Interview with Guitarist Rick Bouwman of Martyr (Holland)

October 31, 2020

Interview with Guitarist Rick Bouwman of Martyr (Holland)

Photo by: Toru Matsunaga

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Rick! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.

Rick Bouwman: Thank you for the opportunity.

CV: Given so many major changes over the last several decades, coupled with 2020’s COVID pandemic, is the music industry a viable and stable enough environment, especially now given so many restrictions, for a new artist or band to even consider making a leap of faith for a successful music career in your opinion?
RB: To be honest, no I don’t think so. I think for new artists and bands, especially in our metal genre, it is so important to Perform, Perform and Perform. Build a proper fans base that wants to buy your music and wants to see you live. A band gets better and tighter by playing so many live shows, and matures. When due to the circumstances, that important base falls apart…it might be, I think, more difficult for new bands to get recognized.

CV: Martyr has a very long history in Metal. How do you see your band separating itself from being just another Heavy Metal act? What has been the secret to the band’s longevity?
RB: There is no secret, I think. We do what we want to do, and we like what we want to do. When you love that, why stop?

MARTYR tries to maintain their own style…when you listen to us, we like you to think, hey that is MARTYR…whether you like the music or not.

CV: Do you feel the band’s music and style of songwriting has changed drastically since the group first formed in the early 80s? And if so, has the change been more of maturation on the part of songwriters or more so a change with the times to stay relevant?

RB: Yes we will never forget where we came from…the 80s. But we are now 30+ years further. We developed and matured as musicians…the way we are recording has developed. I hope our fans still will hear the influences but also will say MARTYR always tries to develop its style and be unique.

CV: Barring the current world state, what do you see as the biggest change in the music industry since the band came together in 1982?
RB: I think the way the music distribution has developed is a major change. From vinyl to CD to MP3 to Napster and illegal downloads to Spotify, YouTube and all those digital platforms. Amazing.

It is a great way to get your music heard all over the world. But also contains so may risks and difficulties. Because nowadays, everybody can release their material . A good thing for creativity, but also a risk that there is so much “shit” or unoriginal music on the market. It also makes it more difficult for the real new “pearls” in music to get noticed.

CV: Tell us a little about Martyr’s latest release, “Live in Japan.” What prompted a live album hen was it recorded?
RB: We recorded the album when we visited Japan for the 2^nd time. It was recorded in Osaka, Feb 2019. Japan is quite special, I think for many western bands to perform.

Due to the long travel, we didn’t sleep for 36 hours or so but we kept so much energy for the Osaka shows, unbelievable. That is what you hear on the record. We told each other, “Listen, the show is recorded but let’s give the fans all we got and give a great live show. And not just stand there and try to play flawless because of the recording.” That energy you get back from the crowd , is what you feel on our record.

When leaving the stage we knew we also played well.

Our drummer Rick Valcon did the mixing and mastering of the album…hell of a job too!

CV: Many critics feel live albums are a thing of the past and often a waste of time…citing that many fans prefer the original studio versions over their live, and often different, counterparts. But given that live performances have been put on an indefinite hold for the time being during this pandemic, do you feel a live album can be considered the next best thing to offer fans? Are they suitable replacements given current circumstances?
RB: There is nothing above attending a live show but next to that I think live albums are still of great importance. They are milestones in a bands career and I believe that is the same for us. It is a collection of some of our greatest songs performed live, catching the live energy you do not capture in a studio in the same way. I know radio is not really fond of it, but to be honest, and we are glad, a lot of the metal radio shows have been playing our Live In Japan album.

CV: There is a strong belief that since music, TV and movies have gone the way of digital streaming, that live performances for artist as well will soon be doing away with actual in-person shows and will follow suit to become strictly a digital platform medium? Do you believe this to be the case? Will the live, in-person shows ever make a comeback or are we looking at a whole new world for concerts?
RB: No, I think we all want to go back to the live shows, see our heroes on that stage, smell the sweat, burgers and beers.

Digital platforms might remain a great addition but I hope artists will get back to doing the real thing on the stages as soon as it is possible again.

CV: Does Martyr having some plans to be involved in any upcoming online streaming festivals?
RB: Yes, in fact we are doing a stream for our South American fans on November 6 called: RETURN OF THE OLD CULT festival Here is the link for the stream : https://www.youtube.com/user/deforme

The event for more information on Facebook you can find here:https://www.facebook.com/events/391104951903578

CV: What's next? What can fans expect to see coming from Martyr in 2021?
RB: We are working on our new album. All songs are written and as you might know, we already released 2 brand new songs. “No Time For Goodbyes” and “Fire Of Rebellions.” The positive thing about this crisis is that we have so much more time on our hands to make it the best album possible. We have no live shows planned for 2020 any more so we have taken all our time for the songs.

CV: Thank you again Rick for spending some time talking and sharing with our readers. It was a pleasure. I wish you all the best and continued success.
RB: Thank you too, and thanks for the continuous MARTYR support! Please stay tuned for new MARTYR POUNDING METAL MUSIC soon as we plan to release a 3^rd single in November. Check us out if you are not familiar with MARTYR and when you like it support us on our channels

Check out Martyr at:
Official: www.martyronline.nl
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MARTYRONLINE
Instagram: www.instagram.com/martyronline
Bandcamp: www.martyronline.bandcamp.com
Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/martyronline

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.