Interview with METUZALEM

Hi! Can you tell us about the formation of METUZALEM, and how the members of Pogavranjen, Usud, Narednik Lobanja i Vod Smrti, and Defiant came together to create this new project?
T.K: Well, I’m actually the last guy that got in the band. Basically, I got in the band in curiosity but stayed for the challenge. This is my first time in a doom metal band with very talented members. So far, I’m just trying to keep pace with the rest of the guys. I remember getting the songs and pulling my teeth the first week by trying to fit the lyrics and make it work. It’s very much out of mine comfort zone but it’s definitely worth it.

Matej: After a long break from music I simply got the creative drive again. I knew we wanted to play doom metal and death metal and I simply reached out to people I’ve played with in a couple of bands so far and with whom I’ve remained friends over the years. We met Franz on drums, or rather a friend from a local metal pub suggested him to us and that was it. We had a lot of problems with the vocals, we tried a couple of people, but we did the songs without waiting for the vocals, which was great because when Tomo came, he recorded the vocals in two days and we were very satisfied… We were very picky and I’m not sorry. It was very important to me personally who likes what kind of music because when you work with people who are passionate about a similar thing, the workflow is much better, more logical and fun because we all know what we like and what will sound good in the end.

How did you approach the songwriting process for “INFRA”, and what themes and concepts inspired the album’s lyrics and music?
T.K.: I think that Matej has a better answer than me. I joined the band by the time the songs were finished and only lyrics needed work. Infra means below so the whole theme of the album is an exploration of underworld realms and such atmospheres. It’s far from the concept album but mere exploration of a such vibe.

Matej: The material was created relatively quickly because we had a bunch of riffs that just needed to be put together, we mostly work on the arrangements together in a way that we meet in the rehearsal room, write a bunch of riffs on the board and put them together into a song the way we like it best. Inspiration comes, of course, largely from the music we listen to, at least for me. I can’t say that I’m really inspired by movies, books, video games and similar things because I usually never have time for them. What is my main inspiration is the fact that I’ve been listening to metal since I was 11 and now I’m 37, so impressions have accumulated over the years.

What role do you believe METUZALEM plays in the current metal scene, and how do you hope to contribute to the evolution and growth of the genre?
T.K.: It’s early to make such claim to “contribute to the evolution”, our only goal is to make quality music in this genre.

Matej: Today there are many many many bands. To be honest, we don’t care at all which scene we belong to or where we fit in, we play the music we like simply for our joy. I like to make riffs no matter what. I enjoy going to rehearsals, I enjoy seeing ideas become songs and I enjoy the anticipation of when we will record the next album. The creative process is my favorite thing about music. I have no expectations from the band except that it sounds good to me, that is, to us. I’m really looking forward to record a second album now, because you know, one can happen to everyone, but when you make another one that’s just as good or better, you give the impression of a serious band. After the second album we will focus only on live performances for a while.

How does the band approach live performances, and what can audiences expect from a METUZALEM show?
T.K.: Quite picky, we are talking about doing a few gigs but at this moment we are already knee-deep in the new album. Three new songs are already in the can. Just today Matej send us the message that the fourth one will last about 20 minutes.

Matej: I have to admit that I’m a bit of a snob here. I want to see an older crew when it comes to an audience – people in their 40s in My Dying Bride, Anathema, Paradise Lost, Asphyx, Gorefest, Pestilence, Entombed, Grave, Dismember shirts. I like to hang out with veterans who get the real music and can drink a lot of beer. Also crack good old jokes back from the time when humor had balls and was ever slightly offensive!

Your music is heavily influenced by the UK Peaceville sound of the 90s and old-school European death metal. How do you balance paying tribute to these classic sounds while still finding and developing your own unique voice and style?
T.K.: I think that it comes naturally; we all listen to a lot of different bands, so hopefully in that mix somewhere our sound sleeps. By the second album I think we will have something concrete.

Matej: Doom/death was born in England. The best bands are from there. It is logical that I want to pay tribute to the heroes of my childhood and it is logical that I want to compare myself with the best. Bands from that era are magical and in our case we don’t see any need to reinvent the wheel. We offer “beer and burger” for all those who like it. If someone is hungry for some other music, the choice is endless and they are free to find something to their liking.

https://youtu.be/KMaxJbl-AAI

Can you walk us through your creative process for writing and arranging songs, and how do you collaborate as a band to bring your musical ideas to life?
T.K.: Matej makes the music and all of us get together and grind that monster out. It can be a son-of-a-bitch hard but by the end of the day it’s very worth it.

Matej: Pretty much what T said. I show up at a rehearsal with a cell phone gallery full of riffs and then we massacre and distill them until we get to 10 or so excellent ones and then we make a song. There is no magic. It just takes a lot of time to come up with a lot of riffs. The rest is easy.

How has the Croatian metal scene influenced your music and identity as a band, and what sets the scene apart from other metal scenes around the world?
T.K.: There are a lot of Croatian bands that I really like but I can’t say they influenced us in any way. Whoever listened to the album mostly the first comment was: “Wow, you don’t sound like a Croatian band.”

Matej: In my case, not at all. I don’t listen to Croatian bands. It’s not a problem that they’re from Croatia, I don’t want to sound like an asshole, the problem is that they’re from 2023. and they mostly sound terribly modern, sterile and boring to me. This is a very small country with very few bands. So I have no idea what is happening around me. I live under a rock. I bet there are some good ones. But I don’t know about any. Usud was good. Defiant is good.

What are your goals and ambitions as a band, both in the short-term and long-term, and how do you hope to achieve them?
Matej: Both short and long term we want to focus on making good songs. I would like the album to resonate through the scene so that we can reach out to the fans of the bands that we love, since I don’t think there are many of them at the moment. All the good old bands have more or less abandoned their sound a long time ago and I’m sure fans miss those very beginnings. I would like to be able to fill that void and for people to enjoy our music as much as we do. After all, like 99% of the bands we listen to, we’re a garage band and we’re happy where we are. It is completely clear to us that it is almost impossible to live from music today without huge compromises, which of course none of us are ready for. I’m even glad that the bubble got so inflated that it simply burst, because the people who are currently making the music they love are making it only because they love it. Without financial ambitions and pretensions. The art remains clean which is a very positive side of hyper production and billions of bands on YouTube.

Can you tell us about the recording process for “INFRA”, and how you approached the technical and creative aspects of making the album?
Matej: We do everything ourselves in our space. Since I am not personally interested in the technical recording process itself, it might be better to talk to our guitarist. But we record, mix and master everything ourselves. As for the creative aspect, I have already explained. It is necessary to pick up the guitar and play a lot, to create a good base of riffs from which it is possible to make a good selection. I’m always inspired so we don’t have a problem with that.

What message or messages do you hope to convey through your music, and how do you hope your listeners will connect with and interpret your lyrics and sound?
T.K.: No messages, we are not that type of a band. The only goal is that music and words become one.

Matej: We have no message. I hate bands that preach.

How do you stay true to your roots and influences as a band while also striving to innovate and push the boundaries of your genre, and what advice do you have for other musicians looking to do the same? Thank you!
T.K.: That a tricky one; you are damned if you did and damned if you don’t. This type of music you make should basically be music that you would want to listen to. First you have to like it and be 100% behind it and the choices that you make. We are not planning to make Infra part 2. There are enough bands that spit out the same albums every two years.

Matej: Honestly, I’m not trying to push any boundaries. I play what sounds good to me. I am not interested in progress in terms of music in itself because it is not important to me. The form and structure that has been established a long time ago works more than well and I follow it because I love it and understand it, so it makes no sense for me to force myself to progress just for the sake of it. Doom/death has a certain mood that is very easy to screw up if you start overcomplicating it. I think you should be humble and self-effacing. We have enough years and experience to know what to do and how to do it. At the end of the day, we are doing this solely for ourselves. As for the other musicians, I really have no idea what to say because I don’t consider myself a “musician”, but an ordinary metalhead. I have no advice. I have maybe one. Make good riffs because there are too many horribly bad ones and very mediocre ones.