Decapitated: A New Level
Polish death metal legends DECAPITATED are still going strong after almost 30 years, collecting diehard fans wherever they tread. They have experienced significant tribulations throughout the course of their history but founding member Wacław Kiełtyka (more fondly known as Vogg) is just as determined to keep the flame burning brightly as he was when he started this journey in his teenage years. It has been a long five years without a release but this time has not been spent binge watching Netflix. The band have been hard at work bringing their latest diabolic creation to life.
“We’re getting closer and closer to the release day of Cancer Culture, a day we’ve been waiting on for such a long time,” admits Vogg. “It’s been almost five years since the release of Anticult so we’re ready to deliver this to the fans and it’s the best feeling for a band to have a new album and new songs out there. I can see that people are very excited and enthusiastic about it judging by the reactions to the singles. There are a lot of different flavours on this album and it’s great to still be touching new territories and taking new directions after all this time. I think there are a lot of surprises on this album. The process for this album was really cool, there no was no stress and there was a great atmosphere in the studio. I had a lot more time to prepare the arrangements with us not being able to tour or play festivals. It’s been a very productive time for the band which has allowed us to push this material to an even higher level.”
As referenced by Vogg, this releases pushes the boundaries of DECAPITATED further than ever before and includes a variety of big surprises which would not have been expected. One of the biggest highlights is the guest spot from Tatiana of JINJER, lending her phenomenal vocals to the single Hello Death. “This was our first song to feature clean vocals and Tatiana did a great job. I think a lot of our diehard fans will be shocked. I think it adds a different dimension to our sound. I’m really appreciative that she could work with us on this album as she’s one of the best singers in the metal scene. I’ve noticed on YouTube that a lot of people are discovering our band because of her feature so it is introducing us to a whole new audience. I’ve been playing metal for 25 years and I just want to continue to experiment with DECAPITATED. I’m really proud of this collaboration.”
A couple of shifts in personnel saw walking drum machine James Stewart enter the fold. If it is even possible he has added an even more aggressive edge to DECAPITATED. “The guy is just incredible,” declares Vogg. “I think he is playing at his best right now. I worked closely with him refining all of the arrangements and he came up with some great ideas for the album. He’s such a talented and experienced drummer it was a pleasure. It’s also great in a live situation that we can go on stage and you just know he’s going to be solid.”
As well as recruiting the services of Tatiana there is also a guest feature on the adrenaline fuelled Iconoclast by none other than Robb Flynn. A man that Vogg has come to know very well since his arrival to the ranks of MACHINE HEAD. When asked how he has found balancing his responsibilities he responds with “it’s keeping me a little bit busier than I have been in recent years, especially with MACHINE HEAD also releasing a new album. I’ve been writing some riffs and ideas and sending them to Robb. I’m co-writing some songs with him so I’m really happy and proud of that. It’s such a great opportunity and an honour to be a part of the band. It’s very useful to be able to send things over the internet as I can just record parts here in Poland and it’s worked really well. It may be harder when MACHINE HEAD begins touring as they have a lot of plans too. I may just be away from home a little longer than before but I can’t wait to start playing shows. I’ve spent a lot of time being a husband and a father and spend some time at home rather than being on a tour bus but I’m hungry to now get back out there and tour again and play some festivals. It’s going to be a busy year!”
DECAPITATED just recently completed a UK tour, a tour which nearly didn’t come to fruition after the cancellation of their European trek which was penned for the beginning of the year. “At the last moment we decided to just book some small venues and it was actually really successful,” confirms Vogg. “We sold out the majority of the shows and the venues were packed. We had such a great time and it was great for so many people to come out and celebrate our anniversary with the band. We prepared a special setlist and played for about 80 minutes each night, playing a lot of old material from the first two albums so it was a nice surprise for the audience.”
Cancer Culture is out now via Nuclear Blast Records.
Like DECAPITATED on Facebook.