Interview with death metal band from Poland - DEVILITY.
Answered Jacek Jacek Hellfisto Pietrusiewicz (guitars), thank you!
Ave DEVILITY! Greetings to the Polish underground. I hope everything is fine with you. It should be because this year you have released a debut EP 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 feel about the record and how was it made? Can you please introduce your band to us?
Devility was formed in the year 2021. For some time before the formation of the band, me - Jacek Pietrusiewicz (HellFisto) and Łukasz Kupis (Vomit) were casually meeting with the intention to write some death metal riffs, this was long before the band was actually formed.
In the meantime, we were conspiring with Mateusz Putko (Raven) to form a band, with him as a vocalist - we made a verbal agreement to start a DM Band once we find the drummer. At last, Łukasz (Erriapus) Dziubiński filled the missing piece – he proved to be the drummer of our dreams.
When the band was formed, Witek Nowak joined as a bassist but was soon replaced by Marcin Świat (Phoboz), the twin brother of Raven. At this specific point, we were finally complete. So, on the guitars, we have Hellfisto and Vomit. Bass is played by Phoboz, on the mic is Raven, and drums are handled by Erriapus.
Pretty soon after the formation of the band was done, we finished the music creation process and started recording tracks for the EP. Our familiarity with each other, rooted in the fact that we all reside in the same town where the metal community functions like a small family, contributed to the ease of collaboration. Additionally, we had most material already composed by me and Vomit that was created before the band's inception - all of this made the entire writing process go more smoothly.
In our case the recording of a material and the production process was much longer, than in case of writing. This was because the production was handled by one man alone - Vomit. As an addition to his daily duties, he dedicated himself to production of the EP in his spare time.
We felt relief when the production process was coming to an end, and we are mostly happy with the final results. We hear, of course, some issues, and we already have some ideas to improve our music. In our opinion the production quality as for our first release is pretty decent. In the future we want to achieve a more massive and brutal tone overall.
“Infernal Retribution“ includes all attributes of good death 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 DEVILITY?
We have some ways to write or create music. Initially, everything revolves around finding the right riff or filling in missing parts of the track. When you feel or sing in head rhythmic or melodic pattern and you can't stop this, we have it. All the new ideas we attempt to incorporate into our music must resonate with us and fit within a contextual framework. Music in our opinion also must give us and listeners enough energy. It must provide enough effort to induce headbanging or strong impressions. When we have something new to try, we play some particular riffs in many ways or just jamming with it during the rehearsal. Often new ideas need more time, often not. Generally, we try to make every band member happy with the track, and that sometimes can be a real challenge because it’s understood that each of us could have a different point of view to the track arrangement. Our ideas about the tracks or certain riffs may differ, but we all strive to complement each other and to stick to the established concept to make the music sound good. It's a collective effort.
I found out that Łukasz Kupis is signed under the mix and mastering of the new record. I have to confirm that the sound is literally killing. It still makes me add volume to the player. Łukasz 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?
We take pride in receiving constructive feedback about our work. Our recording studio visits were minimal, limited to recording drum tracks at Devil's Tail production, now known as Bourbon Ranch Studio. Once the drum tracks were completed, we made a deliberate decision to entrust the remaining recording, mixing, and production tasks to our guitarist, Vomit. Why this approach? It provided us with more time and flexibility to control the process and define our sound.
Vomit, equipped with the necessary tools, and fueled by his passion for audio production and metal music, took up the task of EP production. His background, including time spent at a music school and knowledge of electronics and audio, instilled trust in us. Subsequently, we recorded the DI guitars, including bass guitar, at Vomit's house. Raven’s tracks were recorded in our rehearsal room, and the rest of the production process unfolded in his home-recording studio. Even though we didn't have all tracks complete simultaneously, we engaged in an ongoing search for the right sound for guitars, bass, etc. Once we had complete vocal tracks, Vomit took on the task of editing, sending us numerous samples and versions for feedback.
It was a nuanced and iterative process, but in the end, the result was satisfying. Simply put, we adopted a DIY approach that allowed us to achieve the desired auditory effects. The entire production process took Łukasz around 8 months.
The EP comes with a scary cover. The author is Marcin Świat and his work is really great. Why him? Why did you choose this particular motif and what exactly is it supposed to express in relation to music?
First of all, Marcin Świat’s (Phoboz) role in this band is to operate bass guitar but he emerged as yet another natural choice for visual artwork for “Infernal Retribution”. Why Marcin?
Well, beyond being a bassist for the band, his creative skills coupled with experience in death metal artwork, made him ideal for this particular role. Who better to capture the essence of our music visually than one of our own?
Beyond his musical contributions, Marcin has remarkable graphical skills and art experience, which made him an obvious choice for visual artistry. Having to choose from several concepts prepared by Marcin, the most accurate and meaningful turned out to be the one inspired by the evocative imagery found in church frescoes from the late Middle Ages. We collectively perceive some of the frescoes as both dark and inspirational.
The EP's cover, a manifestation of Marcin Świat's inspiration, delves into the very essence of our music. It reflects the profound themes of hell, eternal damnation, and hopelessness. The chosen motif serves as a visual representation of the intense and evocative musical journey that listeners can expect from our work and it reflects the message that is contained in the title of our EP.
Within the artwork also lies a reflection of the lyrical content, enhancing and fortifying the core message of our music.
I have been wandering the underground for over thirty years and I still go to Poland for music with certainty. 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 metal bands that are worth it. How do you explain that black and death metal are doing so well in your country? How do you perceive your scene, fans, labels?
One plausible explanation could be the general talent found among the Polish people. Many Poles are gaining recognition globally in various fields like art, music, and science, and it appears that death metal is no exception to this trend : )
You play devastating death metal influenced by, among other things, the American school. Today, the band can't avoid comparisons, but I would like to know how the idea to start DEVILITY 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?
The idea to start Devility was a collective desire to create Death Metal that is deeply rooted in our hearts. We yearned to manifest something uniquely our own, driven by an involuntary compulsion to bring the music that resonated in our minds to life. Coming together was an unyielding and natural progression.
We mostly listen to the same stuff. We all love bands like DEICIDE, Suffocation, The Faceless, Bolt Thrower, Cryptopsy, Blood Incantation, Dying Fetus, Analepsy, Lost Soul, Vader, Cannibal Corpse etc. We also love underground death metal bands like I REFUSE, Taphonomy, Putridity, Nomad, Viraemia, Visceral Disgorge, Ethelyn or Repossession. Of course, there are those among us whose musical horizons reach beyond the rigid framework of Death Metal, therefore, it shouldn't be any surprise to our recipients when they find musical inspirations from other metal genres in our releases.
While we aspire to increase our popularity, we also maintain a realistic outlook given the saturated nature of the underground Death Metal scene. While larger festivals like Brutal Assaults may be within our sight over the next few years, they aren't our ultimate goal or expectation. We find equal satisfaction in remaining within the underground scene. There's a unique charm to smaller shows and the intimate atmosphere of underground communities that we appreciate. We believe that our music itself will reveal our trajectory. Our primary focus is creating music that we genuinely love. While we don't exclusively aim for specific festival or destination, it doesn't mean we wouldn't welcome the opportunity to be part of a larger event.
If I had to pick one single band, that I would like to tour with, it would definitely be “Suffocation” -Sharing a blunt with Terrence Hobbs after a gig would be a dream come true : )
When I started my website 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?
As for us, we don't have the backing of a label, so we've taken the responsibility of promoting our music into our own hands. We understand the importance of getting our sound out to a broader audience. On the day of our release (December 1st), we collaborated with "Death Metal Promotion" and featured our entire EP on their channel. Leveraging platforms like YouTube is crucial, considering its popularity among metal enthusiasts. In addition to that, we actively seek out opportunities for media coverage. We reach out to zines and labels, striving to get our music reviewed and shared. Connecting with the metal community through various channels is a priority for us. We're also fans at heart, often supporting our fellow musicians by attending concerts and purchasing albums that resonate with us. We enjoy attending both larger and smaller shows, making an effort to support the local underground scene as much as possible. It's a challenging journey without the backing of a label, but the genuine support we receive from fans and fellow musicians fuels our passion and keeps us going. The underground spirit is alive, and we're determined to carve our path in the metal scene.
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 DEVILITY? What do you think about downloading music, google metalists, streaming music, etc.?
The impact of modern technology on DEVILITY is significant. We have no issues with fans downloading our music – in fact, we love it when our tunes are shared among metal fans. Currently, our tracks are available on various streaming platforms, metal sites, and several YouTube channels. We're leveraging technology to reach a broader audience, capitalizing on the instant connectivity it provides. Acknowledging the saturation of new metal bands, we recognize the challenge. However, we remain optimistic about growing our fan base by actively engaging with our audience. The internet, in particular, allows us to hit fans all over the world in no time. We appreciate the global reach it offers, enabling us to connect with metalheads from different corners of the earth.
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?
Death metal, to me, is a way of life, delving into the darkest and often overlooked aspects of existence—those ugly and uncomfortable truths. It's essential because it draws attention to unpleasant truths of our world. In our modern age, people are often ensnared in illusions, oblivious to many aspects of our human existence. For me, death metal serves as a powerful tool to confront ominous facets of our existence. It's the only genre that truly excites me—not everyone's cup of tea, but for me, it's the ultimate musical expression and the only type of music that I really enjoy. In Death metal we have a ton of bands to choose from, there are so many interesting subgenres like technical death metal, dissonant death metal, slamming brutal death metal, atmospheric death metal etc. - even after many years of research I still find plenty of bands to enjoy. Seeing the number of new bands popping out everyday makes me feel confident that death metal is alive and well.
Finally, a classic but important question. What is DEVILITY planning in the upcoming months? Where can we see you at the stage and when will you visit the Czech and Slovak Republics again?
Currently, we are in the process of preparing for our 2024 tour and in the meantime we’re working on some new material. Taking the time until the end of 2023, we are dedicated to focusing on band promotion and strategically planning our path for the upcoming year.
While we can't reveal too much at this point due to the absence of confirmations, we encourage everyone to Like our FB Page to be kept notified about the shows to come in the near future. We have never played any shows in Czech or Slovakia, but we would love to visit these countries on the tour - The vibrant metal scenes in both nations make them highly appealing and rank them among our preferred touring destinations. Thank you sincerely for the interview and for displaying interest in our band. We Are extremely happy to be featured on Deadly Storm Zine. We can’t stress enough how thankful we are for taking the time to interview us. I extend my best wishes for the success of your Zine, best luck looking ahead of 2024.
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 "Infernal Retribution" into my head again!
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