“Trash Pop from Poland”

Suiciderock: For everybody who does not know about your band, would you be that nice and tell us a bit about the history of the band?
Stefan H: Your turn.
Malte: We are Exposed to Noise from Altena / Dortmund. We make music. Our music goes in the direction of Post Hardcore, Metal and Screamo. We are not so sure about what's happening today and I hope that we can convince the people.

Suiciderock: Can you decribe yourselfes as members of the band a bit?
Stefan H (whispers, laughs): I'm the bass player.
Malte (laughs): I'm the bass player. Nothing more to add.
Stefan H: I'm singing. I guess that's all I know spontaneously. I'm one of the songwriters, okay you cannot call it songwriter, it`s more like textwriter. Well, and he is the drummer, who doesn`t talk that much.
Stefan B: I`m the drummer. We all have different characters, I think.
Malte: We only brought the quiet ones of our band to this interview. We left the rest in the backstage. The guitar-player is not allowed to join us, he tells a lot of shit.
Stefan B: He would tell too much in the interviews.

Suiciderock: In 2002 you changed your name from White Chapel into Exposed to Noise. Why?
Stefan H: Because our band went through changes at this time. We had some difficulties, which have also been the reason why I quitted for a while, but now we are happy together again, as you can see. This was the time, when we made a new beginning and so we decided to change the name.

Suiciderock: And how did the idea for the new name come up?
Stefan H (pointing to Malte): That's your story. At this time I haven`t been there.
Malte: I was browsing through the web trying to find a new bandname and I found this English-German dictionary. We found some names and made the decision for Exposed to Noise. It's difficult anyway to find a name for your band because you have to find something that doesn`t exist already and it also has to fit to the guys playing in the band. Everybody had some namesuggestions and at the end everybody decided that the name fits.
Suiciderock: So there is no deeper Story behind?
Malte: No, not at all. Noise fits perfectly because the people who listen to our music are exposed to noise.
Stefan B: Many people describe our music as noise.
Malte: We are not only that hard. We also have some slower tracks. Today we can only play one of them because we would have to change the guitars so often when we play the others ones as well. The reason why we play this song today is because the dad of our guitar player celebrates his birthday today. He is here with us and he wanted us to play that song.
Suiciderock: Well you can fullfill a wish from time to time.
Malte: Yeah, of course.

Suiciderock: You said that some people describe your music as noise. How would you describe it than?
Stefan H: Also as noise? No.
Malte: Trash Pop from Poland.
Stefan H: Trash Pop from Poland. It's difficult to describe it. You have this Metal Emo Core influences, the alternative style and we always try to combine it with our melodies. I also try to sing clear and not only to scream.
Malte: I think we have our own character as not everybody sings like you. If you read cd reviews about us...
Stefan H: Some say it`s good and some say it`s shit.
Malte: Exactly like this. It's polarized.
Stefan H: It seems that it is very polarized. I`ve recognised that there is not so much between. Very very seldom. Either it is really good or...
Malte(laughs): We like that. That's why we do this. Next week we will have a new singer.

Suiciderock: How do you cope with the bad critics? Do you read all of them?
Stefan H: We try to. Of course, it hits you very hard when you release your first record and than you have to read such bad critics but you get used to it. You learn to live with them. I mean you have no choice.
Malte: Well, I refused to read the Metal Hammer critic this time.
Stefan H: I did. It was a bit better this time. I'm reading the magazine since 11 years and than I had to find such a critic in it that was not so nice. But as I said, there are also the positive aspects. You try to find out the positive aspects while reading good critis and when it comes to that critics you have to differ what is contructive or simply crap. When it`s constructive you try to change it.

Suiciderock: In 2004 you made your first record contract with STF records and your debut album A reference to desulation was released in December 2005. What was it like for you to record the album? What was the studio work like?
Malte: Exhausting and funny. We have been in the studio for three or four weeks.
Stefan H: Four weeks...
Malte: ...Yeah we recorded four weeks and a soundcard was broken, which was very nervwrecking as we couldn`t record for one day.
Stefan H: It's also about the time.
Malte: You are in a hurry and you have to record some tracks again and again.This takes a while. But mostly it was fun. We also had the opportunity to sleep in the same building.
Stefan H: Yeah it was fun. I had problems with my voice on one day, so I got a little bit under time pressure.
Malte: When you go in the studio you have adapt to the atmosphare and that takes a little while. Our singer does it right. He starts a little bit slower and than 30 minutes later he becomes really good.
Stefan H: That's shit as we only have 30 minutes today.
Malte: I`m not talking about the show. In the studio you stand in front of a microphone and you have this earplugs and than you should be able to get in the right mood. It's the same when it comes to playing the bass. I first have to play a while and than we can start. Don`t get me wrong, this is not a critic, you know?
Stefan H: No, you are right. I always have to get in the right mood before I can start and after the first 30 minutes it is okay.
Malte: He is the one where you can recognise it mostly. He has to record at the end and we are sitting there totally tired, waiting that we can finnish everything and than it is his turn.

Suiciderock (laughs): He is surely nervous, too, because everyone of you is looking at him and he is the only one who is still missing.
Stefan H (laughs): That`s okay.
Malte: As I said you have to adapt to the atmosphare in the studio first and you cannot compare that to a live show.
Stefan H: While playing live nobody would recognise a little misstake on stage not like in the studio where every misstake gets clear.
Stefan B: It was also new for us to work according to a concept. We haven`t done this before.

Suiciderock: Who was the producer?
Stefan B: It was our label chef. He had a different style when it comes to music and you can find his influences in our sound and our songs. Well, so we learnt that we have to get back to our own influences the next time a little bit more.

Suiciderock: Have you been convinced before the release of the album or did you feel unsure?
Stefan H: I would say, that we have been convident otherwhise we wouldn`t have given it free for the release. Of course, I was a bit nervous but more in the way that I finally wanted to know how the people out there will react when hearing it.
Stefan B: Of course, now that the album is released you want to change this and that, but all in one we are quite convident with the result.

Suiciderock: Where does the inspiration for your songs come from?
Stefan H: It's quite different. It`s mostly about stuff, that happens around me. Once I wrote a song about raping, but that doesn't mean that I have been raped. It was simply the theme that made my mind working at this time and so, I wrote it down. But there are also personal experiences I`m writing about. That`s totally different. I just write about stuff that comes to my mind. Normally the guitar player and I are the songwriters and we met for exchanging informations. He wrote some parts of a song and I had some parts so we tried to put them together. That was quite interesting. I don`t know what he has in the background right now, because he is very metaphorically.

Suiciderock: You´ve already played some gigs this year. What was it like? How did the audience react?
Malte: Actually the reactions have been quite good. Of course, it depends of the events. For example yesterday, we had a gig and after us a hip hop band performed and right after them a reggae band played. Of course there were people in the crowd who didn`t like our music that much. So the crowd reactions have been a little low at this gig. But luckily we had other concerts where the people who like our music came and so the atmosphare in front of the stage was great. We always give our best while performing, we always have fun while playing and when we see the people in front of the stage rocking it`s even more fun.
Stefan H: That gives you a special kick. It`s always different. You can't meet everybodys taste, when you play at festivals like this today, because the people are so different. Our show at the Matrix was pretty good. The atmosphare was great.

Suiciderock: Time to make a little bit promotions for yourselfes: Why should people go to your shows and why should they buy your records?
Malte: Because we rock!
Stefan H: That`s the best way to explain it.

Suiciderock: Any funny tourstory to tell?
Stefan H (laughs): I don`t know, if we should tell them.
Malte: I try to pick one. Tourstorys? (thinks)
Stefan H: Well, we have seen a lot and made a lot of experiences. Once I felt off the stage. I wanted to do stage diving once in my life. The only problem was that there was very less crowd, but I thought it would be nice. 
Malte: The stage was quite high...
Stefan H: Yes, the stage was almost as tall as I am and the landing was a little bit harsh...
Stefan B: He was stumbling down the stage.
Stefan H: The show went on, I first laughed my socks off and than it started to hurt. 
Stefan B: Everybody laughed.
Stefan H: The next day has been very painfull. A wheelchair would have been good. 
Malte: I can imagine...
Stefan H: You were just laughing and I...
Malte: We have a nice video of that.
Stefan B: You can see the band all the time and suddenly the singer is missing.
Stefan H: After a while he came back, laughed and somehow the show went on. But he didn`t make it back on stage. It was the last song anyway.
Suiciderock: Luckily it was the last song, so you didn`t have to suffer for another 30 minutes.
Stefan H: It was okay.

Suiciderock: Today we are at the Burgrock Festival. Is there any band you have to see and which band would you like to skip?
Stefan H: Without words: Amorphis. I have to see them. I have every cd of them and when I heard that we play here together with Amorphis I was amazed. That`s cool. Well, and we have to watch the rest as well.
Suiciderock: So there is no band, which you don't want to see at all?
Stefan H: No, I have to admit that I don't know the newcomer bands that well and so I simply have to have a look at them. And we also will watch the gigs of the other two bands, Negative and Apoptygma Berzerk. Amorphis is the most important act for me today.

Suiciderock: Any new ideas for your second album so far? When can we expect it?
Malte: Of course, we have new ideas. I guess we will hit the studio in the beginning of next year and than we will start to record the new album. We already started to write new songs for the new album and we also have started with the preproduction. Yeah, this are the first  steps and as I said it propably comes out next year. But you can't say anything before we have recorded it. When it comes to the songs: They will be a little bit more aggressive compared to our old songs. The reason for that is our personal taste. Okay we also have some calmer songs, which we haven`t written yet, but I'm sure that there will be some also on the next record.
Stefan B: Maybe it will be also a little bit electronic.
Malte: We will work with electronic stuff as well. At the moment we are starting to arrange all the samples and effects. Of course, we try to include them also in our live set later on but therefor we first need the right equipment. We only have turntables with us so far. That's our plan.
Stefan H: That`s a nice way to say it.
Malte: Thanks.

Suiciderock: What about your future plans of the band besides recording the new album?
Malte: Oh you mean further plans than recording our album?
Suiciderock: Yes.
Malte: More shows, more live performances.
Stefan H: Playing, playing, playing...
Malte: Right. That's fun!
Stefan B: Maybe to play not only in Westphalia.
Malte: At the end of last year we also played in Munich and Osnabrück. We will also play in Hamburg and Berlin. We have to get more known everywhere else.

Suiciderock: Some nice words for the readers of Suiciderock and your fans?
Stefan H: Come to our shows and listen to our music.
Malte: And always keep reading interviews on suiciderock.com