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Ariën van Weesenbeek
BIOGRAPHY
Yes… the mayhem is born… Only three years old and already bashing furniture with spoons and forks. Fortunately, he dicovered his dad’s drumset on time. It was obvious that this young
man just HAD to play drums (not in the least place for other peoples safety!).
I took up drum classes at age seven to learn the basic drum skills. Meanwhile, a lot of synchro-tape-drumming was done at home. Inspired by a Cream&Eric Clapton record, I intensified my practise under guidance of my drum teacher.
At the same time, I joined a local marching band. Besides a lot of fun, this appeared to be very helpful for discipline, too.
When I was 15, I made some friends at school, and was introduced to rock and metal music (ANTHRAX, SLAYER). As a group we began making heavy music. Then, British grindcore/deathmetal formation NAPALM DEATH crossed my path, and I was blown away when listening their intense, fast, cyclone-like metal, gazing with open mounth at the record store. A new love was born.
My rather improvised band grew, was named PANDAEMONIUM, and developed into a six-man effort playing NAPALM DEATH, CANNIBAL CORPSE- and MORBID ANGEL-
inspired metal. Double bass pedals were purchased, and so began a long period of intense training. School efforts went below zero; being a fulltime musician was my only ambition.
I slso joined another band, hardcore/metalband DOWNSLIDE, and played quite some live-gigs and made my first studio recordings with my two bands.
DOWNSLIDE split up at the time I started studying at the Rotterdam Conservatory. I started to mix metal with rock, funk, jazz and latin to enrich my drumming and composing
style. Together with some fellow students, I started a rockband called CONSPIRACY. It appeared to be a fun and helpful experience to play different music other than metal. I recorded one demo with them, and played some live-gigs, even once as
support-act of RACOON.
With PANDAEMONIUM’s third release, I auditioned for the drummer’s seat in Dutch deathmetal band GOD DETHRONED. After having played with the guys and being hired for the job, I played multiple festivals and tours across Europe and even US-festivals. At this time I recorded the album ‘Into the lungs of Hell’.
As a project for my education, I made a personal promo-cd: containing three self-written songs, one PANDAEMONIUM-song, and one CONSPIRACY-song. It contains my musical experiences till this recording, and are summarized in the 5 songs.
I was also asked to record a demo of the band EDGECRUSHER from Belgium. Isaac Delahaye, one of the guitarplayers, was also studying at the Conservatory, and asked me for the recordings. I recorded 6 songs for the demo called ‘Impressions of Mankind’.
PANDAEMONIUM came to an end after 7 years, as I got busier with GOD DETHRONED, and I finished my education at the Conservatory.
I left CONSPIRACY, and started working as a part-time drumteacher at Parnassos in Utrecht, Holland.
It was in the same time, that I was a guest-teacher at the Rotterdam Conservatory.
I had 5 students who I was ‘training’ each one to play one song of God Dethroned, and to perform the songs live together with fellow students who played the rest of the instruments, and even with a female grunter!! It was a great thing to do, and everybody gave their best!
I went on playing gigs with God Dethroned, and around summer 2003, I went into another new musical adventure: gothic metal with the band IMPERIA. Together with them I
recorded their debut-album as a session-drummer, and also did two live gigs with them.
Again, a good thing to have done and I learned a lot from playing this kind of music.
God Dethroned took it a bit easier for half a year, due to line-up changes, and in this time, I was jamming with other musicians who he formed a band with called ‘DOWN TILL DAWN’, a heavy-, power-, thrashmetalband. After playing together for a year and a half, and later on with Isaac Delahaye in the band, we recorded their first promo-cd, to find out where the band musically stands. With this promo, DOWN TILL DAWN is trying to get gigs, reviews, and maybe... a record deal.
I also got a phonecall from the guitarplayer-singer of the band PACE GRACE, a
rockband with sixties-blues live-covers, and was asked to play live gigs whenever I was available, and so I did quite a lot of gigs with this band.
It was around the time of the DOWN TILL DAWN promo-finish, that GOD DETHRONED
was back on track; it was time to record a new album. Henri and I started working on new songs at Henri’s house and in the rehearsal room, and when the songs were nearly finished, Henke Zinger and.... Isaac Delahaye(!) joined the band. GOD DETHRONED recorded ‘The Lair of the White Worm’. The band got very good reviews, and went on the road again: festivals, a tour with GRAVE and a headliner tour.
So.... pffffff... and what’s happening now?? Well, it’s been busy with gigs the last couple of months of GOD DETHRONED, PACE GRACE and DOWN TILL DAWN.
I was also asked to participate in a project called ‘DELAIN’ of Martijn Westerholt (ex- Within Temptation), and I recorded the drums for 11 songs at Spacelab Studios in Germany.
And.. I’m still teaching drums on a part-time basis....
And there are more gigs coming up......
Check out Ariën's website:
www.arienvanweesenbeek.com
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