Deamonolith - Interview


Gortal is dead, long live Deamonolith! I didn't think it would be so easy for me to say it, because I valued the work of that first band very highly. I was all the more pleased that the talent of the 2/3 core of this band decided to continue to go to war with all adversities and create unconventional death metal. I knew they were capable of a lot, but to be honest, I didn't expect such a shock after listening to "The Monolithic Cult Of Death". And in every respect: the purely musical, lyrical, visual content, or the generally unconventional approach to death metal matter. If we add to this the fact that the album in question is one, several dozen-minute-long song, then you should have a taste of how much work had to be put into this undertaking. I would like to invite you to a very interesting conversation with the main creators of this project, which, in my opinion, will cause a stir not only in this year's summaries. I deeply hope that they will break into the top league of extreme playing and not only in Poland.

Levi

You did it – you created the Monster! Congratulations. Tell me, how does it feel to see such a daring idea through to the end?

Major: Thank you. Persistence, consistency, and trust in your own creative intuition are the key words. We were not limited by any barriers or frames. We developed Monster slowly, analyzing the quality of each idea and refining individual riffs and the arrangement of each song to the optimal version, with which everyone was ultimately fully satisfied.

Desecrate: Thank you very much! I still feel uneasy with the fact that the beast is already living its own life, and I have no influence on it.

The initial idea for your debut album seemed a bit different than what was finally released under the banners of Godz Ov War and Ancient Dead. And not only from the moment of composing the material during rehearsals, in the form of a line-up, but also during work in the studio and the participation of other guests. Didn't you have the feeling that something could go wrong, get out of control, and that you could overdo it?

M: As you know, in the beginning, we had prepared skeletons of three "normal" compositions and a dozen or so minutes of the initial skeleton of Monster. This was the stage of searching for our own left-hand path. At that time, I did not yet have a specific vision of which ideas to consider as priorities. We were also searching for the missing links in the line-up. Musicians who would believe in our ideas, which would consequently allow us to develop the basic formula. People who would match me and Desecrate in terms of skills, commitment, and mentality. It was not an easy process, and the line-up took almost 2 years to form. The more we developed the composition formula, the more we were convinced that we were heading in the right direction. I felt subconsciously how to expand the number. I trusted my intuition, but also the talent of the people who got involved in the arrangement process, and with each passing week, the conviction that we were creating something valuable grew.

D: As a chronicler, I must add that the idea for such a uniform musical form was the foundation for the reactivation of Gortal. In the meantime, ideas for shorter forms appeared, but in the end, all of them ended up in the waiting room. We even recorded them as a pair 'live' in 2022. Those three short forms that Major mentions. It was the fastest recorded 'live' in the history of death metal (laughter). But more about that some other time.

Exactly. You created a damn eclectic and diverse material, in which at times you can hear things that, if not contradictory, are damn hard to grasp, so that they do not overshadow the death metal power and fury. Despite the multitude of ideas, melodies, and strange things that happen on the album, you have maintained the prescribed brutality. Because that is probably the basis of what you play, isn't it?

M: I wanted to get out of my comfort zone, although it sounds a bit like a coaching slogan-babble or some other truism straight from LinkedIn. Coming back after over 10 years in a form directly related to Gortal's style would be safe and predictable. At this stage of development, we decided that it would be unnecessary conformism. I categorically wanted to avoid creating the ten thousandth iteration of pure death metal pounding. As cool and graceful as it is derivative and money-grabbing. Of course, you're right - the brutality you're talking about is the foundation, the core of our idea for music. But after so many years of playing, I felt that I needed to break the mould, trust my instincts without directly imitating anyone or anything.

D: Major and I have been playing metal for over 20 years. A few years ago, we did a few things together on the album "Nihilist" by Pandemonium, but only now could we afford full freedom in composing. When we were making this material, we started from the assumption that nothing limits us and we play what we want. The only condition for showing it to people was that, in our opinion, it had to be better than anything we had done so far. Brutality, speed, and fury have not been goals in themselves for a long time.

I had some issues with the female vocals, but the final effect and what you did in the end gave it a unique flavor that doesn't detract from or soften the whole. Similarly to other instruments, not often used in death metal, and the participation of guests, of which there are really a lot. Was their selection a natural thing, or did something else influence these choices? I understand that all of this was the icing on the cake - the basis that you forged in the sweat of the rehearsal room?

M: You're right. When the skeleton of the composition was prepared, we started thinking about additional elements and guests who would help us push the composition towards other dimensions. The search lasted several months, and we didn't manage to implement all the initial ideas, but I think the final effect is almost optimal. We invited people with above-average skills and sensitivity to music to collaborate. Personally, I wanted them to be people from a close circle of friends who understood our intentions. Each guest was given creative freedom in preparing their parts, which translated into spontaneity and instinct. When we first encountered some of the ideas, our jaws were on the floor.

D: I remember that at a fairly early stage, we were assuming additional elements that were to appear in several key places. Although some assumptions resulted from the story being told, we gave the invited musicians a free hand so that they could contribute something of their own and complement our vision. The inclusion of female vocals is neither accidental nor is it just an addition – it was crucial to emphasize emotions and important moments of the narrative. Anna Malarz, known from Thy Worshiper, is responsible for the female voices on the album. She perfectly immersed herself in the material, and her parts perfectly emphasize the emotional moments of this story.

I understand that you had no problems with male clean vocals (laughter)?

M: Our long-time artistic companion, Michał "Xaay" Loranc, is responsible for these parts on the album. A man of many talents, and as it turned out, also a versatile vocalist. Xaay was not our first choice, because we had no idea that he could sing so well. Apart from adding the phrases that Kobuch mentioned in his guidelines for vocal guests, Xaay improvised a male choir and added it according to his own idea. Hats off to him.

At this point, it's time to introduce the other guests on the album. Łukasz Wypych, a close colleague of mine from professional circles, completely unrelated to the underground metal scene, is responsible for the saxophone parts. We met almost 10 years ago during a recruitment interview, and from the very beginning, it was clear that we were a match. Łukasz finds artistic fulfillment in the prog-rock Nebular Punch, listens to Dream Theater addictively, and is a soccer fan, with an emphasis on the best league in the world, the Ekstraklasa. The idea to use the saxophone came to me suddenly. During one of the training sessions, I turned on Misanthrope's new material, entitled "Les Déclinistes", on Spotify. The track 'Regard Vers L'Infinité' blew me away thanks to the phenomenal saxophone parts. And then the thought came to me that we had to have this instrument on the album. We invited Łukasz to a rehearsal, and the first effects exceeded our expectations. Łukasz composed all the saxophone parts on his own. Finally, in order to speed up the recording process, we hid in our rehearsal room and with the help of Przemek "Imp" Moszczyński from Saltus and Conquest Icon, we recorded the saxophone parts. The piano in the intro that begins the album was composed by Magda Sienkiel, daughter of Marcin Skullripper, known from Embrional, Azarath, Hellfuck and Squash Bowels. I had been following the development of her extraordinary talent for several years and came up with the idea for her to try her hand at metal style. With Marcin's help, we managed to realize this intention. I think the effect is stunning. In turn, the next piano parts, found in the interlude, are the work of Sebastian, Sunrise's son. Another talented young man had a hand in the cooperation with the boomers. Now we are waiting for malicious comments about the "Satanic Noah's Ark" (laughter).

Are there any patents on The Monolithic Cult Of Death that were prepared for the next Gortal album? Well, yes, that name had to be mentioned in this interview, ha, ha! Well, after an album like this, there's probably no doubt that that band was buried in the sand for good. Or maybe I'm wrong?

M: Yes. A lot of the riffs from the first part of the song were created with this in mind. There are even direct references to the sounds found on "Deamonolith" (the last album by Gortal, the musicians' previous band) - I hope that the curious listener will find them. It was supposed to be a kind of tribute to the past. I would like to emphasize that Gortal, in its mature form, has always consisted of three equal pillars: Chryste, Desecrate, and me. The lack of one link meant the end; that's what we always told ourselves. For some time, we tried to resurrect this energy and unleash the fire that would allow us to create again in such a constellation. It didn't work. After considering all the pros and cons, we decided that further playing under the Gortal name was pointless and unjustified. We already knew that a new energy had been born, and we felt subconsciously that we needed a new name. Yes, I think Gortal is dead. We are no longer young, at least in terms of age. From my perspective, there will be no room for any side-steps from playing in Deamonolith. I want to focus solely on creating music under this banner, and at the same time not neglect my family life, professional life and another passion that has accompanied me for years, namely, long-distance running.

D: The last real activity of Gortal was a concert during the Drrrama Festival in the fall of 2015. As of today, we have a few unfinished business on hold (there have been plans for vinyl reissues of both albums, including a remaster of the debut),so apparently "if you're born to hang, you'll never drown". However, musically I am focusing only on Deamonolith.

The line-up also seemed to be a bit of a hit-and-miss situation, and most of the time, it was just you and Desecrate. What was the contribution of the rest of the line-up, let's say the final one? Introduce the band.

M: It took us a dozen or so months to finalize the final line-up. We wanted to find ambitious people with a similar perspective on music, but also on issues that go beyond that. From the very beginning, I ruled out working with people who abuse alcohol. As a result, 3/5 of the line-up are complete teetotalers (laughter). In any case, I would like to thank everyone who tried to take up the challenge and devoted their time and energy to our rehearsal room.

The vocalist is Kobuch – Desecrate met him while they were playing together in Sarmat. The concept of that band changed some time ago, and Łukasz had the time and desire for another challenge. In the past, he was screaming his head off in Mortis Dei, among others. He wrote the lyrics and also arranged the vocals himself. The final effect definitely exceeded my initial expectations. He is a tough negotiator and a strong supporter in terms of logistics and promotional activities. And I have the impression that he is just getting started.

The second guitar is played by Sunrise, probably the most unconventional musician in the line-up. At the stage of forming the line-up, Michael from Pandemonium played bass with us. He recommended Krzysiek to us and invited him to a rehearsal. It was a hit from the very beginning. Sunrise has incredible imagination. He developed the core of our composition brilliantly, adding spaciousness to the music. He also composed and recorded the intro and interlude (together with his son, who is a pianist). On a daily basis, he is the brains of Ashur from Łódź. In the past, he played in Sacriversum, Imperator, and Funeral Cult, among others.

The bassist is Lukas. He has known Desecrate since the time he played in Symbolical. It turned out that Lukas had moved to Warsaw permanently some time ago and lived next door. Here, too, we reached an understanding very quickly. Despite a very short time for acclimatization, Łukasz understood our ideas very quickly, mastered the material in no time, and recorded great bass parts. He enriched our sound, just like African doctors and engineers would like to improve Europe culturally.

Dececrate is the co-founder of Deamonolith and my companion for over 20 years. We understand each other intuitively and mutually drive each other, generating unique creative energy. Without him, the entire concept of Deamonolith would be impossible to realize. Krzysiek has incredible technical skills, but most importantly, he has an absolutely above-average sense of arrangement. In situations when I lack an idea for developing a given thread or a satisfactory compositional solution, he goes full-on and finds the optimal way out of a seemingly dead end in 5 minutes. In addition, he has a huge contribution to creating the lyrical and graphic concept. I will not write about myself - I will give the floor to my buddies from the band.

D: Major is the co-founder of Deamonolith and an extremely creative guitarist. He throws out meaty riffs like a proper meat mincer, and his familiarity and broad musical horizons make composing with him easy, fast, and enjoyable – we rely on associations and immediately find a common direction. It's definitely better to play with him than to have discussions, but you can't have everything (laughter). His analytical approach to composing well compensates for my emotional attitude to music, which allows us to maintain balance in the creative process.

It's obvious that you put a lot of work into the music and artwork for the album. Tell us more about the lyrics, artwork, and the overall message. There's no doubt that it's a complete product.

M: The album's lyrics take the form of a drama divided into roles. It's a story about the lengths to which people can go in the face of the apocalypse - it shows the fall of faith, fanaticism, conviction of the righteousness of their actions, and their distorted justification fed by lies about the greatness of man and his purpose. At the same time, it shows the nature of man, who cannot come to terms with his own fate or his place in the infinite void that is the universe. It is also a warning against blind faith in the prophecies of various messiahs and an encouragement to cultivate individualism in oneself. The concept of the story is the work of Desecrate, while transferring the idea to paper is Kobuch's role. In my opinion, this is the ideal solution, because the vocalist knows best how to choose words for the later arrangement.

D: From the beginning, we assumed that the lyrical layer had to correspond with the music, and not be a simple, sentimental, rhyming addition about the devil's guts. We had a vision in our heads of a long, elaborate story about the perverted nature of man, put to the ultimate test. Riffs and arrangements were created one after another, and each subsequent riff had to refer to the previous one and develop the story. Thanks to this, we could say: "- This is our idea, here are the riffs - now it's time for vocals." And that's exactly what happened. Once, after a Sarmat concert, Kobuch and I were returning to Bydgoszcz, and the perfect moment came to talk about the lyrics and refine the concept. During rehearsals, we wrote down which riffs could be sung and which ones would be better left for the music itself. Kobuch took over the lyrical reins and wrote the lyrics, creating a coherent story. When the time came, he realized it all himself in the studio in Bydgoszcz. Chapeau bas!

Album cover. Another strong point. On the one hand, it's damn old-school, the first associations with Sinister - "Hate" and "De Profundis" you know of whom are obvious, but on the other hand, its expressiveness and sharpness also shows that you're not afraid of modern solutions... Correct me if I'm wrong?

M: The concept of a world torn apart by various monsters is my idea, developed by Desecrate using modern tools. We searched for graphic inspiration together with Desecrate for many weeks. Then we passed our initial ideas to Xaay, who perfectly developed the concept, which allowed us to create the final version of the graphic. Once again, in such a configuration, we managed to create a suggestive and intense image, consistent with the textual and musical content of the album. Xaay has been our graphic designer since the debut of Gortal, and he masterfully implements our ideas. Perhaps also because he understands and likes our compositions. Transferring our visions to canvas using paints would be unrealistic or would take several years, so such an option was not considered from the very beginning.

D: Using modern tools for some means clicking through a few stupid slogans, and for others, a few months of writing prompts and hundreds of generated graphics. Now, when looking for inspiration and ideas for the cover, you can immerse yourself in your own ideas and sketch without limits. Luckily, we have Xaay, who once again transformed our conglomeration of concepts into the final version. His imagination and precise work on every detail made the cover polished, professional, and unique.

As for the sound, it's powerful, but I don't think there was any doubt about that. You like working with Janos, don't you?

M: The choice was obvious. We've known each other for years and have complete trust in him. Logistics also play a significant role. 3/5 of the line-up can get to the studio in 15 minutes. Besides, I think that when entering the studio, the band should know how it wants to sound. From the beginning, we knew what our expectations were regarding the key elements of the production. The sound engineer should squeeze the most out of these ideas. And so it happened once again. The final effect, as usual in the case of cooperation with Janos, is excellent.

D: The fact that we would record with Janos was as certain as death and taxes. I recorded a few so-called 'life parts' with him, so this time I decided it was worth trying again. I think musicians often underestimate this, but a demanding sound engineer with the right approach to the musician is key when recording difficult or demanding parts. Such cooperation inspires and allows you to record better, more interesting things. And so it was this time.

Now I would like to ask about your expectations and plans for The Monolithic Cult Of Death?

M: We plan to work hard on the groundwork in terms of promotion. We are scattered across several cities, and we all have families and professional obligations. The logistics and synchronization of calendars are complicated. I can count on the fingers of one hand the rehearsals with the entire line-up so far. At the same time, I want to emphasize that I care most about composing new music. I devote more time to the guitar than ever before, I have opened my mind to various sources of inspiration, and I have the ambition to consistently develop the formula of Deamonolith music. I remember, however, that the day is not made of rubber, that it is 2025 and the reality is completely different than 10, 15, or 20 years ago. Thanks for the conversation and support. See you at the concerts.

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Entered: 6/17/2025 3:01:10 AM

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