I had the pleasure of conducting an email interview with the dynamic Croatian band Infernal Tenebra. Check it out below and check out the review of New Formed Revelations.
First off, thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. New Formed Revelations is surely one of the metal highlights of the year.
What is the meaning/inspiration behind the name Infernal Tenebra?
Infernal Tenebra basically means Shadows of hell. The band was named back on the day of the eclipse of 1999 by our bassist Paolo, the only original band member left. I (Darko – guitars, vocals) have my own vision of the band’s name. For me, it reflects today’s world, the inability of the human race to get itself together and move into a better place for us all to live our miserable lives.
Tell us a little about the history of Infernal Tenebra.
The band started out as a black metal band and self-released the album “Beneath the Twilight” in 2001. Later, some death metal elements were added and in 2007. we self-released “The Essence of Chaos”. A lot of lineup changes, experimenting, playing in obcure underground places is what characterized the band’s activity throughout the years. We were also active in other metal bands in Croatia. I released an album entitled “Paths of Insanity” with Forlorn Legacy and toured Europe in supporting Vital Remains in 2005. Ivo (guitars) released an album with Mercenary Cocroach and two guitar oriented albums by the moniker of Arthrone. Somewhere in 2009. the current lineup was settled with a mission to push beyond national boundaries and we started writing the current album “New Formed Revelations”. We really wanted to make something good and we opened many closed doors as the Croatian metal scene was very isolated from the rest of the world. With the help of agencies like Full Metal Service, Heavy Space Agency, Rock The Nation and Metal Holiday we managed to get our music in the hand of Jens Bogren (Kreator, Soilwork, Amon Amarth…) who mixed and mastered the album at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden. We contacted Gustavo Sazes (Sepultura, Arch Enemy, Firewind…) to create the artwork and it all led to Massacre Records. They liked our music and were ready to embrace us into their family. It’s a nice collaboration and we finally have the opportunity to do things the right way after all these years. Our longevity in the metal underground scene really helped us to be well prepared for the future challenges. It’s one of our strengths.
How would you classify Infernal Tenebra’s sound?
I would say today’s sound would be easily classified progressive melodic death metal but we’re really done with classifications. Throughout the years as individuals and as a band, we played almost all styles of metal and in the end it all comes down to writing good music. It just comes out of us and we’re not really planning to write some specific style of metal music. Our sound is characterized with solid groovy rhythms, dynamic and technical solos and varied vocals.
The Croatian metal scene seems to be opening up a little? Is that the case?
It really is. Only this year we got our first international festival called Metalfest Croatia which will continue as Burning Sea 2013. We had the honor to open the second day on main stage for bands like Vader, Symphony X, Behemoth etc. Full Metal Service started operating as an agency for young and upcoming bands offering the whole package of services a professional band needs. There are more bands preparing to get their asses out there including Gorthaur’s Wrath, Rising Dream, Kryn, Avicularia, War-head, Mass Hypnosis along with the already well established band Ashes You Leave. It’s kind of exotic market but I think it has something to offer and contribute to the global metal scene.
How has the reception of New Formed Revelations been so far?
The reactions are fantastic. We got some really inspiring reviews but the fans reactions are even better. It seems people saw we are real, sincere in what we’re doing and it gives us a push to go further with our music.
What are your favorite tracks off of New Formed Revelations?
Every one of us has its personal favorite. We tried not make any filler songs so each one stands out on its own. I’d say The Art of Survival, Blood Stained Canvas, Happily Depressed and Entropia are amongst favourites but it really depends on the current mood. There’s something for every occasion.
How do you feel New Formed Revelations differs from your previous releases?
I think we focused on making good music that is competitive with the world’s biggest bands. Our previous releases were more primitive and oriented towards the local scene. With “New Formed Revelations” we set our goals really high, go brake the national boundaries and compete on the global scale, still retaining our core elements. By the reactions of the listeners I’d say we managed to do it.
Do you have any left over material for the next record?
We actually have the material for our next release almost completely written. We’re currently refining it as we want it to be even better. Now that we’re signed to Massacre Records and have all the needed support, we can concentrate on our music to take it to a new level.
What direction do you see your music heading into on future releases?
I guess it will be much more cohesive, a little less chaotic, much more focused and on top of the prog death/thrash foundation we’re going to add even more personal elements to differ ourselves from the standards. I think our originality will be more visible.
What are your tour plans?
In the past we concentrated on playing festivals more that touring. We played some great festivals throughout our career but I think the most important is Bloodstock Open Air 2012 in UK. We have some big festivals coming in the spring of 2013 in Norway and Belgium but it’s not confirmed yet, so it’s not the right time to talk about it. I also got some information about a tour in Japan late 2013 but it’s also too early to talk about it.
Who would be your dream band to tour with?
That’s a hard question, because we’re all into different bands, but I guess we’re into Slayer, Gojira, Revocation for the most part. I mean, there’s so many great bands out there we listen to, it’s hard to pick anyone out without questioning it. We’ve always been metal fans in the first place and it shows when we play in front of a bigger band by our excitement and CDs and cameras ready to be used. Last bands we opened for were Fear Factory and Devin Townsend, both of which we are great fans of.
What are some of the bands/musicians that have influenced you?
Another hard one, but let’s say our music is mostly influenced by Death, Hypocrisy, Necrophagist, Emperor, Testament, etc.
Do you think the Internet makes it easy for bands or harder because all of the piracy going on?
It’s both. You have the opportunity to get exposure to the whole world, but so do everybody and it ends up in a mess where good music gets lost in the noisy channel. I think editorial is crucial for the quality of content. Piracy surely doesn’t help bands as it can only go forward for so long until it falls apart. I am not against global exposure, but if the bands don’t get return of some kind, they cannot last as expenses are real. I hope people will realize in the long term that you get what you pay for. If we have to work our asses off on everyday jobs go get to do what we like and lose money endlessly, it’s only a matter of time bands go underground again and do music sub-par to the standards that are possible in today’s world.
Any last thoughts that you would like to leave your fans with?
Support extreme metal music, check us out and thanks to all our fans throughout the world.
