Hi Szymon! Can you tell me about Chalice of Damnation? Why did you choose that name for the band? What kind of ideas does the band explore?
The name of the project came to me kinda unexpectedly. Years ago I came up with lyrics to a song, inspired by AC IV: Black Flag (yeah, you may laugh, haha), where - if I remember correctly - Blackbeard says that he will be drinking from the chalice of damnation. I thought that it was a cool concept for a song, and the rest came naturally. When I had to pick a name for my new project I leafed through my stuff with the intention of inspiring myself, and Chalice of Damnation came to mind. Funny enough, at first I wanted it to be a Säcrificer song, but it was too blasphemous for a heavy/speed act, even if we enter upon satanic themes.
When it comes to the ideas that are behind CoD, I wanted it to be as much "me" as possible, and it was also the case for Verdun, my other project that I decided to freeze for now. When I started Verdun I was in a very different place than I'm in now, ideologically, mentally, and physically. I was inspired by such bands as Marduk and Infernal War, and very right-leaning when it comes to politics. Years passed, and with CoD I undertook a different approach, with such themes as defiance against the order, and emphasizing the role of Lucifer as the great rebel against Yahweh, not a tyrant. I think that modern metal tries to rewrite this historical and theological position of Lucifer by applying the horseshoe theory. that is making him the same as Yahweh but on the opposite side. I think that's wrong, and if I'm not mistaken, there are no bands that try to take up that topic.
The EP "Terrorwielder" was released on September 6th, 2023. How does that make you feel? Do you feel that you have put the EP out to the masses without any desire to change anything now?
I felt relieved when I put the EP on Bandcamp. Since 2015 I wanted to release these tracks, and every year I told myself "next year, next year". In 2022 I pushed myself to put the band together with the intention of playing live, but that didn't work, and I wanted to put off this whole ordeal. Then I realized, that it'll lead to another "next year", so after honing the material and a lot of practice I've managed to finish it, and even though it actually made it to the Internet the next year, I was glad. When it comes to changes, I'm a very impatient person, so change is an inherent part of my writing process, that's why I rewrote some parts of the EP to suit my new approach to music (Jagged Spear... was rewritten entirely). During mixing, I had many ideas for intros, outros, skits, and so on, even I asked my friend Passage de Rais of Devilpriest to write me an instrumental for this release, but I had to hold my horses and let it go because I felt that it wouldn't be an integral part of the release, if you know what I mean. Also, during the mixing stage, Rötten proposed that he'd do some additional vocals, and I said yes. The outcome was phenomenal, I even joked that the man saved this whole release with his occasional shrieks, but in all seriousness, he delivered a solid performance, and I was glad that he did what he did. So to answer your question: there were a lot of changes or attempts at change, but I felt that the final release needed no improvements.
Can you tell me more about "Terrorwielder"? What were the ideas behind the EP?
Some time ago I wanted to create a concept release, and I bothered Karol, Säcrificer's drummer, with my ideas, but we didn't have as much creative force as a band back then, so I decided to shift my attention to CoD. Terrorwielder is a loose story of the eponymous hero who is destined to be a Hell's soldier, an officer in Lucifer's service, but before all that he has visions of the hellish domain that desires his soul. The story is delivered in lyrics, and I want to concretize it further with a full album that I work on. Also, I wanted to prove to myself that I could record a release on my own, with lyrics and music that I wrote single-handedly. Of course, when it comes to music I wasn't the sole composer, as some of the ideas for riffs were altered by my friend Nocturn, who helped me with recording, but it was me who sat with the guitar, programmed drums, and spat his lungs out to the microphone, haha. Here I'd like to thank Nocturn and Majcher, the other guy behind the recording session who helped me register the vocal tracks, as well as Piotrek of Hexenaltar and Drunk Thrasher, who also recorded an EP for the latter project all by himself, and by doing so he inspired me to do my own thing.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
I draw my inspiration from music that I listen to and things that I see on a daily basis. It's funny to be inspired by the most random stuff that you stumble upon during your day, and sometimes that's how my lyrics start to form, the same case was with Chalice of Damnation that I mentioned before. When it comes to music, it's not that I steal riffs from other bands, because I can't even play by ear, haha. When I cover stuff I usually look for tabs on the Internet, so stealing is impossible in my case. Usually, I listen to something and a concept clicks in my head, it may be a melody, a riff, a very crude solo part - all kinds of things. And if something happens to be similar to an already-existing riff then, well, they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I agree with this statement. If someone doesn't then tough shit, they don't have to listen to my music, haha.
How would you best define Chalice of Damnation's sound?
I don't think that I have a defined sound yet, and it will definitely change with the next releases. The EP I recorded using a clean line signal and then putting amp simulations on the tracks. My next release will be recorded using my veteran Ibanez amp which happens to have the most buzzy, sulphuric sound to it, and I'm very excited to see how well it will do during recording. My go-to is the sound of Desaster and Cruel Force, which I happen to be influenced by the most, but we will see what time has in store for me and my project.
Are you on hiatus now, just relaxing and looking for EP feedback, or have you started composing new material immediately?
I'm writing new stuff almost on a daily basis. Even when I prepared for recording of the EP I had new ideas for songs. As I said before, I'm working on a full album, as well as preparing to record a Toxic Holocaust tribute single called Angels' Beheaders, which will contain the title track and a TH cover. Getting feedback is of course nice, but I tend to be a self-propelled machine - I can't rely on other people to pat my back and say "good work" and be inspired by it, as the things that I do are, well, niche. There are a lot of black/speed bands out there that are far more famous than CoD, and being aware of that makes me go forward.
Who are your main musical influences? How much of an impact have they had on your sound?
As I mentioned before, my main inspirations are Desaster and Cruel Force. I think that those two bands have an innate ability to make the blend of black, thrash, and speed metal smooth and it seems effortless. There are also other bands, such as Toxic Holocaust, Plaga, Deus Mortem, In Solitude, and definitely others that I can't really think of right now. When I first heard A Touch of Medieval Darkness and Divine Blasphemies I thought "fuck, that's colossal". Aggressive, yet a bit melancholic. I think that it may have just resonated in me, as my humble beginnings as a black metal guitarist stemmed from melancholic riffs of Polish Arkona. Cruel Force showed me with their latest release that you don't really have to be strict with your writing, as long as you have a loose idea of how your album has to look. A German thrash song? Yeah, sure. A track that screams Show No Mercy era Slayer? Here ya go. An atmospheric, groovy, heavy metal-esque song? I gotchu fam. All on one CD. If someone would try to describe the entirety of Dawn of the Axe I'd probably decide to not touch it because it sounds so all around the place, and yet it's great. That's how I decided to abandon the idea of following one strict genre and let the creativity flow.
Is there a particular well-known musician that you would like to collaborate with on one of your upcoming albums?
I have no particular favorites when it comes to collaboration, and I'd be very happy to work with anyone who's willing to play and write music of quality. I don't really look at musicians from the perspective of fame, but rather skill, and I think that I'd be much happier to work with someone who is more underground but shows great promise, rather than someone who is already more or less famous (at least more than me, haha).
What is your personal strategy for getting your music heard by a larger audience?
I don't necessarily have a strategy. I simply share links to my streams with my friends, and promotion pages on social media, sending them to sites that deal with reviewing music. I don't like shoving stuff down people's throats like some bands do by being all over the place, uploading stupid shit on their socials, and thinking they're some kind of superstars. Don't get me wrong, being silly during rehearsals and stuff, and putting it on Instagram stories is entertaining and funny as hell - I remember when we did backing vocals to Säcrificer's The First Offering, we recorded the whole thing, knowing that some stupid stuff would happen, and it did. Yet I don't believe that you can build a stable fanbase by @ing dozens of music companies on every post you upload, acting like you own the place. Do your thing, and be humble about it. If it's good, then it'll defend itself. If it's bad, then at least you didn't inflate the expectations by announcing "the big thing coming soon". "Twice the pride, double the fall" as Count Dooku said, haha.
Do you have any hobbies besides music?
I love playing video games. Since I was 6 I have spent a lot of time playing, and I don't think it'll end soon. I've also been a big Star Wars fan. I've also had many other hobbies that in reality were just hyperfixations, so they didn't stay with me for very long.
Are you all supported by your families in your dedication to music?
Well, my family is mostly supportive of me making music. My half-brother and my dad were always interested in my music career, and if they were able to see me perform, they did. I don't remember if my mom had ever been to any gig that I played, but it's understandable, as she's very sensitive to various stimuli, and usually supported me by providing music hardware. My fiancee has also been a big support to me, bearing with me in my times of doubt and angriness at how the scene works. I'm glad for the amount of support I get from them because it's not unheard of when people do their things with little to no help from their close ones.
How is the metal scene in Poland right now?
The metal scene in Poland is great. The underground is probably in its greatest shape since the 90s. Poland has always had a strong extreme metal scene, and the trend continues, but there's a resurgence of traditional heavy metal, which is really heartwarming. This movement brings something fresh to the table and gives metalheads something to choose from, especially now, when Polish black metal experiences this really weird romance with the avant-garde, which I don't really like. Furia created precedence with their Marzannie, Królowej Polski album for other bands to write weird material and form weird bands. I'm not against it at all, especially when there's a crowd of people that really dig this oneiric, alcohol- and drugs-driven incentive (at least when it comes to lyric content), but I feel that it really dominated the rest of the scene, leaving little to no room for more traditional acts. Apart from that, the scene is in great shape, there's a lot of support between bands going on, and it wasn't always like that. I remember when we started Ignis Inferni, there were regional groups of bands that did their gigs between themselves and there was very little variation when it came to featuring groups from other regions at least. Nowadays it's much easier for the underground to unite and be supportive, and I'm happy that it happened when I'm still a part of it.
Thank you for answering my questions. See you on the road!
Thanks for having me! Chalice of Damnation advocates for keeping the heavy metal loud and is never fucking relaxing!