Gorefest
Encyclopedia
Gorefest was a Dutch
band from the Zeeland
region of the Netherlands
which was founded in 1988 as a death metal
outfit by De Koeyer, Harthoorn, van Schaik and Hoogendoorn.
featuring one of the most low-pitched and cavernous voices ever heard in death metal. A Dutch independent label, Foundation 2000, signed them for one album. Before recording Mindloss they first released another demo in 1990, which also received positive feedback. As a supporting act for Carcass
they travelled through Belgium
and the Netherlands impressing the metal-scene also on stage. Colin Richardson
was the producer of 1991's album Mindloss.
Before they toured with Revenant from New Jersey
, guitarist Alex van Schaik was replaced by Boudewijn Bonebakker
. Not satisfied with Foundation 2000, Gorefest signed a contract in 1992 with Nuclear Blast
. Hoogendoorn quit because of incidents during the Mindloss-tour and drummer Ed Warby (who came from melodic band called Elegy) took his place just two weeks before recording sessions of False which was also produced by Colin Richardson. The album sold relatively well in the Netherlands and Germany
for a band of the genre.
In the months to come they completed a European tour with Deicide
and Atrocity
, playing in Germany, Sweden
, Spain
, Czech Republic
, Slovakia
and England
. In 1993 Gorefest played a show at the Dynamo Open Air
at Eindhoven. The Eindhoven Insanity was released soon thereafter, featuring this performance. Also in 1993, they toured North America as a supporting act for metal band Death. Their Insanity Tour closed with a show in Mexico City
, Mexico
.
Erase was recorded in 1994 with producer Pete Coleman and revealed a more mature Gorefest with a different attitude towards traditional death metal. As a result, public opinion towards Gorefest was divided. Erase ,however, proved to be a success as international sales went well through 1994 and 1995. The band reached a broader set of countries in the following tours.
and Freedom single, Gorefest revealed new tracks showing that they wanted to drastically expand upon the musical changes they had applied in Erase (De Koeijer declared in some interviews that he even had thoughts about taking singing lessons). This would be confirmed in 1996 with a rockish Soul Survivor - a total departure from their roots even showing traces of pop
- and a very similar Chapter 13 in 1998.
They even abandoned their heavy image and the graphics for these works were less extreme. Inexorably, fans turned their backs on them and the sales of the album was a relative fiasco, thus they split up in 1998.
from Antfarm Studios.
“Rise To Ruin” is the next chapter in the history of Gorefest. "Rise To Ruin" was released on August 3 in Europe and August 28 in the US. The American release was licensed to Candlelight Records.
On the 15th of June 2009 the band announced that they were calling it quits again, stating that they felt they had gone as far with the band as they could.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
band from the Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
region of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
which was founded in 1988 as a death metal
Death metal
Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal. It typically employs heavily distorted guitars, tremolo picking, deep growling vocals, blast beat drumming, minor keys or atonality, and complex song structures with multiple tempo changes....
outfit by De Koeyer, Harthoorn, van Schaik and Hoogendoorn.
History
Within two months of existence these four death metal enthusiasts recorded a death metal demoDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
featuring one of the most low-pitched and cavernous voices ever heard in death metal. A Dutch independent label, Foundation 2000, signed them for one album. Before recording Mindloss they first released another demo in 1990, which also received positive feedback. As a supporting act for Carcass
Carcass (band)
Carcass are an extreme metal band from England, who formed in 1985 and disbanded in 1995. A reunion was enacted in 2008 without one of its original members, drummer Ken Owen, due to health reasons....
they travelled through Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
and the Netherlands impressing the metal-scene also on stage. Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson
Colin Richardson is a British record producer, mixer and recording engineer. He has worked on over 100 albums, and is most frequently associated with heavy metal and its subgenres such as:*Anathema*As I Lay Dying*Behemoth*Bullet for My Valentine...
was the producer of 1991's album Mindloss.
Before they toured with Revenant from New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, guitarist Alex van Schaik was replaced by Boudewijn Bonebakker
Boudewijn Vincent Bonebakker
Boudewijn Vincent Bonebakker was born and raised in the town of Goes but moved to Breda at the age of 18. He is best known as the guitarist of Gorefest.He bought his first guitar at the age of sixteen...
. Not satisfied with Foundation 2000, Gorefest signed a contract in 1992 with Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast
Nuclear Blast is an independent record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The record label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label moved on to releasing albums by melodic...
. Hoogendoorn quit because of incidents during the Mindloss-tour and drummer Ed Warby (who came from melodic band called Elegy) took his place just two weeks before recording sessions of False which was also produced by Colin Richardson. The album sold relatively well in the Netherlands and Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
for a band of the genre.
In the months to come they completed a European tour with Deicide
Deicide (band)
Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...
and Atrocity
Atrocity (band)
Atrocity is a German Heavy Metal band formed in Ludwigsburg.-History:First started in 1985 as Instigators and playing grindcore, Atrocity arose as a death metal band with their debut EP, Blue Blood, in 1989, followed soon by Hallucinations, a concept album about drug use...
, playing in Germany, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In 1993 Gorefest played a show at the Dynamo Open Air
Dynamo Open Air
Dynamo Open Air was a festival in the Netherlands held every year since 1986, until 2005. Originally held to celebrate the fifth anniversary of the Dynamo rock club in Eindhoven, it has grown exponentially since then, and from a 5,000-person attendance in the Dynamo parking lot, it had grown to...
at Eindhoven. The Eindhoven Insanity was released soon thereafter, featuring this performance. Also in 1993, they toured North America as a supporting act for metal band Death. Their Insanity Tour closed with a show in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
.
Erase was recorded in 1994 with producer Pete Coleman and revealed a more mature Gorefest with a different attitude towards traditional death metal. As a result, public opinion towards Gorefest was divided. Erase ,however, proved to be a success as international sales went well through 1994 and 1995. The band reached a broader set of countries in the following tours.
Rupture with the past
In the Fear EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
and Freedom single, Gorefest revealed new tracks showing that they wanted to drastically expand upon the musical changes they had applied in Erase (De Koeijer declared in some interviews that he even had thoughts about taking singing lessons). This would be confirmed in 1996 with a rockish Soul Survivor - a total departure from their roots even showing traces of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
- and a very similar Chapter 13 in 1998.
They even abandoned their heavy image and the graphics for these works were less extreme. Inexorably, fans turned their backs on them and the sales of the album was a relative fiasco, thus they split up in 1998.
Comeback
Gorefest reformed in 2004 and played various summer festivals in 2005. The band then came out with a new album, "La Muerte". They produced the album themselves, with mixing by Tue MadsenTue Madsen
Tue Madsen is a Danish music producer and sound engineer, who is well known in metal genre for his work with bands like The Haunted, Mnemic, Hatesphere, Ektomorf, Cataract, Exmortem, and Born from Pain. His first work as a producer was the album Embraced by the Absolute by Autumn Leaves in 1997...
from Antfarm Studios.
“Rise To Ruin” is the next chapter in the history of Gorefest. "Rise To Ruin" was released on August 3 in Europe and August 28 in the US. The American release was licensed to Candlelight Records.
On the 15th of June 2009 the band announced that they were calling it quits again, stating that they felt they had gone as far with the band as they could.
Studio albums
- MindlossMindloss- Band members :* Jan Chris de Koeijer - vocals, bass guitar* Alex van Schaik - guitar* Frank Harthoorn - guitar* Marc Hoogendoorn - drums...
(1991) - FalseFalse (album)-Band members:* Jan Chris de Koeijer - vocals, bass guitar* Frank Harthoorn - guitar* Boudewijn Bonebakker - guitar* Ed Warby - drums...
(1992) - EraseErase (album)-Band members:* Jan Chris de Koeijer - vocals, bass guitar* Frank Harthoorn - guitar* Boudewijn Bonebakker - guitar* Ed Warby - drums...
(1994) - Soul SurvivorSoul Survivor (Gorefest album)Soul Survivor is the fourth studio album released by Dutch death metal band Gorefest. It was released in 1996 on Nuclear Blast Records.-Track listing:# "Freedom" - 4:32# "Forty Shades" - 4:14# "River" - 4:33# "Electric Poet" - 4:20...
(1996) - Chapter 13Chapter 13 (album)Chapter 13 is the fifth studio album released by Dutch death metal band Gorefest. It was released in 1998.- Track listing :# "Chapter Thirteen" - 3:05# "Broken Wing" - 4:04# "Nothingness" - 2:23# "Smile" - 3:08# "The Idiot" - 3:37...
(1998) - La MuerteLa MuerteLa Muerte is the sixth studio album by Dutch death metal band Gorefest. It was released in 2005 on Nuclear Blast Records. It was also released by Night of the Vinyl Dead in May 2006 as a double black vinyl with a colour insert...
(2005) - Rise to RuinRise To RuinRise to Ruin is seventh studio album released by Dutch death metal band Gorefest. It was released in 2007 through Nuclear Blast. The album was released on September 25, 2007 in the US.-Track listing:# "Revolt" - 5:27# "Rise to Ruin" - 4:48...
(2007)
Members
- Jan Chris de Koeijer - vocals, bass guitar
- Frank HarthoornFrank HarthoornFrank Harthoorn was born, raised and still resides in Goes, and is best known for his position as guitarist in Gorefest...
- guitar - Boudewijn BonebakkerBoudewijn Vincent BonebakkerBoudewijn Vincent Bonebakker was born and raised in the town of Goes but moved to Breda at the age of 18. He is best known as the guitarist of Gorefest.He bought his first guitar at the age of sixteen...
- guitar - Ed WarbyEd WarbyEdward R. Warby was born and raised in Rotterdam and is best known as the drummer for Gorefest and Ayreon.He also appeared in the band Agressor in 1982 and joined the Eindhoven-based prog-outfit Elegy in 1987...
- drums