Malokarpatan Interview (Adam Sičák)

Malokarpatan is a band that I had a first encounter with their first album “Stridžie dni” (2015), with which I saw how the band quickly rose in popularity and appearances in many media, perhaps not in the big ones, but in those that are more dedicated to the underground, it did have an interesting impact. Furthermore, within this world, I remember talking with a friend from the web about this band and all the impact it had at the time, it was great. Because there was a wave of classical feeling, and it was completely normal that the music of these Slovaks would have an impact on many ears that were looking for the classic, and with this, this motivated me to listen to the band's next productions until I reached this “Vertumnus Caesar”. Where the band remains attached to its Black Metal concept in the voices, psychedelic moments in the keyboards, and a whole rock and roll and heavy metal scheme within its schemes and guitars.

Para leer la entrevista en español: Entrevista a Malokarpatan

Metallerium:  Welcome Adam to Metallerium! It is a pleasure to talk with you about Malokarpatan and its new album “Vertumnus Caesar”. First of all, How are you?  

Malokarpatan: Thanks guys, always a pleasure to talk with the most passionate heavy metal continent! I'm enjoying the gloomy autumn weather that now started its reign over Europe, hope you are doing great too!

Metallerium:  This is our first interview, Do you mind introducing the band to our readers and Latin American fans? if you don't mind.  

Malokarpatan:  Of course, no problem! We started back in 2014 and we are a band that builds on the forgotten traditions of 1980s Eastern Bloc black metal from before the Norwegian wave. A specific local type of black metal was first started by bands like Törr, Kat, Tormentor, Root, and Master's Hammer. We do our twist on it, taking influences from all kinds of classic metal and rock, but sometimes also film music, folk, and historical music from the past. We have four full-length albums out so far and plan to do a lot more. We are proud to base our music and concept on local traditions, unlike many bands today that just copy what is popular abroad.

Metallerium:  When did you begin to work on this new record? Where did you get the inspiration for your music and lyrics?  

Malokarpatan: I usually start working on the next album by the time the previous one is out, which was also the case this time. So the works started right after Krupinské ohne, our third record, was released back in 2020. At first, I wanted to make a simple, more stripped-down album, influenced by classic Czechoslovakia-era metal from the 80s and early 90s. But as I get older, I listen to more and more music from the 70s, anything from heavier bands like Black Sabbath and Scorpions to more experimental stuff like Tangerine Dream, Comus, Gryphon... I take all of that music and blend it into our unique mix which is Malokarpatan. The lyrical inspirations were again historical this time, as the album is a conceptual work about the life of Emperor Rudolf II, who ruled over here in Central Europe at a time when the Renaissance was turning to Baroque. He was infamous for his passion for occult sciences, astrology, alchemy, and collecting of fine art. I find his life story extremely interesting and wanted to take the listeners on a cultural trip to the middle of Europe in the late 16th and early 17th century. 

Metallerium: Why do you keep your lyrics in your native language compared to other bands that choose English looking for an international approach?

Malokarpatan: It's mostly just because it adds a sort of sonic originality to our music, same as with many of the old local bands we are inspired by. I always make English translations for the lyrics too and try to include them in all the booklets, so people abroad can understand what we sing about. Our lyrics are equally as important as the music because they always tell stories and the music is a soundtrack. I was considering switching to English for a long time now and might do that on the next album because it would make a lot of things far easier for me. The price I'd pay for that is just the fact that Slovak-sung vocals sound more interesting than English.

Metallerium: 4th album in almost 10 years is a great number! What does “Vertumnus Caesar” mean for Malokarpatan’s career? Also, your sound has been evolving since the first record, Can we say that you finally found your sound as a band? or Are you planning to continue the expansion of your sound?  

Malokarpatan: Thank you for your words! We always keep evolving, while keeping the essence of the band unchanged. That's very important to me, because bands that keep playing the same old style all their career, always become boring and predictable at one point. There's no point in making the same record twice, I want to challenge both ourselves and the fans. What remains is our dedication to old-school metal/rock without any modern elements in it, and the lyrical concepts dealing mostly with our local traditions. Vertumnus Caesar is so far probably our most unique album where we sound the most like ourselves, but we are going to keep evolving in the future. At some point, we will probably do a more stripped-down, basic album because it can also get boring when you just keep adding arrangements forever. 

Metallerium:  When I listen to the songs in “Vertumnus Caesar”, many bands and Metal genres come to my mind but at the same time it sounds cohesive. Also, some elements may sound old school or nostalgic but you managed to make it sound unique and fresh and not another copy-paste band. How do you work to achieve this result with your compositions? What are your main influences when it comes to composing the songs for the last album?  

Malokarpatan: Glad you hear it that way, as that was also our intention! I barely listen to any modern music at all myself, most of our influences lie way back in the past, mostly in the 80s and 70s. It's simply because I believe music was much better back then. But it would be cheap trying to just copy the past without our invention. A lot of so-called retro bands do that, and while I have no problem with it, I have more ambitions for my music than just recreating history. I analyze those old records, and what made them so good. It's a lot of factors – originality, musicianship, dynamic songwriting, taking influences from eclectic sources, memorable melodies, etc. So much of that is missing in nowadays metal, where bands usually just want to sound like their idols, without bringing anything of their own to the table. There's a vast web of inspirations for us that go even beyond music, so I will name just some of them: Black Sabbath (especially around the time of Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and Sabotage), 70s Judas Priest, Mercyful Fate/King Diamond, Venom, Bathory, Celtic Frost, Tormentor, Törr, Master's Hammer, Drakar, Moriorr, Kat, Turbo, Goblin, Popol Vuh, King Crimson, Witchfinder General, Pagan Altar, Gentle Giant, Zdeněk Liška, Baroque and Renaissance era music, Stelvio Cipriani, Igor Wakhévitch, etc etc.

Metallerium: Probably most people include Malokarpatan in the Black Metal scene but I think that your sound goes beyond this genre. Do you consider Malokarpatan a Black Metal band?  

Malokarpatan: I do, although I don't care too much where people put it themselves. If they want to just call it heavy metal I am fine with that. For me, black metal doesn't mean genre clichés established in the 90s – like screechy vocals, tremolo guitars, blast-beat drums, etc. That's just Norwegian black metal, but many local scenes were existing before it – after all South America was one of the earliest ones too. We build on the tradition of old Czechoslovakia-era black metal bands, but also generally East European black metal of the 80s and very early 90s. Those bands all had strong roots in classic heavy metal and were usually doing a very eccentric take on the genre. This has sometimes led them beyond the boundaries of the black metal itself – like Master's Hammer on Šlágry or Tormentor on Recipe Ferrum. Our sound is very wide and elastic, but I don't think we'll ever abandon the black metal and generally heavy metal framework. What makes black metal are mostly the lyrics and atmosphere. For me, for example, Mercyful Fate is black metal too, as it was for even Euronymous or Fenriz back when they were co-creating what is more commonly considered black metal today when many people lack the historical perspective.

Metallerium: In addition, it is always common to compare bands with what could be their influences. Probably when you read the comments on social networks or when you talk to your fans, they could mention bands that inspired you. But Which is the strangest comparison you read on social networks or listened to from a fan?  

Malokarpatan: That's a great question because there are so many stupid comparisons haha! Usually in YouTube comments, but sometimes unfortunately in reviews too. The most absurd ones are always those that compare us to ”modern” black metal – in short, music that came much later after our real influences, which are all from the 70s, 80s, and very early 90s. Just yesterday I saw a review comparing us to Negura Bunget, which I find ridiculous. Not that I have anything against the band, but they play a far more modern type of black metal with blast beats and modern production. I also shake my head in disbelief when some reviewers even claim that we are influenced by these modern bands. I wonder what the hell is wrong with their ears, haha.    

Metallerium: Your previous record “Krupinské ohne” delivered a bunch of many long songs which is something we won’t find in the record. Why do we have this change?  

Malokarpatan:  Krupinské ohne was deliberately meant as a bit of an oddball record, almost an experiment. I listen to a lot of progressive rock from the '70s and those bands usually use long compositions that sometimes go over the ten-minute mark. I find it a worthy challenge to write a song as long as keep it interesting. In a way, it's more difficult for me to write a standard 3-4 minute song instead, mine tends to be around 6 minutes long on average. So on that album, I just let it go completely freely and I only stopped the songs when I felt there was nothing more left to say. It was just an experiment though and on the new album, we returned to slightly shorter formats. But we're still not making short songs even now. Maybe that's a challenge we could take for some future album. 

Metallerium: Why did you call the album “Vertumnus Caesar”? What does it mean? Also, how did you choose the cover art?  

Malokarpatan: It's based on an allegorical portrait that the amazing Italian painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo made of Rudolf II, the central figure of the album's concept. There are multiple meanings hidden in it, but basically, it shows Rudolf as a sovereign over the natural world and it may also hint at his eccentric, moody character, as Vertumnus was a Roman god of the seasons and seasonal changes. Arcimboldo's paintings were very ahead of their time, with some scholars considering them as a sort of proto-surrealism. That worked very well with the overall adventurous tone of the album too. The cover artwork was made by a Swedish artist called Astrid Bergdahl. It also has a lot of symbolism hidden in it, pertaining mostly to elements and episodes of Rudolf's life. In the upper part, for example, you can see the mountain of Monserrat, which is tied to his youth spent receiving royal education in the Spanish court. In the center, we see several alchemical and astronomical advices, as well as some pieces from his famous cabinet of curiosities gathered in the Prague castle. 

Metallerium:  What are your plans after releasing the album? Also, are you doing something special for your 10 years as a band next year?  

Malokarpatan: There are too many logistic issues preventing us from doing any live shows – such as having a drummer based in Sweden, which makes rehearsing together almost impossible at least regularly. The other big problem is that we are currently just a four-piece band, and the new album has a lot of additional arrangements on guitars, synthesizers, and various other instruments. It would be impossible to perform it live without having to recruit several session musicians. It's not easy getting musicians for what we play, so it would all be a huge logistical nightmare overall. Therefore we only focus on doing promo interviews and after all that is done, I'll start working on demo versions for the next album. There are also two split EP releases coming very soon – one with Botulistum from the Netherlands and another one with Necromante from Brazil. I haven't yet thought of what to do for our 10-year anniversary, we will have to think of something special for sure!       

Metallerium: Talking about other topics. How is the Metal scene in your country after the pandemic?   

Malokarpatan: The metal scene here has always been small, so there are not many changes overall. Some new black metal bands are appearing across the country after some years of stagnation, otherwise is not much interesting stuff going on. Difficult topic for me to comment on, as I don't watch the scene at home much. Recently there has been a great gig with some of the more successful local BM bands such as Krolok (who share two members with Malokarpatan) or Aeon Winds (recommended for people who like 90s symphonic black metal, they are on Avantgarde Music from Italy).       

Metallerium:  The band was formed in 2014 and in a short time you experimented with changes like for example the relevance of digital platforms for promoting music, then a pandemic and new ways of keeping in touch with fans and working remotely, and after the pandemic bands are struggling with concerts because everything is more expensive. So, If you can go back in time, Is there anything you would have changed? Also, Any advice for young musicians that want to dedicate themselves to music?  

Malokarpatan: No, we were lucky enough to play across many countries before all the shit broke out in 2020, so there are no regrets from my side. There were a few good gigs we had to say no to, because of some of the other members being busy in their day jobs, otherwise nothing substantial. Doing a small tour of the USA and Canada was definitely the biggest highlight, as bands from our country rarely if ever play there. I was always more interested in studio work than live gigs, so I don't really miss playing live too much. My plan is that we'll probably start playing live again after we make yet another album in 2-3 years. I'll just have to write a bit simpler material so it'll be easier to perform live in a 4 people line-up. My advice for young musicians would be: always follow your heart and nothing else. Don't listen to people telling you how you should sound or how you should act to achieve success. Don't try to just copy your idols, but take advantage of your differences. If you're a lousy guitar player, use that to develop a unique style, instead of trying hard to become technical. If you don't feel comfortable singing in English, use your mother language, you'll sound more unique. If you don't have money for a studio, record in the rehearsal room, you'll have a more interesting sound that way anyway. Being generic is the worst strategy for success.       

Metallerium:  Again thanks a lot for your time and congratulations on the new album, we like it and we already posted a review. Is there anything you want to say to Metalllerium readers and Latin American bangers?  

Malokarpatan: Thank you kindly, it's been an interesting interview! I'd just like to send greetings to our fans in Latin America, I know they are people who really live and breathe metal, straight from the heart. Your countries have produced some amazing bands for which those knowledgable enough in Europe will be always grateful – Resistencia, V8, Kraken, Luzbel, Hadez, Sarcófago, Parabellum, Vulcano, Pentagram, Toxodeth... just to name a few. I'm also a huge fan of the Alturas de Machu Picchu album by Los Jaivas!