Hi IN DAKHMA! How are you doing these days?
Matko & Vedran: Very good, thank you for asking. Extremely excited about our upcoming release on the 8th of November. We couldn’t be happier with the support we had, and we’re very proud to show all of you what we cooked up for our debut release.
How would you classify your music? Do you agree with the reviewers who are trying to describe your musical genre?
Matko: It’s basically death metal, but influenced a lot by other genres like black, progressive, doom, sludge etc. In short, it’s metal.
Who are your top five musical influences?
Matko: I’d say Sepultura, Meshuggah, Gojira, Morbid Angel & Vildhjarta when it comes to metal.
Vedran: For me: Bloodbath, Entombed, Opeth, Mastodon, Paradise Lost, Candlemass and Hamferð.
What do you want fans to take away from your music? Is it just a mood, or do you hope to communicate specific ideas?
Matko: Hopefully, we can make someone’s day better, there are some pretty strong messages on the album, but it’s not like we present ourselves as the messengers. Maybe someone can see the other side of the coin through these songs whether it be through the music or through the lyrics.
Can you tell us about He Who Sows the Ground?
Vedran: Full quote is “He who sows the ground with care and diligence acquires a greater stock of religious merit than he could gain by the repetition of ten thousand prayers”. It’s a quote by Zoroaster and it fits perfectly with the lyrical concept of the album.
What do you love and hate about the music business?
Matko: I hate the calculated approach in music, specifically music made to appease people. It should be from you and no one else. If people like it, great. If people don’t like it, again great cause at least you are 100% behind your music. Following trends can only get you so far, it’s still nothing new.
Vedran: I love getting new fans. But the music business is hard, the market is highly saturated and it’s a challenge to rise and get noticed while having a day job and other activities in life.
What is the best concert you have ever been to? What do you enjoy most about playing live?
Matko: One of the most life-changing moments was when I saw Ulcerate live in Zagreb. Not many people attended the show, which made the show more intimate. The wall of sound they produced on stage was terrifying, literally like going through the circles of hell hahaha. It was impressive watching it from a musician's standpoint and from a non-musician's standpoint.
When it comes to playing live, I love connecting with people and feeling timeless. It's one of the rare moments where I only think about the present and nothing else haha.
Vedran: It’s hard to single out one concert, but I would go with Laibach: Alamut. The intensity of that performance, peace descending into chaos and aggression, players not only performing on the stage but randomly appearing in the audience, war, chaos and anxiety perfectly interpreted through music and performance.
For playing live, I love the energy, same as Matko said.
How have you evolved as an artist or band over the past year?
Matko: Since this is our debut album, we will have to give an articulate answer to this in a few year's time. This period was very different from our other bands and projects because it was the most extreme music we ever played a part in. Because of that, it has its limitations when it comes to promoting it, but it’s one of the first times we can say we did exactly what we wanted, and that’s a statement many musicians can’t say.
Vedran: I’m always trying to push my boundaries and abilities. Recording guitars, bass, and vocals on this album has made me a better musician.
If you could meet, play a gig, co-write a song, have dinner, or get drunk with any band or artist (dead or alive), who would it be?
Matko: I would like to meet the Meshuggah guys, play a gig with them so that I can watch them again and get Fredrik Thordendal to play a solo on our song.
Vedran: I would like to meet Mikael Åkerfeldt, he seems like a chill and cool dude.
What's next for you?
Matko: Play gigs where we can and release new stuff as soon as we can. We are preparing some new video material for this album for know.
Vedran: Fame and eternal glory!