Dimo: Hi
Mrazek! How are you? Tell us some news from the Bulgarian Metal
scene!
Mrazek: Hello, my friend! Let me to introduce myself
firs… My name is Gias, with that name I’m known
abroad of Bulgaria. So, my underground nickname is Mrazek…
In “In The Other Side” magazine and Distributor
Of Pain label… My band is AGONIC FAINT. The news…
So we did “Metal Repulsive Blasphemy” Fest (in association
with Independent Musical Scene Of Bourgas), there was played
9 of the best Bulgarian Death and Black Metal bands. It was
incredible… Few months ago we start seriously to develop
our label and released our first titles: ACT OF GROTESQUE and
SARAKT. I can mentioned the fact, that in the last few months
here was played bands like NAER MATARON and ROTTING CHRIST (Greece),
ORPHANED LAND (Israel), ANCIENT CEREMONY and your band HATRED
DIVINE (Germany), CATAMENIA (Finland) and VOKODLOK (Romania),
CEREBRAL TURBULENCY (Czech Republic) – true Metal underground.
It’s very important for Bulgarian Metal scene to see live
these bands.
Dimo: Whats
about the past of Bulgarian Metal, who were the first bands?
Which bands were very important, but now forgotten?
Mrazek: Ooh, you back me in the end of 80’s and
the beginning of 90’s… In the beginning were bands
as EPIZOD and AHAT, but nowadays they aren’t part of our
(underground) scene. In the early 90’s there was few Thrash
Metal bands as DEMON, CRASH, DESTROYIMPEX… But they are
dead now. Later was risen few Death Metal acts as POWERDRIVE,
DESOLATE, DISTORTED REALITY, SCAPEGOAT, PAST REDEMPTION, NIGHTMARE…
Also few Black Metal bands were created: BIOPHOBIA, DIABOLISM,
KOROZY, NOCTIFLOROUS THORNS, BLEEDING THORN… I’m
afraid to miss anyone, but these were the first… some
of them are really forgotten now: NIGHTMARE, SCAPEGOAT, DEMON,
DESTROYIMPEX, NOCTIFLOROUS THORNS, BLEEDING THORN…
Dimo: Which
style represents most Bulgarian metal?
Mrazek: A hard question… Black and Death Metal
maybe. But there are few bands played interesting Metal Core
and Angry Metal… In the capital Sofia Death Metal is more
played by the bands… We have many Thrash maniacs, but
so little Thrash bands. Interesting situation.
Dimo: What
is the background of the “Independent Music Scene of Bourgas”?
And what are the future plans, also with your label “Distributor
of Pain”?
Mrazek: We collaborate with IMSB with pleasure. We
edit our 2 titles together with them. The main idea of this
organization is to support Bulgarian Metal underground and to
make some rules. About DOP: we have plans DIABOLISM “Concealed
Craft” (re-release of their last mini album). After that
we’ll arrange a CD of APOCALYPTIC SOUND “The Black
Contess” (this Bulgarian guy lives in Germany like you),
HIERONIMOUS BOSCH, EUFOBIA my band AGONIC FAINT maybe…
Also we’re planning to arrange official compilation…
Dimo: What
are the horrifying facts in Bulgaria, socially and musically?
Mrazek: The facts are: the people take 100-200 per
month. What to say more? People try to survive. I don’t
want to talk about our governments in these 15 years. The main
problem in Bulgaria in the next 50 years will be the demographic
collapse. Musically? The music is a mirror of the real life…
You know: the chalga (stolen from Turks, Greeks, Arabians turbo
pop “folk” with many gypsy influences) takes 80%
of the musical business here. Pop music is total shit (a lot
of stolen songs)… Bulgarian song that will represent Bulgaria
on Eurovision is stolen, as I remember, from a ballad of a German
Heavy Metal band… The life here is beautiful…
Dimo: Why
are Bulgarian bands not as popular as bands from other countries?
Mrazek: Because we have not much money for promotion…
Listen man, sometimes I have an dilemma: to stay hungry or to
send some promos for review… this is the sad true. Some
bands from abroad offer me to play here for 50 Euro only. The
gigs - this is a great promotion. But Bulgarian bands have not
enough money to pay their own travel costs. Few bands like KOROZY,
ENTHRALLMENT, HYPERBOREA and INSPELL plays some show in Romania
and Serbia and the fans liked them! They sell some CD’s
there and takes great responses… Hope, in the future more
Bulgarian bands will play live in other countries and will sell
more CD abroad Bulgaria.
Dimo: Tell
us about concert opportunities in Bulgaria.
Mrazek: We have two big promoters here, the arrange
concerts of bands like SLAYER, DESTRUCTION, JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK
SABBATH, MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD, HELLOWEEN etc. Not really underground
bands. But in the last time we saw some great underground acts:
ANCIENT (2003), PRIMORDIAL (2003), VADER (2004), NAER MATARON
(2004), ORPHANED LAND (2005), ANCIENT CEREMONY (2005), ROTTING
CHRIST (2005), I mentioned CATAMENIA… So, it’s great!
This is not so much, but I hope that in the future we’ll
see more bands. Here in Sofia we are few underground promoters
(respect for others!) and we are big enthusiasts. Also, we arrange
a lot of club events with 100-200 fans inside. It’s good,
that in the last years we have 2 or 3 clubs, where Metal music
is welcome.
Dimo: Is
there are a closed community in the scene?
Mrazek: We try to arrange something like a circle,
but not closed. We’re open for everybody, who is correct
with the others... It’s very stupid to close yourself
in your inner world. Together we can do more and more. I mentioned
that sometimes I had no money to send promos, but we can send
our promos together and it’ll be cheapest. And we do this.
I help to some bands to play in the club, on festival…
also they help to my band.
Dimo: Can
you tell me about the past, presence and future of “The
Other Side”?
Mrazek: Oh, Dimo… Prepare to long answer…
The beginning was put in 1997 when we starts do do our FORLORN
magazine. We had no Internet, only old school letters with stamps
“for return”. In 1999 we arranged “The Other
Side” Underground Fest in Primorsko. We had idea to arrange
a festival chain with that name. Few mounts ago we did The Other
Side newsletter; its main idea was to inform the people for
the festivals. In the period 1999-2001 we did 4 issues of this
newsletter on Xerox and we sell all the copies. In parallel
we did FORLORN and in 2000 started our webzine in English with
the same name. In 2001 we starts to take phone interviews with
great bands as: SIX FEET UNDER, HOLY MOSES, BENEDICTION, ENSLAVED,
DIMMU BORGIR (thanks to Wizard Ltd.!). In 2003-2004 we did two
pro-printed copies of The Other Side, but for now we’re
online based. Our site is in Bulgarian language, but I promise,
that will develop English version too… Everybody can check
us on www.TheOthersSide.dir.bg … Future? Some paper issues
maybe, possible in English too.
Dimo: Can
you recommend some bands, zines and labels to the Nocturnal
Hall readers? Give the Nocturnal Hall readers some contacts
for Bulgarian Metal.
Mrazek: Everybody can check our “multimedia”
section at www.TheOthersSide.dir.bg/multimedia – there
are a lot free mp3’s of Bulgarian bands…I can recommend
INSPELL (Black Metal), DARKMOON RISING (Black/Death Metal),
THE REVENGE PROJECT (Death Metal, www.therevenge.hit.bg), ACT
OF GOTESQUE (Death Metal, www.distributorofpain.cjb.net), DARK
INVERSION (Black Metal, www.darkinversion.com), HYPERBOREA (Death
Metal, www.hyperboreaband.com), ENTHRALLMENT (Death Metal, www.enthrallment.net),
PAST REDEMPTION (Death Metal, www.pastredemption.com), KOROZY
(Black Metal, www.korozy.tk), AGONIC FAINT (Death Metal, www.agonicfaint.cjb.net),
BOLG (Black Metal, www.bolg.cjb.net) etc.; Mazazines, webzine
and portals: Pro-Rock (www.pro-rock.net), Garo’s Metal
Newsletter (gmn.pro-rock.net), Metal Fist (www.metalfist.com),
IMSB (www.imsb.cjb.net); Labels: Butchery Music (www.butchery-music.com),
ShadowLand Music (www.shadowland.hit.bg), Distributor Of Pain
(www.distributorofpain.cjb.net), 043 (www.z043.org), Wizard
(www.wizard.bg) etc.
Dimo: Whats
about non-metal bands/projects, like folk, pagan, ritual, ambient?
Mrazek: I prefer Extreme Metal like Death and Black…
but sometimes I like to listen to other styles… But Metal.
Dimo: Where
do you see your role in the metal of Bulgaria?
Mrazek: I don’t know. I don’t think about
this…
Dimo: Do you agree,
that there are more side-projects than real bands in Bulgaria?
Mrazek: May be… The side projects make the scene more
interesting.
Dimo: In
Germany the Rap/Hip Hop scene is the “opposition”
to Metal. What’s the opposition in Bulgaria?
Mrazek: Metal is the opposition of all in Bulgaria.
Dimo: Do
you think, that East-European metal is an awaken beast now?
Mrazek: I prefer to look around Europe as whole continent,
not “east”, “west” and “south”…
You know, when in medieval times here in Bulgaria we had Bulgarian
literacy in our language, some European kings told in their
native languages with their horses only. Metal scene in our
region (Balkans) must awake! But this is “mission impossible”
for now. I hope that in the future the situation will be better.
Dimo: What’s
about political metal in Bulgaria? Communists or Fascists? Is
NS a problem in Bulgaria?
Mrazek: I prefer to give you “no comment”
to this question. I’m nationalist, it means that I love
my country and Bulgarian people. I’m not NS. Bulgarian
NS is not a problem… The problem is the Turkish nationalist
party that rules in Bulgaria. The Turkish people in Bulgaria
are 7-8%, but they have 50% of the power here (in government,
in municipalities, in diplomatic services etc.). It’s
not normal. Bulgaria is the country of the Bulgarians, like
Germany is the country of the Germans, France – of the
French people etc.
Dimo: Do
you think that Bulgarian metal is different from Slavonic metal?
Unfortunately most West-European people think, Bulgarians were
Slavs. Give a statement to this prejudice.
Mrazek: Bulgarian Metal is Metal. It’s called
Bulgarian, because it does madden by Bulgarian musicians and
metalheads like you and me. Bulgarian is a Slav language, have
Slav structure. What do you mean as “Slavonic Metal”?
I think, that it’s something like to sing about Slav traditions
(bands like TUMULUS, PAGAN REIGN)? It’s a big theme for
discussions…
Dimo: Give
a short statement to the following words:
1 Best beer in world: Stolichno Svetlo (RIP)
2 German Metal: SODOM
3 Agonic Faint: my current band (and what it’s mean)
4 European Union: lies, shit and… you knows better
Dimo: Is
there anything I have forgotten to ask?
Mrazek: Oh, no…
Dimo: Thanx
a lot! Cheers!
Mrazek: Thank you too… Cheerz!
Contact:
theotherside@theotherside.dir.bg
www.theotherside.dir.bg
www.distributorofpain.cjb.net
