Interview: Bonded
Interviewer: Tim Finch
For those who have missed it, Bonded have just released their debut album, Rest In Violence via Century Media records. A critically acclaimed release that will see the new band placed high on the thrash pile and no doubt win them a hoard of new fans. I sat down with Makka and Bernd to talk about the band and the new release.
The Razor's Edge: Welcome to The Razor's Edge! For those readers who may be unfamiliar with you guys. Who/what are Bonded?
Bonded: We are Bonded. Bernd “Bernemann” Kost [Guitars], Chris Tsitsis [Guitars], Marc Hauschild [Bass], Ingo Bajonczak [Vocals], Markus “Makka” Freiwald [Drums]
The Razor's Edge: You’ve all performed with a varied range of former bands. How did you all come together?
Makka: Bonded was directly formed after Bernd and I left Sodom. It took us only one hour to decide to go on and never give up doing music and do what we love to do. We started to write songs and tried to find members which fit perfectly to us. The process of finding the perfect bandmates felt like it was taking forever, but we made the best decision we could ever have made and chose our good old friends and companions Chris Tsitsis (ex Suicidal Angels, Destroy them) and Marc Hauschild to get them in the band. We know Marc and Chris for a long time and we also know that both are willing to give 100% for Bonded. And most important, they are brilliant musicians and characters. Marc used to be Bernds guitar tech since 2004 and we know Chris since he came to Germany with Suicidal Angels. So only a singer was missing. It took us a while to bring Ingo into the band. He was the one we really wanted to have in the band. His enormous voice and energy simply convinced us and we tried to win him over.
The Razor's Edge: Do you all bring different elements/ideas to the table when it comes to writing new material?
Bernd: The song basics were more or less prepared by Makka and me. Nevertheless, everyone had the opportunity to put their stamp on the songs. Thanks to the fantastic leads from Chris and Marc's groovy bass, the result could be significantly improved again. Ingo in particular has given the songs an unmistakable character with his expressive vocals.
The Razor's Edge: You’ve got a new album due out very soon, what was the writing/recording process like?
Bernd: I started to collect riffs after the split [with Sodom] and worked together with Makka on the ideas to form the basics for the songs. So we worked successfully in the past. It was exciting to see how the others interpreted the new material, everybody was responsible for his own part. Step by step the songs grew and got a face. Our producer Corny Rambadt also contributed greatly to the success of Rest In Violence with his great commitment and creative ideas.
The Razor's Edge: How much did your experience from other bands influence how you approached this record?
Bernd: Of course we benefit from the experience we have gained over the years, but every new line-up presents you with a new challenge. Despite the personal details, we quickly found a good way for a creative collaboration. Working with the guys and our producer Corny is a pleasure, we absolutely enjoyed it.
The Razor's Edge: The new record features Bobby Blitz (Overkill). How did you pull that one off and what’s it like playing with such a legend?
Bernd: We have known and appreciated Bobby for many years. I met him at an Overkill show last year and he asked me about our new band. After I told him that Speesy [ex-Kreator] would play the bass on a song, he spontaneously offered me to sing this song for us. He liked the idea and was fully involved by also working on the lyrics and the arrangement. We are all very proud of our cooperation. Bobby is one of the last great characters in the scene and a fantastic, authentic guy.
The Razor's Edge: For those who haven't heard it yet, tell us what can we expect from the full album?
Makka: You will get a thrash album which contains all of our musical experience and passion. We hope that thrash metal fans will like the album and help us to go on the road and present it live all over the world. You will be surprised how various the album is and how much passion it transports.
The Razor's Edge: Have you got any aims/goals for this album?
Makka: Yes, we just want to play live as much as possible to spread our music. You never know but we hope that thrash metal fans all over the world will like the album and let us keep going what we love to do and let them be a part of it.
The Razor's Edge: It's your debut album and for a prestigious label in Century Media. What has it been like working with the legendary label?
Makka: Bernd and I have known the label since the beginning and were also signed to Century Media with our previous bands such as DESPAIR and CROWS, which made our decision to work with them pretty easy. The complete label is fully behind us and everyone really does their best. Century is one of the most experienced and well known labels worldwide. For us it is the perfect label... We just feel “BONDED” with Century Media and we are very proud of that. A band from Dortmund on a label from Dortmund, this is just awesome.
The Razor's Edge: So now the album has hits the shelves (or spoitfy playlists) where do Bonded go from here?
Makka: We will wait and see what happens in the future. We already started to write new material to get a second album done as soon as we can. We definitely want to play live as much as possible while we are working on new material. We hope that the fans will like the album and give us some support in a certain kind.
The Razor's Edge: Any touring plans? Summer festivals maybe?
Makka: So far, we don’t have any plans. We would like to play live as much and as soon as possible. We still have to be patient, so far people don't know exactly what we're doing and that's why the bookers are still careful about booking us. But I am looking forward to this. As soon as the album is released we will get some offers I hope.
The Razor's Edge: Are there any countries/venues on your bucket list? Special places to play at least once in your career?
Bernd: I always loved traveling with the band and getting to know other countries and people. One country that is still missing on my list is China, our CD will also appear there and we hope to be able to tip a sack of rice there soon. Finally we love to play everywhere where people like our music and want to have good time at a Bonded show.
The Razor's Edge: When you do hit the road, who do you want to go out on tour with? Who would be your ideal touring partner?
Bernd: In the next few days we will have intensive discussions with our booker and check all possibilities to play live as often as possible. Jumping on a cool tour as support would be great. To play some shows with friends would be fantastic, will be difficult but touring with Overkill, Kreator or Destruction would be a dream.
The Razor's Edge: Thanks for taking time to talk to us.
