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CASKETGARDEN is one of the few Hungarian Death Metal bands that deserves to be known more amongst the metal fans worldwide. I asked Tóth Balázs - guitarist of CASKETGARDEN - regarding their new EP and plans for the near future. Read this informative interview and check out their latest stuff!
Tell us briefly about the history of band's creation and please share
with us some info on the bandmembers.
- CASKETGARDEN was founded in 1998 by Péter, Attila and me.
We had some songs in that time with Péter and that time we found
Attila the drummer. These themes became later the songs of our first demo
"An Ever Rounding Circle" and one of them was released only later
on our second tape. We wanted to make a really brutal but melodic music,
because our favourite bands hadn't been exist at that time. Later, in the
beginning of the year 1999 came Csaba Szabó (bass) and István
Cseh (vocals) to the band. So after 3 months full of rehearsals the line-up
and the songs were ready to play them live. Our first concert was in April
1999. Csaba is out from the band now, we fired him in this year, the new
member is Dénes Schummel, he is a silent guy but a real fanatic
of music and we like his personality much better, because Csaba was a self-important
one, I think. Péter is one of the songwriters; we write the songs
together with him, I know him since our childhood. Our ways and favourites
are the same in metal too. He has few themes but those are the best. I
almost forget that he works as a butcher (death metal!!!). Attila is the
drummer. He is a really interesting person, sometimes fanatic of our band;
sometimes he is like the most critical expert of the World. Some people
don't like the drumming like his, but for us he is the one. István
is the greatest Rock'N'Roll face that I ever knew, and his voice is that
voice we searched for. Really brutal! I think Tomas Lindberg is his one
and only God and he don't want to know any other, hehe. I won't tell anything
about me, because everyone can decide what a man I am from this interview.
For me only metal (the really hard one) counts.
"...Of Grief" is your newest demo, your second one, how has
it done. Has it gotten good reviews? What is the response to it been like?
Is there any label interest concerning "...Of Grief" in progress?
- We recorded this demo in Slovakia after the owner of Adam's Studio
János Pásztor called us that he has never worked with a band
playing a music like this. The sound that he created you can hear on the
"...Of Grief" demo, is not the best, but the next step to an own
one. This demo got very good reviews in the biggest Hungarian magazines,
and fanzines, but these good reviews we cannot see unfortunately by the
selling. So this was a big bankrupt, but we will make it eternally!!! Haha.
But two songs of this 6-track demo will appear on two Hungarian compilation
CD-s NIGHTWALK (OUT NOW) and SHOCK! (coming in May). Only one record company
showed interest to the "...Of Grief", but they didn't want to make
an EP (although it was ready) but a full-length so we agreed to get back
when the album comes... and there was some shit with them I think, because
they didn't listen to the CD but started to count what can be the profit
from it... from Death Metal... from Hungary...????
Could you explain us the difference between your previous release
"An Ever Rounding Circle" and "...Of Grief" EP?
- The "Circle" songs were more harmless, I think. They were
too melodic, but the riffs have less character and the sound was weaker
and too clear for this music. I like these songs play in live, because
they are more brutal now than on that tape. Those three songs were three
different ways within one style if you know what I mean... This first demo
is totally sold out, and can be ordered only from BACKWOODS Productions
(there are 9 pieces at the stock). The songs on "...Of Grief" are
more brutal and dynamic and the melody lines were worked out better and
these are more morose and sorrowful. Those are not the typical heavy metal
riffings, but more based upon the old death/doom riffing, but of course,
in a faster form. In these songs are more melancholic feeling sometimes.
The song structures are more direct, but the certain themes are more complex.
On this demo there is one of our oldest songs "The Sentient",
it's a slower one and not reflects our today's way, but it was too good
to forget. The sound is better and it's more dirty on the "...Of Grief".
What can you tell about the conception and lyrics that CASKETGARDEN
stands for?
- There isn't any really conception, these lyrics are my personal feelings about the world in a lyrical way. But this name (the band's name - Ed.)
is good to express the opposites, and the alpha and omega of life, what
about this whole shit known as life speaks. Our name is taken from a DISMEMBER
classic that you all know, I hope.
You played a big number of concerts so far. What is your attitude
on these gigs? Do you use any scenarios for that? Also I've noticed that
you like to play several cover versions from bands like AT THE GATES, CARCASS
and DISMEMBER on your shows. What do you think about cover versions in
general?
- We like to play live and for these are any scenarios, these are really Rock'N'Roll gigs, haha. The only scenario is not to drink before the concerts,
haha. Yes, we play some covers, you know we are a less known band yet.
A good cover can make the live atmosphere better in the audience. But we
don't play audience favourites, we play our favourites, and we like to
play them. But none of them we would record to a CASKETGARDEN release,
because a good cover must have an own atmosphere and a mirror of an own
style. The covers we play are only concert covers, from these covers we
learned how to build up a good song.
Let's talk about your interests. What do you like to do outside of
the band? What kinds of sports do you most interested in and why? What
literature you prefer to read? Name us some of your favorite books.
- I think the only hobby that every member likes, beside making music
is to listen to music and to... drink. For this last one the best place in
Hungary is Mosonmagyaróvár, we make sometimes tours in different
pubs, when we don't play you can find us surely in one of those, haha.
In a 100-meter street you can find more than 10 pubs, I swear. István
is very interested in the rally sport; he works sometimes as a mechanic
of those racers. And I find sometimes impressions in books and films. For
example one of my favourites is Kurt Vonnegut's burlesque, "Breakfast
of the Champions" and Cat's "Cradle" (these are not the
exact titles, cause I read them in Hungarian translation), some Kafka novels,
and "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest" from Ken Kesey. My favourite
film is "The Name of the Rose" with Sean Connery, it's a really
hard one.
Is there a big scene around you where you live? Tell us more about
the underground scene of Hungary. What bands, labels and 'zines can you
recommend for us?
- There is some Death Metal bands in Mosonmagyaróvár.
DEPTHS OF DEPRAVITY (ex-BRUTAL MASTURBATION) and ZOMBIE HOLOCAUST are the
most famous and there are some Heavy Metal and Rock bands (in one of them
I play like a second guitarist, it's a really true metal band with some
own songs but we mostly play covers). We are in friendly contact with them
and we help each other if we can. I don't know what underground means in
Hungary. There are lots of little bands who are very good - SABLE, ART
OF BUTCHERY for example - these I like. But when a band sells 500 pieces
from his CD then it is mentioned in the biggest 'zines as a really famous
thing. So I don't understand this whole underground-mainstream thing in
Hungary. I think every metal band is underground by us. Only the music
counts and there are fucking great Hungarian metal groups: TESTIMONY (one
of the most famous Death Metal bands and they are really good), DYING WISH,
GUTTED, MALEDICTION, CHRISTIAN EPIDEMIC (they are not my cup of tea, but
it's just a question of taste), WATCH MY DYING (it's complex metal/HC in
the vein of MESHUGGAH), SABLE, ART OF BUTCHERY (these two are very promising
melodic death/thrash acts) and of course CASKETGARDEN, haha... I can say
that the death metal scene is the most coherent with exchange concerts
and with the things like that... There are two real metal companies in Hungary:
NEPHILIM Records and HAMMER Productions. The first makes every style of
music, but their death/black acts are the strongest and HP is a Heavy Metal
record company. There are some distributors like NEGATIVE ART and BACKWOODS.
I have contact with a lot of fanzines and they help us where they can,
some of them makes compilations some of them concerts too, beside the 'zine
making. Some of them hits a really high level: LAMENTATION, NIGHTWALK,
STYGIAN SHADOWS Webzine, ATHEIST, SHOCK!, Vol.10.; some of them writes
about a wide scale of metal: FROM THE ABYSS; some of them has an own image,
taste, identity: !TOXIK!, LAND OF CARPATHIAN; and about some of them I
have very few information, because they don't even answer me!!!
Do you know something about Ukraine? (I mean our bands, 'zines, etc.)
Have any of the members of CASKETGARDEN ever been to the Ukraine? How was
it?
- No, as I know none of us have been in Ukraine yet. That I know from
this land that was a part of the Soviet Union in the past and there are
some parts in the country where Hungarians live. The catastrophe of the
reactor in Chernobil was there and there are some Godfathers from Ukraine
in Hungary, haha. The fucking media washes our brain, haha. I think it
can be a really beautiful place like every country in Eastern Europe without
the taste of globalization. I know some band names like MENTAL DEMISE,
CHAMOS, FORGOTTEN SPIRIT and VALHALLA, but only from the 'zines. I've never
heard the music of them. I've heard only one band when we played together
in Mosonmagyaróvár. It has been called CASTRUM as I remember
hahaha. And You played the guitar and the vox, Cornelius! It was fucking
great, but the mixer was not on the top of his job, because it was his
first work (that person was me myself) haha. Sorry for this catastrophic
concert that we played then, but a work accident makes a really big scar
on our drummer's hand and it was only a ca. 30% gig. I've heard a song
from the new CASTRUM stuff; it is called "Hatenourisher". It
is really great melodic and brutal, I like it. (Thanks for the compliments
and support pal - Ed.)
What bands you prefer to listen nowadays and what bands had influenced
CASKETGARDEN?
- The main influence is AT THE GATES. They are our God!!! Every release of them is fucking killer! The other influences from my and Péter's
side were CARCASS, PANTERA, DISMEMBER, ENTOMBED, some old doom/death stuff
from ANATHEMA, PARADISE LOST, the first four BLACK SABBATH albums and the
first two OZZY albums. The favourites of the others are almost the same,
but István was a big (old) METALLICA fan also; Attila and Dénes
(who like PINK FLOYD and AMORPHIS very much also); I have from the bands
of today only one real favourite: THE HAUNTED. The others I'm listening
to nowadays are THE CROWN (with Tompa this band will be a mass murderer!!!),
OPETH, SOILWORK, NEVERMORE, MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND (the genial of
this last two bands I've discovered only nowadays, sorry!) and so on...
Your opinion about: Internet, religions, classical music, army and
space ships.
- Internet: can be God or Satan; Religions: we don't like any religion
and these haven't got any importance nowadays in Europe, but in the Middle
East... can be the next cataclysm...; Classical Music: sometimes I listen to
it for some impressions and for some musical solutions, but I can listen
to it all the time. We haven't got classical experience; Army: they have
conscripted Attila. Fuck Off! Our army is the worst both morally and technically.
No money, no weapons, no strategy. Mandatory conscription is the solution?
I don't think so; Space ships: I think that is the most beautiful invention.
Tasting the eternity is everyone's dream...
What do you wish to do with CASKETGARDEN in the future? When will
your new stuff be out?
- The next 3-4 months will be difficult without drummer. We planned
that we record a two-song promo CD with a great sound in a good studio
and than we will rehearse with Dénes the other songs, meanwhile
Attila joined the army. After 3 months he can come for weekends home and
we can have 2 rehearsals in a week and maybe some concerts. We have some
lyrics: "Immortality Inc.", many-many themes, and some full songs:
"Non-Existent", "The Day When Silence Died" these will
be on the promo-CD that will be sent to many labels and 'zines. And after
this we want to make our first full-length in the next year with the support
of a label, it will be called "The Raging Sorrow". But this is
just a plan...
Finally, some deep thoughts for the readers, please.
- Fuck you!!! Rock'N'Roll!!! Hahaha. Join us and the ENCOMIUM 'zine
to remove the sutures from Your eyes!
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