Scaffold is the oldest active Serbian death metal band. Here is an interview with Scaffold’s founding member, Ivica Dujić Dujke.
Hi! Thank you for your time for Antichrist Magazine. Let`s start from the beginning.
Scaffold was formed in 1992. Since you have been released only two albums in 25 years (“The Other Side of Reality” and “Like Devil in the Church Extended”). Can you tell me what is the main problem in Serbia when it comes to releasing album?
The main problem is finances. If you want quality, than it takes a lot of money. You can hardly find label that fits your standards and at the end of story, when you have a band, another problem, which I have, is constant line up change. People are just passing by. Just when you thought you finally have a band, someone quits, and than you spend another six or nine months rehearsing with new guys, than another problem comes out… Vicious circle. If I turn back, in 25 years, two albums, that is not enough, but what can you do…
Metal scene in Serbia was blooming at the period of time when you formed the band. Venues were overcrowded. Today, you are lucky if, besides your friends and family, 10 people buy ticket. What changed?
Scene was much, much better than that now. In past two years, I consider as a success if we sell 50 to 60 tickets. Overall, with our friends and family, we are happy if we can gather 100 people. In 1993, when I began playing, there were a lot of clubs. Then, we were selling 320 tickets per show. To be realistic, during that period we were kids, we had no idea how to play, but still, we were selling shows. At the beginning of the nineties, people loved metal, they lived metal. Later on, grunge, bands such as Nirvana, Alice in Chains ruined whole scene… People who were listening metal, turned to grunge and they were kind of lost. In general, all over the world, metal is not that popular as it used to be. The best shows, the best albums were made at the end of eighties and the beginning of nineties. Slayer, Kreator, Sepultura, Death… Those were the bands…
Scaffold is the oldest active death metal band in Serbia. What have you expected at the beginning of your career, and what have you achieved by now?
Ha, ha… Wishes and possibilities… Of course, at the beginning we expected much more than we achieved today, 26 years later! I am not satisfied, but what can you do? That is life!
In May 2017, you released single “Years of Decadence”. How is the feedback?
After we released “Years of Decadence”, complete line up changed. Everything changed. I started from the beginning once again. New drummer, new guitarist, new bass player… It is paradox that my second guitarist Domagoj Domazet lives in Osijek, Croatia. If I can’t find guitar player in Belgrade within three million people and I have to search for band members in other countries, what are we talking about?
Single contains two songs: “Years of Decadence” i “Die Agression Wird Introjiziert”. Why did you decide to bring back “Die Agression Wird Introijziert” to life?
“Years of Decadence” is dedicated to moral degradation. In past 20 years we have lost our country, the song criticizes that period. Even today, 20 years later, nothing is better than it used to be 10, 15 or 20 years ago. Still we are fighting, we can’t move forward. Society collapsed, financial situation is bad, people can hardly give money for merchandise, everything is dying. You can’t live form metal and if you think that way, you failed. Kids today are playing only covers, not author songs. It is easier for them to play some pop crap for four hours per 10€ than to have real jobs and play music they love in the evenings. That is why there are few true metalheads left here. This is hobby, you have to love it. Having a band… That is not a point. You have to live for that. You can’t be metalhead for tow or three hours per day. Buying CD’s, going on gigs… That is the lifestyle… Everything else is fake.
At the other side, “Die Agression Wird Introijziert” is the song that our fans have recognized as one of our best songs from “The Other Side of Reality”, so I wanted to hear how it would sound in 2017, 24 years after it was released.
Years of Decadence was recorded at Paradox Studio. Srđan Branković is signed as a producer, but he also contributed as a guitarist.
We know each other for a long time, we are at the same page, and he used to play death metal…. He knows exactly what I want from the production, he has great equipment, we are good friends and it is never hard for him to work with Scaffold and to make Scaffold’s record the same way he would do it at the same level as he would with “bigger” bands.
Another guest is Srđan Todorović, Sacramental Blood guitarist. How important is support you have from your coleegues?
Those are the people who can understand you, who will support you because they know what it takes. We are getting older, we have families, kids, jobs… Life is more serious now. We are not kids anymore, parents are no longer financing us, today everything is harder. So support from other musicians means a lot for me.
After you released single, you have been left alone in the band. How hard is to start from the beginning at the moment you have no band? What motivates you?
People, those weak people who are leaving, who are not true metalheads. You know, someone finds girlfriend, someone finds a job, someone has exam, and they just leave. And specially the people who think they defeated me, they are the ones who motivates me. I am like a phoenix rising form the ashes.
Who is in the band now?
Besides me, Domagoj Domazet-guitar, Aleksa Đurđević-bass, Dimitrije Vasić-drums.
As I remember well, you told me you have 10 new songs. When do you plan to record new album?
We are planning to enter the studio during the summer. Everything is ready: lyrics, music, arangements…. I hope album will be released in autumn 2018, and than in 2019 we hope we will play on festivals, Festival srpskog podzemlja (Serbian Underground Festival) or Exit festival for example. Also, we have plans to play in Croatia and Bosnia. People are hungry for new music. You can not play the same songs for 10 years.
Can you name 5 bands that had a major influence on you?
Death, Slayer, Kreator, Sepultura, D. R. I.
After 25 years, highlights of your career are…
We are the first extreme band that played in Croatia after war. Fans knew our songs, it was emotional… Than, in 2015 we played in Italy: Padova, Trieste… Also, we supported Cannibal Corpse in July 2015 in Belgrade.
Where do you see yourself in 25 years?
I don’t think about that so much. As a child, I had hopes and dreams and it took me nowhere. We’ll see… God works in mysterious ways…
Speaking of God… You are religious. Death metal and religion?!
In Serbia, it is more avant-garde being Catholic instead of being Satanist. I am always pushing the boundaries, so in this case too. We, Catholics are true believers, more than any other Christians, especially Orthodox.
Dujke, thank you so much for this conversation. All the best!
Thank you for your time and support. Stay true!
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