Razorblade interview taken from the "Made in Pressburg" fanzine. Hello Wouter, the release of your new album have clear outline. The story goes about end of the September... Yes, finnally there is a release date for the new Razorblade... It took Pure Impact a long time to release it because he had so much other releases planned... but the album will be ready at the end of September... Pure Impact will release it and will be the main distributor of the CD, but I will also help to distribute and promote the CD through rebellion records, so two labels that are pushing one CD will give Razorblade maximum exposure, so this means we will be in the hit-parade soon ;-) Can you introduce it new album shortly? The new album is titled: "Skinheads Are Back!"... It contains 12 songs with more diversity than the first album... the spreading fear album had a very hard and brutal sound... the new album is even more fucking brutal... really hard growling brickwall oi!... A few special songs that are on the new album: Hunt you down: is about the tragic shooting at skinhead pub "the Kastelein" I think everyone in the scene knows the story, but for those who don't I explain: 2 Junkie's/drugsdealers come into the kastelein, one of them drops a gun and a fight start with some kastelein customers... One skinhead named Vince was shot and was serieusly injured, he had been in a coma for a very long time, now he has recovered, and he keeps visiting the kastelein shows... Skinhead Joke: That is a song about disco kids who like hardcore house and started dressing like skinheads... that's a huge problem for our scene in Holland... those techno "skins" call themselves skinheads, but they have zero knowledge of our culture, they like to dance away on big commercial events and the most of them are heavy hard-drugs users... so in fact they are the very opposite of what a real skinhead is about... but because they steal our looks they make us look stupid... the songs "techno Kids" en "Sloop de Discotheek" are also about those fuckers... The last track is an acoustic track called "The lion's Roar" with guestvocals of Viktor Badlands... My favourite track of the new album is "Jeugdcultuur" a track in dutch language about our skinhead cult. The new album will be release by Pure Impact Records. Why did you leave your label Rebellion Records and did this step? At the time when we were recording the "Skinheads are Back" album I was just planning releases like Hateful, the new badlands, streetpunk worldwide etc. I didn't have the money or time to do Razorblade inbetween... Also Pure Impact is a well-kown skinhead label who is in the scene many more years than I do and i think peter can do a good job for Razorblade... How came to the co-operation with Pure Impact? I have good contact with Peter since the beginning of Rebellion Records, so I just phoned em from the Studio if he wanted to do the new Razorblade on his label... he sold pretty much of our first CD and we did a good gig at the kastelein so that deal was easily made. I must say that I thought/hoped that it was released somewhat sooner, but hey... you can't have anything, right? Can you tell us how was making the new songs and when did you was in studio? I just wrote all the songs at home and rehearsed em with Ruud who also drummed on the first album... I recorded the songs in two weekends in October 2003, so the recordings are almost a year old. We have already new songs and we release a split album in 6 months or so... maybe with a USA skinhead band called Strongarm and the bullies! How are you satisfied with the new album? Yes i am very satisfied with it... It was meant to be a brutal skinhead rock album and it turned out to sound that way... I am also happy about the first album I think that from the first album 'Spreading fear' came into the band to the some personal changes. For what reason came to this? We worked with 4 different drummers, but now we have a stable line-up... the other drummers were busy with their own bands and didn't had the time to concentrate on Razorblade Well, can you introduce yourself and current members of the band? We have Joost (24) on bass, he played also in Knockdown (RIP) and sometimes in Discipline... he is a football hooligan, he just finished school and is looking for a job. our 2 new members are Stijn (19, drums) and Olivier (20, rythem guitar)... Stijn is still in school and Olivier works as a bartender. I am Wouter (24, vocals, guitar) I work as a driver for the post and I run a label / mailorder. We are all fanatical drinkers... Razorblade was found as a project, but great responses change your plans, I think. How did you sense this explosion of interest about band? We don't really think about our music, we are skins and we want to make hard skinhead music and that's what we do... we try to keep it simple so we can also play our songs on stage when we are drunk! Maybe people like the simplicity and honesty of our band... We also put a lot of energy in getting a good heavy production and sound on the CD... I think people like that heavy sound for a skinhead band. I'll go back to your label Rebellion Records for a moment. Rebellion Records did good name on the scene, for short time of exists. How are you satisfied with work of label? Yes I am satisfied, but there are still a lot of regions where people never heard of rebellion records and its bands, escpeccially in southern Europe, UK and USA and I am working to get some more promotion and distribution over there... If I look to Holland and Belgium, it's good to see new bands are started... like 5 years ago there were maybe 3 real oi! Bands in holland... now younger kids see that our bands and the label is doing well and start a band of their own... also older skins are starting bands... active and real oi! bands in Holland now are: Evil Conduct, Get out, Razorblade, Close Combat, The Young Ones (brandnew band of younger brothers of other bandmembers), Discharger, City Riot, Bootknife, After The Fire... there are also a lot of crossover bands who attract skins on their shows like the super band Discipline, Tech 9, Banner of thugs, Southern Way, but you will get a good overview when the Oi! Made in Holland (lowprice) sampler is out... I think that exactly about Badlands had to be major interest from side of bigger labels. How did you proved keep the band on the Rebellion? Why came to the split-up of the band? No other labels showed interest... Badlands sounds a bit more commercial than other bands, but it was a 100% skinhead band... Viktor (singer) is one of my best friends, and the other members are very good friends too! I play it honest towards the rebellion bands, so therefore they didn't want to search for another label... Some band members didn't want to continue with the band... but Eef (guitar) and Niels (bass) are in another band already with ex Offside and Best Wishes members... that band is called: After The Fire, and plays ultra brutal skinhead rock!!! You can hear a song of them on the upcoming sampler (OI! Made in Holland) I know that came to the union between Rebellion Records and another Dutch label Bouncing Sole Records. What further releases we can wait in the future? It's not exactly a union... Rebellion Records took over the releases from Bouncing Sole cause Maurice didn't had the time for it anymore... he can focus more on the Mailorder now... he still recruites bands for the label and we have a massive list of upcoming releases... We just released Get Out (Dutch Oi!) and Bottlejob (London Oi!). This week new CD's of Close Combat (Dutch Oi! , with Maurice ex-Hardsell) and Banner Of Thugs (hardcore/rock/streetpunk) came in. For the near future we have planned: - Discharger (Dutch Oi! a la Badlands and Discipline, great) - Oi Made In Holland (Dutch Oi! sampler) - Glittertind LP (viking rock ala Ultima Thule) - Clockwork crew (singles collection) - Pug Uglies (Boston USA streetpunk) - Southern Way (new album) - Close Combat/Bootknife (split album of Dutch Oi!) - Johnny cash tribute (feat 30 great bands who cover the man in black, Razorblade does San Quentin, other bands are Badlands, Peter Pan, Broilers, Vortex, Reno Divorce, Emschekurve 77, and lots more). - Hateful (new CD) - Badlands (re-release of the sold out False Gestures CD + 10 live bonus songs) - Razorblade / Strongarm & The Bullies (split)