At Ieper Fest in Belgium I had the opportunity doing an interview with one of my favorite bands...LIAR.



Ploedi:

Would you please introduce yourself to our readers?

Hans:

I'm Hans, I'm the singer from Liar and turning dirty this year. *Laughs*

The other Line Up is UJ on bass, Bart is our drummer, Lennard that's a new guy and Cristoph is also a new guy, we have two new guitar players.

Ploedi:

How would you describe Liar to somebody who is for example completely into Punkrock.

Hans:

I'd say we are a MetalCore band. Actually our attitude, goals, mission is totally Hardcore. We're totally behind the Straight Edge thing, we're totally into the Animal Rights thing. Some of the members are Vegan, some are Vegetarian, but very strict Vegetarian. We also care about stuff like ecology, human rights, sexism, homophobia, well that's what we are. And I would say we play more Metal than Hardcore but the Hardcore thing is in our heart and our head that's what we try to accomplish. We hate the Metal attitude.

Ploedi:

You said that Hardcore is an attitude thing, do you think that you have to play a certain style of music to be "Hardcore"?

Hans:

I really don't believe in that actually. The thing is for me Hardcore should be an open minded thing. Hardcore is about against social things like state, the society, religion. But like music wise there's no rule. I don't have a definition for Hardcore.

Ploedi:

Reading your lyrics you have very strict Straight Edge texts. What's your opinion on Hardline?

Hans:

The thing is, none of us in Liar is Hardline. Some of us we embrace some topics that Hardline stands for you know, like direct action. Everyone in the band is 100% behind it we believe in pacifism we also believe in the opposite way, you know what I mean? Sometimes actions are needed, if words don't matter, if words don't work, direct action and violence is needed. We are 100% behind it. Hardline also stands for strict things like defending ecology and fighting for nature I like that. On the other hand I don't like when some Hardline people are very homo phobic - you know anti certain people. Thats not what we stand for. Like if you ask me personal me as an individual, for myself I believe in the heterosexual thing, for me that's the most common and natural thing, which doesn't mean I'm against gay people. It just doesn't fit in my nature it doesn't fit in my stereotype. But it's not something we talk about in the band. We just talk about ecorights we talk about other stuff. I'm not against hardline...

Ploedi:

Coming to your lyrics..On the first two records you had more fantasy like lyrics but on "Deathrow Earth" changed to more realistic lyrics....

Hans

Yes I would say that on the first releases the lyrics were very strict like Straight Edge nearly every song's about Straight Edge or Animal Rights. Like on "Deathrow Earth" I wanted to talk more directly and less epic, but in a way it's nice because a lot of people like the fantasy thing. They say that it's nice, they can find different meanings in the lyrics. And right now it's more like clear. I wanted to make a record with direct lyrics and I wanted to let people know. That was also the reason I give some explanation with some lyrics like on "Invictus", every song had some explanation. It's very important I want to let people know what I'm talking about. I want people to understand what I'm saying.

Ploedi:

On your last CD you had some experiments with melodic parts? Do you wanna keep on with melodic parts in Liar songs?

Hans:

I don't think we're gonna do like more full melodic songs. It was like a trial, I always wanted to do that, combining it with our music. We didn't try it before. We're gonna record new songs in November we probably gonna put out a ballad or something like that *laughs* you know we wanna try that. It's kinda nice to melt it in our music. But it's not like Liar is always gonna be like 80% agressive and screaming music of course you know.

Ploedi:

How important do you consider tolerance in the hardcore scene?

Hans:

I'm a very tolerant person if someone's action doesn't restrict mine. I think that's for everyone. Thing is between the Old School - New School we should stick together and actually maybe it's a fantasy thing maybe it's a dream but in reality we should stick together that's the thing. But unfortunately it doesn't work out, for every one it's like a dream. I believe in the unity thing but on the other hand I don't. It's easy to preach like "Unity, Unity, Friendship,.." but in the end people have it in their hearts. I don't want to unite with a guy who shoots heroine in his veins it's not my thing. The thing is we should like fight things that are a threat to the scene like all the violence, the fights the gang stuff. And we should stick together to throw out enemies you know when they act violent, dance violent like they sometimes do at you shows. We should act as a collective, grab the guy and throw him out of the place like "Fuck you, you don't belong in Hardcore". Those are the things we, should fight common enemies.

Ploedi:

Coming back to the violent dancing. What's your opinion on windwilling and kickboxing?

Hans:

I have to like Liar in the past and especially in the beginning didn't forbid it and promoted it, but in the end every Liar show was fucked up, there were people fighting people bleeding people had broken bones, you know. In the end I got fed up with it I don't like 5 acrobats and 5 clowns doing their windmill moves and the rest is standing in the back. We kinda forbid people to windmill now. Everyone must have fun like move up front and sing along, make a big circle pit to make hardcore shows fun not with the risk of breaking your face. In the end we realized it was wrong, when we saw all kids going home like bleeding. It's not right.

Ploedi:

You guys care lot's about ecologic, animal rights, Straight Edge stuff. How much do you care about politics?

Hans:

The thing is I'm not a very political person but I like to know what's going on in the world. I read newspapers and magazines. I wanna know, I read interviews with politicians to see what they have to say. And once in a month or so I watch TV. I like to vote, I like to see Right Wing parties disappearing in our economy and our system. Like in Germany the system right now is good, the Green and Red thing. If I have it right they have a coalition now and it's good.

Ploedi:

Well actually it doesn't work so fine...

Hans:

What it doesn't work? Well but the idea behind it pretty nice you know..

Ploedi:

Well they've promised too many things where everybody knew they could never keep in track with (Hans laughs). They just won the elections with fancy TV spots...

Hans:

...but they have to live up with it now. they have to do it because next time they'll loose. They gotta do something.

Ploedi:

They are already loosing. In the last elections they lost so many seats.

Hans:

Well it's typical for politicians even if it's Green or Blue or Red Parties they are always promising something to keep people nice and like "yeah, vote on me!" it's just a trick. They wanna sell something it's like in a store when they tell you "Buy this it's a good product". But in the end....

Ploedi:

Concerning political things: Do you have any borders where you say "No I absolutely disrespect that"?

Hans:

Well I definitely don't like Right Wing Parties of course and sometimes I can't stand like extreme Left Wing Parties as well. Because it's the same. You have like communist parties in Belgium they embrace Stalinism. Well Stalin come on everyone knows he's responsible for like millions of dead people in Russia and I don't understand why people support that. I hate that as well. I've voted for like a Green Party that's what I'm doing because I mean it's the best thing. Right now there's more like a stronger justice system going on which is ok. If someone gets like ten years for murder or something like that and there's no way he can get free after three months you know that's a new thing and I'm behind that. People should get punished for the stuff they do. That's what I believe.

Ploedi:

Do you believe in the death penalty being a solution?

Hans:

I do. Well but I don't believe in giving the death penalty to a system that doesn't function very right. If you give death penalty to a system like in the USA for example 90 % of the people who end on the chair are black people which is wrong. But I think like if it's proven like serial killers who killed like a couple of hinder people or like that. In America they start a fan club people can marry with them, people can write with them, it's not right you just should kill him, that's all. That's my point of view on death penalty, I'm for justice, eye for an eye, I believe in that. If it's proven and the person is guilty and he says "Ok, I'm guilty, I did it" than why bother?

Ploedi:

What about Dutroux?

Hans:

Yeah, he killed like two innocent kids and a man, buried them in the ground. He escaped from his prison, they should give him an ejection, a pill or whatever. They shouldn't torture him anymore, they shouldn't do the same thing as animal as he is. Just like make him sleep and that's it. I'm behind that. I'm not for brutality I'm for justice. We have a song about that actually. Like the song "Take aim for total destruction" which is about rape and about abuse of women. You know like every four minutes on this planet get abused on it's role which is horrible. I mean the guy who did it he gets like a therapy and they help him out and they give him medicine to kinda cure him. And the victim is left on the cold and no one bothers about the woman who gets offended. It's like "Oh, you probably look for yourself because you wear like a too short skirt". HEy come on even if you walk naked no one has the right to touch you. This is still like this discriminating thing and i hate that it makes me angry.

Ploedi:

Do you consider Liar being a Pro Life band?

Hans:

I wouldn't say that Liar is a Pro-Life band since not all members are Pro-Life. It's not an issue we embrace with the band. But I think, if I have it right more that the half of the band is Pro-Life. I am.

Ploedi:

Coming back to rape: what about a woman getting a child from a rape?

Hans:

First I have to tell you in case of rape the woman gets so traumatized, she gets like a trauma. Her body doesn't accept the rejects so there's less than 1% of a chance of getting a child. Well, they should let it come and give it to adoption or something like that. That's what I believe.

Ploedi:

Considering the latest food scandals in Belgium: Do you think this is a good chance to educate more people towards vergetarianism or veganism?

Hans:

Well I think Veganism is a bit too extreme you know. But for going vegetarian, definitely. I think in Belgium sales of vegetarian food products raised at about 50 %. Even half of my family turned vegetarian and I know a lot of people around who turned vegetarian which is a great thing. Some kids get raised vegan some get raised vegetarian. You know I only have one thing: we'll win that's all. We as vegetarians and vegans will be winning this war. I think in about 50 years or something like that 3/4 of the world population will be vegetarian because they have to. There are so many scandals and sickness and corruption stupid stuff like that which isn't healthy anymore and people won't want it anymore. The thing is they start manipulation vegetables which is kinda bad. I think all the big industries are all gonna jump in the vegetarian market right now.

Ploedi:

So you're against gene manipulation?

Hans:

Definitely. You should leave it like it is, you shouldn't clone or make like two sheeps of the same I mean where is it gonna end probably they'll make like the same humans. It's wrong.

Ploedi:

So what about the future plans with Liar?

Hans:

Well this year we'll gonna do a small tour at the end of the year. We are gonna do Australia and New Zealand for two weeks, we'll do an America tour with the band Decipher and a big European tour with Brother's Keeper from the States. We'll tour a lot.

Ploedi:

What about the new CD?

Hans:

I think it'll be out in December! And in the meantime we're gonna do a split with Length Of Time which is on the label. It's a metal cover from the band Destruction which is a German band and LOT will do a Slayer Cover.

Ploedi:

Will you be on the Goodlife Metal Tribute Sampler?

Hans:

Yeah, there's a Thrash Metal Tribute Album and we're gonna do "Creeping Death" from Metallica (Laughs) and then we'll be on a Cro Mags Tribute and a Bad Brains Tribute which is not a Straight Edge Band, but which is a nice band, very influential for us. And we're gonna record like a whole set of Old School Covers which is gonna be Judge, Unit Pride, Wide Awake and all the stuff and on the other side of the record there'll be Heavy Metal Covers. And also we're gonna play some Old School shows with Old Church covers like five or six. And Building, our friends, will do Uniform Choice and One X More another band from Belgium will do Minor Threat Covers. We'll do like a small tour just like with theese Old School covers that's fun because we like older hardcore. You know I like a lot of other bands I like Ensign for example I like Thumbs Downs ( is playing now) I'm enthusiastic about every kind of hardcore. We listen to everything, Metal, Reggae, everything.

Ploedi:

Actually what are the most influential bands on Liar?

Hans:

I think old Integrity for example, Satyricon, Bolt Thrower, Earth Crisis all lot of bands you know, Death, Morbid Angel, Bad Brains, Youth Of Today even. They were here for the Straight Edge pride you know.

Ploedi:

What's on with Sober Mind Records?

Hans:

I've put out Lifecycle, they've played today, with the female singer. They're a Straight Edge band like Emo kind of stuff. I'm gonna put them out. Then Sunrise which is a band from Poland, they play tomorrow. They are very nice, very Metal and very Vegan Straight Edge. And I'll gonna do a full length LP for Building which is Old School Straight Edge. Sober Mind is a "Straight Edge only" label since 1993.

Ploedi:

What's up with Blindfold?

Hans:

I think we'll play a couple of farewell shows. I met the singer today we don't fight with each other. Right now we talk to each other, you know, I hate fighting with my old friends. And we talked and we were like we should make a decent farewell.
I think we're gonna quit, yes. because Liar has taken a lot of my time and it's my priority at the moment because it goes very good and people are enthusiastic. For me it feels best right now. With Blindfold we played like seven years, we toured and playes shows we put a lot of records. I love Blindfold and I love the guy from Blindfold still you know, they're still my best friends. They are very sincere and behind the hardcore ethic but now it's time to move on. They're a new band now, they have three other members and I'm very curious about it.

Ploedi:

If you have some final words?

Hans:

Final words are always bad for me because I don't know what to say. Thank you for the interview and just pick our record and see us on tour!


Wow what an interview, Hans was one of the most interesting guys I've ever talked to. Liar's music might not be the thing for everybody, but their lyrics and explanations are worth to be read and thought about. I hope you saw through this interview that he's a very tolerant person. I have to say that my personal opinion doesn't match the one Hans in some topics, but different opinions are here to be discussed: if you wanna write your opinion just go ahead and send me an e-mail to ploedi@allschools.net!

Thanks to Hans for this wonderful interview, sorry for the delay and "Death to false metal" :-)