Bretus
is an Italian doom metal band with a long story. It was formed in
2000 but for long eight years guys didn’t produce any worth
material for real record. Slowly they elaborated their own style,
gather right people in the band and their debut full-length “In
Onrica” (2012) shown that Bretus has some potential to create gloom
trad doom music.
The
sophomore concept album “The Shadow Over Innsmouth” crystallized
few features to Bretus sound: recognizable deranged vocals of
Zagarus, dirty retro sound Ghenes extracted from his guitar and
creepy, “hollow” effect of rhythm section performed by Azog and
Striges. Few months ago guys returned with new full-length work
“…From The Twilight Zone”, and if you missed their previous
records then you should check this one, it deserves attention of
every doom fan. We had a talk with Ghenes, here it is.
Ciao
Ghenes! How are you? Bretus latest album “…From The Twilight
Zone” was released in June. What does the band do now?
Cheers
Aleksey is a pleasure to hear you again. After the recording we were
invited to play at the Doom over Summer in Lecco (Italy) and in
October at the Doom over Karalis in Cagliari (Italy). As you can
understand, we do not play live very often. We live in the southern
part of Italy and we are forced to travel for long time, not easy for
us, so for the moment we decided not to do long tours, we only play
in festivals, possibly DOOOOOM ...
Bretus debut “In
Onrica” was released on Ukrainian label ARX Productions, “The
Shadow Over Innsmouth” seen the light of day through Blood Rock
Records and now you’re returned on post-USSR territory with Russian
label Endless Winter. How did they find you?
Zagarus
sending the master around to understand who was interested in the
press of the album. Among those who replied, Gennady (Endless Winter)
was the one that gave us more guarantees. The fact that there is an
interest in our music in that part of the world is a great pride for
us. Latest new is that an Indonesian label called Hellas Records will
make also a tape version of the album.
I’m wondering why
didn’t you get an offer from any local labels, because the album
has something of that famous “dark Italian sound”… So how do
you work with Endless Winter? Do you provide the band enough
promotion or you already used to do everything by yourselves?
After
the release of “The Shadow Over
Innsmouth” the relationship with Bloodrock
was at a dead point for some reasons, including the lack of release
in the vinyl version of the album. We did not receive any good
replies from other Italian labels. In any case, the relationship with
the Endless Winter is solid, Gennady the owner, he is a honesty and
straightforward person. Regard to the promotion, each of us has its
own channels and manages them at best. It is a small but combative
label, it was what we wanted.
Two years ago Bretus
took part in split album with Black Capricorn, you offered the new
song “The Haunter Of The Dark”. Can we suppose that it was a
bridge from Lovecraftian horror (“The Shadow Over Innsmouth”) to
horror cinematographic (“…From The Twilight Zone”)?
Sure.
Old Horror movies and mystery stories are a source of great
inspiration for us. Sometimes the two ways of making art have met
together in a great way, but honestly, no one Lovecraft's stories
never had a worthy representation on screen.
Bretus
– The Oath Of Dagon
But Spanish “Dagon”
movie is really creepy, didn’t you watch it?
I
saw the movie and I must say that I really liked the first part. The
setting brought to my mind the loose scenarios of Lovecraft’s
novel. Until the Amphibian creatures appeared and entered the free
imagination of the screenwriter... in my personal opinion some scenes
are a little kitsch, but the real problem of
Lovecraft's movies is that you should never enter any love story
inside.
Ha-ha-ha!
Bull’s eye! Love stories in Lovecraft’s writings are forbidden!
However that I like the most in new album is your following in the
same direction you took with the first album, you know – there’s
nothing unnecessary and all Bretus features are on their places. More
by token, how would you distinct these features?
It's a difficult
answer. There is nothing studied in our way of writing. What we do is
the result of our listening and sensations, for example today's music
does not fit in our tastes. We chose from the beginning not to record
drums with “click”, maybe this may be one of our features.
Actually I can only say that we do not like sounds too clean and the
metronome aha ha ah ...
I guess that these
songs surpass your previous works in both production and song writing
that turns to be murderously effective. I like “Innsmouth”, but
you know – it has a bit of slime and dirty as everything that
connected with those amphibian bastards. So… how do you value
“…From The Twilight Zone” from your position?
Thank you very much.
About the sound, what we really think is that "In onirica"
compared to our last record, was more produced, if you understand
what I mean. The sound you hear on the final mix of ...from the
Twiligt Zone is the same that came from our amps, there was not a big
mixing / mastering. On the other hand, about the writing, I do not
think it changed a lot, certainly playing with the same line up for
long time helped us, and a bit of more experience.
But
I believe that you agree – “…Twilight Zone” is your strongest
release up to date. Did you already feel it through feedback? By the
way, how do local fans support you or do you get it mostly from your
friends and relatives? How often do you feel recognition?
Feedback
for this record was great. Both the reviews and the guys who wrote us
showed themselves very excited about the new album. I do not say a
lie if I say that for us this is the greatest recognition. In our
area there are some guys who follow us, but I cannot say that we are
part of a real scene. We do not really feel sorry for that, we are a
bit misanthrope ah aha. A few years ago, we also managed the first
Doom festival in our city, and the turnout was quite well. We like to
think that we have planted some seed.
Azog on bass, Ghenes
on guitars and bass, Striges on drums and Zagarus as vocalist. What
make you keep to work together for almost 17 years?
It’s not easy,
because you have to confront with the others personalities, opinions
was not the same ever. To play is a way of expressing yourself, not a
business affair. It's also important to stay well together, to travel
the world if is possible, and to know so many interesting and
stimulating people.
How did you work out
that retro-styled sound for the album? It fits absolutely to the
album’s concept, so I don’t even ask why did you choose it.
Aside from some
keyboard parts, we always try to get the most realistic sound
possible. Our first Ep was recorded on a 7/tracks recorder. We always
thought about how the songs could play live, so we can eliminate the
unnecessary stuff.
You have that old
school vibe and nowadays a lot of bands try to copy “retro sound”,
though Italian bands tend to avoid this trend. How do you like this
trend in wider sense?
Personally
I do not like trends. I think it's just that historic moment in which
the great record labels decide when and what we have to listen to.
That said, in the last few years many guys have joined the great
train of heavy and acid sounds, so not all is bad. Better Doomers
than Nothing!!! Who will survive?
The new album is
based on horror movies’ plots and you chosen really ancient films.
Why didn’t you take some more recognizable movies like those which
inspired Electric Wizard and Reverend Bizarre?
No
reason. It's just our way of rediscovering and at the same time to
pay homage to small jewels that time could make you forget. We never
look at what others do, maybe in some cases we could be influenced
without knowing (I’m laughing...), but it's better to think with
your head.
Bretus
– Danza Macabra
By the way, do you
know your country mates Arcana 13? I’m asking because their debut
record “Danza Macabra” is also based on eight different horror
movies…
We know the band, but
the idea has not come to them. As you know, we had already made a
concept album for Lovecraft, this time it was the turn of some of our
favorite movies. If you looking to our biography, you will find that
we have chosen from the very beginning to following a certain way of
making movies, music etc etc
Didn’t you try to
get in contact with them and organize common horror tour?
It
would be great, but as I told you about organizing a tour (long or
short) it is not very simple, the costs would be excessive for us.
Never say never, but for the moment I do not think it's possible.
How do you see
general peculiarity of Italian horror and giallo movies?
I also
appreciate a lot of other non-Italian directors, but I think the
Italian ones particularly (Fulci, Margheriti, Bava, Deodato, etc ...)
know better how to showing the madness and perversion that lies
within us. Although in Italy we have the headquarter of the Catholic
Church, I must admit that we are a strange and unusual people.
How did you choose
movies for the album? And why did you stop only on seven ? I would be
happy to know that there are song or two left and you have plans to
release something else soon.
The choice was made, as
I have already said, according to our tastes, and by the year.
Nothing about modern movies but we prefer old scripts. Aside from
this , we find that the acting, actors and settings of old movies are
very fascinating and of great inspiration. We first selected the
movies for the record, and then we composed the music. I'm sorry
Aleksey, but the seven tracks included were the only ones we
composed. We are already working on some new ideas, news will coming
soon.
Okay, what can you
already reveal about your future plans?
There
are no clear plans at the moment. We are waiting for the
inspiration... We are still looking for a label that is interested in
printing the vinyl version of ... from the “…Twilight Zone”.
There are new ideas for songs. Of course we would like to get another
7"/ split with some other band we appreciate. We'll see!!!
Do you remember your
first horror movie? What did catch you back then into it?
Someone said that in
order to respect something you must first be intimidated. Maybe me…
Now I'm too old and I do not remember well. My first horror movie may
have been a nightmare as I slept ... as a kid I was really scared by
the darkness and the noises aha ha ah ...
There
are six songs on “…Twilight Zone”
and one track without lyrics. Why is
"Lizard Woman" instrumental track?
Certainly,
“A Lizard in a woman’s skin” (English movie’s name) is most
psychedelic than the other movies, so we decided better to make it as
an instrumental track. Inside the song there is also an homage, which
wants to be a tribute to one of the greatest Italian soundtracks
composer. But I do not mean to say anything else, I leave you the
taste of finding it.
Thanks for the
answers Ghenes! How would you like to finish the interview?
We
would like to thank all the guys who follow us for so many years and
are always pushing us to do the best. See you around for a beer guys!
Thank you so much Aleksey for your interest in our music and support.
We also wanted to wish you good luck for the great initiative you had
for Doom metal Lexicanum. Honored to be part of it. Take care!!!
We are all DOOMED)))
Ghenes
Words Aleks
Evdokimov and GHENES
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