Band: Kritiek
From: Ghent, Belgium
Their formation story:
(Karel, vocals): "A good two years ago, Xander (guitar) and I talked about forming a band to play unpolished hardcore punk, early '80s style. References during those early talks were e.g. Negative Approach, Rat Cage, Slant, Bootlicker, Reckoning Force, Savageheads,... Xander sent me some riffs and demos, I checked in with vocals, and it clicked.
"Xander knew Nick would be up for playing bass, and we found Robbe on drums through a mutual friend. We got together for a first rehearsal and have never looked back since. We recorded a 3-song demo in our rehearsal room (DIY, tracked and mixed by Xander) at the end of that year in order to get shows, but shows were already coming in by the time we got to release it on tape.
"From our first show and onwards, we've been lucky to have played with international and local bands we're really fans of ourselves, in venues we love, and for the best promoters and crews organizing gigs. The ride up until now has been awesome."
Their sound in their own words:
"We play fed-up, fast-paced, stomping hardcore, with nods to the early '80s. The references we set out when starting the band were clear, but once playing together you always end up with something of your own, and so did we. Lyrics deal with the lamentable state of the world these days."
Latest release info:
"In late December 2024, we recorded our debut self-titled album of 10 songs in 16 minutes. We knew Matthias Halsberghe did a great job recording and mixing the first Burning Kross LP so we were confident he was the one we needed for our project. Things worked out great!
"We've had the tracks mastered by Will Killingsworth at Dead Air Studios and all artwork was drawn up the old-fashioned way by me. The record has been out for streaming and on vinyl since mid-June. We're very pleased with how the record turned out and excited to share it."
Future plans:
"Creativity never stops. We're working on new songs and artwork for shirts and stuff, all the while playing shows with new as well as more established bands. We'd love to expand our geographical horizons in the future though. Good times ahead!"
What other bands from their region should we check out?
"We definitely have a diverse scene and a lot of cool bands worth checking out in Belgium: Bezette Stad, Burning Kross, Flux, Dögmen, Headshrinker, Hetze, Crucified, Röt Stewart, Colère, Vaag, Clusterfuct, Static Vision, Heaver, Force,... Too much to mention in fact.
"The Barst DIY Radio Show (podcast) regularly dedicates episodes to local bands, which is a great way of getting to know the Belgian scene."
Kritiek on social media: Facebook | Instagram
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