How do The Charm The Fury sum themselves up? A chick with vocals! But our interpretation on summing them up is a band that obliterates all the generic stereotypes of any female fronted band. These guys know what they’re up to, and you’d be running over the hills with your tail in between your legs if you told them they sound just like Paramore…
For those who don’t know of The Charm The Fury, how would you describe the bands image and sound?
Hi all! We are a metalcore band from Amsterdam. We love to make heavy stuff, but we try to combine it with melodic parts and airy harmonic bridges. We want to make songs that are heavy but not hard to digest. We hope to send out a positive message through the heavy music we make! Our influences are for example bands such as Underoath / Killswitch Engage / Architects etc.
What is your musical background, were you already studying music or was it just fate that made you join?
Well, we all share had a big passion for music, we’ve had this passion for music from a young age. Some of us studied music: Rolf (guitarist) and Lucas (bassist) studied at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and Math (guitarist) studied at the Pop Institute in Utrecht. We actually met through an online advertisement; someone had set out to form a metalcore band. We instantly hit it off as friends, but also as a band. When Rolf joined the band as our second guitarist, things went really fast. It just seemed the right time and the right position for us as a band to be in.
Is there any significant meaning behind the band’s name?
The band name describes the band and music as a whole: we have a female vocalist, which could be charming – but is also very furious (laughs). The music is melodic, but also very heavy!
I see. With your album A Shade of My Former Self recently released, what sets it apart from other metalcore albums?
We really put our focus on creating songs as a whole. We love breakdowns and angry riffage, but don’t want to give the listener a pile of heavy stuff that is hard to digest, or allows them to forget about the song structure. That’s why we really focus on dynamics. Melody plays a very important role in our songs, as we want to keep the tracks airy and easy to listen to, though they can be as heavy and angry as a deathcore/grindcore track. We also write about stuff that is really important to us as people or to society on a micro or macro level – for example the financial crises, limited gay rights in Russia, etc.
What are the themes/concepts behind the album?
The songs all have different themes, but the main theme of the album is being disappointed in others, within a relationship (friendship / love interest) or in overall humanity concerning important issues such as the limited rights of gays in Russia or the financial crisis. We shed light on the dark side of humanity but show that we can be the axis of evil as well. The most important message the album gives is that we have to learn from the mistakes we make, and try to lead a better life. Try to look at things in a different way and it might lead to deliverance.
Watch “Carte Blanche”
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What made you pick “Carte Blanche” was the first single off the album?
The song is pretty different from what we normally, but has some very catchy hooks in it. We all just really love it. It is up-tempo, heavy, but also catchy. It wears out an important message: to stand up against corrupt bank systems that take money.
On top of this album, you’re also playing on the Vans Warped Tour. What does it feel like being able to play that?
It is truly a dream come true! Vans Warped Tour U.S. is kind of the ultimate thing to achieve for a European metalcore band, and being able to play the European dates within three years from when we started is really something mind-blowing. I believe the last time a Dutch band played Vans Warped Tour was ten years ago: it was Green Lizard. And now it’s us playing the EU dates. It’s truly awesome. We are honored to share the stage with bands we really look up to and have shaped us as artists as well. 
With Vans Warped Tour, you’re also touring with Heart of a Coward and While She Sleeps. How familiar were you with these bands before you got asked to tour with them?
We actually played one of our first shows with While She Sleeps. They’re a great band and their former manager is our current manager. I’ve been listening to that band for years as well Our current manager is also the manager of Heart Of A Coward, so we are in close contact with that band as well. We met through him and it clicked: they liked us, and we definitely like them. Keep an eye out for their new record Severance that comes out on Nov 4th: it’s killer!
I will have to keep my eyes and ears open for it! What advice would you give to other bands who want to follow in your footsteps?
Everything you do: try to make it as awesome as you can. We have not played shows or put any song out until we thought it was good enough. Also, it is really good to play some local shows to gain a fanbase, but try to put your focus on not only the local metal scene in order to gain a fanbase but also on the bigger picture: often bands remain in the local scene and can’t seem to get out. Don’t let this happen! Dream big, but don’t forget to work for it. Being in a band is really 80% trying to work your way up to shows you want to play, 20% is actually playing the shows. Maybe even less! And always: have fun. Enjoy the shows. Enjoy the time on the road. Communicate with your band members, otherwise you’ll be annoyed throughout the entire tour!
Amazing words of wisdom! What can we expect from you in the future?
We hope to play more shows in different countries. We hope to see the world, travel to places and let people hear our music. Our booker is currently working hard to put us on tours, in promotion of the new record. So playing shows is our priority at the moment. Hopefully next year we will be able to come to the U.S. as well, and after that: probably start writing a new record.
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