The Arch: ‘The Game of Thrones’, inspired by the chaos of the Wars of Roses six hundred years ago in England, is actually still ongoing.

The Arch has delivered its fifth CD ‘Fates’, and it is considered their best by many including us. We know that the band likes to sing about topics that dig a little deeper than the everyday pop song, so we asked them to give some explanation of the thirteen songs that are on the CD.

Gasoline Lady

The original title was Petroleum Lady. The song is about a girl who is hopelessly messed up. She does not know what she wants, but she wants it now, at once. Attempts at rapprochement lead to irrational reactions of anger and sadness. She's as explosive as gasoline. That makes it unpalatable to her surroundings, making it all even worse. If something goes wrong, she’ll blame you, even if or just because you want to help her.

The lyrics are about a specific case. Our friends are naturally very curious about who it is referring to, but we think it’s better to keep it secret.

Robot Sapiens

A reflection on politics. Leaders in society sink into corruption because they are attracted by money and power. They are unwittingly pawns of hidden agendas, devised by shady characters in their upscale salons. Moreover, it is a swamp of conflicts: political leaders can drink each other's blood just to gain more power. ‘The Game of Thrones’, inspired by the chaos of the Wars of Roses six hundred years ago in England, is actually still ongoing. The solution to all this misery obviously is delegating power to a machine: a Robot Sapiens who will take the right decisions, objectively, immune to power games, free of nepotism, not to entice with gifts of all kinds, etc. But, this may again adhere unprecedented risks.

Fates

An eternity ago, a magician acquires a box without lock: he can’t open it. He obviously wants to know what's in there. After much searching, he finds a spell in Sanskrit. He recites the spell and the lid of the box unlocks. There are three identical wooden dolls of girl figures. As the casket was opened, the triplets come to life. They begin to grow and emerge as girls of unparalleled beauty. They hang together like clay, and if someone wants to give to one of these three something, then the other two must have it too. Otherwise, the balance between the sisters would be upset. If one of them looks you in the eye, the other two will do the same. It is exhausting for someone who wants to make love to one of them. They evolve into the Fates spinning the lives of everyone. The end of the song is a prayer in honor of the three Fates.

Spear of Destiny

A specific story. The song is about Kirk Brandon, singer of Spear of Destiny. We once opened up for The Spear of Destiny and got acquainted with that band backstage. Kirk Brandon told us about his life and the massive misery he was going through: illness, surgeries and being bedridden endlessly. He showed us the scars of those operations. He seemed to be affected by the Spear of Destiny himself. But during the show he turned out to be a fantastic performer with masses of energy, raised from the dead. Actually, we should send the Fates CD to him. The song is about him, but he does not know it yet.

Monsters and I

A nightmare text, written by Pia. A gothic soundtrack. Because of the chromatic chord transitions, we got the idea to present the song to Ronny Moorings, the singer of Clan of Xymox, for whom we have opened time and again. Because chromatic chord progressions are one of the trademarks of Clan Of Xymox. Thus, we have the honor to hear Ronny's voice on our CD.

Dirty William

Somewhere in the eighties, we landed in a bar during the morning. On the counter was a man with a gold chain, already completely drunk. He was loudly annoying everyone with his drunk babbling and particularly targeted us. ‘Ozim’ was a curse to be rid of him.

Eyes Wide Open

A text written by our manager Luo De Buyser. You're in the hospital for an endless sleepless night filled with pain with wide open eyes staring into a deep darkness that symbolizes the future. So you begin to see all kinds of visions. It’s a song we like to play live because of the high pitched vocals.

Immerzu

This song originated from a blues jam by Ivan, in a ¾ rhythm. Ivan added a text of a poem posted by a friend of his: Pia. She wrote the German text. A maverick with which we now open our performances.

One by one

A song about how shame and love go hand in hand: it all could have been so much better if this and that would have been different, on our lovers heart. But chances are wasted and she will not come back. Unfortunately, there is no rewind button in our lives. It’s a shame for the damage. Anyway, anytime.

Brain Duck

A very old song that appeared on ‘In Sofa’. We continue to play it live, and the track was resuscitated by Chiffon's Tale who added a new chorus.

Empty Garden

A melancholic song with a significant vocal contribution Chiffon's Tale. It's about an empty, walled garden in a narrow valley. The walls around the garden are mirrors in which you can see your garden, but not yourself. Are you in there, are you out there? A song that we play live very much.

Deaf and Blind

For years, the queen fruitlessly seeks an orgasm in the blue-blooded circles. The king is still the worst of all, his lovemaking is seen to be as fascinating as watching grass grow. In desperation, she does something unheard of: she degrades herself to making love with a man of the people. The result is the long awaited clattering orgasm wherein sight and hearing perish. Literally: her body is completely blocking. Her Majesty is deaf, blind and paralyzed. Her body is a dreary prison for the sole pleasure, the memory of that one time, that red bloody explosion of pleasure.

Frozen Jungle

A mother visits the grave of her only child at night. She feels in a tropical jungle of feelings, a jungle that has been frozen. The bouncer of the CD with an ethereal chord progression.

The Arch: facebook / website

Pictures: Xavier Marquis

Interview: Xavier Kruth

The Arch: We have no control over our inspiration and the anarchy of our imagination.

The Arch has recently released ‘Fates’, an album that should resonate for a long time. The band is thirty years old and continues to play live and compose new songs. We wondered how a band could keep playing for so long, and went to them with our list of questions.

You now exist for 30 years, and you still have three original members on board. How is it possible that the Arch has endured for so long?

We suppose it's because we're friends. We really like to meet each other, to be together in our rehearsal space. If we don’t make progress on an evening, we still had a cozy and relaxed time together. We have had a number of ex-members who have stopped, but we can still call them friends, all of them.

How did The Arch start 30 years ago?

Several members knew each other, but played in different bands. One evening in 1985, we were together to jam and ‘Revenge Revival’ was the result. Another song from that memorable jam was ‘Gaga à Gogo’, but that number has completely disappeared in the mists of the past. Anyway, ‘Revenge Revival’ was the trigger to move forward together.

Your first EP ‘As Quiet As’ was an instant success. Songs like ‘Revenge Revival’ and especially ‘Babsi ist Tod’ still haunt you. How do you feel when you hear all those references to work that appeared 30 years ago?

The first record is very important for every band. It is the embryo of the future career. For early fans, the impression lingers longer. But there's more. The big advantage of this first record was that our songs were very simple, one guitar and one sequence. After that, we were less easily satisfied. Songs became more complex: an additional sequence here and an extra guitar there…. Before you know it, you are working too hard on a song, actually ruining it. With music, more than anywhere else, 'more is less' is an important motto. Regarding this point, we had a lot of discussion within the band. While working on a release, we need to take distance from the fact that we listen to that song a hundred times, and may be tired of it. We must always consider an issue from the viewpoint of someone who hears it for the first time, for the first listening is the most important.

You have worked with Ludo Camberlin for many years, the man who produced many important Belgian bands besides his own Poësie Noire. Few people remember that, but the early 90s you, The Neon Judgement and him formed the ‘Louvain-rave-on’ scene. The intention was - if I understood it correctly - to grow more to the dance scene. How do you look back at that?

Musically, we have no plan. We jam together and we don’t know in advance what will come out of it. We have no control over our inspiration and the anarchy of our imagination. We are rather the followers of it, or even the slaves. The people who are kind enough to listen to our work, will label in one way or the other, perhaps leaning towards the dance scene. We have no choice but to accept that judgment.

I was struck by something as I scrolled through your discography: ‘In Sofa’ from 1997 is quite hidden away. It is impossible to listen to songs from this CD. Why is that?

‘In Sofa’ was a disaster in the sense that we mandated the mastering to our former record company. But they just laughed at it: no mastering, everything right on CD, so the sound is flat and quiet. We should let those songs be mastered again by Kenny KGB.

Actually, ‘Fates’ was produced by Kenny KGB of Simi Nah. The CD also appeared on Simi Nah’s Why2K label. How did the collaboration come about?

We were looking for someone new to mix us live. CUVG, Pieter and Ivan knew Kenny. And he went on tour with us. He did the mixing so well that we asked him to also mix and master ‘Fates’. He did so with such skills that we can say that his contribution to ‘Fates’ is essential. No ‘Fates’ without Kenny.

‘Fates’ goes further in the direction you turned to with ‘Engine in Void’. You use more variety, more atmospheric songs, trip-hop influences, background vocals by Chiffon's Tale ... Do you feel that you opened a new chapter in the work of the Arch? 

If a band is presenting a new album with thirteen unprecedented numbers, it's always a new step. That will also be the case with the next album, on which we are already working. In addition, if people as Chiffon’s Tale and Kenny KGB come in, you automatically go in unprecedented directions in comparison to the past. A new chapter, as it is called.

You all have a family and a job. Yet I notice that you are playing regularly in all corners of Europe. How do you manage that?

That is a very puzzling: higher mathematics. Peter, Ivan and CUVG are independent and can take their leave when they choose to. Ian has a crazy job as a forester and can also freely choose his leave.

You spend a lot of attention to the lyrics. These cannot be empty talking, as you once declared in an interview. It is noteworthy that Ian Lambert - who takes care of keys and programming - provides a lot of the lyrics, but also some outsiders work for you. How do you set the standard for a text?

We try to put something in it which will make the listeners think, whether or not with a specific reflection on their own lives. We have always enjoyed working with texts by ‘outsiders’, in so far as that term is valid. As long as they have something fascinating or intriguing as message.

You already had songs with German titles - ‘Babsi ist Tod’ and ‘Die rote Kapelle’ - but with ‘Immerzu’, you also have your first song sang in German.

This text is actually a poem written by a girl who is shrouded in mystery: Pia. Only Ivan knows her, the rest of the group would like to meet her sometimes and learn to know her. But she remains conspicuously absent and invisible. Her poem fitted well on a blues jam that we were working on, and so ‘Immerzu’ arose.

You wanted the new album be your masterpiece. At least you said so in an interview from 2013. I think you succeeded. What do you think about it?

It's up to the fans to decide, but we are very satisfied. We have borne thirteen children, who can now live their own lives. We'll see what becomes of them. We now begin creating the following children ...

Pictures: Xavier Marquis (BIMfest 2015)

The Arch: facebook / website

The Arch: Fates

It's actually surprising how long The Arch are already active. They were formed in 1986. Thus, they are now celebrating their 30th anniversary. That deserves something special, and this new ‘Fates’ album is just perfect as a birthday gift.

The perseverance of the group - 30 years is a very respectable age - and songs like ‘Babsi ist Tod’ - the most famous song of a band so often comes from their very first release - and ‘Ribdancer’ - released in the successful decade change of 80s to 90s - have put them on the map. Not only in Belgium, for The Arch plays throughout Europe and is very popular in for instance Spain and Germany.

Although the sound of The Arch has obviously evolved during these 30 years, there is a clear common thread in their music: the combination of danceable beats and harsch guitars. They are not the only group using this combination, but they certainly have a very recognizable style.

The Arch obviously have tried to broaden their sound in recent years. That was certainly the case on predecessor ‘Engine in Void’ and to a lesser extent to the more danceable ‘Beating The balance’ EP. ‘Fates’ is it just the superlative of the efforts to do so.

Opener ‘Lady Gasoline’ is quite poppy and could even be played on commercial radio, though I have realistic expectations about the prospects in this respect. ‘Robot Sapiens’ should directly appeal to your dance muscles. The title track combines industrial rhythms with melodic guitars, while ‘Spear of Destiny’ may well appeal to the goth rockers. It goes without saying that the lyrics are full of literary and historical references. Ronny Moorings sings on ‘Monsters & I’, and it should not come as a surprise that Clan of Xymox lures behind the corner here.

The second half of the disc is more experimental. The rhythm slows down on ‘Immerzu’, a ballad in ¾ sung in German. ‘One By One’ sounds nothing like The Arch with its bluesy rock, but ‘Brain Duck’ somehow restores the classical sound. ‘Empty Garden’ sounds like an atmospheric dance number, while ‘Deaf and Blind’ does sound a little psychedelic. ‘Frozen Jungle’ does what a closing song should. It is a slow and claustrophobic song with several voices and an extraordinary build-up, breathtakingly beautiful.

I think I can say that ‘Fates’ is the most varied The Arch record in history. That does not come at the expense of quality, rest assured. Rather on the contrary. It is actually their best record ever.

Xavier Kruth 

The Arch: facebook / website