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TRUCIZNA INTERVIEW

 

Treading paths of dead, icy summits…where gales bite mercilessly with their lethal coldness…glaring in the ghastly white reflection of falling stars…the night embraces everything with its deadly drape. Man-like ghosts are meandering aimlessly in a labyrinth of tunnels devoid of life and hope; absorbing incessant fear and facing primordial Evil. Tormented souls are now approaching the edge of Tartarus; where their new home and yearned-for peace are.The most poisonous TRUCIZNA which will devour all hope there is, to envenom minds with its perpetual madness. TRUCIZNA, Wrzenie Krwi. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Skoll and JRMR:

 

So, to start this one off….tell us: how did you get together? Had you known each other before TRUCIZNA was formed?
 
Skoll: We met when we played during the same show in Stockholm, and we were both recruits to play live for a third band. We later realised we shared the same views on black metal and things surrounding it. So a project together was inevitable.
JRMR: Skoll suggested that we could try to record something. Under a new name, maybe just one demo, without any specific plans. Some time later I got the finished material and full liberty in terms of creating vocals and lyrics.
 
 
TRUCIZNA was, initially, a project which, with time and having released an ep, has become more of a real band. At some point, you decided to start spreading pestilence (that is, live shows)….and your first live performance took place on September 13, 2024 at
Klubb Fredagsmangel in Järfälla, Sweden. How did you like the show by the way?
 
Skoll: For the first show it was great. Good sinister atmosphere and the people at the show were in the right mood.
JRMR: We put some focus on the visual part: blood, candles, smoke, minimal lighting. We also decided to play in the coats that we had previously used for the photoshooting. 
There’s something special about the emphasis on a ceremony. It somehow feels deeper and more serious. On the other hand, we’re still talking about a gig, not a spectacle, so spontaneity and aggression were important.
 
 
Seems like you plan to play live even more in the future (Katowice, Poland). Can you please tell us some more about this impending show?
 
 
JRMR: Exactly, we were invited to Black Eve – a recurring event that takes place at the Korba club. A very underground venue, I used to go there when I lived in Poland. I’m very curious if anything has changed since then. The line-up is Zmarłym, Horda, Xificurk, Nekkrolust, and us. It will be amazing.
 
Please elaborate on your live musicians a little bit?
 
Skoll: We want to keep the minimal number of live members but make as much noise as we possibly can. We use a split box live so I can play guitar and bass at the same time. JRMR handles the vocals, and soon maybe some extra stuff. Then we have C.M. (Xalpen, Exanimatvm) on drums for live shows.
 
JRMR: However, C.M. couldn’t go with us to Katowice, so Drægg (Impurity, Wan), will support us there.
 
 
Did you rehearse or prepare in any way (or at all) to play live? Or did it just “happen,” so to speak?
 
 
Skoll: When we found C.M. everything fell into place. We terrorised him the whole night and at one point he was so drunk he couldn’t say no! 
JRMR: And already during the first rehearsal, we realised that the gig could take place, like, tomorrow. C.M. came perfectly prepared and simply played the songs without any hesitations. So during the next rehearsals, we mainly worked on the details, and tested various beverages.
 
Let us talk about your lyrics a little bit if you don’t mind. Jiri Karasek… but not the Young Poland movement, for instance….Micinski seems to be the only guy whose works have been used in a few songs here and there as they deal with the Horned One. But, all things considered, this area appears to be kind of unexplored by bands. Your view on this matter, please?
 
 
 
JRMR: Czech Decadence is very dark, it raises uncomfortable topics (for its times!). And it does not necessarily have to be only the Devil. But of course, the end of the 19th century was an incredibly fertile era in Polish art as well. Miciński, Przybyszewski, Staff – and many more – are fascinating writers. I’ll see what/who I’ll be obsessed with next.
 
 

How did you discover this “Sexus Necans” work? I can only suspect that most people have never heard of the work and the poet who created it. Am I right?

 

JRMR: While in Prague a few years ago, in a bookstore, I came across an album about Czech Decadence. There were both paintings and short fragments of poetry, in English. Works of Karásek, Neumann, and Hlaváček impressed me the most, I think. It opened up a very fascinating topic, which I wanted to explore. Unfortunately, most of the poetry of this movement has never been translated, and seems quite forgotten, as you mention.

Much later, by accident, I dug up a scan of the Sexus Necans in original – and to my surprise, it turned out that I actually understood quite a lot. At the same time, I received material from Skoll and felt that I wanted to try to combine these two worlds.

 

How discouraging/encouraging was the fact you had to translate stuff from Czech to Polish? I suspect that wasn’t too easy since the original literary text wasn’t written in the modern (Czech) language. And doing translations, when it comes to older, more intricate works must be even more difficult since you ought to retain the original text`s meaning, its rhythm and so on. That’s pretty important, don’t you think? But I must say the outcome is excellent; indeed, you did a stellar job.

 

JRMR: Thanks. It was actually quite a fun challenge. I am not a translator, and I have no idea about the Czech language (apart from the obvious similarities to Polish). But with a bit of persistence, and after hours spent translating – word by word, verse by verse – something came of it. But I still needed to adjust it to the music, at least a bit. Even the best lyrics would ruin the song if you don’t care how they sound.

If a professional translator would compare that with the original, they would probably find a lot of mistakes. But I was happy with the result. And in the end, that is what matters to me.

 

What your ep features is filthy war metal with plenty of devilishness in it. The sound is rough and unsophisticated which, when combined with its omnipotent darkness, results in a very unique atmosphere. How hard is it to create music like this, these days? How do you get inspired to write music like yours?

 

Skoll: When I create music I enter a trance-like state and I can write music for hours. It’s like being overtaken and surrounded by darkness. And when I get out of it I usually have a couple of songs written. The Trucizna EP was written and recorded in two days.  

 

Your logo looks a bit like The Sigil of Baphomet. It is very attractive, too, I think. Can you tell us who created it?

JRMR: I am responsible for the entire graphic design for Trucizna, including the logo, so thank you. Actually, a lot of people pointed out its similarity to demonic sigils. Well, that was not my initial intention at all. I wanted to make it look kind of Art Deco style, haha. As if someone dragged my hand…

The vinyl version of “Wrzenie Krwi” is visually stunningly impressive, to say the least. The booklet looks like an old 18th/19th century programme…

JRMR: Well spotted, that was the idea. We even chose a special paper, and it seems that the whole thing worked out quite well.

 

 

JRMR…apart from writing/playing music, you also are behind a number of front covers (WAN, TEUFELSBERG, PLANET HELL and WAN) as well as the “Rzeźpospolita” book`s logo. Tell us a bit more about your works. What are you currently working on if I may ask?

 

 

JRMR: Well, I didn’t do anything for Wan, but the rest, yes. I am currently finishing the graphics for the new material of my other band, Wékeras. I think that working for oneself is the most difficult – and I am a horrible client, haha. But here I came up with a really sick idea, which, I think, fits the music and lyrics perfectly.

 

Are you responsible for these two devils with trumpets featured in the booklet too?

 

JRMR: Yes. I am able to prepare a graphic project from sketch to print, so “my” bands have the graphics off their chest, hah. The devils were inspired by the song “Bachanalia”, which is, by the way, my favorite on this EP. 

“I will create a new world for my soul,

I will bear a new sun over its cities(…)

In the beats of drums, in rattle of knockers

In the rumble of cymbals, in the ringing of zither…”

 

I am curious about this issue. You wrote your lyrics in Polish, not English. On the one hand, using our native language surely allows for a more expressive, more emotional approach; as well as it gives off a fairly mystic, mysterious and perhaps even magical vibe. I would say this is definitely attractive… On the flip side, the English language seems more universal. What do you think, hey?
 
Skoll: When you have a singer that is fluent in four languages you have to use it! And Polish sounds fucking evil! 
JRMR: And since it is my native language, you are right – emotions sound more natural, words have much greater importance. But we do not want to limit ourselves, so as a change, there will also be some English on the new material. 
 
 
What does death mean to you? Is it the end of all that we are here, in this world? Or perhaps some sort of in-betweenness? Do you believe in reincarnation at all? What happens to our spiritual element when our life ends? What actually starts when life itself ends?
 
 
Skoll: Death is not the end, death is liberation. We’ll all discover what lies beyond when our time comes. 
JRMR: I believe in simple solutions. What could be simpler than to assume that death is really the end? At the same time, I am fascinated by religions/mythologies, and especially the subject of the afterlife… which convinces me even more that belief in the life after death is a consolation for those that are terrified and suffering.
 
 
Or maybe there is no heaven and no hell? But is it possible there exist alternative worlds/spheres in which our spiritual entities can still be present? Or even resurrected in a carnal form to make up for what we do here and now, in this world? In short, are there other worlds beside ours out there?
 
 
JRMR: If you mean the purely spiritual dimension, then you just got my opinion. But, the physical dimension(s) – that is interesting. If we assume that the Universe is infinite, there is the issue of matter vs. antimatter, and our bodies have limitations of perception… If I am not mistaken, according to current scientific theories, the existence of parallel worlds is possible.
 
The Devil…one of the most famous and popular icons our contemporary culture features. However, the very Devil was, in medieval times, considered a tool used by the church to terrorize the hoi polloi. Obviously, with time, the Devil himself has become less frightening and, interestingly, started to fascinate people. Do you believe in the Devil? How do/would you personify this creature? What or who is it, the Devil? Is it safe to say that it is some sort of omnipotent, intelligent energy? And thus, this energy can become whatever/whomever it wishes to? Or just a multi-dimensional symbol created by human imagination?
 
Skoll: If you are willing to listen, the Devil will speak to you. There are much smarter people out there that have dedicated their lives to explain all this. I’m not a preacher, I’m just a soldier doing my masters work. 
 
 
 
JRMR: Our culture is based on dualism, so night/day, woman/man, life/death… and finally, good/evil. The need for symbols has always been in us. What symbol is more powerful, more imagination awakening, than the eternal antagonist and rebel? Assuming that the demons surrounding us – even the most dangerous ones – bow their heads before their Lord, do we not feel a respectful fear?
 
 

Dark poetry is one of your inspirations you transform into music. What other forms of inspiration are important for your band to create dark sounds? What painting, movies or historical events help you work on your orchestrations?
Skoll: I would say we complement each other. JRMR is the more sophisticated one, and I am driven by hate and chaos.
JRMR: I have always been interested in the darker side of art and culture. I am fascinated by the Middle Ages, the Baroque and the end of the 19th century. So the chaotic and mysterious periods that reject rationalism and focus on the unknown. But inspiration can really be found everywhere, if you know how to look. I am still learning that, and I try to take notes, photos, record sounds… Everything that looks or sounds unusual. Everything that pulls at the heartstrings.
 
 
Besides TRUCIZNA, you have been involved in a number of other bands/projects as well. Like WEKERAS, for instance. Same for Skoll, right? And still, you two created a new and very original band, indeed. Your view on this matter?
 
Skoll: It would be strange if I just had one band – every record would sound different. 
It’s better to have a band/project for each style you want to make. 
But all bands I’m in deal with the same subjects. It’s just the approach in which we deal with them that changes. 
JRMR: Exactly, and every good idea births several more. 
 
 
Time to wrap up, I think. Thanks a lot for your answers. All the best and may the Devil inspire you to create even more awesome music. Anything to add for our Old School Metal Maniacs readers?
 
Skoll: Take care. 666. Only underground is real! New music is on the way! 
JRMR: Thank you for this talk! Threats and curses can be sent to trucizna.bm@gmail.com.
 
 
 
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