Interview with death metal band from Poland - DISLOYAL.
Answered Jaro (drums) and Artyom (guitars), thank you!
Recenze/review - DISLOYAL - Divine Miasmata (2024):
Ave DISLOYAL! Hello to the Polish underworld. I first listened to your new album "Divine Miasmata" on my way to work. I walk past an old cemetery and then an abandoned factory. At times I thought I was seeing ghosts! The album is really very good. You've come back after nine years and you seem even stronger than before. How did the new album come about and why such a long gap between albums?
Jaro: Hell-oooo!!!! Thanks for such wonderful words about our new album. It's great that our music evokes such delightful feelings and even hallucinations in you, hahaha. Exactly, we've returned with the mega power which is in full swing in "Divine Miasmata". The material for the album was created without any pressure. Simply, if there was time and ideas to write new songs, it happened. This long break is due to the fact that everyone in the band has their own life and things related to it that need to be sorted out and that takes some time. Apart from that, there are other musical projects that also require time and dedication, that's why it all took so long.
I'm an old fan of yours, I have your first album "Pessimistic" from 1999 at home and I like that you have your own style while keeping your own signature. How did the idea to start a band come about and why did you decide to play death metal? I can feel a strong influence of American bands in your music. Were they an inspiration for you?
Jaro: It's really nice to hear that. The band was actually formed at the turn of 1996/97 after the breakup of a rock band I played in called ALL FICTION. I've always been a metal maniac, especially death metal, and that's the kind of music I wanted to play. So after ALL FICTION broke up, I called some people who were starting to play metal and suggested that we start a death metal band. We were all very impressed and influenced by bands like MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, OBITUARY, SLAYER, BOLT THROWER. And that's how it all started.
From the original line-up, only the drummer Jarosław Paprota is left in DISLOYAL. A lot of great musicians went through the band. Why so many changes? At the same time, and this is very interesting for me, you still keep your face. How did you get together with the current line-up and was it difficult to find musicians who wanted to play death metal at that level? Maybe in the Czech Republic there are not so many people playing extreme metal.
Jaro: Exactly. I’m the only one who remained from the original line-up. So many line-up changes over the years were caused by life situations that did not allow ex-members to continue playing music, people simply did not want to play anymore and with others it was simply impossible to work for a longer period of time. The current line-up, which I personally consider the strongest in the history of the band, is the responsibility of Artyom, our guitarist. I met Artyom on MySpace, through which we talked about music and various life matters. It just happened that we had a few concerts to play and didn’t have a bass player at that moment and I suggested that Artyom play bass and from that moment on he has been in the band to this day and it was he who brought the rest of the current members to the band. A successful transfer, right? HeHe
Let's go to the new album. Do you know what I like the most about it? The atmosphere. Yes, the album is very dark, but sophisticated and the moods change throughout. Sometimes the rawness comes out, sometimes the coldness, sometimes the melancholy. Can you tell us how DISLOYAL composed the new material? Who is the songwriter?
Artyom: All the music was composed by me and all the lyrics were written by our longtime friend Wojciech Mytnik. He wrote for Disloyal before, you can find some of his lyrics on the albums “The Kingdom Of Plague” and a couple of songs on the album “Godless”. This time we let him write the lyrics on the whole album, though we discussed the main topics and concept with him beforehand. Concerning my approach to composing the material, it was nothing unusual. I wasn’t doing anything on purpose or under any pressure, I was just waiting for the inspiration to come. I must admit that you are absolutely right describing the emotions of “Divine Miasmata”. It’s a technical, fast and quite brutal death metal, but my main emotions connected with this material are very dark, cold and for sure sometimes melancholic. There’s a lot of hatred and aggression in these riffs, at least from what I feel. But there’s also a lot of destructive depression in it, which is usually not so obvious in this genre of music. I tried to put so much personal energy and experience into these riffs and music in general that I thought that it will be better if someone else will write the lyrics, cause basically all my emotions were already in the music, it’s as if I’ve already put all my words into it. So I’m happy that Wojciech agreed to work with us again and did a great job complementing the dark and leaden atmosphere of the music with appropriate lyrics.
Sound is very important not only in death metal. I like how massive, majestic it is on the new album. It is signed by Arkadiusz "Aro" Jabłoński from MASACHIST. How was the collaboration? If I'm not mistaken, some members of MASACHIST were also in DISLOYAL? Did you ever have a different opinion about the sound, did you have a say in the result? Or did you leave everything to Arkadiusz?
Jaro: You've captured the atmosphere and sound of "Divine Miasmata" very well. Yes, we worked with Aro again during the recording of the new album. Working with him is incredibly comfortable and stress-free. We also recorded the previous record "Godless" with him, so the choice of the studio and the sound engineer was obvious. We simply understand each other and, above all, we are able to listen and accept any comments on the band / sound engineer level. As for MASACHIST, the only thing that unites us, is that Thrufel, who is the guitarist and founder of MASACHIST, recorded a guest solo for two of the songs on the album "Godless". Our bands never shared any musicians.
Artyom: I’ve worked with Aro many times. We’d recorded Disloyal’s „Godless“ with him, then I recorded two albums with my doom/death metal band WOE UNTO ME, and I recorded also the „IT“ album with DEATHBRINGER in the same studio. A couple of times I was there as a session musician too. Aro understands me and my creative visions without any words, he perfectly feels the atmosphere of the music. It’s very comfortable to work with him and each time I’m happy with the result. We always work together on the sound, he listens to me and I listen to all his suggestions, we discuss everything many times and work together on all levels until everything is finished.
"Divine Miasmata" can be loosely translated as pollution by god. The word miasma comes from Greek and defines chronic manifestations after the suppression of scabies, gonorrhea and syphilis. The author of this definition is Hahnemann. Was he an inspiration for your lyrics? Who is the author of the lyrics? What exactly are the lyrics on the new album about?
Artyom: Actually, I think, the name of the album appeared even before the lyrics. It was more about a general concept of our music. I wanted to reflect the anti-religious mood that was obvious in music and came up with that capacious title. The artwork on the cover reflects exactly the same mood. The feeling that god and religion is more evil than its main antagonist. The god with the face of the demon pouring a holy water on the people who got eaten away by it, melting as if it was an acid. This perfectly symbolizes the religion, which under the veil of holiness corrodes the minds of people.
Concerning the lyrics, I can describe each song in a few words:
“Silent Revolution” - This song is a warning against trusting the cyber technology way too much. How is it that we allowed ourselves to become a labelled product and be vulnerable to all our identity being stolen and misused?
“The Black Pope” - They say the world will end after the reign of a „black pope”. But what if the prophecy is misinterpreted and the current pope’s soul is already dwelling in darkness and when the sun sets over Vatican and the curtains are being drawn, he engages himself in satanic rituals?
“1347-1352” - Lyrics to this track were written at the very beginning of the covid pandemics where there was still this mysterious aura of uncertainty noticeable all over the world. It was easy to compare the new threat to the Black Death plague from the medieval times that took one-third of Europe’s’ population.
“Stella Peccatorum” - Inspired by Bosch’s infernal visions or medieval apocalyptic scriptures, this is another take on a topic of Christian end of the world that in the end remains, again and again, just an unfulfilled fantasy.
“Betrayed Faith” - This one is dedicated to all the infant and adolescent victims of a sexual abuse from the hands of all the Christian churches or other religious organizations and their priests and activists.
“Religion of Warfare” - A song about modern warfare and how different it is from the traditional war we know from the TV screens. Today all you need to destroy the world is to press the legendary red button. The song also emphasizes the fact that as a society we are simply a tool in the hands of greedy politicians who might be merely madmen in elegant clothes.
“Ravens of Starvation” - Based on a poem by Diana Suhova, this song tells a story of WW2’s siege of Leningrad from the perspective of the people who were inside. The prolonged famine led to the point where even the acts of cannibalism were reported. No communism supported here, it’s just a description of a human tragedy.
“The Ascension of Abaddon” - Another apocalyptic vision where infernal king Abaddon ascends from below to claim his victory over mankind.
How are DISLOYAL doing with the gigs? Do you play a lot and often? What about some touring for the new album? Are you planning to? Do you prefer smaller clubs or big festivals?
Jaro: We’ve just finished a mini tour promoting the new album. The shows took place on July 19, 20 and 21 in Warsaw, Białystok and Olsztyn. We are currently planning to play as much as possible to promote "Divine Miasmata" and we will try to do a bigger tour in the nearest future. You know, we have not signed any papers with any concert agency and we have to take care of everything ourselves and it is not such an easy thing from the logistical side. So far, we have only played in smaller or larger venues but we have never managed to perform at a big festival so it is difficult for me to compare.
Artyom: In my opinion festivals and club shows are completely different things and they can’t even be compared. There’s something in the cosy club shows that you will never feel on stage of a big festival, and the same vice versa, you will never feel the festival vibe in a club. So I think for a real musician there have to be both kinds of performances to feed on completely different emotions and energy.
I've been listening to death metal since the 90s and Poland has always been a country for me where a lot of good bands came from. But how is it nowadays? I follow your scene, I write about new bands, I try to get interviews as well and everyone agrees that it's still very much alive in Poland. What is your opinion about your scene? What about labels, fans, promoters?
Jaro: In my opinion the scene is even stronger and more powerful than the one from the 90s. Of course a lot of things have changed but there is no time or space to analyze it all now. Currently there are many labels, concert agencies, official magazines and fanzines (well the latter is less compared to the 90s but they still exist) there are many great new bands but also more and more comebacks of old bands. What more can I say. We have to be proud and continue to maintain the status of one of the best metal scenes in the world!!! In Poland metal really has a big meaning!!!
You have a great video for the song "The Black Pope". Why this track and who directed the video? Can you tell us how this song came about? What was the initial idea? I find it really interesting.
Artyom: The video was directed by Marcin Halerz (halerz.eu), our good friend from Krakow, who worked with the bands like DECAPITATED, KAMPFAR, HATE, NORDJEVEL, THY DISEASE, DEATHBRINGER, VIRGIN SNATCH, HOSTIA, etc. We have chosen this track together with him, as we decided that it suits very well to become a video clip, it’s quite catchy and groovy and the concept of the track is pretty cool to make a video for it. The initial idea was to make something not so obvious to match the lyrics and to make something atmospherically dark and close to the old Morbid Angel video clips directed by Tony Kunewalder, like „Rapture“ and „God Of Emptiness“. Maybe our video doesn’t remind you of these masterpieces that much but these videos where definitely our inspirations. We decided to go back to the times of inquisition and witch persecutions. We showed an episode where one of such witchers was persecuted by local villagers and backed into a corner he shows his real face and becomes an Antichrist – a Satan in the flesh, which ends with him becoming a worldwide power, leading the humanity to its ruination. It’s just a different vision of the general atmosphere of the track.
You're from a small town called Kętrzyn, which is far to the north. I suppose you have to commute a long way to see concerts. I know, I drive a lot of kilometres to see my favourite band. Do you have a local scene? A club, a meeting place? What about some bands from the area, would you recommend anyone?
Jaro: I am from Ketrzyn, indeed. I have to go to Olsztyn to see some metal shows. But if I want to go to a concert of bigger bands that I listen to or want to see, I usually have a choice of Warsaw or Krakow, and that is quite a long distance for me, so I do not go to gigs very often. From my city I can recommend a very young band that is just taking its first steps and is called STORMBLAST, apart from them no one plays metal Kętrzyn. From Olsztyn I can recommend INSIDIUS, DEFYING, NON OPUS DEI, YFEL 1710, ATROCIOUS FILTH. But despite all that, Kętrzyn is quite a cult metal town, Doc the legendary drummer of VADER on their first albums was born in Kętrzyn and China the former guitarist of VADER is also from Kętrzyn.
How did you get started with extreme music? What was the first band you heard that got you into music? What about your beginnings as a musician? What instrument did you start out on? Who was your role model? What about your first gig, your first stage performance? Please reminisce for us.
Jaro: I don't remember which was the first band that influenced me to become a metal maniac. I definitely was and still am a total fan of „Altars Of Madness“ and „Blessed Are The Sick“ from MORBID ANGEL. I listened to the second MORBID ANGEL album non-stop and that definitely had an influence. I continued listening maniacally to DEATH, CARCASS, OBITUARY, VADER, GRAVE, UNLEASHED, AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST, CHRIST AGONY, VIOLENT DIRGE and many other bands. As for drummers, Docent, Gene Hoglan, Pete Sandoval had a huge influence on me. At first, when I listened to metal, I wanted to be a guitarist and I wasn't very drawn to drums, but my buddy played drums in a metal band and when I heard and saw that live, I wanted to sit behind the drums. My first own instrument was some kind of a mixed drum kit bought from some older friend who was playing something just for himself. The first concert I played was with a rock band called ALL FICTION in the Kętrzyn cultural center and the concert was a real success. From there it just kind of went on until today, hehe.
I'm an old dog who still remembers copying tapes, changing them. Writing letters to bands. It was a beautiful time, you were young. Do you still remember how DISLOYAL started? Maybe in our country most of the bands started in a pub? Can you take us through the history of your band?
Jaro: I also remember copying tapes, writing letters, etc. I did exactly the same with DISLOYAL at the beginning of our activity. First we recorded some live tape from a concert which we distributed among friends and later after recording the demo "DESIRE" we copied it ourselves and sent it to other metal maniacs, labels, fanzines. I remember those times perfectly. After the previously mentioned band ALL FICTION broke up, I found people who also wanted to play death metal and that's how DISLOYAL was created. We played the first concert with 3 or 4 of our own songs in the Kętrzyn Cultural Center. We didn't play it to the end because I remember that a string broke for the guitarist and the show was over and those were not the times when you had spare strings or a back up guitar, hehe All the rest is a history, multiple line-up changes, gigs, tours, and the discography that you already know.
How would you define death metal? What does music mean to you? Is it a lifestyle, a hobby, relaxation? For example, I am still fascinated by darkness, I am attracted by energy. How do you feel about it?
Jaro: For me, music is generally like oxygen, food without which I would not be able to function. I cannot imagine waking up tomorrow and music not existing. Metal, death metal is something incredible for me, it is what relaxes me, gives me great pleasure and evokes a full range of emotions and above all complete energy charge. Metal is my life, passion, hobby and lifestyle. With metal, generally the music I listen to, my life flows.
Classic question at the end. What are DISLOYAL's plans for the next few months? If you have something to say to fans, labels, promoters, here is the space.
Jaro: Definitely focusing on promoting the new record. We want it to reach as many people as possible. We will also think about a bigger tour to promote this album. If any of you maniacs haven't heard "Divine Miasmata" yet, you simply have to do it. I guarantee it will blow your mind. If anyone would like to help us promote the new record by organizing a show, doing an interview or writing a review, please contact us via social media or email: disloyalgodless@gmail.com or just get in touch with our label Black Lion Records.
I'm already looking forward to putting my headphones back on tomorrow morning and cramming "Divine Miasmata" into my head under pressure. The album was really good. Thank you for the interview, I really appreciate it. I wish the band to do well, that you have full shows and that the record sells well. May your private life be good as well! DISLOYAL RULES!
Jaro: Huge thanks for the desire to support and promote DISLOYAL through this interview. It's awesome to hear such nice words from you concerning our band in general and the new album. I hope we meet at a show someday. We wish you all the best too!!! Thanks again for the interview and take care!!!
Artyom: Thank you so much! It was a real pleasure!
Recenze/review - DISLOYAL - Divine Miasmata (2024):
Recenze/review - DISLOYAL – Godless (2015):
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