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Writer's pictureJongin Arnhem

Young talent in Arnhem:

Updated: Nov 1, 2023

thrash metal band ‘ObnoXious’



Well over a year ago they stood in Willemeen. The Arnhem based thrash metal band ObnoXiouS, made up by singer Jeff (22), guitarist Max (21), bassist Duco (23) and drummer Daan (20). Many gigs later, we are introduced to the four. What does it mean to start a band? How is it to play shows? Do they have plans for the future?


From left to right: Daan, Jeff, Duco, Max



how did obnoxious come about?

It all started with Jeff: ''From the moment I was gifted Guitar Hero 3 when I was about eight or ten years old, I wanted to start a band. When I was fourteen I started actively looking for bandmembers. I met lots of different people but it took a full year for me to find a good match, Duco. Bassists can be really hard to find so I immediately knew I had to keep him close. After Duco, Daan joined through 'Muzikantenbank', an online forum. The ad was about a year old but we were still looking for a drummer. During our first session Daan played 'It's So Easy' from Guns n' Roses, and it was an instant hit.

We also had a great connection playing together and that's how he joined the band. Last but not least Max joined the band, who I knew from school. We already had a guitarist at that point but we parted ways amicably. Since the band has been complete things have been going very well, both on and off stage, which is really fun."


how would you describe your music?

Thrash metal with a bit of punk. We don't stick to just one genre, thrash is more of a guideline. We all have our own tastes in music. One loves death metal the other likes grunge, we don't like to place ourselves in a box.


How was your first show?



Our first show was a seated concert due to the pandemic measures at the time. Three bands were scheduled to perform that day. We were supposed to be the support act, but the headliner couldn't come so now all of a sudden we were the main act. We played for about 1.5 hours in total and halfway through the set list everyone started standing up and moshing, it was so much fun. Since that gig we have had many more shows. Some less fun than others due to poor arrangements and such. We are not picky but we just want things to be handled properly. Our best gig on the other hand was at student association Unitas, a packed evening where at least 1/4 of the room was moshing.


Besides performing, are any of you working on solo projects?

No. At the moment we don't have any serious solo projects and our focus lies solely on ObnoXiouS. Off stage we're mostly practicing, but at the same time we don't practice that often really. Usually when we have a show planned we start practicing about a week in advance, just to warm up and see if there's anything to improve. We haven't had any huge blunders on stage, when something goes wrong it's usually something pretty small.


Where do you see obnoxious in ten years?

On Spotify with two albums at least. It would be fun to earn a living making music, but we mostly just want to bring our music into the world. To look back later and have our songs still be there. In ten years we want to have played a lot more gigs, we would love to play at Doonroosje in Nijmegen sometime. We want to create a name for ourselves. If all else fails we will hopefully still be four good friends jamming every now and then.


Photo by Joyce van Lith / Jongin Arnhem

What tips would you like to share to starting bands/musicians?

Have fun, keep it exciting. Don't set your expectations too high. Don't expect to have a connection with everybody right away. In fact, you should be happy if you're able to play a full song together. Making music is one thing but communication can be even more important. Talk about your feelings, if you don't like something just say so. You really have to find the right people. If you enter the practice room for four hours and nothing happens, it's better to just quit.

A good connection, clear communication and having fun are the three most important aspects to search for.

 

Keep an eye on ObnoXiouS' socials for updates, gigs and more!



© Jongin Arnhem 2022 - present

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