- Hey there, thanks for the interview! No plans for whatever release right now. "Spectre of the Eight Ropes" was released just before the pandemic and because of this we weren't able to promote the album in a decent way, so to a certain degree it still feels we have to give this album a push as we really enjoyed it. We'll never do a perfect album, but we loved the result of the recordings. It's a very honest album and a worthy successor of the previous release, the "Five Candles Burning Red" MCD. But granted, time is moving on and we have to decide what our next move will be.

- Robert mentioned to us drumming was becoming more and more a strain to him. He had difficulties to keep it up. He was the oldest of the four of us and his age was more and more becoming a problem to him. His body was holding him back and it became harder to perform on the level he wanted to be/stay. Frustration grew and it was no fun anymore. Straight after the recording of "Spectre of the Eight Ropes" he told us he wanted to end his tenure with Pentacle and retire. We all thought it would be a good idea to end on a high note and to promote the new album with the recording line up. Maybe even a small tour through Europe. We did five shows and I was busy with two tours with Sadistic Intent and Capilla Ardiente when the pandemic killed all the fun (and more...). With no gigs in sight and unsure how long this situation would last, we decided to part ways. It was a pity we couldn't end it the way we wanted it to, but circumstances decided different. We had a great time together and I will always cherish these times.

For a while Pentacle was without a drummer. It was a strange situation as we had a new album out, yet with the pandemic knocking at our doors and without a drummer, there was nothing we could do about. I met Jan through a mutual friend of ours. He knew Pentacle was without a drummer and at a BBQ he asked if we were searching for a drummer. I asked him if he wanted to give it a try and he responded positive. I said let's do it! That was all, haha! For 15 years, he didn't perform live and played in local acts. He mastered double bass when he joined us, so that was a major achievement from his side. He knows and loves the classic metal albums and is a very cool guy to have around. Jan is certainly a positive band member with the right attitude when it comes to this kind of music. We are glad he joined the band!

- Indeed, we are still playing gigs, though more selected ones. The need and urge to enter the stage three days every weekend or to tour the world are over. Life asks different priorities these days, so it is what it is, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy to perform on stage anymore. Especially gigs like the previous one we did in Erba, Italy with Into Darkness and Apparition are very memorable as they offer everything a Pentacle gig should have: a great venue with a friendly staff, awesome acts to share the stage with, a rabid crowd full of underground maniacs, a distro selling great items, a good sound and an overall very supportive vibe for everyone involved. We don't ask to enter the biggest stages on earth, but gigs like these are nothing less than amazing to me. I just love the underground vibe, the sweat and the intensity of a club gig. Way more intense than a bigger stage. To get the audience (as a performer) or the band (as a visitor) in your face. Nothing beats this direct contact and intimacy.

I think the gig in Eindhoven went fine. It was a full house and people seemed to enjoy it. I rarely have seen a crowd going really wild at the venue (the Deströyer 666 gig was a positive exception) and this one was no different. Some headbangers while the rest enjoyed our set in a relaxed way. No death metal violence, hehe... Our change over and line check were executed with such a speed we were able to add some additional material to the live set, so we played almost an hour. It was cool to perform Hellhammer's "Reaper" again, a song which accompanies us since 1992 and has become a very distinctive link to our early days for me. Together with "Deepness of the Depths" (which we wrote in 1991 and is part of our live set to this very day) it goes back to the forming years of Pentacle. We cover (almost) all our major releases with the set and always try to change the songs and add a surprise for those who have seen and heard us more than once.

I visited the festival on Friday and Saturday as well and my personal high lights were Cyclone and Sodom. Too many familiar faces in the crowd, so socializing was a big part of this particular weekend.

- I do believe there are many, many more acts which stay loyal to their cause and haven't forgotten their values. Pentacle isn't the only steady factor within the scene, by all means, but I get your point and I really appreciate the compliment.

My secret? Hmm... Stubbornness, I guess. Conviction, idealism, loyalty and integrity come to my mind as well. But one of the most important aspect is "just" being a fan of this amazing music. I am still a kid at heart when it comes to my music collection. One can see me raging in front of the stereo and go wild to classics as "To Mega Therion", "Strappado", "Morbid Visions" or "Pleasure to Kill". This youthful enthusiasm which means far more to me than being a/the musician. The pure love for and addiction to our beloved music. The clenched fists and grinding teeth when one hears a great riff, pounding rhythm or scream from hell. Right now, I am listening to the rerecording of Sodom's "After the Deluge" and I am air drumming and making silly faces all along. I still feel the fire within and although I am not 16 anymore, I still understand and live the passion.

This feeling reflects my performance as a musician too. I am not really talented and rather mediocre in my playing, but as I keep close to the essence, I am still able to come up with simple (positive meant) and effective material for our songs. Certain musicians have become so advanced on their instrument through the years, they have lost this primitive edge which often made their early outputs so amazing. Granted, Pentacle in 2023 sounds somehow different than in the early days in 1992, but I am totally convinced we still have the same power and conviction in our material. We never lost our edge or got a polished sound. The energy is still there.

- Yes, Costa is a damn cool guy. We go back quite some years and it's always great to meet up. We never run out of topics to talk about, but what to expect when you put two metal nerds together in one room. I love the work he did/does for Iron Pegasus Records. A very distinctive taste with many great items of bands like Desaster, Sadistic Intent, Zemial, Impiety, Taranis, Slaughter, Sabbat, Poison, Eurynomos, Messiah, Massacre, Force of Darkness, Mortem, Tyrus, Unholy Lust, Ripper and many more. Something to be proud of!

I got in contact with him through his zine, Tales of the Macabre. He contacted me to do a feature on the band. It was around the time we released our second tape, "Winds of the Fall", somewhere in 1993 or 1994, I think. From that moment, we started to get acquainted to each other. He visited me for the first time in Eindhoven and we visited the old Dynamo club together. Pentacle started to cross the border into Germany more and more and while getting in touch with our old allies Desaster, Costa was often around as well. It was one big and happy metal family, so to speak. The first release we did together was the split 10" w/Desaster and the first major Pentacle release on Iron Pegasus was "Under the Black Cross". We always loved working with Costa as he gives us complete freedom to act however we want and does whatever he can to promote us.

There are no concrete plans for the future right now, but I wouldn't hesitate one moment to give Costa a call whenever time is ready. I hope he will welcome us with open arms, as he did before.

- This is a tricky one for me, as I was very, very close involved in the creation of the book, so I am not really objective, haha! So, what to say about it... I think Steven did an amazing job on this book. Mind you, it will never be 100% complete, but that was never the intention or goal. One can't interview every Dutch band or review every rehearsal/demo/EP/album ever created in The Netherlands. It would be just too much. Steven created an amazing overview of what happened during these formative years (and beyond...). I think it was a great asset not only bands were featured, but promoters/venues/fanzines/labels etc. as well. They played a big part too and combined with the bands the content offers a very fair and correct picture of the Dutch scene at that time. I liked the part where foreign musicians reflect on their experiences with Dutch bands or gigs in our country. Some damn cool stories.

It was a pity we didn't get hold of the Scum club as they played a major part in that particular part of the country, but no one was interested in answering Steven's call for an interview. He really pushed it, but to no avail. Too bad, but what can you do about it? If one enjoys reading books about a certain national extreme metal scene, I definitely think this one is a very valuable addition to the collection. Not only the bigger bands like God Dethroned, Gorefest, Asphyx, Pestilence and Sinister are interviewed, but many less known, but certainly amazing acts in their own right too.

- Hmm... In all honesty, when related to our scene, I am not up to date anymore since many, many years. I do believe there are many quality bands around which are able to create some cool music and deliver their songs with conviction, but it's rarely my taste anymore. Dead Head is my fave Dutch band as they still thrash like they were 16 years old. I love every album they did and always keep an eye open for what's coming next. Our guitarist Alex is a member of Lucifericon and if one enjoys his/her death metal blackened, this could be your band. Cool guys and some great stuff!

- Nothing wrong with answering such a question though! It's always fun to go back to the early days and remember and pay respect to those bands and musicians who made it all happen.

When talking about extreme metal bands you have to think about classic bands like Venom, Hellhammer/Celtic Frost, Possessed, Death, Destruction, Slaughter, Necrophagia (OH) and Messiah. When I got more into the underground and discovered these amazing demo acts such as Samhain/DesExult (DEN), Mutilated, Pentagram (Chile) or Necrovore, I was so much impressed with their vibe and intensity of the songs, they definitely "hopped over" into the Pentacle sound as well when I formed the band and became a bit more accomplished as a musician. On a national level I would say bands like Asphyx, Sempiternal Deathreign or Delirium left a certain mark as well. I just loved their (early) outputs and it was great to see and hear such quality bands coming from The Netherlands. It made me proud to be part of such an amazing scene.

Musicians who inspired me are Cronos, Mantas, Tom G. Warrior, Martin E. Ain (R.I.P.), Jeff Becerra, Mike Torrao and Chuck Schuldiner (R.I.P.). Their stage presence, performance and song writing qualities/abilities are still very vivid in my mind.

Yet, without the classic Iron Maiden albums (everything up to "Somewhere in Time"), I wouldn't be doing this interview with you, that's one thing for sure. They were my first real love in hard rock/heavy metal. I listened to bands before them, but they certainly got me hooked until this day. They inspired me to continue this "metal-journey" and here I am now.

- Boah, that's hard to tell. Even after all these years, I still haven't found a magic crystal ball to look into the future, so I can't give you a sensible answer. In all honesty, my personal drive to spread our gospel around the world is a bit less than it used to be. The ambition and eagerness have become more modest and I find it harder to combine band related matters with the rest of my life as I become older. The days of spending complete holidays in front of the computer to answer interviews are definitely over.

Music wise, it's becoming harder to come up with new material after all these years. I always try to improve a bit from release to release while remaining loyal to our original concept as well, but this process leaves me drained. I don't want to rip off our own material, yet it has to be in the same vein as what we did before. You can do only so much in a particular style before one starts to rehash the songs you wrote before. Have I reached the limit of what's possible within our self-defined style? Sometimes I think, yet one only knows for sure when you have actually tried. I am really proud of our achievements with "Spectre of the Eight Ropes", but it's quite a mountain to conquer as well. Where to head next? Only the future will tell.

With the addition of Jan we found a great guy and our rehearsals and live gigs are definitely energetic. It's not about flogging a dead horse. No way...

- I thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to answer your questions. All support is welcome, so I appreciate your interview very much! Good luck with the zine and hails to the underground!