This blog site works as a translator for the interviews of foreign bands in English language. For interviews on Croatian, visit: http://mixeta.blog.hr/
You've been playing this music genre for 8
years now here in our region, that's quite something, congratulations! How do
you comment on the fact that you managed to "survive" for so long
now?
Greetings
to you and your readers! I guess it's my persistence and the fact that I'm
quite stubborn that kept us going for so long, taking into account that the
band was broken up sometime around 2010, and each of us went in his own
direction, but something got me, and I wanted to still keep on going. So I've
gathered some new people who were interested in being part of the new Defiant, and
we started working again.
There has been a short break, from 2009 to
2011. Was the idea of a new band still there in that period, or did you
consider going in some other direction?
I've partly already given the answer to that
question -I've never considered stopping making music, so the idea was still
somewhere there, and some new stuff came along with time. In our old setup, we've
tried to keep on working on something together, but there were a lot of
negative factors in that whole story, which in the end, resulted in a
"collapse of the system". Concerning the musical direction, it's
still melodic death metal, but somewhat more progressive and more brutal.
The name, Defiant, how did you decide to chose
that name and what inspired you to do so?
Defiant means bold, impudent, resistant - and
this is also symbolizes our resistance in doing what we love - we play metal
and live our lives accordingly. On the other hand I like the Sci-Fi series Star
Trek, and this is where the name actually comes from.
What
do you think, which song or performance may have been a turning point in your
career, the point in which people started recognizing your work?
We've played a lot of gigs at home, but also
abroad. Most people know us by the song "Bloody Roses" from the first
album, and from some bigger concerts where we played as the opening band for
some of the big names in the metal scene. Today, out record label Grom Records does most of the marketing
for us, and we're very much satisfied with their work.
What
we must ask - what's your view on the
Croatian demo metal scene?
There are some good bands in the demo scene,
but how many of them will survive is difficult to say. What matters most, is
that the band is a team, because without that, it would be very hard to get out
of the "demo-scene-box".
The focus of our interview is your European
tour that starts in April, so it would be great if you could give us some
details, where you will perform, how did you get the gigs, what do you guys
expect from the tour, how do you arrange the transportation and everything else
for the tour?
The tour starts on the 11th of April and ends
on the 25th of April, so we expect to have a blast around Europe, with the band
Mardraum from Osijek. The plans for the tour started at the beginning of the
year, and all went just as planned. The two bands, Defiant and Mardraum,
"share" some of the members, we all get along great, so the
arrangements for the tour were no problem at all. We expect to have a good
time, meeting new people, playing in clubs we've never visited before, and last
but not least, we're real beer-lovers, so we've looking forward to drinking all
sorts of beer in large quantities.
Tour dates:
11.04.Szeged(HUNGARY)
12.04.Sosnowiec (POLAND)
13.04.Brno (CZECH REPUBLIC)
16.04.Pirmasens (GERMANY)
17.04.Mechelen (BELGIUM)
18.04.Birkenfeld (GERMANY)
19.04.Beverwijk (NETHERLANDS)
20.04.Liege (BELGIUM)
21.04.Berlin (GERMANY)
23.04.Klodzko (POLAND)
24.04.Hradec Kralove (CZECH REPUBLIC)
25.04.Komarno(SLOVAKIA)
We
want to keep the interview short; our
goal was to introduce you and your tour, but I'd like to ask you one final
question, and that is will the guys go immediately back to the recording studio
when they return from the tour?
There are no plans yet, we won't record
anything before next fall, but we're working on some new material, which could
come out next year, but there's still time till that. We'll do some gigs in
summer, and also play on a big festival.
We
wish you a great and pleasant tour, a magnificent audience and wish you all the
best in your future career!
Leonardo Marić,
born in Osijek, now living in Canada, is our next guest. His skills in
beat-making and producing could not pass unnoticed, so we've decided to contact
him and ask a few questions. If you'd like to contact him concerning some
beats, let us know via our Facebook page.
Let's see what he told us:
My first contact
with producing was in elementary school, in the program HipHop Ejay 2, if that
can even be considered producing (laughs). That was a long time ago, but I took
it up seriously some four years ago. In the beginning, it was quite difficult;
in comparison with others, it took me a long time to learn the basics of how
the program works, and to figure it out, but I'm getting better at it, although
I realize that there's much left to learn (FL Studio).
How and why did
you choose exactly that aspect of hip hop?
All my life I've
been listening to various music genres, and till this day I like all kinds of
music, but this genre is somehow the one easiest on my auditory organs
(laughs). I also try to look at it from the financial point of view - it's
easier to make profit in this genre than, for example, by doing rock or jazz. Today,
it is possible to find all kinds of things on the internet for free, and
there's no need for extra equipment, so there are no extra expenses.
Who did you work
with till now? Anyone famous?
I've worked with
a lot of less famous artists: Loš Utjecaj, Gentlmens League, Wostec and others,
but also with some better known ones, such as Buba Corelli, Jala, Deniro,
Reksona, Magic Sone, and I expect to be working with some big-name performers
in the future.
You've recently
moved to Canada. Could you share with us your experience with the hip-hop scene
there and in the States?
Yes, I've moved,
and frankly, I don't really like the hip-hop scene here in the city I live in
(Regina), it all still sounds quite amateur. Much of the scene I'm into is
happening in the States, and this is what I follow. Since I've been here, I've
worked with M.I.C., an emerging group from Chicago. Also, in the process, I got
some contacts for big names in this scene.
Is there any
money in all this?
In the
beginning, there's no way that you'll make any money, but as time passes, you
get better at it, and your work becomes increasingly good, you attract big
names, artists who don't want material from the internet, but they rather buy
new material. If they plan to do any serious work in the music business, they
have to invest in themselves.
How much time do
you need to make a beat?
Well, sometimes
I need an hour, sometimes two or three, depending on how creative I feel in
that moment, but after that, I have to do the mixing and mastering, and, if I
want to make it sound good, I need to take some more time to do that part. All
in all, one beat can take up 3 to 4 hours.
Which hip-hop
style do you prefer, when it comes to creating beats?
I like a lot of
them: from old-school to new, electro, house etc., but I prefer the so-called trap, a quite modern style that is not
too well accepted in the Balkans, as it contains a lot of electronic sounds,
and it's pretty commercial, while in the States that particular style is well
accepted and is a growing market.
I've been
thinking about the name quite a lot, and I've changed it several times - I wanted
a name that is not heard too often, something unique - and so it came.
Which equipment
do you use?
(Laughs).
Equipment... my equipment is quite modest for now, a laptop (and it's my
father's, I don't have my own yet), a keyboard and a mouse. I worked on a
synthesizer too, and I can say that it makes things easier.
And finally,
wishes and regards...
I hope that I'll
succeed in what I'm doing, because this is what I'd like to do in the future
too, and, of course, my wish is to achieve something with my work. I greet all
the people who support me, follow my work and work with me.
In case you want
to contact me concerning my beats, contact the administrator of the blog, and
they can refer you to me. Cheers! By: Marija Viljušić
Thank
you for your time, I'm happy I can answer your questions.
To introduce you to our public,
who is Vedran Benčić?
I'm
drummer from Osijek, to be more specific, from Višnjevac, place settled near
Osijek. Only a small soul disposed to a sudden weight gain, premature losing of
my hair and bad jokes.
When did you discover your love
towards metal?
To be
honest, I don't know, but I was raised in music family. My father is musician
and I mostly listened to bands like Dire Straits, ZZ Top, Parni Valjak, Bijelo
Dugme and omnipresent Balašević, most of the stuff which my parents listened.
Also I have 5-years older sister which was always resistive, then I came to
punk and grunge after her, so I listened Nirvana, that was pathway until I
discovered Metallica, which shortly after became center of my world. Later I've
done some researches of other drummers, so in 1999. I discovered band Dream Theater, then later other progressive
bands which were available as swedish Pain Of Salvation etc. Of course, among
everything, there were black, death and all other possible genres of metal
thanks to Andrej Bartulović who opened door for me to the bands like Cradle Of
Filth, Man's Child, Dimmu Borgir and drummers as Nick Barker. I'd probably
never access to that because I was 14-15 years old, and then nothing was
developed as today.
Which were your first musical
steps, local band or?
According
to stories od my parents , I started to play drums when I was 4 years old. Then
I played for four more years songs like ''Ja se konja bojim'', ''Kad se
prijatelji rastaju'' and similar. I remember I played with one bat, and in the
other hand, I had hammer stick. Then there came Azra, Crvena Jabuka etc. I made
a little progress as drummer, so my first live appearence was as a fifth grade
pupil, I played on mini prom of the eighth grade pupils, so then few bands were
formed, as Full Contact, and mine first concert in Osijek was in Black and
White with band, then well-known to Osijek public, Tarzan u Dunsflaši, where
drummer Cvita had played, and I was afraid of that guy as of devil, he seemed
super energetic and mean. I was only a kid who was standing at the bar next to
my mother and drank Fanta. After that, by Siniša Šerga in '98 I accessed to the
band Uziel and until '03 we played together across whole Croatia, and I even
published demo called Too-Much-Crazy-Mind-Demo and one video for song
Bitterman. Soon after that, I became member
of a band called New Millenium, which later changed name into Savage Harmony.
With them, I published demo called Lost in Time. We played mostly in Slavonija
and Baranja, as I can remember. Then I formed, together with Savage Harmony's
keyboardist, band called Handful of Nothing, in which Zoran Mišić was a singer.
We separated our paths after one year, and band changed name into Insomnis.
Later I was called back into the band, and played as Zoran's drummer on a
concerts also for a year.
What is playing in your player
when you have spare time, which bands?
Currently
I'm listening to Katatonia - Dead End Kings, Siddhartu all the time, old Pain
Of Salvation… Recently I found out the
world of Devin Townsend, which has also its place in player, and it's unknown
to me how I didn't discovered that earlier. Also, there is Porcupine Tree and
king of the drums Gavin Harrison. At this point, I prefer easier music, because
of recording and mixing The Gardnerz songs, so I need little rest for my body
and soul.
It's interesting that you are a drummer in a Swedish
band, how did it happen for you to colaborate with a band from such country far
away?
Well, since I
had experience, bad experience, when it comes to Osijek, i had to resort to
something like that, my sister lives in Sweden so I went to visit her. When i
was there, I had an idea to see what's on „the market“. I found a band The
Gardnerz, applied for an ad with my bad english skills. I was invited for an
audition for which I was 3 hours late because everything is upside-down when it
comes to trains in Sweden, or maybe here, depends on how are you looking at
things. I went 170 km in different direction, which tells alot about my
orientation skills. But, I made it to my goal, realising that a goal itself is
a postulate for failure, and that a goal should be determined when you come to
your destination. My audition went well and now I'm a member of The Gardnerz.
Explain to people who are The
Gardnerz.
The Gardnerz is
a swedish doom/death metal band wich was formed in 2008. Band was founded by
Wilhelm Lindh (guitar), members of the band are Francisco Martin (bass) and
Niclas Ankarbranth (vocal). Band published their first album The System of
Nature in 2011. for Abyss Records. I wasn’t playing on that album, my
involvement in The Gardnerz starts on It All Fades EP which was released in
2012. also by Abyss Records and it contains 6 songs, one of which is a cover
for Transilvanian Hunger by Darkthrone.
The Gardnerz was
named after an Epicurus saying: “The necessities of life are a garden, good
friends and good food”. The Gardnerz
represent life, and everybody is supposed to take care of their garden, their
friends and not to stick their noses in other people’s business or gardens.I'm
just a drummer there, I just hang around with the rest of the band, I'm not
predisposed for phylosophical enterpretations of the world. You play doom/death metal. How is that accepted in
Europe, more specifically Scandinavian countries, because we know that it is
not so popular here?
When
it comes to that I'm not sure how is it accepted there, all I know that they
are much more advanced when it comes to that. We, in fact, are behind the
entire world. You won't be crucified because of the music you listen to. People here still live in the 18th century,
they still consider religion relevant, so the type of music which is a
contradiction to religion itself can not be popular here. Then again, that type
of music does not have many followers or audience. It has a small but strong
audience, people who support, understand or think the same way. As long as
Ekrem Jevrić and Martina Romić have the attention of the media, people in celibacy give lectures
about sexual education, we are going to be a country in which a „cow drags the
tram“. It means we are behind in every aspect, music is one of those aspects.
How does your colaboration with the band even work,
do you travel there or...?
I was travelling
for a while, i spent 3 months in Croatia, 3 months in Sweden. It turned out to
be a big expence for me, so i decided to be in Croatia, until we get a gig or
something else for the band. Or until I get a visa so I can run and never look
back.
What's the metal music scene in Sweden and
neighboring countries? Most people who listen metal music see scandinavian
countries as a ''Metal heaven''. Is that true?
I do believe so, because many
people listen to bands like In Flames, Soilwork, Meshuggah, Scar Symmetry, Pain
of Salvation, Hammerfall. I think that they have biggest export of quality
music, and that only USA is stronger than them in music industry, but not by
quality but by quantity which doesn't mean they don't have great bands. I've
listed only Swedish bands so far, but then again, there are many other
scandinavian bands like Dimmu Borgir, Children of Bodom, Nightwish, etc...
When you compare the ''metal world'' in Europe and Sweden and local,
what can you tell from perspective of a man who's seen both?
Well, to be honest, I think that
it's easier to succeed there as a musician, which doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s
easier to be a musician, because you have some support there, starting from the
fact that it’s easier to afford a drum set of a one monthly minimal paycheck.
But here you must think about a loan and stuff. Probably most Swedish people
would dissagree with me, but I just see it that way.
I was in a Malmo festival, where
all around the town were strategically positioned stages. It had everything,
and itlasted for eight days. Bands from all metal genres played for free so I
had a chance to see Andi Almqvist-a, Clutch, Mike Patton and Mondo Cane, Opeth
and Kaizers Orchestra, which was one of the best concerts I've seen so far.
There were also many other underground bands.
As I said, it's easier to do
something if Tonči Huljić doesn't control the musical monopoly. We have more
and more powerfull metal scene, but there are no really good ways or sollutions
for the state we are living in now. We have a sea of quality bands (Thrown To
The Dogs, Defiant, Warhead) which are choked by the fact that they are here in
Croatia. These bands do gigs regullary, and definitely don't have what they
deserve. Nobody wants to give them a real chance. In all of this years of playing
with bands I've managed to get a full pack of beers and ten coupons for
hamburgers. So you see how they respect us as artists in Croatia.
When you come to a meeting for
some gig (I will not name the club) and they tell you that you should pay for
the ZAMP, security guards, posters, arrange everything with police and then get
almost nothing from it. It really has no sense at all, and this happened to me.
You want to have a gig for free so people can see and hear you, and then it
turns out that you have to cash out a lot of money and organise everything for
that club. People need to understand that playing an instrument is a many year
process. It is same for writing lyrics, making musical arrangements and many
more things. We invest a lot of our time and effort, and it isn’t right to play
for a ration of ćevaps, because people will come to the gig, listen the band
and fill up the cashiers with money. It's just not right.
Your band published an album, and EP, and this summer you will be
releasing a 7'' vinyl. Can you give us a short review on first two and maybe
some announcements for 7’’ vinyl?
The System Of Nature is our first
record, and cover for it was desinged by Daniel Develish Johnsson. There are
ten songs on the album and two covers from Vulcano and Winter. Lyrics are anti
religious and anti theistic and are connected in a way which we consume our
lives and buy the things that aren't so neccesary. Lyrics were written by
Wilhelm and Niclas, and Wilhelm was the author of all musical arrangements.
''It All Fades'' is an EP which
talks about how the planet we live in today will eventually purge the very
existence of us. And of course, on EP there are strong anti religious
attitudes. Cover for EP was designed by
Daniel Develish Johnson.
As for 7'' vinyl, it will be named
Exiting Reality, on it will be two songs named Exiting Reality 1 and Exiting
Reality 2. Lyrics were written by Niclas, and they talk about how our own
actions have influence in our surroundings. Second part is about how to be released
from all that. It's most important to see what will people say about this after
they listen to it, and how will they understand the lyrics.
Cover designer for it was All
Things Rotten (Maggot Meister) and I think that he did a fantastic job. He is
also the author for Erasing Bad Specimen T-shirts which will be available soon.
The number of your concerts and
gigs, is it big ? And are any of these scheduled, and what are your other plans
besides 7“ record?
At
themoment, no. It's hard to organize all that because I'm in Croatia and the
rest of the b Band is all around Sweden. Two days ago I've found out that we
were in arrangements for some concerts in South America in September, but we
don't know anything yet, we are still negotiating. I'm working at some of my
own things apart from „The Gardnerz“ and it is also in the negotiation phase so
I can't say anything is certain yet.
You have a few endorsements, can
you tell us something about it?
Yes, I
have an endorsement from „Serial Drummer“ company which produces drummer suits
and the company is very active in the drummer world (some of the artists are:
Mario Duplantier – Gojira, George Kollias – Nile and many others) , and I also
use „Artbeat“ drum sticks with my own signature and I would want to thank Janos
Toth for fulfilling a drummers dream world wide . I don't have some technic and
I often brake my sticks, but not these. When
I will be able to record an EP with one pair of drum sticks, that will
be a miracle. And recently I've made a deal with „Vruk“ drum pedals (Chris
Adler – Lamb Of God) and I also wanna thank mister Vruk and everyone for their
support.
Can you live of metal music
today? Is it still „hot“ or does the metal influence in the world starting to
drop, apart from here. And the only metal bands that can survive are old and
famous ones?
I have
no idea what are the chances for that. I'm sure that I will never be a
millionaire and I'm not obsessed with it, I'm just trying to secure my incomes
for a normal and a stable life by doing the thing I love the most, drumming.
Quiting is not an option, I'll do my best just like the others for a happier
life. It's not all in the money, greater satisfaction is to play and to be
active and creative. It is something that fullfills you and keeps you
satisfied. Playing music (drumming)
doesn't have to be competition, we're all good at something, and the money is
just a factor that unfortunately we all have to worry about, but it doesn't
bring the joy as playing (drumming).
In the end, we bring it once
more, what are „The Gardnerz“ announcing
for this year?
We
announce one fine single called „Exiting Reality“ which will be launched in the summer by „ Abyss Records“. We believe
that this is our best yet to come. Until the second album which will be better
and we'll be more satisfied.
Thank you for this interview, the
Mixeta team is wishing you good luck in your career, and a bunch of gigs and
hard rocking.
Thank
you for this interview and for your support. It's not over unit the fat drummer
plays!
