Age of Panic, a hardcoreband from Vlaardingen / Rotterdam has been around for quite some time now. I asked their frontman Marco to react on some words I thought might be appropriate:
Age of Panic
Age of Panic has become a part of our lives, we are a group of friends who all share the love for HC. Because of this Paulo and Leon started a band in 1995, which had no name. There were other people in it, like Rob (BCP) who drummed and Menno (the Benno Menace Voilence!!!!) who played guitar. In time Age of Panic formed, Larry replaced Rob and Menno left the band because of other musical interests. In 1996 we created our first own material, which resulted in the first demo "if you think you know the whole, you don't even know the half" (recorded at Via Ritmo studios),Rykers-like-styling.
After that we joined the "Vers uit de Maas" contest, won one evening and therefor earned a place on this CD (part II - 1996). We had 1 day to record 1 song, therefor we recorded 4 others (there was a lot of time left, which resulted in the second demo "Letting off steam"). Then AOP played many gigs in Holland, with big names like "Stuck Mojo"(USA),Backfire,Right Direction,Hometrust and build up their name in the rest of Holland.After that, we recorded demo 3 to get more gigs, that also proved to be very successfull, because Don Foose (The Spudmonsters/Run Devil Run) called me, and asked me if we would like to finish the last Spudmonsters-tour ever with them, so we got on the bus, and kicked ass with the Spuds (Respect to ya guys, you're legends and the greatest ever!!!!!!!!)
Then, after a slight change of style, we went to the Excess studios for 3 days, after our friend, Richard Bruining (Backfire-RIP-respect)advised us to go to this studio (he recorded the determined album there). This all because we heard, through Theo (the Noizz/SCUM bookings agency), that I scream was interested. Because of this recording (demo 4) we could record some songs on the new league of Hardcore part II - album, together with 400$ suits, Hardsell and Urban Conflict (our Friends from beneath tha rivers!!!peace!!!) This album is ment to give the bands which are on it more PR around the world and to see which HC bands can follow up the golden-oldies. So we went to the studio in Brussel and recorded our shit (pay attention, track number 11 is with our friend Danny (Deviate) who took care off the vocals on "Law will fix it!" (Initially Rick ta life would take care of the vocal part, but he got lost in Brussl-you...%#$@%#) This Cd had to be promoted, so we played some joints with the bands on the Cd (headliner :Hard resistance) AOP played many gigs with big names such as: 25 ta life,Blood for Blood,The Spudmonsters, Stuck Mojo, Arkangel,Congress,Crises (USA),Backfire,Lenght of Time,Right Direction,Tech 9, Discipline,Hometrust and many, many others!!!
Vlaardingen
We all, except for Eddie who joined us 2 years ago on the bass(he lives in Rotterdam), live in Vlaardingen, so that's where we practice, where we drink our beers and were it all started . Fortunately now there is Villa musica , because we started out in "Pandemonium" as some off you will remember, this closed because of John, the owner at that time, who couldn't lay his hands off the drugs and destroyed all that what could have been......
Villa Musica is a great place ,we practice there every saturday from 19:00 till 22:00, so if people want to, they can come and check us out !!!!
heroes
Our heroes ?? Well, that's very easy, first of all, we started out playing Rykers-covers, so Rykers are on the list. Number one are the Spudmonsters, we toured with those guys and I have never heard a better album then "The moment of Truth", if you don't have it, buy it, it is a must for all HC-lovers, also their live performance was the best ever (and I have seen a lot of big-great-bands, but nobody could/can top em). Number three is Slayer (no need to explain further I guess) and there are many others, but these three really kick ass and can't be beaten!!!
dreams
Dreams, well, we all would like to win several Million in a lottery, so we can record an album that nobody could ever make :-) But seriously, we are going to record our latest new material (which is unlike the the old-AOP-style, it's new and inproved!!!), to bring out our first full length album on the I scream label and we would like to do Japan !!!! Also we would like to make a lot of money making HC, but only Biohazard is in this position, so screw that dream (who wants to become Biohazard II anyways :-)?!
hardcore
Hardcore has become more then a music-style for us, it has become a way of living also. It will never get out of our blood, we make it, we do it, we breathe it !
scene
Well, the scene in the Rotterdam-area used to be very close but unfortunately it has no influence in the rest of Holland. There are a few bands who made it to the big league, like the Crivits and maybey now Second Chance, but those bands do nothing for the upcoming. You can't blame em for that because it is hard enough to maintain your position when you're from this area! As time went by, more bands came and the scene got spread and not so close as it used to be. If you want to acieve something, you should have contacts in -for example- Eindhoven / Maastricht. We noticed that some persons in Rotterdam still try theire very best, and we respect em for doing that (keep up the good work!). For example the UG and SDS crew, they always have supported new locals and helped em out (respect!). Also Leen Steen from Tocado with his Heel erg Punk festival is doing a good job (That's right, I forgot, you can also find an AOP-song on the "Heel erg Punk part II" CD). I hope that people in the Rotterdam-area will help each other out, because we have noticed, it is very difficult to do shit on your own! Furthermore, rotterdam is more a punk then a HC-city which is a setback for a lot of us :-(
studio
AOP in the past, has failed to get their own-real-live-energy-sound on CD in a studio. We recorded material in several studios, but next time, we will take more time to create a masterpeace and to get our sound on the freakin disc !!!
It is very difficult for the guy recording us, to get our sound on CD, because they are not familiar with this kind of HC, it is not as standard as other HC as you will probably know, and if you don't, come and find out yourselves !!!
gigs / playing live
The live part gets better and better, nowadays people who live in - for example- Groningen and Maastricht come to Rotterdam and other places (far away for them), to see us perform. That's a very good sign ,we like it that way. Performing is the ultimate kick, it is almost better then having sex (not always-it depends on who you are having sex with :-). For example, the last show we did to promote the I Scream album (de Kelder- Amersfoort), we were the only one (The others:Born from pain, Hard Resistance, and Urban Conflict) to really get the crowd going and drive em nuts, they were all over the place and fucked us up in a positive way. After such a gig you want to do 10 more.
covers
We started out playing covers, it's funny to see a new band, they always play a lot of covers because of a lack of their own material and by checking this out, you will see which HC-style they will do. Covers are very important because they'll determine the style of a band! Right now we (sometimes while practising) do 2 Spudmonster covers, 2 Maximum-Penalty covers, a Bad Brains cover(Right Brigade) and a Pantera cover(Stronger then all). But this is seldom and very rare !!!!!
friends
We are all friends and have a lot of friends. In the scene it is also very good to see, that some bands you played with, have become good friends. Not that you visit each other every week, but a blast to see em or hear from them! Bands like UG, C.O.D. (RIP-Unfortunately), Run Devil Run (Don Foose), Second Chance, Urban Conflict, BCP and many, may others became friends while time got by. Friendship is very high on our list, even when we fuck up (like I once did), we can forgive and forget and carry on doing what we do best, making music!!!!
New League of Hardcore part two CD
Well, it is a great album, it's a must (have), unfortunately, I'm not happy with the vocal part. I believe I screwed up in a way because I had a cold, but other people really love this recording. Onno Cromag (Aardschok-magazine) described us as revolutionary and innovative, but I'll promise that next recording will be 100000 times better, and believe me, it will..... !!! Anyway, it is a fucking-great CD, check it out at your local record store (only F 25,-) !!!
I Scream Records
I Scream is the best label around now-a-days. When on I scream records, you can play with big I scream bands, automaticly join the SCUM-booking-agency (Backfire, Deviate and many others) and you have taken a big, big step ahead ! Right now we will record our new songs in Villa Musica to covince Laurens (owner of I scream records, also drummer in Deviate and a good friend) to bring out a full length AOP album!
Onno Cro-Mag
Onno is the HC goeroe, the editor of the HC articles in aardschok-and core-magazines. He's the man that can either make you or brake you. His first love is still OI, but don't forget, he's the man who made HC what is is now and he made it possible for us to perform on the next "European Hardcore-show" in Maastricht!
Respect !!!!! (Onno also thanx for all your positive writing and mentioning us on the thanxlist on your own OI - CD!!!)
SCUM bookingsagency
SCUM bookinsagency is a part of The Noizz-Music Compagny. This is a big bookinsagency where bands such as Backfire, Tech 9, Pitboss 2000, Right Direction, Age of Panic and many many others can be booked. But....it is still possible to book us without this bookings agency (That will save ya a lot of money (doesn't it Frank-Villa-cheapshot??:-))
To book AOP: Marco - Age of Panic, Kamerlin Onnestraat 159, 3132 RP Vlaardingen, E-mail: mnijpjes@energis.nl, tel : 0031 (0)6 24 919 380.
Run Devil Run
Run Devil Run is the band of our good friend Don Foose (Supmonster-Vocals). In the past he became a KRSHNA-devote and on the Spudmonsters album-The moment of truth- you can allready hear the KRSHNA-influences that inspired him. After they broke up, he wanted to make old-school HC(KRSHNA will help you with anything you do, as long you are sincere, according to Don) driven by KRSHNA-lyrics and with KRSHNA-bandmembers(this is a pure coincedence). They are planning to do Europe and as it seems, we can do Europe together with em !!! (word out to Don (aka -Dayal-Nitai das) :"HRSHNA-brother!!!)
message
We don't have a real AOP message, but if I have to come up with one it will be: "Stay happy and Healthy, do your thing and respect one and other, peace out to the scene and the HC-devotes (and come and check us out!!!:-)"
Age of Panic / Marco Nijpjes
Kamerlin Oneestraat 159
3132 RP Vlaardingen
The Netherlands
+31 (0)6-24919380
mnijpjes@energis.nl
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