Author: Darkfiend
Website Of Origin: metal4africa
Band: Ing
Member: Bryan Villain (vocals & Guitar)
This interview was conducted by Darkfiend of metal4africa in cooperation with Heavy Metal Panic and Metal4Africa. Other items from authors of either website will appear on both websites prior to WinterFest’14.
Thrash/speed metallers Ing have long remained one of Cape Town’s more understated extreme acts; but no more! Not only are they bring their sledgehammers to WinterFest’14 this Saturday, but in a matter of six weeks, they will be performing with Brazil’s Sepultura who are touring to South Africa. This band has proven through many trials and tribulations that they have just got an extraordinary reserve of staying power; and loads of good ol’ fashioned heavy metal sentiment to boot. In fact, Ing‘s roots can be traced back to a chapter in South African metal which most metalheads attending shows today barely recall, as these foundations were already being laid and built upon in the 80’s and 90’s. Band names such as Insurrection (Durban), Sacraphyx (Cape Town) and others are written into Ing‘s own members history. Ing has never been about looks or glitz and glamour, but it seems that in 2014 the perpetual cycles of “what matters most” to those in metal have turned full circle to now favour these veterans.
“All we have is balls-to-the-wall aggressive old school thrash. We are a band an audience can relate to and all we want in return is for them to enjoy the show with us.”
Ing has already performed at a number of M4A shows prior to WinterFest’14, and are one of the few bands still around today who remember the event’s earliest days from a performers point of view. As Bryan pointed out, it seems that Ing‘s trajectory with the event has seen them return to the M4A stage every third year.
“We have seen this event grow exponentially from when it first started out and our first outing. In that time we have seen it become far more professionally run, and seen the turnout improve every season. With the exception of international acts, there are no shows on the calendar to rival M4A but we would love to see all events grow in popularity… however, M4A will always be South Africa’s Wacken in our view. It would be awesome if we could see this show grow to a large outdoor stage with double or triple the amount of people.”
As with the majority of bands which prevail for as many years as Ing have, some of the aforementioned trials and tribulations include a few member changes. Life happens! In the case of Ing, we have seen them refresh and strengthen with each line-up change, which appears to have revolved mostly around founding members Bryan and Henk. These guys are not quitters; whose partnership in metallic mischief began together even since the Insurrection days in another time and place, somehow having their paths merging back into one at Cape Town since the 2000’s. WinterFest’14 will see the band appear live for only the second time with the current line-up, but seems like the perfect stepping stone for the new guy to experience playing live in the band just prior to their opening for the massive Sepultura in September.
“When Witchdoctor Productions asked for band submissions for acts to play on future international bills, we were one of the first to submit. They loved what we were doing on the new album which will be released soon. They felt that because of the history attached to our band, and the members in it, we would be a good fit to support Sepultura and Groinchurn. It is a great honour for us to be playing with the biggest metal band to come out of “the third world”, and a band we have been headbanging to since our teens (three of us being in our 40’s, to give some perspective).”
John and Bryan have already performed with a few international acts while they were in Sacraphyx together. Some of those bands include The Haunted, Soulfly, Konkhra and Entombed when they all toured South Africa roughly a decade ago.
“Having had a chance to meet, and sometimes drink with these bands, you quickly find that they are ordinary people just trying to carve a modest living out of their art; which they made clear was not easy.”
Catch Ing‘s performance on the WinterFest’14 stage at 20h00
