Recently I've conducted a really touching chat with vocalist Vlastimil Mahdal aka Vlasta Killy Mahdal of Melancholy Pessimism. He spoke on different vital subjects like new releases, music, politics and life in general. The democracy war crusade arrived and strongly spreads its wings upon us, so beware!!!
Hi Vlasta! Your new album called "Democracy War Crusade" has just been released through Bizarre Leprous Production. How the reactions of the fans and the press look like so far?
- Hello bro. It's really short time from our last release (29.6.2019), but reactions of fans and reviews around all the world are very positive. We have a few offers for CD compilations from Portugal and Malaysia already and interviews are coming almost every day at moment.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, you can download our album for free everywhere on this planet as well. That's nowadays internet world.
"Democracy War Crusade" has an awesome cover artwork. Who designed it? Tell us more about its meaning. What did you want to symbolize with the skeleton holding the bomb in the middle of it?
- I was looking for a new t-shirt design for Melancholy Pessimism just a few months ago and I have found very nice artwork from the artist Winya from Thailand. I was like: Bingo! This one is exactly what I want for our next album!
T. Massak, friend of mine, has done a couple of graphic changes and the album artwork was ready.
Threat of nuclear war on earth is very actual nowadays same as political or economic tension among countries.
It is not easy to talk about this topic in interview for Ukrainian magazine. Your country, except of eastern part, is mostly pro-USA and anti-Russian, but I can see that US and NATO have made so many worldwide conflicts and plundered too many countries. Look at Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yugoslavia – the list would be so long since Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombing.
They come make war in the name of democracy, but real interest and theirs benefit is just money and control the other countries. Nobody cares about the citizens there, believe this man. I am from Slavonic country same as you my friend and we should stick together. Slavs were always a huge nation and that is real fear for US or EU! If we are all together so that is no stronger nation in this world. That is why we should be divided and destroyed. It is for long discussion, nothing is black or white.
The name "Democracy War Crusade" and its artwork is all about what I said.
You've worked on it at Davos studio in Vyškov? How many days you spent there? Who was the producer and how do you feel about the result now as the material is out in the masses?
- We are very happy with sound and all we have done in Davos studio with Otyn. This guy used to be a guitar player in Melancholy Pessimism for years in the past. So I know him pretty well, he is good friend of mine. We wrote and recorded plenty of songs together years ago and we have same opinion about death metal music and sound. That's why we recorded the new stuff with him and we decided for Otyn as co-producer as well. We discussed everything about the recording and sound, also about our ideas and arrangements together. Then we recorded and done as best as we could. The album sounds a bit different again, same as every our album, but it's still recognized as Melancholy Pessimism and that's it.
Otyn was a drummer in the band Pigsty in the past as well.
A distance between our home to studio is circa 70 kms what is a big benefit as well. We've spent about four days with recording of drums, bass and guitar, then another number of hours for vocals, solos plus mixing, etc. Together it was I think forty hours.
The kind of death/grind you play is quite experimental and technical at the same time. Who composed the material for "Democracy War Crusade"? What kind of message do you want to send to the people with your lyrics?
- MP and all the records we were made are always a bit different from each other and that's what I really like. I like so many styles and music, but to be honest sometimes seems to me like many bands and their records are too same and boring. After listening of a couple songs it's mixed to one mass and I can't remember any of good song or riff.
We want always to bring something different and a little bit new in the music and sound. That is why we composed the new song so long time. We changed the songs over and over again and again and if I wouldn't book recording days in studio we would do so till now probably.
We wrote all the material with every band member together, sometimes we almost kill each other, but the final result is quite impressive! We don't care if every song and riff is death metal or grindcore or something else and never cared of this. No boundaries, a bit of originality in music and we are happy!
Lyrically the stuff is as usually. Kind of some protest songs about all the shit around the globe. Wars, politics, sickness of religion, internet control, lack of water, conflict in Serbia, gender craziness for example.
Message for mankind is simple: "Do what you do, think as you think and our last day is coming soon brothers and sisters!!! Easier for all space is with no human race around."
Your previous album "End of Vermin Nations" was released in 2010 and the band was active until 2012. However, a 5-year pause followed it. Why was it so?
- That wasn't first time we had a break. I have done quite a bit of traveling and used to live in different countries as US, New Zealand and England in the past. I've had big financial troubles years ago so I had to make money to pay this shit off. It is alright now and I can live and breathe much better than before. Last time I have spent a few years in England and worked there as aircraft mechanic, what is my profession.
In 2017 you've returned with fresh energy and with new members in the line-up. Can you please introduce to the readers the current line-up of Melancholy Pessimism? As I see Mara & Michal are pretty active in other bands. If you have any info about those projects, please feel free to share with us.
- Only Mara our current drummer plays in another band called Deep Throat, they play tupa tupa obscene grindcore.
Michal the guitarist is used to play in thrash metal band Shaark and death metal band D.M.C.
Only former members are Richard who plays on bass now (guitars previously) and me as vocalist.
At the beginning of this year Slovakian Immortal Souls Productions released a special double CD set including your first full-length album "Recompense to Saints" (1996) and your 6th one "End of Vermin Nations" (2010) with 2 bonus tracks. How this cooperation came about? Were those materials just remastered or remixed as well? What are those bonus songs there?
- I've got idea about this release. It was long time after we recorded and released the last record and circa 6 months before new album. I was talking to Juro from Immortal Souls Productions and he was pretty keen and opened for that, so our debut album "Recompense to Saints" and last "End of Vermin Nations" were released as a double album. It was good timing as we sold out all our stuff years ago and we haven't had any CDs for sale at the gigs. Many fans were happy to have both CDs together, even new young metalheads got chance to hear some really prehistoric shit on CD.
One bonus track is from "End of Vermin Nations" as was originally recorded on this album and second one was brand new song recorded only for Obscene Extreme Festival and as a tribute to Curby. This is really unique and very special fest in the world and Curby deserved this tribute from us.
All material was slightly remastered in Davos studio by Otyn.
At Bugrfest I was checking your live set. It was pretty intense, but there was a funny folk track as well, which I suppose was a traditional Moravian tune, am I right? Can you tell us more about that song and why do you play it live?
- Hey man that's just a joke. We like fun and there's a funny track on every album we have recorded, on the last one as well. Once we take a piss from disco or traditional music, second time from techno. Many fans hate it, but many fans love it, so we play this stupid song alive as well. Nothing else and nothing more.
Do you plan some extensive tours in support of "Democracy War Crusade"? Where can we see you playing live this year? Any chance to catch Melancholy Pessimism with a live show in the territory of Ukraine?
- We do not plan any tour to be honest. Is it strange? Maybe it is for someone. I tell you what bro? When I was teenager I was dreaming about to form a death metal band and wanted to release a record. We have recorded and released seven albums already, first demo tape in 1992 and used to be as a part of many compilations around the globe. I fulfilled my dreams in music many times already. We are very happy to be respected band in our style, we are more than happy to play around 20 gigs and festivals a year in the Czech and Slovak Republics! We enjoy the big fun and we appreciate all the interests about our band from all the corners of the world!!! Lovely to know this! We have jobs and families, so that is pretty enough for us.
We would be keen to play in countries nearby of us sometimes, Ukraine is not so far as well, so if we have any opportunity to come and kick your ass, why not.
At the end, feel free to share all your pessimistic thoughts with the readers. Hopefully they will survive the weight of your words.
- I am quite positive and happy fellow in my personal life. My lyrics don't look like, I know, but that's just mine expression and thoughts about our lives what we share on planet Earth.
Respect to each other and keep the world turning for all of us that is the only thing.
I was traveling around Ukraine and I have to say, what a wonderful country it is and what beautiful girls are there! Remember we all are Slavs, keep your country for yourself and don't believe the politicians, they play just a dirty game with us for their own profit. Western culture looks very attractive, but it's like a tricky bitch!!!
