SMOGUS

Winner of a much-coveted Essent Award and triumphant shows at internationally renowned festivals such as Ozzfest and Lowlands – these are just some of the achievements of Dutch Xplocore band Smogus. In May 2004 they released No Matter What The Outcome, which could very well be the band’s big break.Smogus was founded in 1995 by Jaap, Ruben, Daniel and Jeroen. During the recording of their debut album Everybody’s Fucked Up Twice the four school friends met with Arno and Wiebe. The six of them hit it off immediately and very soon both Arno and Wiebe decided to complete the band’s line-up: Smogus was born. They released two tracks on a split EP on vinyl on the WOTNXT label. Then, Smogus started to conquer all the major Dutch venues, soon establishing themselves as one of the most popular Dutch live-acts.Besides performing relentlessly – as headliner, as support act (Ill Nino, Disturbed) and at festivals (Ozzfest, Lowlands) – Smogus continuously worked very hard on writing new songs. In 2002, the band signed a deal with BMG and released a 6-track EP. The band seemed to have finally found their niche with a sound of their own: Xplocore. A fusion of explosive (nu)metal, hiphop and funk, combined with a large dose of energy and humour. Songs with heavy guitars, groovy rhythms, cool rhymes and catchy choruses that have their roots in bands like Anthrax, Faith No More and Cypress Hill.Unfortunately, the cooperation with BMG came to an end when the band found themselves competing with Idols, the nation-wide craze that conquered The Netherlands in 2003. Smogus refused to sit at the sidelines and see how other, more commercial artists from the Idols TV-show got priority over them, so they decided to start working on their new album without the help of a record label. In March 2003 the band entered the studio and guitarist Arnd-H was appointed as producer. He is mainly responsible for the heavy sound on the new album, significantly titled No Matter What The Outcome. The band has clearly matured in two years time, both musically and personally. Singer Wiebe emphasizes that the band regards this album as their real debut: “We are very proud of the album’s incredible sound, especially since we have done everything ourselves, from the recording to the final mixing. It is an album to be proud of, particularly for a Dutch production.”The songs on the album are well-structured and characterized by powerful dynamics, an impressive, well-balanced mix of melodic vocals and heavy rap, and a wide range of styles. Smogus is both in-your-face and melodic, aggressive and happy, heavy and commercial, but always extremely energetic. The opening track ‘Don’t Care’ immediately sets the tone for what’s to come. Other highlights include the groovy and lyrically uplifting ‘Just For Me’, the sensitive semi-ballad ‘The Game’, the uncompromising and personal ‘Changing Fate’ and the complex ‘Good Intentions’. The highly contagious hiphop bonus track ‘Flush Your Life’ again has that typical Smogus humour. However, it is not all laughing matters on the album. The lyrics cover a wide range of emotions, as Wiebe explains: “The lyrics are very much about ourselves, about things we go through in life. We sing about love, but also about the need to be free and strained relationships.”No Matter What The Outcome is released on The Electric Co., a new Dutch label focused on Dutch talent and linked to Universal Music. The release will be followed by a club tour and festival performances. However, Smogus has more in store for us. During the recording of the album the band shot plenty of footage for the release of a home video or reality show on the Internet in the near future.In a time when the Dutch music industry is struggling, Smogus clearly proves that there is plenty of talent around. With their new album they completely live up to their status of promising Dutch act, No Matter What The Outcome!