Interview with death metal band from Croatia - METUZALEM.
Answered T.K., thank you!
Translated Duzl, thank you!
Question prepared Jakub Asphyx.
Recenze/review - METUZALEM - Infra (2023):
Ave METUZALEM! Greetings to the Croatian underground. I hope everything is fine with you. It should be because this year you have released a first long-play full-length album in your band's career. I have to admit it has literally blown my mind. It is dark, energic and as if it cuts by the sharp edge of the knife. I can hear from the record you did a really good job and you added a big portion of the talent, too. How do you perceive the new album in comparison to the previous one? Where did you want to move and in what are these two records different?
T.K.: Greetings, thank you for your kind words. I must correct you; „Infra“ is our first and in this moment only album that we released so far. I can tell you that we are already knee-deep in working on the second one. I think that the main difference between Infra and the second album is that the first one is a foundation, a step one if you wish, before going on another level. The birthing pains are gone and with the new songs I can already say we far more confident and pushing our levels of creativity in this one.
„Infra“ includes all attributes of good death and doom metal. For me personally, it represents the record, which I really like to listen to. How did you produce it? How look the writing process of new material in the case of METUZALEM?
T.K.: Infra was produced and mixed by our guitar player Ljudevit, we have our little studio/rehearsal place which is a great thing. We can record some new ideas or songs and listen to them at home. Usually Matej (bass player) has a dozen new riffs and the next two hours we are gluing them together and ironing them out. Almost like building a Frankenstein’s doom monster; a lot of screws and lighting flying around.
I found out Ljudevit Orešić signed under the sound of the new record. I have to confirm that the sound is literally killing. It still makes me add volume to the player. Ljudevit has created a sound that is cruel, raw and at the same time dark and organic. How went the work with him and why did you choose him? In which studio did you record it? How did the recording process look like?
T.K.: Like I mentioned, Ljudevit is our guitar player so needless to say that is quite easier than hiring and outside producer and try to explain what sound you want. All the guys in the band are very capable musicians and very precise in their work. I think there was around 4 or 5 different mixes until we were finally happy with the result. We have our own little studio which is a big plus in every way.
An important part and a kind of extra bonus for fans today is the physical CD. You issue it at Tanatofobia Productions, and it has a mystic cover art. Who is the author? How did you choose the motif and how does it relate to the music at the record?
T.K.: The cover was done by Guilhem Badie, Matej found his work quite early in the process of Infra. I think it matches the spirit of the songs quite nicely. We have his original work hanging in our rehearsal place.
I have been wandering the underground for over thirty years and I still go to Croatia/Serbia for music with certainty (I like VOD SMRTI, DEFIANT, USUD, SCAFFOLD, HEREZA etc.). I think we have a similar nature and taste when it comes to metal. I like your bands a lot and I monitor your scene carefully. Maybe I envy you a little, because we only have a few death/doom metal bands that are worth it. How do you explain that death metal are doing so well in your country? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
T.K.: That’s always a tricky question. There are fantastic bands (new & old) but support for them almost non-existent. I also sing in Defiant and we mostly play outside of Croatia for these reasons. Its a motherfucker to organize something. You have to be a stubborn bastard to make your band stay afloat in the Balkans.
You play doom death metal influenced by, among other things, the old school. Today, the band can't avoid comparisons, but I would like to know how the idea to start METUZALEM was born, who was and is your metal idol? Where do you want to move your band? Are you attracted to large foreign festivals, for example, are you willing to go on tour with a more famous band?
T.K.: I think that Metuzalem was created because we have so little doom metal band around. Mostly is death or thrash and not bringing anything new to the table. We hope to break that mould a bit.
Idols? Well, I would not go so far as idols but Mortuus (Funeral Mist/Marduk) and David Bowie really left an input on me. Whenever I watch some videos with me on stage left me thinking “Holy shit I”m totally doing their moves.” About the tours… have in mind that support bands pay most of the touring bills so there’s a lot of factors that should be considered before we make this kind of move.
When I started my blog six years ago, I had a vision that I would try to support bands that are not so much popular, or they are lost in underground. To let the world knows about them. I think I'm doing quite well, at least according to the responses. How do you approach the promotion of your music? Do you rely upon the label or do you send the CDs for various reviews by yourself? For example, I buy albums that I really enjoy. What about you? Are you also fans who often support your colleagues? Do you go to concerts?
T.K.: From my experience most of the labels are the necessary evil than anything else. The biggest promotion that a band can do is playing live. A Bandcamp link you can always ignore but a band playing like hell on stage is more difficult.
On the one hand, today the new band has a lot of opportunities to make themselves more known, but on the other hand, there are a huge number of groups and the fans are getting lost in this big metal sea. A lot of people just download mp3s from the internet and instead of to visit the concert they prefer to spit poisonous saliva on Facebook. How do modern technologies affect you as METUZALEM? What do you think about downloading music, google metalists, streaming music, etc.?
T.K.: Like anything else Facebook and all those stuff are like any tools, it very much depends how you use them to spread the band.
I like to ask the musicians what death metal means to them. How would they define it, whether it is more the philosophy and lifestyle thing for them or "just" relaxation? What does it mean for you? How do you perceive and experience it?
T.K.: Combination of both, aggressive music is actually relaxing. Scientific studies showed that so I can’t argue with that. Did this kind of music was a part to form me in the person that I am today, definitely. You are so far in the woods that you don’t see the trees if you know what I mean.
Finally, a classic but important question. What is METUZALEM planning in the upcoming months? Where can we see you at the stage?
T.K: Work on the next album and hitting the stage as soon as possible. We are merely starting so stay tuned.
Thank you so much for the interview. I wish a lot of success to the new album and let the number of your fans expand as much as possible. I will look forward to seeing you somewhere live again. I wish you a lot of success both musically and personally. I'm going to push „Infra“ into my head again!
T.K.: Thank you for this interview and your time. Stay heavy.
Recenze/review - METUZALEM - Infra (2023):
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