Introducing: Moments

We usually don’t write follow-up articles on bands, but the growth of Belgian band Moments encouraged us to bend this rule. Moments fuse big riffs and clean and vicious vocals in an engaging but powerful metalcore sound that they describe as “courageous, aggressive and melodic.”

Moments is formed of Gert-Jan Vandervoort (vocals), Sam Peeters (guitar), Jeffrey Beutels (guitar), Maarten Houben (bass) and Benjamin Hendrickx (drums), who were born and bred within walking distance of each other in the small Belgian town of Tessenderlo. They’ve had a few lineup changes over the years, but the five friends that form the band go way back.

We last spoke to the band during the pandemic, around the release of their EP Empathy (which formed part of their album Is There A Cure?) back in September 2020, but their sound has evolved over the last five years. “Our sound definitely changed a lot,” they told us. “With our previous record, Tidal Waves, we chose a different approach for writing and included elements we hadn’t used before. A major change was Gert-Jan moving from bass to lead vocals, which had a huge impact on our overall sound.

“Still, we’ve stuck to our signature elements too. No good Moments song without some heavy ass breakdowns! Take Expectations, for example. Every time we play this song live a huge wall of death erupts and people go nuts. It’s crazy!”

The evolution of the Moments sound is epitomised by latest release Sink or Swim, which was released last month. “With Sink or Swim, we went even further,” they explained. “More clean singing, catchy parts, heavier sections and an even bigger production. We can definitely notice our fans love it because our numbers have been rising since!”

The track opens up with piercing synths and echoey vocals, which feed into engaging clean vocals. A spinning guitar lick comes in and drops into a huge riff that continues under more intense vocals, then powerful guitars feed into a big chorus “I won’t obey, I’ll never, I will swim against the tide, It goes on and on and on, but I will seek a path that’s truly mine.” The pace drops at the start of a second verse, which gradually builds towards an extended version of the catchy chorus. That drops into brief chugging chords before intense vocals end with a spinning synth sound supporting a huge breakdown of heavy guitars, which set up a final blast of the chorus.

On the track, the band told us: “The reception has been better than we could have ever expected! People praise Sink or Swim for its modern sound and deeper meaning, ‘I will swim against the tide.’ No matter what people tell you or which obstacles you encounter, the choice will always remain yours. Expect catchy vocals and melodies, heavy riffs and the feeling of pure courage!”

As the band alluded to, Sink or Swim follows on from their 2022 album Tidal Waves, which is packed with huge tracks like the powerful Expectations, which features a huge breakdown before a big final chorus, Guiding Lights and the fantastic The Void, which you can check out in the video below. But personal favourite tracks are Safe & Sound and the vicious Treading Water, which feature some of the band’s filthiest riffs.

The Moments sound is influenced by the likes of The Ghost Inside, Northlane, Architects and Wage War. And they tell us: “We try not to sound too similar to some of the bigger acts out there and create songs with our own musical style and identity. But then again, metalcore tends to follow a certain formula. A big chorus, a heavy breakdown, a cool riff. Still, we try to approach our songs with our own creative twist.

“We used to write a lot about controversial matters like climate change, politics, injustice… but lately, we kind of shifted towards a more personal approach. We write about things happening in our lives, about mental health, about the struggles and wins we all experience.”

There’s plenty more to come from Moments, who’ll be playing at Mayfest 2025 in Aalst, Belgium, on 10 May. And they tell us: “We have A LOT of exciting stuff coming up. Let’s leave it at that for now. We always want to keep a good connection with our fans. Feel free to drop a message, a comment, a tag or come say hi at one of our shows. We would love to meet all of you!”

You can follow Moments on Facebook and Instagram, and check out their music on Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music and YouTube.