was sold out. And right now we have got a major label in the states too, it is Century Media. And they do a very good job as well.
Do you know the band Edguy? Because they are known over here but in the States no-one knows them.
Yeah I know, it is strange but it is just the way it is.
5. Not many bands get the chance to tour the USA, but you managed to play on the famous Hellfest in 2002. Share your experiences.
I don’t know why it happened but it was a great pleasure to play there. It’s so big, it’s just unbelievable.
6. Metalcore is getting big these days, in what perspective do you look to this growing process?
Ehm… I think it’s indeed growing more en more. Things are getting more into metal, hardcore and emo and it all turns more and more into one thing. I hope and I think this will be going on a long time. Not only because we’re a Metalcore band because we actually played it for already seven years now.
Because of bands like Killswitch Engage and Chimaira, that are on Roadrunner Records as well and have the power to spread this music, we are able to do the same. I just hope that Metalcore will go on and on.
But aren’t you afraid that in three or four years people will be like ‘Killswitch who?’?
Maybe, I don’t know. I mean, we don’t write the music for the people but for ourselves. We just do what we always do and maybe in a few years we play something different from the style we now play. We’ll see what the future brings.
7. You guys also toured in Japan and everybody knows the sentence ‘You’re big in Japan’, does this also count for Caliban?
It’s awesome to play there. We had good times there. The first time we played there was on a festival with� around 50,000 people and the second time we played there was with Killswitch Engage and Shadows Fall. The people there are just insane. They always want pictures and stuff and they’re even walking in the lobby of your hotel. So you definitely feel like a ‘big band’ there.
8. I have heard big rumours about a great show last Sunday in Amsterdam, what can we expect tonight?
I think it will be better, at least I hope so. But every time we play in The Netherlands it’s hard to get to the people. We played here with In Flames and now Machine Head, but it’s hard to get the people. They don’t know us. But I think this night will be better than the Amsterdam show because the last time our Tilburg show was also better than the Amsterdam show.
9. If your band is huge in a couple of years and you can take one band from Germany with you on a world tour, which band would you pick?
I think I would pick Heaven Shall Burn or maybe Destiny. They’re good friends so…
We have done a split EP before and we will do it again next year. It is a contract thing. But it will be a long one because we will put 7 songs on it and I think Heaven Shall Burn will do it as well.
10. Do you guys know anything about the brown eye of Robert Flyn, did you try one?
Yeah, I drank it in Gothenburg. It’s pretty good! I really liked it!
11. Any last words for our readers?
Thank you all for your support and your help and hope to see you again soon.