It’s always a nice surprise when a band I haven’t heard of contact me by e-mail telling me that they are to send me promo material. That’s what happened with Y.O.C. Eagerly I anticipated the arrival of their CD (as I always do) and not really knowing were it would arrive from (although I suspected Turkey) one day it was there, in my mail box, ready for my ears. Since the promo cd came with little other information than the music I decided I wanted to know more about this Turkish heavy metal band. So I sent main man Yalin some questions.

Anders Ekdahl

If I were to ask you what Y.O.C stands for, physically as well as mentally what would you answer me?
-Y.O.C. is a project name but also a band that records many kind of pieces.
It is also my name: Yalin Ongun Cosgun. I have taken the first letters of my name for the project. I do the music with professional musicians. I pay them for every kinda movement.
-For the last 5 months and for few months more the band of musicians won’t change. I am very glad to work with them. We are fixed as a band.

Everybody has their tale of how they first got in contact with heavy metal. What was it that made you turn your attention to heavy metal?
-When I was a kid I decided to be a Heavy Rocker. I asked my parents if they could buy me some cassettes. They bought ALICE COOPER. Before that when I was a boy I was a fan of a national rock singer and every summer I was hearing SCORPIONS' ballads. My first cd was PINK FLOYD and later the 2nd was EXODUS. When my parents bought me METALLICA. I first did not get into it. Later I have listened a thousand times, and tried to collect every kind of metal tapes and LPs.

If you're a band from Sweden you almost always have the eyes of the World on you but how does a band from a place like Turkey, not known for its huge variety of metal bands, get the metalheads of the world to pay attention?
-Hard. I have special contacts Worldwide. I am not like a national Turkey band. I do it for myself and I think I will move to another country in a few years. But some bands from Turkey are trying to perform at WACKEN and some has albums out in Europe. I am not like them and I hate them. My band ain’t Turkish. My drummer is German. Now he lives here. There will be national guys with the project Y.O.C.

Having visited your web site I gather that you're very productive. What kind of responses have you had on the stuff you've released?
-Self produced, and some comp official released songs. Also we now work for an official release in USA for the EP “Sanity”. And a future album will be supported. I have problems with the army now. That is why I do not record an LP and can not move from Turkey.
-Also few covers will be released officially.

Having only heard a fraction of the material that you have released I still get the impression that you try cover as many styles of metal as possible.
-That is exactly true. I try to show that I can do it and I love it.

Is there a method to this or is it just plain hard to decide what kind of metal you want to stick with?
-Yes, there is a method. An IRON MAIDEN tribute. 3 songs are on the way and more tributes, like BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA...
-What hard is to try to get the money to do them and what’s also hard is to choose which will be the first to be done.

- We do cover tributes to show what we are and to show the passion. We pay back to the bands we cover. Y.O.C. is not a cover or a tribute band project, just that we do covers. As you know or not, we have original material.

Turkish metal is even so more exotic than f x Portuguese metal. Do you have to release the stuff on your own or are there any national record labels that in any way could assist you?
-I am not into Turkish METAL. I don’t know any Portuguese bands. I know of ANGRA etc. but they are from Brazil.
-There are international labels. Y.O.C flirts with one American. I will one day stop self productions.

Is it your impression that people are generally more interested in just the music
or does the fact that you're a Turkish metal band play a part in the initial attraction?
-Into just the music. Music is listenable
-You will see that Y.O.C. is not a Turkish band. I am just living here and I am born Turkish but I feel and go international.

With Turkey being the final European frontier to the east, a country with one foot in Eastern culture and one foot in Western European culture. Is this something that you use to an advantage in any shape in your music?
-I feel Western. Turkey is 70 million, 65 million are eastern.
-I am honestly open to world culture including Turkish and Eastern. It is an advantage for me. I feel no problem with that.
-When this republic was born the people turned their faces to west but east has some kind of melodic exotic atmosphere. I am more into American culture but I will surely use Eastern melodies in a project soon. Getting many cultures is an advantage. I am glad to be Turkish originally but this country is hell for me.
-I can not breathe and it is hard to make music here. That is why I will move one day but I do not have problems with Eastern or any kind of cultures. I have a problem with Islamic culture. I think the Turks chose the wrong religion.

A common misconception is that the Turkish authorities (police, politicians etc.) come down harder on people who don't conform. How much support do specific youth movements get in terms of places to hang out or play at?
-That happened in past but people do their own organizations and if it is legal, with permission.
-I am a mostly a recording project. I have decided not to perform here until some kind of special nights will be produced and an invitation comes for me. I have no support from any Turkish citizens.
-I have many kinds of support Worldwide, from BOLIVIA to FRANCE. They invite me but I can not move. Let me tell you a story: A few years ago a couple of ROCKERS raped and killed a girl. They said they did it for SATAN. Everything went down when this happened. My neighbours think I am satanic. I hate people here. They are ignorant.

Where would you like Y.O.C. to take you?
-I plan to continue plus I will join an international band active. Y.O.C. will take me to an international platform.

www.yoc.kimdir.com