If you like minimalist black metal with deep lyrics and honest commitment, you should definitely check out FeketeFagy. But in the meantime, read the interview below with the band's creator and learn the details of how "Káosz" came to be!!!
Hails Attila! FeketeFagy's new album, "Káosz", will be released soon by Death Trap Productions. Since your debut material was released in 2012, I'm a bit curious, why did it take so long to prepare and record the follow-up?
- Hi, and firstly thank you for the opportunity to answer some questions that others might have as well.
Well, during the last decade I was facing many problems as an individual, and the name FeketeFagy is pretty much me, so everything was depending on my actual situation at the time. The other members of the band had, and still have, their own bands/projects. For example, Typhon is playing in Blizzard now. The main issue was that we all lived in different cities, additionally I struggled financially a lot, and was busy with work. Later I just got fed up with everything and I moved to the UK to start again. I cut many ties, and I had no inspiration. For me the most important thing with FeketeFagy is that it comes from deep inside, and the songs must have a meaning, not just posing in corpse paint with some animal carcass or guts, and scream Satan. That doesn't work for me.
Will the new album have the same lineup as the debut "Átokhold"? By the way, where did you record the new material?
- Unfortunately, not. There were talks with the old members to try to record things together online, but eventually I recorded and mixed the whole album in my study room with what I had at home. It was a long process to learn mixing and recording. In the beginning I was using a drum machine, but I wanted live performance on the album, so I purchased a cheap electric drum set from marketplace and used that one. I'm not a drummer, so it was hard.
As I noticed, the new lyrics are quite outspoken, hateful and misanthropic, but also very depressing. Five of them were written in Hungarian, the last one in English. Could you share some details about each? What inspired you to write such lyrics?
- The lyrics represent how I feel most days generally in my life. It's not easy to put such words onto paper and open up, but that's what I did. I don't like to make up things, I just sit down and write. This is all me, all my thoughts and feelings. This is why I named the album "Chaos", it is my inner chaos. Except the last song which has English lyrics. That song is more like a fantasy story which points out a real danger about human expansion and the destruction of nature and our spiritual beliefs. I'm not talking about religion, I talk about our personal freedom and connection to nature. That song is a kind of bonus track only though.
You used a black and white photo of a house surrounded by trees as a cover. How does this cover relate to the album title and lyrics?
- I live near the forest, and that little house is a place in that forest where I walk or ride my mountain bike to. That's when I can relax and switch off. The house is nicknamed the Witches' Hut.
The black metal you play is simplistic and cold, but also quite monotonous at times, but I think that's your goal from the beginning, isn't it? So how would you personally describe FeketeFagy's music to the readers? What influenced you musically?
- Other musicians used to mock me that I should learn to play the guitar. I have never been taught how to play or write music, I just do. Perhaps this is why my music is simple and even boring at times. I don't really care about it. I consider the lyrics more important. I don't want to describe my music because I can't, and I don't want to stick a label to it. It is just me and fortunately in the past I found similar people to share with and play together. The only influence I have is my father who used to play the guitar when I was young. He always wanted to teach me, but I kept refusing it ironically. He was a very good player, and I'm still trying to catch up. Unfortunately, he is not with us anymore to help me.
Death Trap Productions will release the new album on CD and T-shirts will be printed in support. Do you plan to release the new material in other formats later, for example on vinyl or cassette? By the way, how did you join DTP?
- Honestly, I haven't thought about other formats yet, I just went with the label's recommendation on this one. The T-shirt was my idea since people were asking me a lot if they could get one. The reason why I picked DTP is simple. It's because I still feel strongly about my old local scene. DTP is a small label from Pécs and I'm just a regular guy from the same place. DTP released Blizzard, Malediction, and Gylliath before. I know these guys and these bands, with some we even used to play together. To support each other and the local scene there was always important to me.
If I'm not mistaken, you currently live in Bewdley, Worcestershire. What is your job there and how's life there compared to Hungary? Do you go to metal concerts in your area? If so, what was your last visit and how did you like it?
- I would not like to comment on where I exactly live, but let's say it's close enough. I worked as an IT engineer and I'm currently unemployed due to an injury. I'm waiting for surgery at the moment, and I'm not very excited about it. Life here is different. The pace of life seems slower, yet the days just fly by. I go to gigs only occasionally as I can't stand crowds, and a night out can be expensive.
The last gig I visited was in Nottingham with Sathamel and Heathen Deity. We played with my other band (Arrogant Destruktor) there. The gig was in a very old pub which was nice. The downstairs was like a regular pub while the upstairs bit had a stage and an extra bar. It was an interesting yet good experience. That was my first show as a new vocalist of my other band.
Before that I visited a festival in Birmingham with CryptWorm, Defod, and Heathen Deity again.
Since "Átokhold" was released a long time ago and only in cassette format, in a strictly limited number of copies, are there any plans to reissue it on CD?
- Limiting the copies wasn't my idea. The only thing I could do is to upload it to the major streaming services, so people would have access to it. I've only done that recently. It's a bit of a shame to be honest, because a lot of people ask me this question. I'm planning on releasing a full-length album with a few songs from each album and a few brand-new songs as well.
What do you enjoy listening to lately? Are there any new albums that really impressed you in 2024?
- I don't listen to much new stuff. They almost all sound the same to me. The new Sear Bliss was not bad, or the new Necrophobic from last year was okay, but haven't listened to much else which could be considered new.
I keep listening to my old favorites, such as Ahriman "...from the Dark Nature", Frost "Black Shining", Kopjafa "Awakening" this sort of things.
The last chaos inspired words are yours. Please end the interview by revealing the future plans of FeketeFagy.
- For the future I was planning some live shows perhaps next year in Hungary and in the UK as well, but we will see how it goes. As well as I mentioned there will be a new long album at some point. Hopefully within the next 12 years, hahaha...