Mihai “Coro’’ Caraveteanu is, I’d say, a figure in the Romanian metal scene already. He owns and runs Axa Valaha Productions, and organises Bucharest Deathfest, but that’s not all. Coro is also active as a touring manager and merchandiser. Organised concerts and been on the road with bands such as Incantation, Belphegor, Atrocity, Leaves’ Eyes, Krow, Netherbird, Sinister, Clouds, Christ Agony, and many more.
This March, a new edition of Bucharest Deathfest is close by, which I’m also looking forward to, and because this is approaching, I had the pleasure to have a few words with Coro himself about the festival, and not only.
Let’s go to the beginning, Coro. You go under Axa Valaha Productions, being active in the scene for 20 years now. Shows/tours across Romania and abroad too, within AVP. When did you start on this path?
Hi, Carla, thanks for having me. It’s 30 years this upcoming autumn since I tried to promote my very first concert and failed miserably (October 1996), I never gave up and did my fair share doing hundreds of club concerts, underground tours all around Europe, especially in the east, I was also behind Hatework or November to Dismember festivals in Bucharest, and now I am the promoter of Bucharest Deathfest and the tour manager of Incantation. I also run an underground distro-label and act as management for some bands I like and would like to give them some boost, and I’m still doing small club gigs from time to time.
Therefore, when did you decide to found Bucharest Deathfest as well?
The Deathfest concept has been around for decades, a small one-day kind of fest I did in Oradea with my friends there, Dan of Ribcage Booking, and Andrei of Spiritual Ravishment. We started using the same name for several yearly events we put together in Bucharest over the last decade, with cool touring bands, but we took a much more serious approach on Bucharest Deathfest after we survived the pandemic with a sold-out regional crisis-edition, so we started inviting bigger, more well-known extreme bands as headliners alongside interesting underground European bands we discovered on the way.
A new edition of Bucharest Deathfest is approaching, on March 7th, 2026, which I’m looking forward to. What do you expect from this new edition?
Carla, you know you’re welcome any time at BDF, you’re one of us already! I think this is the most solid line-up we ever had with the festival here, very strong on bands and ethos, a lot of bands’ premieres, that’s one of the key factors that keep me doing it, digging for new interesting bands to perform in front of a big enthusiastic audience and have the time of their lives. Looking forward to seeing all of them live on the BDF stage. Most probably a game-changer for the fest.
Thanks Coro for the nice words. I appreciate it. I am definitely trying to attend every year from now on! Have you considered making BDF a 2-day festival someday?
Yeah, there were a lot of people who pushed me into this direction, especially foreigners who would like to have a more consistent two-day line-up with more bands to pay back for their efforts to travel here. I tried to fill in with some free warm-up concerts in a smaller location for two successive editions already, and now I finally decided that BDF 2027 will happen for two days in Quantic Club, and include a line-up of at least 12 bands, three of them will be confirmed and announced on the 7th of March at the festival this year.
Cannot wait to see the new confirmations for 2027! I’m sure you faced this when booking bands, “Coro, can you bring X, Y band?’ In your case, when booking bands, what do people have to understand when you can’t book their favourite bands?
Yes, it happens all the time. I like to find out about people’s favourite bands, and appreciate any suggestions, or most of them. The main thing is to respect the ethics about BDF musically, aesthetically and for me to feel they can properly fit in the construction of the festival puzzle every year. Of course, it’s also about the festival budget, since I really want to keep BDF affordable for everybody, especially the kids who are still on their parents’ budgets and the working-class people. Most of the people coming really enjoy the line-ups I built for them, and they’re super supportive, so life is good, no worries.
What bands would you like to book and see at the new Bucharest Deathfest edition?
There’s a long list of bands that would fit very well in my BDF story. I always wanted to do a concert with Winter, Monstrosity, Incantation (with a death-doom set for the end of the world), Convulse or Brutality, to resume just the old death metal ones. Most probably, I could not say no to Napalm Death, Dismember or Morbid Angel, but I know the realities of my festival budget won’t allow such options, so I would rather keep looking for new and upcoming bands and let the oldies choose themselves. I will go to see Dead Congregation this weekend; that’s also one band I’d like to have at Deathfest.
People know you not just for the guy behind Bucharest Deathfest and Axa Valaha Productions, but also for touring, both as a tour manager and merch guy. Incantation, Atrocity, Belphegor, Clouds, Heresy, Krow, Sinister, Christ Agony, Leaves’ Eyes, to name a few bands you toured and worked with. The list is long, you can continue. How is it to be on the road, then how is it for you to deal with everything that means organising the fest/concerts- logistics, interactions with the people, time, etc.?
I’ve been doing this for 20+ years, from doing regional small tours in all aspects, booking, advancing, tour management, merch etc., like I did with Sinister, Netherbird or Christ Agony, to work as TM and merch guy for well-known bands, agencies and tours, I made a couple runs of Morbidfest, and Female Metal Voices tours along others, worked for the major festival here, Rockstadt Extreme Fest, running their backstage, and I’m the TM and everything merch of Incantation for a decade now.
To answer your question, it’s my life and I enjoy it, maybe not as much as when I was younger, but I have no regret for choosing the free-lancing around metal touring, I’ve learnt a lot about how to be human while touring, some would say I’m too kind with people, on and off the road, but I found no fault in my judgement. Organising working trips for troubled adults is not easy, and you need patience and resilience, and it mostly works!
I’d like to talk a little about the Romanian metal and rock scene, in general. What do you consider is missing, and what must be improved?
I’ve been attending many concerts with local bands lately here in Bucharest, and I think there are quite a lot of local talents. I don’t like their desperate need to conform to certain standards in terms of sound and outlook, but some of them are good. There’s no secret recipe for getting known. Everything is volatile.
Comparing the scene and the audience from other countries (Europe), do people attend concerts, festivals, and other events in large amount- how do you see this in Bucharest and other areas in Romania?
There are always good and bad shows in terms of attendance, no matter the country. The figures depend very much on the context. A certain city at a certain moment will do a sold-out show, some of them more often than others. Yeah, Bucharest is one of them. It has great venues, a super solid local audience, and there are more people who travel here for concerts. Things are super different in the countryside, with only a couple of venues being able to offer the same live experience as the capital. I hope it gets better soon!
Ever felt that you’re in a strife with other organisers in the scene?
No, never. I know my place, playing generally the successful underdog type, and I’m happy with it. I wish the best to everybody involved. This scene needs more people to do things for a better share!
Could you name one thing that is the biggest challenge to you?
I can’t quit smoking.
To end this interview, is there anything you’d like to add?
Start your festival season with a blast, and come over to Bucharest Deathfest in early March. Most probably you will like it and make some friends as well! Horns up!
Thank you for your time, Coro. It was my pleasure, and see you soon!
Looking forward to seeing you, sweetie! You’re welcome!
https://www.facebook.com/AxaValahaProductions
Photo credit: Marmota Photography
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