Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.
The last time we talked was almost 3 and a half years ago. It was when you released your album "Halas z pekla". Now you are going to release your new second full length studio album "Poliuvannia". Tell us a few things about this project.
This album was written and recorded by two members of the band. Five tracks from Kostya and five from Oleksiy. Also this time removed the electronic drums and invited drummer Petro Buday. Live drum parts firmly held all the material together. “Poliuvannia” (Hunting) is an honest LP without covers and intros, standard length and almost equal division into two sides for recording on cassettes or vinyl.
The cover artwork of “Poliuvannia” has a sick atmosphere! Tell us a few things about it.
This painting was chosen from the ready-made works of the artist Kjell Åge Meland https://www.instagram.com/kjaage77 and it suited us perfectly both in terms of atmosphere and content. At that time we had just started working on an album, where one of the songs was called “Poliuvannia” (Hunting). So when we saw a painting where a monster devours horses, we realized - this is what we needed.
And what about the lyrics?
To write lyrics and song titles, I use the Ukrainian Latin script - a variant of writing the Ukrainian language in Latin letters. But this makes it difficult for the listener to perceive the meaning of the songs. So recently I started using the usual Cyrillic script. So now you can easily translate the text with Google Translate. The songs on this album have become sadder and more evil than on previous releases. Perhaps this is the influence of the war.
How did your cooperation with Neformat Family Records occur?
Neformat is a popular Ukrainian media resource that covers underground music news. They supported us from the first release - they did interviews, news. And finally we agreed to release the album digitally. But for those who prefer physical media, they will soon be able to buy cassettes on the Bathöryhead label.
Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
Partly a funny story that could have been tragic. For the first album we needed the sounds of a sword fight. For this we took big knives and Kostya had to hit them against each other. According to the plot, after the last blow one of the heroes pierces the other with a sword, the latter sighs and dies. So we turned on the recording, click click, it rings beautifully, and on the last blow the knife blade slips and then goes along Kostya's fingers, cutting off a piece of meat. Instead of the last sounds that should have been in the script, we simultaneously exclaimed - FUCK. But everything turned out not as scary as it looked. And now we perceive it as a funny story.
How do you feel about the rise of AI in music production? Do you see it as a tool that can enhance creativity, or do you think it poses challenges to the authenticity of music creation?
A very debatable question. Personally, I sometimes use AI to get ideas, examples, and then do it myself. I don't see anything wrong with it. In this case, the author's corporate style remains. But I've seen some musicians use full-fledged covers drawn by AI. This is too much. Also, AI has already learned to make music quite well, more electronic, or with guitars but not with a "true" sound. Raw metal fans can sleep peacefully for now. I think that materials created by artificial intelligence should be marked. This is already happening in some social networks.
From your experience in the music industry, what would you tell to a new metal band to avoid or what to do?
Looking at young bands, it seems to me that they know what to do. And already at the initial stage they do better than the old bands when they started. The main thing is to be persistent and bring things to an end.
How is the situation right now in Ukraine? Is it difficult or easy for the bands to play live shows & record in the studios?
In the part of the country where there is no active fighting, people try to do the usual things they did before the war. Someone writes music. Concerts are held, of course, if there are no problems with the light. It is mainly the younger generation that is not mobilized into the army. Almost all concerts are held with the participation of local bands. Since 2022, few people have dared to come to perform. The last thing I remember was a performance by Bruno (Krabathor, Hypnos) with Ukrainian musicians, and young thrashers Xonor still came. You are more likely to see a Hollywood star, for example, Angelina Jolie was in Ukraine, but metal bands were not. That's what's missing.
What shall we expect from MERZOTNA POTVORA in the near future?
Time will tell. We haven't recovered from our last album yet.
Thank you very much for your time & keep up the good work! The closure is yours.
Thank you FILTHY DOGS OF METAL and readers. I follow your posts, there are a lot of interesting things. See you later.
By Steve the Filthy Dog.
MERZOTNA POTVORA CONTACT:
https://www.facebook.com/MerzotnaPotvora/
https://www.instagram.com/merzotnapotvora/
https://merzotnapotvora.bandcamp.com/music