Kralizec for the better part of many years have remained unknown. Canada, let alone Québec has hardly been known for its perpetual foray into the metal world, however with Kralizec’s new record "Origin" hopefully things are about to change. Combining the best elements of subtle classical, black mayhem (think along the lines of Emperor’s more soothing moments) and pummeling death metal Kralizec have put together a record that defies classification and ranks as a purely great listen. Kaleidoscopic vocalist Ben divulges some information as to the workings of Kralizec past, present and future...

Jack 'Odel'

Greetings Benjamin and well done on a fantastic effort for Kralizec's debut album, "Origin!" How is everything working for you in Quebec at the moment?

I must admit that we are pleased by your reaction towards "Origin," and we ought to thank you for the support and cheering up.

Life goes on with its share of good and bitter tastes, but the global picture looks mostly clear and shiny; that being the result of hard-working people and gallons of sweat.

Briefly; everything works quite well up here.

Yourself and Stefano were part of a metal outfit called Deafness. Did Deafness subside to make way for Kralizec, or was it more of a case of François and Patrick joining Deafness and then it slowly morphing into Kralizec?

François was an original founder of Deafness, and that occurred about nine years ago. My path then came across the band, and we later included Stefano. The inclusion of the latest in the formation completely halted the development of new material, simply because the other guitarist was unable to understand (much less play) the rapid and complex riffing Stefano threw in his face on a daily basis.

Patrick never really joined Deafness, as his very arrival signed the end of the band and a necessary renewal for the entire material.

How does Québec rank as a decent source of inspiration for you? Coming from such a remote location (from a metal point of view), is it hard for you guys to get motivated to put down some metal tracks when there seems to be a distinct lack of other bands coming out from Québec?

The remoteness is but a question of perception, but I think you would be right in saying that the industrial infrastructure of metal music is, on a commercial point of view, somehow deficient in Canada.

There are plenty of bands, but the population centers are so few and so far apart from one another that it is difficult for the bands to expand onto new scenes, as the matrix of the metal genre in Canada is constituted by small and individual scenes spread on the whole territory.

And yes, effectively, there is a large number of small bands in Québec, of which very few send an album across the borders. Therefore, the window an outside label can offer us is quite some opportunity.

To finally answer the core of the question; we find precious little (if not at all) inspiration on the local scene. Not that the bands are not displaying quality; simply that we got disconnected from the scenes and concentrated on our very own music.

Are you planning to play outside of Canada... perhaps moving down into the US in order to support "Origin"?

Planning? No, we haven't reached that stage of the process yet. Still, if need be, we would definitely move south to support the album, but it's not an element of the promotional campaign.

You have been cracking the metal whip since 1998 and finally came out with something in 2003. Are Kralizec in the metal industry for the long haul? Can we expect to see more and more of Kralizec in the coming years?

Breeding new material is for us a long and painful process, but we will complete at least two more albums before thinking of retirement, which in terms of years could border another four or five.

Unfortunately, as you well know, it is the industry that chooses the bands, and not the other way around. Consequently, if we get the incredible chance of being chosen, we may then indefinitely prolong our journey into the metal realm.

Since "Origin" is obviously your debut record I would imagine that a lot of the material spans the whole life of Kralizec, from its origin (sorry... couldn't resist) to present day. Has it been hard to slot all the material into together and still retain a unifying aspect to "Origin"? Considering that some of the content on "Origin" might have been taken from early in the band's initial inception, whilst other songs may have been composed just recently...

Your lead is correct; Patrick Loisel arrived in the band with 'Oceano Nox' already written and ready to play, and with the core of 'L'Éternelle Danse' and 'Apatride,' the two latest being completed in cooperation with François. 'Néant' and 'Kralizec' were evenly composed by all three musicians, and 'Le Vigile' by Stefano alone.

'Sailing to The Origin' was made in a rush and last of all, by Patrick and myself, as we were in need of more material to display in one of our first appearances. We sat down in our rehearsal temple and started putting together all the pieces of this vast puzzle. The next song only came a full year later and never recorded.

We can definitely put all "Origin's" songs in the same period of time and thought, and yes, it has been hard to put all that together, for the simple reason that the clash of opinions sometimes got pretty messy, our musical influences being totally divergent.

Undoubtedly the trump card of "Origin" is the 9 minute track, 'Sailing to the Origin' which unveils a vast array of vocal talents by yourself, and really sums up just how diverse Kralizec are. Of course, you don't want to have separate and pick out tracks from a very even album... but if you were to pick a track to exemplify Kralizec to this point I think 'Sailing to the Origin' would be a very good choice. Do you agree?

I am sorry to admit that I don't agree on that, 'Sailing to the Origin' being mainly composed by Patrick and myself. Our representative track would definitely be 'Kralizec,' as its content reflects the contribution of all the band's members and their colorful influences.

Nevertheless, the actual axis of advance of our musical style takes us towards the blend of the whole of "Origin's" tracks, not just one in particular.

I think one of the most impressive aspects of "Origin" is that is an album that will likely appeal to a whole host of fans who may not be into the other forms of metal displayed on the record. For example, I think many black metal fans will really get into "Origin" even if they are not huge fans of death metal. Fans of pure avant-garde music will surely find some solace in the atmosphere and keyboard sections throughout "Origin" also.

True, and that's the reflection of long years of internal fighting, stabbing and conceptual skirmishes, mainly between Patrick and me, but soon everybody got his feet wet. For instance, he is an irreducible power metal addict and I am a grind death fanatic, therefore I had to fight my way through to vocal control, and at first the black vocals were but compromises to appease the inner tension of the band...

There were in fact two clans in the bands; myself and Stefano being violent music fans, and the others being in search of melodies and ambiance. That is why nearly every metal fan could find a tiny piece of "Origin" he could like, as nobody in the band won that bloody carnage.

Who do you pay homage to in your vocals? It's pretty hard to pin down what you look for in inspiration due to the chameleon-esque nature of your vocals.

I 'stole' vocals long enough to form a breeding pool from which I draw the ones I make my own.

The pioneers I humbly salute are of course Chris Barnes, Masse Broberg (good ol' Hypocrisy), Craig Pillard (Incantation) and Glen Benton. These powerful vocals formed the strong basis on which I constructed.

You must be stoked with the amount of promotion Maquiavel Music Entertainment (MME) is able to devote towards "Origin." Whilst only being a smaller label in terms of signed bands MME has indicated that they are going to fully promote your debut for a full year. This is pretty extraordinary considering that many of the largest releases around the world are only promoted for a few months before the labels move onto new releases. Is this what drew you guys to MME?

Well, smaller labels must battle harder and longer than any label giant to promote any given band to the widest public possible; therefore I think it is reasonable that MME extends the whole procedure onto a year, as they must accumulate some potential before they can equal any one time effort given by a giant label. Consequently, this is not what drew us to MME.

The label came to us through our official website (which is now under a global review and update), and after six months of well-behaved dealing, we signed the alliance on a basis of mutual blind trust.

I was checking out your website for the lyrics and noticed that "Origin" is divided into 5 sections. The Free Thinker, In the Presence of Loneliness, The Libertine, The Heretic and finally the Epilogue (all English translations from French). On the promotional copy I received MME there is no mention of "Origin" being divided into 5 parts. Will the retail version feature some notes about "Origin" and its concepts?

The original concept was published in a limited edition of the "Origin" album, which was presented in a black leather book with a golden K stamped on the cover, containing 68 pages of text printed on thick old-style paper.

Allow me to clarify the material: all those texts were the global essence of the "Origin" concept, and there were three sections, not five, each corresponding to a way in which Mankind had searched for his origins, as the Free Thinker (through reason), the Libertine (through morality) and the Heretic (through spirituality). These were preceded by the prologue titled (translation from French) 'Towards the Origin', and concluded by the epilogue titled (translating again) 'Nothingness.'

Therefore, someone reading the album as a book would pass through the prologue, an introductory text from section one, lyrics, another text from section one, lyrics, etc, etc. The reader could grasp the meaning of the songs mainly through their accompanying texts.

We sold all of these well-crafted albums and decided not to push forward the whole concept for the re-edition, but instead to display it on the website as a reminder (or warning) of what will be coming next.

Why write in English and French? Was this done to appeal to your 'home' fans as well as to the majority of people who will be buying this record?

We never considered the possible appeal of any part of our creation, not at any step of the production process. The band itself is bilingual (Stefano is an Anglo-Saxon, the other three are French descendants), and our country is officially bilingual.

Still, chances are that the second Kralizec album will solely deploy the beauties of Molière's language in its pages.

Thanks for answering my questions Ben. The floor is yours...

It has been a pleasure. Accept the band’s sincere salutations.

From Eastern Poland's city of Bialystok, hails Dead Infection. For nearly two decades, Cyjan and the rest of the band have successfully developed from a little-known local band into a world-famous grind-metal machine. Band's drummer and one of the original founders of Dead Infection, Cyjan, lets us in on DI's life within the band, their plans, their past, present and their future. On our end - we messed up this time - this interview was supposed to have been posted a long time ago - apologies to the Band, and to our readers. Questions - by MetalBite staff. Translation - by Monika of MetalBite.

First of all, thanks for taking the time to do this. Now, on your MySpace profile you have put a new song on. I know that you are currently working at the practice room. How many new songs do you guys have ready? And how are the things coming on the new album?

The song on our MySpace profile, “Alpinists” comes from a recording session for what is supposed to be a project combined with Mortician from the U.S. – it’s supposed to be a split LP/CD. We have recorded a total of eight songs. The material has been finished back in the fall of 2007, but the production has been stretching out – at this moment, the final date is set for March of 2008. If the Americans can’t pull through, we have agreed that our material will come out as a completely separate MCD. Besides, we also have 11 new songs ready to be recorded, prepared with the thought of the split 7” EP’s with Regurgitate and Haemorrhage. When we finally put those up in the studio, we’ll then start working on the whole album.

Do you feel especially sentimental towards any of your specific albums more than the other ones?

Not especially. I cannot specify one over the other. It’s all my music, so I have respect toward each album. I would rather say that each and every album reminds me of the times that it was made in.

Over the last couple of years, there have been many changes in the line-up of the band. Do you feel that the changes helped the band, or is it the other way around?

I don’t even know what it would mean, the other way around. It would make sense for every band to develop and evolve. In the end, the personnel changes in the band were caused by personal issues, not musical issues. I am very content with the atmosphere that we currently have at Dead Infection, it’s been a while since we’ve been as stabilized. So, the machine keeps on working...

How would you rate the current label that you’re working with? How do you compare it with the other labels from before?

All of the labels did a lot for us, Morbid Rec. as well as Obliteration rec. It’s tough to say. Well, maybe, the bonus part is that with the most current label, we’re reaching the regions beyond Europe -which is a good thing.

Looking back at the stuff you’ve done in the past – do you think that all the steps you took were kick-ass, or would you change anything, given a chance?

Knowing what I know now, maybe I would’ve changed a couple of things, I would’ve steered some things in different directions, so to say. I probably missed out on some great opportunities here and there. I don’t know. Altogether, most of the things went the way I wanted them to, and I’m pretty happy with the overall trajectory of the venture.

Pierscien and Hal both have their own bands, practices, concerts, plus on top of that – all of you have jobs, private lives, etc. How do you manage your time?

I gotta say that out of all projects of my bandmates, it seems that Dead Infection probably takes up most of their time. What is most important though is that all of us love what we’re doing to the max. I think that the guys will agree with me that music is our lives’ priority. And if you look at it this way, the rest will fall into the right places as well, private lives, work and all that. Unfortunately, we all have to work, because the band is not yet at the stage of being mainstream, he he… Luckily, we haven’t had to make any choices so far. The shit hits the fan when I meet some of my old friends that tell me “they’ve outgrown the music.” Assholes.

During a live show, when you play drums, how would you describe [if possible] the place your mind is? Have you ever asked yourself then: what am I doing sitting here?

When playing drums, I’m completely concentrated on playing, and playing only. I cannot remember a situation, where while playing, I would be somewhere else mentally. I’m here, behind my drums, playing…. And that’s all that counts during a concert. I tune out completely.

I know that you can play other instruments other than the drums. But drumming is your lifetime choice. Why?

I’ve been fascinated with percussion since the grammar school. I remember that every month we had the philharmonic orchestra come out to our school. And every time they did, I had always placed myself somewhere close to the drum set. I was even allowed to sit behind them a couple of times. I knew where I belonged. I bought myself a set of sticks, and went crazy drumming on the pillows at home. In the meantime, I also purchased a guitar; also an interesting instrument, although I don’t spend nearly as much time on it as I do on the drums. Also, while in the army, I had learned the basics of piano, and for a period of time I had a keyboard at home.

Everyone has some outside influences. When did you realize the music you create has its own merit, not a mere copy of a copy of someone else?

We have many musical inspirations, but we try not to copy anyone. I think that after so many years of playing, we succeeded in creating our own specific style. I don’t want to sound arrogant, but we hear that from our fans as well. And that’s very nice.

Are there or have there been any movies, bands or people that have inspired you – or continue to do so?

Movies get me to think about lyrics for the most part. The best genres for that would be horror movies and black comedies. That may not sound too original, but I think they suit our image the best. Besides, Dead Infection has never been a band that would want to change the world or send any special messages through our lyrics. We have fun with our music. And the bands that have inspired us and continue to do so are mainly from the late 80’s, which would make them the grandparents of death and grind metal.

Do you think productivity in slaughterhouses would improve if Dead Infection songs would be served there as the main background music?

… Depends for whom… For the butcher or for the cattle?...

Metallic Butcher ‘zine Guardian, Front Terror, Hideous Chaos, D.O.C. How do you remember old time Bialystokland?

Still remember everything! Kick-ass times! Too bad it’s all gone now. Most of the people’s tastes have changed, their lifestyles changed, and they’re not into music anymore. Maybe they got too old for that? But, luckily, there are a few bands here, and the show goes on. We’re trying to set an example.

Do you still get together with your friends from back in the days, that you can reminiscence about the “glory days” in the Bialystok metal scene? What are the ex-members of Dead Infection up to nowadays?

Well, with the guys from the old times it varies. For the most part, it’s how I mentioned earlier. When it comes to the guys we played with, we hardly keep in touch, if at all. Some of them left the country to try their luck elsewhere.

How is the metal scene in Bialystok now?

Like I said, we have a few bands here. Too bad though that the grindcore genre is not as powerful as it used to be, and it fell into the shadows behind death and black metal music. Some names that deserve an honorary mention are INCARNATED, ABUSED MAJESTY, HERMH, EFFECT MURDER, and there are a couple more…

Where the heck did you get the idea for your “The Greatest Shits” album, especially songs such as “Psalms About Computers”, “Psalms About Storage Battery” and so forth?

At our practices, we have often played covers of our favorite bands. When we came up with quite a number of them, we developed an idea that we could make it into a tribute to our favorites. And “Psalms” just came up by an accident, when our friend stopped by one day, and started singing like a priest during a sermon. We gave him some newspaper pages, and he kind of hummed them into the microphone. He he!!!

I know that other than grind metal, you have a lot of interest in the field of movie soundtracks; who knows, maybe even more interest than in grind metal? Any worthy of mentioning titles that may have gone through your gut-and-gore-covered hands of yours?

Both kinds of music are pretty much at the same level for me. When it comes to soundtracks, I recently favored such titles as “We own the night” by W. Kilar, “The grudge” by Ch. Young, “Hostage” by A. Desplatt and “King Kong” by J.N. Howard.

I have heard about your movie making fascinations. Could you reveal more on that? How has it all started; is there a connection to your interests in cinema music and the movies?

Not taking types and styles into consideration, all together I think that movies and music are the most important in creative arts. And, because I’m infatuated with cinema, I have tried to direct and record something on my own back in the day. I gathered a group of friends and we made some blood-comedy short movies. All the work with recording, setting everything up, sound work… all of it is a lot of fun!

Are you planning on going back to the camera, to movies, etc.?

I would like to go back to that, but at this moment, my time frame doesn’t allow it. But the will to do that is still there...

So far, you have traveled quite a bit, saw a nice chunk of the world already. What would you say was the most interesting up to date? What other countries still remain on the “would-like-to-visit” list of Dead Infection?

We always try to visit the areas that we have concerts in, try to go sightseeing, but sometimes it’s virtually impossible. For instance, when we’re on the bus, and we have to hurry up to make it to the next destination, next venue, next concert. And then, the next day, we have to get up early again, because we have a lot of driving to do to get to the next gig – we have had situations like that already. Although, we try to plan out our time so that we can have some time for rest, some time off. We still have quite a few countries to visit… exactly 27 :)

You have toured the American continent for the very first time in 2007. Can you recollect any good impressions?

Actually, all memories we have from that tour are good ones. Cool gigs, a lot of people that we’ve known already, also some from Poland and from Bialystok. It was a time well spent. And, most importantly, we finally have our own image of what America is. He, he!

During our chats previously, you have mentioned some crazy times in South America – care to share?

Yes. We’re getting a tour of South America ready right now. Originally, it was supposed to be in the spring of 2008, but due to technical problems, we had to postpone it until fall of 2008. Plans are to visit the following: Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. So, another awesome tour that we’re very much looking forward to.

During all your voyages, was there ever a moment, a place, where you wanted to stay for longer, maybe permanently?

Permanently – rather not. But there are places where one would like to stay at for a while longer. All that remains is the hope, that there will be a chance to go back to those places again.

Spineless (Cyjan’s side project – Ed) was only a chapter of accidents. Am I wrong here?

Good description. The only material for Spineless was done in 2000. That was right after Dead Infection fell apart. That project was the proof that I cannot function for long without music.

Dead Infection’s 20th Anniversary is approaching. Do you have any special plans for that occasion already?

Just in January we had our 18th anniversary, in 2 years it will be 2 decades already. Of course we’re planning a huge party in Bialystok for that occasion. Can’t tell you the details, but there will be a lot of awesome guests!

Do you think that residents of Bialystok, or maybe even residents of Poland altogether, can hope for another gig by Cyjan Prod.?

Definitely. On Feb. 23, we already had a second concert under the wings of Cyjan Prod., and I already have plans for “treats” from out of our country to come here.

Last words for metal-maniacs?...

Thanks for the interview. It was cool and all. Best wishes to all.