Interview with FORTIFICATION
!!!DEATH/THRASH METAL FROM POLAND!!!
Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
Tell us a few things about FORTIFICATION (Members, Starting Year etc).
The band was formed in Dąbrowa Górnicza in 2024. We play fast brutal deathrash inspired by the extreme metal scene of the 80’s and 90’s. The band started as a speed metal trio and then reformed into a four member group. Current members are: Aleksander “Fortifier” Gąsiorek - Lead guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter. Brownie and I started the band together. Szymon “Brownie” Bronny - Drummer, songwriter. I am responsible for the tempo. Seweryn “Zenek” Jarosz - Rhythm guitarist and vocalist. I used to play in deathrash band Necrochapel but after moving to Katowice I joined Fortification. Mikołaj ‘Tesco” Borys - Bassist and Backing vocalist. I create the atmosphere.
You have recently released your demo ''Soldier of the S.H.A''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
Our demo was very well received in our local community as well as in the deeper metal underground scene. Speaking about the quality of the record we used all available resources and knowledge and also took full advantage of our rehearsal room and we got the most out of it. We are looking forward to recording our first EP which should be coming sooner than later.
Label or DIY and why?
Right now we are DIY but in the future we will for sure look for a label. Doing everything ourselves gives us the creative freedom but it also requires a lot of work so it can be exhausting.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
One time during rehearsals before recording the demo the owner of our rehearsal room didn't let us in because the room was flooded and all the stuff got destroyed. But we decided to not waste any time so we drove to the forest near the cemetery to hang out. Just because good relations between members are as important as good music.
Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
Physical releases keep the underground scene alive so we want to go this route but digital format lets us reach more people so the middle ground between those two is where we aim.
Your music style is Death/Thrash Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
We have many influences and each of us digs different parts of the metal spectrum.
Tesco - “I am inspired by Massacra bcs its peak. Repulsion bcs they don't play in time and they had to play so fast so people wont notice it. Also I’m a huge fan of classic heavy metal. My biggest inspiration is Reinhard Kruse from S.D.I.”
Brownie - I am inspired by the 80s, especially Brazil. Mostly Sarcofago, Sextrash, Holocausto and outside Brazil, Decide and Morbid Angel. When it comes to drumming D.D. Crazy is my biggest inspiration
Zenek - I mostly prefer old school bands like Death and Obituary but recently I got into crossover thrash with bands like Municipal waste, Gamma bomb and Insanity Alert. Basically the faster the better. And I can't forget about my favourite band and biggest inspiration, Turbo.
Fortifier - When it comes to my guitar playing, I try to take inspiration from different subgenres of metal like Progressive Thrash. My biggest inspiration is definitely Denis “Piggy” D’Amour from my favorite band, Voivod, the diversity of Pestilence and even legends like EVH. Of course blending it with the deathrash genre, with acts like “Sarcofago” and “Sextrash” is something that I’m still working on, and hope you will notice in our future music.
In conclusion every member has a little different taste in metal but it all comes to what we play and what we feel together.
Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Time and money. You have to treat the band a little bit like a business rather than just a music project but you must remember that it's not about being the biggest or the best band, it's about having fun with friends and when you have fun wasted money and time doesn't matter.
Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
At our ideal show we can see people in the crowd having fun and we must do everything to let them have as much fun as possible. The more mosh the better. Speaking of live shows we will soon play our first show in Ostrava on 30.05 so the experience is before us.
What attributes do you think that a new Death/Thrash Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
The reason we call ourselves “Deathrash”, is because we can implement different attributes and traits from Death metal and Thrash metal. We aren’t locking ourselves up in a single genre, because the broad term “Deathrash” gives us a lot to work with, and create our own unique identity. We think it's important to look at music as a whole, no matter the genre and pick different things to put into our songs, that way, we won’t repeat what other big names did before us. And that’s what in our opinion, all bands should do, to be truly unique.
Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Death Thrash Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Yes they help very much to reach more people but you can't forget that what all the fans in the underground metal scene want is physical releases and shows like in the old days. So the ideal way should be releasing music online but focusing on the old school way of music distribution.
Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Poland (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
Underground scene in Poland, especially in the south of the country is growing strong with like Gallower, Leprozorium, Frightful. Along that many fanzines came to life created by the young generation of metal maniacs. Speaking of clubs in almost every major city in Poland there is a place where small metal bands can play a show so the scene is alive and will be hopefully forever.
Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
There are a few bands from Greece that we know. Flames, Riffobia, Rotting Christ are the examples of bands we listen to the most. Overall metal in this area tends to be very good and we hope we can play a show there one day.
What are your future plans?
We already have plans for an EP and LP with a lot of riffs written but now after the demo release we want to focus on live shows until summer ends and in winter the recording will start. Also we don't play together for very long so the main plan is to play as much as possible to get to know each other better.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
First of all thank you very much for the invite. We also want to thank all our friends for supporting us and helping with stuff outside of music. Second of all, keep thrashing. You’ll definitely hear from us again, look out for new releases.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
FORTIFICATION CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574926890232
https://www.instagram.com/fortification.band
https://fortification.bandcamp.com/album/soldier-of-the-s-h-a