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fltr: Bavo Maximus, Marcel Duplantier, Christophe Deckers, Koen Specht & Mario Abraham

Does anyone remember still remember Toute Rancune, the Belgian Art-/Noiserockers that managed to become 'your favourite band's favourite band's favourite band'? Not too many people, I'm afraid.
Still, about a quarter century ago, TR had managed to create a small empire of their own, build on the foundations of frontmen Christophe Deckers' and Mario Abraham's very own Art Department label, not only releasing their own back catalogue (albums like Haute Cuisine, Catch My Drift, No Hard Feelings or the b-sides collection The Legendary Cover-up Operation) but also attracted artists like Adam West to release albums that fell far out of their own comfort zone, or literally giving characters like Erich Hess (known for his Harlots) a home by letting him live in a ship container next to their headquarters. Not an easy feat for a band with a deliberately unpronounceable name.
Never one to play by the rules, TR was the kind of band where anything was possible, Turning a junkyard into a full blown orchestra?, a Heavy Metal Waltz?, how about mixing Industrial rock with Fado.
It's been 22 years now since the curtain dropped on TR, as they are set to release their new album Dew onto the world.

We meet Christophe Deckers and Mario Abraham at the music bar 'Djingel Djangel' in their hometown of Antwerp.

Gentlemen, welcome back. It's been quite a while since we've heard from you. What happened and why return now?
CD Well basically, the band ended under a misunderstanding between the two of us...
MA That's putting it mildly.
CD See, in the middle of the recording of our last album (Artistiek Zeer Verantwoorde Plaat), Mario got involved in a car accident.
MA I got run over while crossing the street.
CD Not to put any blame on anyone, it was very emotional and confusing for everyone, but if I remember correctly I got the news from Erich Hess. I don't remember if it was something he said or didn't say, but I always assumed that the accident had killed Mario.
MA And I just took it personal that Chris never came to visit, while I was in the hospital with two broken legs. By the time I got released the entire band and record label were gone.
CD I had moved to Greece to start again with a clean slate to try and start a new band (Leviathan) that never really took of.

What went wrong?
CD A psychosis, I think. That's what everyone told me. I don't really remember that well. I can only tell that the crash was severe. I basically lost everything.

What do you mean with everything?
CD Pretty much what it means. My money and savings, the rights to our back catalogue. The only things left are the names Toute Rancune and The Art Department. An old friend of mine got me a job in his record shop and one day in comes Mario.
MA I guess you had to be there to believe it. Neither of us was expecting to ever see eachother again.

Was that the new beginning of TR?
MA It took a couple of years. The both of us were a bit disillusioned with how it all ended initially. It was our mutual love for music that eventually made it happen.
CD See, it just felt hard to rebuild everything we had lost. When we finally decided to try again, we also made the conscious decision to do things differently and keep it more simple.
MA Basically, we're just a band now. We don't feel the need to build an entire enterprise around ourselves anymore.
CD Initially it was just the two of us, so when we finally got a band together, Mario and me already had enough material written for a whole album.

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Christophe Deckers & Mario Abraham: We're just as band now. We don't feel the need to build an entire enterprise around ourselves anymore.

So, who is TR today, then?
MA Koen Specht is a colleague of mine who also plays guitar, Marcel Duplantier is now our keyboardist and Bavo Maximus plays the drums.
CD And then there's the two of us on guitar as well.

So, there are three guitarists but no bass?
CD We've never worked with a bassplayer. We used to fill that gap with an organ in the past, but these days I'm playing a baritone guitar as a way to compensate.

Why the different approach now?
CD We wanted a more organic sound, but I just hate playing the bass. The fretboard of a baritone just feels more comfortable to me and the strings are easier to play while still giving that body to the sound.

Is there a reason why you changed to this setup?
MA We never really had a setup in the past. We always changed things up with each new album. It just felt best for the album we've made now.

Yes, the new album, Dew. Is there anything you can tell us about it? Is it a concept album?
MA 'Dauw, 'et zwieët van den 'eimel'
CD (laughs) That's one way to put it, I suppose. I wouldn't call it a concept album. There's no narrative or anything. If there is a overall theme, I'll say it's an album about conflict and contrast.
MA And Dew is the thing that is left at the end, even though it's hard to explain where it comes from. A bit like dust.
CD With Dew being a better title than 'Dust'.

So TR is back, but The Art Department isn't?
CD In a way it is, but it's not a record label anymore, more like a publishing company.
MA We're currently still looking for labels for a distribution deal. It would be nice to be able to tour the world again and have the record available as globally as possible.
CD Otherwise, we're going to have to drag extra luggage around, just to offer it at the merchandise stand. The plan is to keep things as simple as possible for us. We're not as young as we used to anymore.

So, what does the future hold for TR?
CD Right now, I'm not thinking any further than getting this album out to the people and play.
MA We'll just see what happens next.

Edited by user 10 February 2026 01:05:37(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified