Eric Hazebroek

I was born back in 1973 in The Hague, the Netherlands on a sunny 22nd of June. Lived most of my life in or near Voorburg, a quiet little town right next to The Hague. No brothers or sisters. Parents still alive and well, and together. Got married to a Canadian back in 2003, and became the father of an incredible little girl, called Aidyn, in 2006. My entire life I was mostly drawn to the expressive side of activities, like writing, drawing, photography, and music. The latter taking over a huge part of my life since I started playing in serious bands in 1991. Manifest was a death metal band I joined in 1991, after one of my friends left their sides. I met the members once when I was filling in as a bass player (for fun) at one of their rehearsals. My friend was their guitar player. They wanted me to join and replace my friend, but I declined. I thought it wasn’t appropriate for them to kick out my friend and enlist me. But several months later I met them at a Paradise Lost concert in The Hague, where they told me that my friend had left their band and if I was still interested to join them. And I did... Manifest worked hard for 8 years. Creating unique technical metal. Often named the Dutch equivalent to Cynic. We played many shows and we recorded some incredible music. The band split in 1999. 2 Members continued on as part of the band Blo.torch, 2 other 2 (including me) continued on as part of the band Daeonia. Daeonia originated in 1993, as I joined some friends for a rehearsal with their band. The band went from Trinity, to Aeon, to Daeonia, and existed for 10 turbulent years. Musically it was a mix of bands like Anathema, Paradise Lost and My Dying Bride with a huge chunk of old gothic heroes like Fields of the Nephilim, The Mission and The Sisters of Mercy. In 1997 the band was signed by Lee Barrett to his Candlelight Records label, right after the release of the 2nd demo “Morphic Lands”. Daeonia recorded 2 full length albums, and EP and a single. Most of the music came from my pen, as were the lyrics and parts of the artwork. Daeonia’s music was really personal to me, and listening to it today still takes me back to those years of struggle. In 2003 the remaining 3 members decided to call it quits. Trisomy (Only Fate Remains) was one of the bands I joined right after Daeonia disbanded at the end of 2003. I saw their advert online and responded to their (somewhat) outrageous demands on equipment and experience. I joined them on stage early 2004 and was a band member till December 2007, when I left due to lack of time and some health issues. Throughout those 4 years I played many live shows with them and wrote some kick-ass songs as well; some of them can be heard on the band’s debut album (released under the monicker Only Fate Remains in 2011). We’re still friends, and I do support them all the way. They definitely deserve it. Visit them at: www.onlyfateremains.com (They changed their name) The Saturnine was founded in October 2003 by Daeonia’s bass player, Douwe de Wilde, Sun Caged drummer Dennis Leeflang and me. It became the main output for my song writing as I could no longer express that in Daeonia. The band became a ghost in the music scene. Some called it a super group, as most members came from other (well-known) bands. The Saturnine’s goal was to write melancholic and techincal music in a way that the listener would not be offended be poly-rhythmic beats and impossible guitar lines. Sincere and sombre music was and is what we’re aiming for. The band had quite some struggle throughout the years, which resulted in a decline of live shows (because of personnel problems), and times of inactivity. The band has released 2 EP’s since 2004, the 3rd planned for release early 2012. The Saturnine took over the personal edge that Daeonia had for me. Every song has the extra weight and actually hurt sometimes. A band of friends, like-minded souls... Stream of Passion. The band that many of the people that visit these pages probably know me from. I joined them in 2007 after sending a message through MySpace, offering my help as they lost several band members (including Arjen Lucassen). Being a part of this band is like being on a roller coaster. After 4 years I’ve recorded albums with them, toured Europe with them, played some shows in Canada, even wrote some material for them. The most obvious parts (for those that know my style of playing and writing) can be found in the song “Far & Apart” from The Flame Within album. The road goes on and on, and we’ll see where this path will lead me... :) At least I’m enjoying it all the way. Besides writing and playing music, collecting and listening to tons of different artists, I have to odd moment of trying to be a photographer of live concerts, interesting places, and equally interesting people. The results can soon be found HERE. I don’t own expensive equipment or have a photography education. It is purely for my enjoyment, plus I keep telling myself that insight, the so called EYE for composition, is helping me create some nice images. I also have been writing for a bit, as a reviewer for Reflections of Darkness, back in the early years of the new millennium. But due to lack of time I had to let it go. Maybe someday I’ll pick it up again... As a person I changed quite a bit throughout the last 20 years. I always have been a generally friendly and approachable person. Open for opinions, though I keep subjects like Respect and Sincerity high in my goals in life. I had some rough years, and I have come to peace with the fact that only a few people truly understand me. The birth of my daughter changed my perspective on many things. She is the most important thing in my life, now and forever. Furthermore, I am not a religious person. I don’t give my faith to any organized religion, but that doesn’t mean I don’t believe in anything. I am not an atheist; probably more an agnostic. I do find religion interesting, and like to focus on all the art and architecture it has caused in the last millennium. The old religions from Scandinavia and England do interest me as well. I married Robynne back in 2003, after knowing her for 6 years. She’s still the person that understands me and my music. She is a terrific vocalist with a non European sound, and we still plan to record some music in the near future. Just like me, she’s also an Anglophile. Drawn to the British isles. Many of our holidays were spent there and many holidays to come will also end up in England, Wales or Scotland. So, now you know more about me than before (I hope). Enjoy the stuff I left scattered on the rest of these online pages. All the best to you and yours.... Eric Guitar Player & Song Writer, known for his work w/ Manifest, Daeonia, The Saturnine, Only Fate Remains, DiTCH & Stream of Passion.