Interview for DEATHTHRASHER MAGAZINE by ARMANDO MUTILATOR: 

DT: When and why the band was formed?. 
Ralph: The band was formed in 1997. The founders were really fed up with the way deathmetal progressed and thought it would be nice to have a band around mixing technical skills with powerful kick-in-the-ass Death Metal.

DT: DOUWE, do you remember your days in ASFIVE?... do you have any ASFIVE's stuff?.
Douwe: Yeah definetely! Had a good time in those days. Unfortunately ASFIVE never released anything official (we did a 5-track instrumental rehearsal in 1996, but didn' t send that out to zines or something like that), and never did any real gigs. Because we never found a real stable line-up and had some real trouble in finding a permanent and capable vocalist. Unfortunately the band split up end 1996 because most of the other musicians left our hometown to study somewhere else.... really dissapointing to me. The music of that band was a bit like old DEATH and OBITUARY combined with some "North From Here" (2nd album of SENTENCED) technical elements in it. Just got one cassette copy myself of the last rehearsal we did. Still good songs though. Maybe release that stuff some day, or record it again with the original line-up (this time WITH vocals). ASFIVE bassplayer STEVEN JONGMA did some session bass parts on our demo and MCD actually, and helped us out during some gigs. He now plays in a band called GNOE, really different from the music of ASFIVE or ENRAGED. More Rock with some Funky parts in it. Haven't had any contact with the other guys anymore for years...

DT: Your Influences?.
Ralph: Sludge Doom and Extreme Doom in general, also some death metal like CRYPTOPSY, SUFFOCATION and AT THE GATES!!! Furthermore I get inspired by natural experiences in life. Of course the neverending madness of those mindless craps that 'rule' the world with a complete insane mind is a big source of frustration which can be turned into agression which is useful for songwriting for ENRAGED.
Douwe: early 90's deathmetal like CARCASS, SENTENCED, DEATH, GRAVE. Thrashy bands like IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY, AT THE GATES and some more technical skilled Metalbands like MESHUGGAH, DARKANE and CYNIC. And sc-fi movies and television series.

DT: What can you talk me about your "Enraged I Revolt" (MCD October 1998), tell me about this MCD and about the session musicians. 
Douwe: We did a recording session for a MCD in 1998, which was supposes to be called "Enraged I Revolt", but at time ENRAGED merely consisted of MARTIJN (guitarplayer) and me. So we did those recordings with the assistance of JITSE SCHREGARDUS on vocals (became a permanent member soon after the recordings) and STEVEN JONGMA on bass. We recorded 5 songs in just 2 days and mixed it in one day. Unfortunately the studio really fucked up the mix. So we had to do a remix in a different studio. With this quality mix we went on to find a label to find a proper record deal. But months passed and no deal was found, so we released some of the songs as our "TIRADE" demo, which resulted eventually in a record deal with the Dutch label So It Is Done in 2000. This label released the MCD eventually as the "COUNTERBLAST" MCD in 2001.
Ralph: It contains some songs from the demo, it's a more sophisticated introduction to the world than our Demo.

DT: Do you know STEPHAN GEBÉDI? 
Douwe: He is an editor for the Dutch AARDSCHOK MAGAZINE for some years.
Ralph: He plays in THANATOS.
Douwe: Yeah, also.

DT: Youre fave beer?.
Ralph: GUINNESS, GULPENER, PALM
Douwe: HEINEKEN!

DT: Tell me about "Tirade" (Demo - Self financed 1999). 
Ralph: It was the first thing ENRAGED released, I wasn't in the band back then.
Douwe: As I told you earlier, it was a 4-track MC to spread our name a bit in the undergroundscene. It features the tracks "Drown In Your Lies", "Dictated By Misanthropy", "Lower Species" and "Counterblast (Land Of Unknown)". At this point we only still play the last track, which title is now shortened to just "Counterblast" and we changed the song a little. There are still some copies left you know...

DT: Do you know old Dutch bands like INQUISITOR, DEMENTIA, QUESTIONMARK, BLIND JUSTICE, DEFENDER and RADICAL RETARD? 
Douwe: I only know BLIND JUSTICE. Never heard their music. But I read some reviews and interviews with them. I know they did some kind of thing with Metal and Saxophone?

DT: Yeah! Sax & Violins !!!
Ralph: I do know INQUISITOR

DT: Your best Dutch band from ever?. 
Ralph: GOLDEN EARRING, THE GATHERING, OFFICIUM TRISTE
Douwe: Hmmm, let me think... Well I must say: early PESTILENCE and early GOREFEST. 

DT: Do you like the old Heavy Metal?. 
Ralph: I do like the killer songs of IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST. But I'm more fond of bands like SAINT VITUS and the like.
Douwe: I'm not into old Heavy Metal.

DT: What can you tell me about your bad experience with the delinquent Rip Off CHRISTIAN PAUCAR TOLEDO? 
Ralph: Who the fuck is he?
Douwe: Some guy that contacted us as well, in name of DEATH THRASHER zine. Well, didn't had that much (bad-) experiences actually with this guy. He once sent me an e-mail in which he asked for some promotional material of ENRAGED. So I sent him a cdr with some music of us on it and he once sent me an interview which I replied with some answers. No more than that reallly. But when he constantly started to send me the same e-mails in which he asked us to be put on an compilation album (on which I didn't wanted us to be featured), I became suspicious. So I stopped replying to his e-mails. That's all. Later on I heard a story that he was a big fake. I know that he is still quite active though, he just put a message in the guestbook of my other band last week, you know...

DT: What do you think about ELIPHAS LEVY?. 
Ralph: Nothing
Douwe: I'm really NOT into satanism or what so ever!

DT: Do you like DEADHEAD?, ROBBIE WONING is your friend?. 
Douwe: I know DEAD HEAD. I got their "Kill Division"-album, and that's an ok album. But not really special. I do know who ROBBIE WONING is, I don't know him personally but he is also an editor for the AARDSCHOK MAGAZINE. Just because Holland is a small country, I doens't automatically mean that everybody knows eachother. There are living 16 million people in our country!
Ralph: I'm not a big fan of DEADHEAD, though they are quite famous in Holland

DT: Do you know who is Reverend AL SHARPTON?. 
Ralph: ???
Douwe: Never heard of him. 

DT: What do you know about South American Scene?. 
Ralph: Some utterly sick Grindcore and SEPULTURA, also some Doom bands with sometimes really interesting influences.
Douwe: Nothing really, just SEPULTURA actually.

DT: Do you like CARCASS?. 
Ralph: Yes, especially Heartwork and Necroticism.
Douwe: I agree.

DT: Are you satisfied with "Counterblast" (MCD - SO IT IS PRODUCTIONS 2001). 
Ralph: Yeah, I think it introduced us pretty well in the underground Death Metal scene.
Douwe: Well, it's ok. But it was released far too late. The material was already 3 years old at the time we released it. So we were promoting something at that time that wasn't representative anymore. The sound is ok, but I don't like the way we played the songs at that MCD. We changed the songs a little bit after the recordings, so the songs became better. 

DT: What can you talk me about your Show with ARCH ENEMY? 
Douwe: It was an honour to do that show. I got all their records and like their music very much. I'm a great admirer of DANIEL ERLANDSSON his drumwork you know. And it was also a great honour to meet MICHAEL AMOTT in person, just to know that he once played in one of my all time favourit metalbands: CARCASS. And atually finally shake his hand was really fantastic! And for us it was just one of the best shows we ever did. Even though we played without a bassplayer that night.
Ralph: It was really great. A sold-out venue rules and playing as a support for one of the best-selling metal bands right now is cool!

DT: Tell us about your experience on "Blown to Pieces" (Compilation CD - FEAR SOME RECORDS 2002)?. 
Ralph: I think there was a too big quality gap between the bands. There should have been a selection, also the production between the bands varies too much and it sucks that we're at the end of the cd. You're not going to expect to hear anything decent after so much crap.

DT: What is the gender of PIKACHU?. 
Ralph: He's a hermaphrodyte
Douwe: Sorry, I'm not into gay-porn.

DT: Do you know the Dutch band UNAUTHORIZED?. 
Ralph: No.
Douwe: I do know them al little. Their vocalist once did an audition for my other band MORTUARY I.O.D. when we were looking for a new vocalist. 

DT: Are you into drugs?. 
Ralph: Alcohol and marijuana, keeping the prejudices alive ?
Douwe: Haha. No, I'm reallly not into drugs at all.

DT: What do you think about ANTON SZANDOR LA VEY?. 
Ralph: I'm not into satanic bullshit.
Douwe: Me neither.

DT: Tell us about your "Resist or Serve" (Promo Self Financed 2004). 
Ralph: It is finally released. It has the best artwork so far and the best songs so far. And we've even managed to write newer songs with yet again better more crushing songwriting, so stay tuned for future releases!!!!
Douwe: I'm so glad it's finally out! It took us far too long to release this thing. I wanted it to have artwork that fits best to the concept; the detoriation that mankind caused and is. But I think we did a good job on that. We've also got a new website, which suits the artwork much better now. But it's definetely a misanthropical and cold release. All the lyrics are also very in your face this time (as usual of course), but this time more on a more global base. Our best release so far! 
But the couple of new songs that we recently wrote are even better than the material on "Resist...". Can't wait to play those live.

DT: Are you into INNER CIRCLE?. Tell us about the Anti Semitic Community. 
Douwe: What the hell is the Inner Circle?
Ralph: I don't know what you're talking about.

DT: Do you like drink Vodka with piss?. 
Ralph: We in Holland most often drink beer and just whisky and wodka, preferably without any addition. Mixing is gay!
Douwe: hahahaha!

DT: Do you have STAR WARS action figures?. 
Douwe: No, but I do have TRANSFORMERS, G.I. JOE, VISIONARIES and HE-MAN action figures though.
Ralph: I can replicate DARTH VADER's voice ?

DT: Do you prefer MACINTOSH or PC?. 
Douwe: Don't know...
Ralph: Depends what you want to do with it. For a graphic performance use Mac, for music use PC

DT: Do you like soccer?. 
Ralph: Yes, especially English national league
Douwe: I'm definetly NOT interested in any kind of sport what so ever. 

DT: What do you think about ALEISTER CROWLEY, do you read THE BOOK OF THE LAW?. 
Ralph: ALEISTER CROWLEY is a retard I think, his Satanic Bible is utter childishness

DT: Your future plans?. 
Ralph: Writing good songs and tour with cool bands, preferably throughout the world. Also finishing my study is a good idea.
Douwe: Finishing up the last songs for our first full-length. And to spread the name of ENRAGED over the planet. And yes, writing some more killer tracks. It would be great to play on some big festivals also.
On this point we're more busy in practising some new tracks and a new setlist. We got a new singer and he is also playing bassguitar, so we finally found a stable line-up. His name is PETER HAGEN and is also playing in the Dutch Death Metal band THE EMBODIMENT. I can't wait to go on stage with this new line-up. And now with our new "Resist Or Serve" promo finally out, really busy in promoting this new release. We're going to do a couple of live gigs the next few months here in Holland.

DT: Your last growl for DEATHTHRASHER readers?. 
Douwe: People interested in ENRAGED: get in touch with us. If you like extreme and intense Death Metal with some Thrashy riffing here and there, you should buy our new promo. Our contact adress:
ENRAGED, It Trekskip 31, 9035 GH Dronrijp, HOLLAND or visit our website; www.enraged.nl
Keep and eye out for our first full-length album! And I would like to thank you, ARMANDO, for this interview!
Ralph: GGGRRRRRR!!!!