Suicide Commando

 Johan Van Roy gives an interview to Lucy and Purplekittie for subexistance.

Hello, firstly we would like to congratulate you for your amazing work all these years and thanks for the time to answer our questions lets begin.
In 2010 you released the album   Implements of Hell , from where did you inspired for this album?
 Well, even though the album title refers to another serial killer (Albert Fish used to call the tools he used to brutally kill his victims his “implements of hell”), “implements of hell” is not just another concept album about serial killers like “bind torture kill” (my last real studio album) was. In fact only a few songs on the new album deal with serial killers, but it also deals about religion, hate & envy, war, suicide, sexual perversion … so it’s way more then just another concept album about serial killers. 
 From your last album what new elements have you added neither in the sound nor more generally in your songs?
One of the strengths of suicide commando is its typical recognizable sound, so you really don’t need to expect major changes in my sounds or songs, but compared to the last “bind torture kill” album which was mainly focussed on the dancefloor, the songs on “implements of hell” became way more diversed and some songs really go back to my roots and the sound on my very first albums. So to me it’s the perfect mixture of the latest more danceable material and the old klinik-al sound.
Which song did you enjoy more from the album?
I basically like all tracks, because if I’m not 100 % convinced of a song it simply will end in my dustbin and not on the album. I really don’t like any fillers like some bands tend to do, so I really like all songs on the new album. But if I have to name a personal favorite I probably would choose “severed head” as it really goes back to my early days and roots, heavily inspired by bands like Klinik …
‘Die mother fucker die’ and ‘Hate me’ were two of the songs that became hits. Does It bother you when  concrete songs become hits and do you believe that other have been wronged by the public?
No, it doesn’t really bother me. Sure I’d like to see some other (more slower) songs become hits as well, but I’m fully aware that the people in the clubs more prefer the upbeat material.
Which do you think it’s your best album or single and why? In which album did the public correspond more?
Personally I think “implements of hell” is my best album to date as I really spent a lot of time, work and effort into this new album. But I think for the fans nothing ever can beat the “mindstrip” album from 2000 as it contained so many clubhits like “hellraiser” or “love breeds suicide” and it really put suicide commando on top of the harsh electronic scene and later inspired many new bands to walk a same direction with their music.
How do you express the society through your lyrics and generally what are the subjects that interest’s suicide commando?
I’ve always been very critical on society in my lyrics, often even balancing on the borders of provocation, but it’s the only way to open the people’s eyes as too often we remain blind for reality and for what is happening around us on this planet. We’re too much living in a society of greed and only think of ourselves, many of us don’t really care about the others or about the world … you often can find back a lot of these elements in my lyrics.
 In 1986 that you began, who were your musical influences?
I guess my main and biggest musical influence was (and still is) the Klinik. They left such a big impact on me and my music that I still consider them as my biggest influence today, even though my music did change quite a bit since its early days.Other bands that inspired me were for example old Skinny Puppy, Front 242, Fad Gadget … bascially all the early eighties electronic stuff as I grew up with this music.
A lot of groups have been influenced by you. How do  you feel about this?
I’ve always been flattered by the fact that suicide commando turned out to be such a big influence for many other bands around. It somehow made my music immortal as it now will continue in the works of many new bands and talents, so that’s cool and it really made me proud and happy.I really never expected to become such an inspiration and influence for many other bands.Sure the success of suicide commando also has a negative side effect as simply too many bands tried to jump onto the wagon after suicide commando became that successful and now you really got an overflood of harsh electro bands, many sounding the same and resulting in some kind of overkill. But I’m sure the best bands will survive in the end, they always do.
The scene has developed the last years in different sounds like cyber but you maintain your industrial sound and this does have success in the public. What is your opinion for this?
Sure the scene changed over the last years, more and more moving towards a more techno and cyber sound with always faster and faster beats per minute, and an audience getting younger and younger. It works pretty well in the clubs as people only want to dance when they go out, but it definitely is not that suited for listening at home … With suicide commando I always try to find the right balance and mixture between hard and fast clubmaterial and the more slower atmospheric sound, so that you still can listen my albums at home or in your car … I guess it’s also one of the reasons why suicide commando remains so popular.
What do you believe for the industrial scene, do you think that it involves or does it remain the same?
Music always has been evolving over the years, whether it’s industrial music or mainstream pop music, it always evolves and always has its typical trends and styles, so I’m sure it will continue evolving in the next years.
What differences do you think there are in the musical industry now comparing to 1986?
You really can’t compare it anymore, so many things changed over the last 25 years. Modern technology really evolved enormously over the last 3 decades, so thanks to modern technology we now are able to make music on a computer, we actually don’t even need any hardware material (like synths, samplers …) anymore, all can be done by a computer these days. So it definitely made things a lot easier and cheaper these days to make music. Unfortunately however modern technology also brought to us the internet and with the internet also came the illegal downloading of cd’s … which had a tremendous effect on the music business in the last few years with many labels, record stores, distributors … going bankrupt.So I guess it’s a knife cutting at both sides, but for sure modern technology is one of the biggest changes since my early days. I still remember my very first synth costed a fortune and my very first sampler could maybe sample 2 seconds of audiomaterial … you really can’t compare it anymore with todays possibilities.
Are there any other industrial groups that you like? 
I still listen to a lot of electronic and industrial music, but not as much anymore as a few years ago. I recently also started listening to other styles and bands again.I don’t really have any particular favorite band anymore, but I still like bands like Noisuf-x, Hocico, Combichrist, or even the new Front Line assembly … to name just a few.
 Is Greece at your future plans for a live?
At the moment we have no concrete plans to tour Greece, but I do know we’re getting regular offers to play in Greece again, so I’m sure we’ll return to Greece pretty soon again, I guess it’s only a matter of time and finding a free spot in my busy calendar. But be sure that we’ll continue soon, so be prepared !
Thank you very much for the interview Johan.We love your songs and like to see you again on the stage of Athens or anywhere else in Greece!!!

Lucy+Purplekittie