Rockezine.com interview with Zero Mentality on Feb 12, 2007

with Ben Fink on Feb 12, 2007


		Please introduce yourself and the band. Zero Mentality is: Zange -bass, Linse – lead guitar, Pisse – rhythm guitar, Schüppe - drums, Drüse - vocals, Kasse - merch and zeitarbeiter - 3rd guitar.
		What kind of music do you play? Our general musical appeal is to get across to heart, soul & mind of the listener. Therefore we choose anything that comes from the same place in us, and that for sure, can differ allot. That band started and still exists in the realms of real underground hardcore, but the music we listen to and we got in our veins is also a lot of metal, punk, rock and what else the youth of today is listening to these days (and has two guitars, a bass and a drum set).
		You record the album with Jacob Bredahl from Hatesphere, how is working with him? We really are into the philosophy of "drinking beer with Hatesphere", so it`s always a lot of fun to hang around with Jacob as person. That makes working with him pretty easy and a lot of fun. Plus, since this was our second record recorded by him (he also knows us from playing together on numerous shows), he already is familiar with the typical Z.M.-sound. If you take a look at the different bands and projects he is involved in, you might also say that he is exactly the same kind of mixture that we strive for sound wise (maybe with a different focus from time to time). In short: to work with Jacob was perfect!
		Are you satisfied with the way this record turned out? I guess, this pretty much is obvious by the last answer as fast as the sound goes. For the artwork you`ll have to take into consideration that we do that on our own, so there is a whole concept we can follow from womb to tomb of the process. It could have been printed a bit more colorful, but that happened due to a misjudgment and does not harm the whole feel that we wanted to generate. You`ll only recognize that, if you are that much into the perfectionism of it as we are. All in all, for sure, this is our most satisfying release yet, which should be true for any band. Your latest record is always the best - otherwise you shouldn`t have done it!
		I think that the album cover is really strong. Who is responsible and what is the idea behind it? Most of the visual concept is done by singer Ben Fink, with taking into consideration what Z.M. is striving for as individuals and as a band. With this record, we had this underwater gig that got photographed by a cute paparazzi. We decided to use those photos and deliver a fitting picture of the things that surrounded us at that day and place. The one thing that really has to be focused on is the fish. It`s a very underrated animal and we wanted to give it the credit it deserves. So, to answer a question by a famous German band: "how much is the fish?" - z.m. says: "it`s priceless".
		Do you care to sign to a major label soon? Why (not)? Right now, we are pretty much happy with the support we get from our label GSR-Music and the work that has been put into this record. Of course we don`t limit our self to any kind of prefabricated ideas. Especially since we live our lives from day to day, we don`t care about what the future might be. The time is now...
		Why did you choose the name of the band to be Zero Mentality? That is originally a song by a cool old New York Hardcore band, but the whole concept is kind of two-sided. on one hand, you can say that it`s a kind of nihilistic approach on life. To question everything. to take nothing for granted. To deny anything that might be called "the truth". On the other hand: always start from 0... always change!
		What do you expect from your upcoming headlining tour? We want to reach those people that are willing to open up their heart for a trip into the realness of life. We going to be emotional in some way or the other. That is going to be a lot of fun - both for us, the bands playing with us and the people who will be able to watch it. The whole thing is not designed to be a career step, by the way we planned the shows, we always looked out for being around friends in bands, rad promoters, or places we always wanted to go to. Of course, if that helps to spread our name and to get across to a whole new breed of people - we are happy to see that happen!
		What’s the best part and what’s the worst part of being on the road for you? The best part is just being there, and to make this whole thing a life - not just a hobby. We really enjoy being around each others, and we happen to make a lot of friends with other acts we play with. So, there is always a big potential of having a good time, and if the audience can see and feel that in our performance, that is the best what might happen. Of course, we always aim for the soul and, in this case, especially the body of people at shows. It`s really an astonishing moment when you actually see that happen. The worst part is really easy to answer: any drive that is longer than your usual DVD-movie...
		If you had to chose between supporting a band in front of a crowd of 5000 or headlining a show with just 250 people? Well, both has it moments, and cannot be compared to each other. It`s practically two different things that just happen to share the same name. Just as in like pizza, where you`ll get the one served in the restaurant, the one you prepared for yourself and the one you just took from the fridge. So, there is no real choice in this choice - and once again, we don`t accept any limit in that...
		If you had 100.000 euro to spare for the band, where would you spend it on? Of course, first we would have to pay our debts, but there is still a lot left that really should go into equipment, and practically any resources and things that would help us to have a more consistent, comfortable and convincing approach towards people. But I also bet, the first thing we`d do is: have a big party with all those people involved we happened to fell in love with during our past years of existence.
		What is the most overestimated band in the scene, which band is most underestimated? Every band that is getting a lot of attention has somehow a point about them where you only can say: that did it right. Of course, there is a lot of shit happening out there, and there is far more stuff out that we don`t like than we actually really think is worth it. But by that, there is no way to say which ONE is overestimated. As far as underestimated, we always come across bands that are hardly known to us on shows, and so we figure that this also might be true for most of the audiences. We just played a great show with one of those bands, that at least deserves more recognition except for the crowd they usually play to. They are called The Heartbreak Motel, and know how to rock shit, serious. Another band to point out is World Collapse, who just released their first record on Reaper Records... and, as said, a lot more, those are just the most prominent ones in my head.
		Is Zero Mentality your job or do you have some shitty job at home. We are all working in the same coalmine. But it will be closed soon. So y´all better buy that new ZM record and protect us from deep poverty.
		Do you have some famous last words for me? Thanks for the interview. Glück auf!
(Jeroen Habets)