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R/£ Full metal jacket for K.O.B.U.S!
April 18, 2007 Edition 1
The first time I saw Francois Blom 10 years ago I turned into a stunned mullet. Here was this beautiful tall man in black, with dark long hair and ferocious eyes that glowed with underworld yellow. He was the ultimate in cool. There was no doubt which side of the music he was on.
It was therefore surprising that when I got over myself and his mystique that I discovered Meneer Blom was a charming, gentle man with a cynical wit. It is only his imagination and rebellion for all things mundane that bring out his dark side. And, of course, the dark side is ably reflected in K.O.B.U.S!'s latest offering, Swaarmetaal.
"Our first two albums were unclassifiable - maybe disco, traditional boere, goth, techno. But this is heavy and new. Modern hardcore music is crap and it does not have enough variety. It has gone the same ways as punk - el fake-o. It's like saying Green Day and Rancid are punk bands. Yeah, right. It's suburban rock 'n roll. There has been nothing under the heavy banner for a while. This is heavy and new.
"It is Afrikaans heavy metal."
So, since the last album until now what has the scary Francois been doing?
"I was basically writing this album and waiting for Theo (Crous, guitarist for Springbok Nude Girls and the other half of K.O.B.U.S!). He had a lot to do, none of which had to do with K.O.B.U.S!."
He suddenly starts laughing. "I was listening to my MP3 player and came across that '80s song, I Eat Cannibals by Toto Coelo." He rolls the name off his tongue as he repeats it: "Toe-toe Kwhello. I laughed because I remember at high school these grade eight girls did a show around that song. I wondered if the teachers actually listened to the lyrics - 'Eat me, eat you, incredibly delicious too'.
"Most people don't listen to lyrics. They want love songs. I start from different points when I compose. I write for the stadium audience in my head. There is always a huge mosh pit and when someone dies they let another one in.
"There are no support acts and we are the only ones playing and headlining this heavy metal festival."
It is clear Francois lives a lot in his head. And why not? It certainly sounds like more fun in his world. Thankfully for us, he is able to communicate that world through his music, thereby making our world a cooler place to be in. In fact, contemplating this majestic man, who at age 40 has just released the hardest album of 2007, could he be the coolest man on earth?
He does not need to puff and preen like those blingsta rappers. He does not have to pretend he's all laid-back and stoned à la the post grungers and emo punk kids. Francois is regal in the way he carries himself. He is self-assured as an artist, a person, an unquestioning right that he is king in his ideal world.
He interrupts my thoughts and floors me with this comment: "Everyone knows that our next album is going to be gospel, complete with cellos."
Just when you think you know someone …
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