‘Vader’ is one of the pioneers of death-metal who, over the last 28 years, have made a permanent mark on the international metal-scene. Headlining at this years’ Silence Festival II, Vader thrilled fans with a heart stopping performance of loud, head-banging real grungy metal. Verse was similarly thrilled to secure an interview with the busy Polish band to find out about their experiences in Nepal, the rise of the metal scene and the life of being a truly global band. Many thanks to Mr. Bikrant Shrestha, founder director of Silence Entertainment, without whom this interview would not have been possible.
What was your initial reaction when you were offered to play in a country like Nepal?
Vader: A big surprise because nobody expected to play so high in the world. So we were pretty much excited and it was a dream came true. The fact that Vader could arrive even to Nepal was very spectacular and very exciting.
Silence Festival II, October 15! What were your expectations from the crowd there?
Peter: You know usually, from my experience, I find that if there are few metal shows in a country, then there is no scene and relatively no support. So, it was a big surprise for me that even though it was for the first time for Vader in Nepal and maybe one of the few concerts of metal music in the country, it was so professionally prepared and the crowd was so big. I’m sure that 50% of the crowd was not metal-hats from heart ‘they came to see a show because there was something going on in the city. But, even if 50% of the audience were real metal-heads, it was very big because the crowd was around four thousand, which is pretty spectacular, really. So, it’s a big deal.
You might have seen some local bands performing during the Silence Festival. How do you think the local bands were?
Vader: You know, we couldn’t see too much because we were performing late and we needed to prepare the guitars and practice a bit before the show. We arrived just two hours before our time. So, we could only see two bands; they were pretty good. But, we never expected the bands from Nepal to be so modern in sound ‘ especially the band in which Bikrant played; the band was really awesome.
play roulette online
How did you feel about the Silence Festival?
Vader: Spectacular. We were really excited because of the chance to be a part of Silence Festival given to us by Mr. Bikrant. We really hope we can come back again in future. This is the first touch of Vader here and we get a feeling that they like it. So, we will be waiting for the next trip.
Moving on to the past, how was the metal scene in Poland when you started?
Vader: Vader was actually among those bands that started extreme metal, sort of underground in Poland. Unfortunately, not too many bands survived at the time. So, there are only some names coming back now like Crusade, Pandemonium to name couple of bands. There was no media to support these kinds of music. There was metal but the bands that were called metal were closer to bands like AC/DC or Iron Maiden but nothing like extreme metal. Vader was among the ones who started that; not the only one, but one of those who started this sort of music.
How has the journey from ‘The Ultimate Incantation’ to ‘Welcome to the Morbid Reich’ been?
Peter: The journey was very long, but very interesting. The journey has not only taught me as a musician but also as a man, as a human being. I get to know people around the time and I get to know people around the world. We are travelling across the earth. So this is the best teacher. You can feel much respect from the fans around the world as well. What can I say? This is experience and if your experience is almost 30 years playing metal, then it’s a lot. I’m happy I’m still alive.
You guys tour quite a lot. Does that affect your personal lives?
Vader: This is actually the biggest problem while talking about Vader. We are busy guys. But, this is the meaning of metal: to play on stage and to play live. This is pretty much live music. That’s why we all sacrificed with music. Since we signed the deal ‘ the pack with the devil, we’ve been spending two-third of the year touring, practicing and playing far from friends and families and this is the price you have to pay for playing music.
We’ve been touring continuously since 1993 and we have around 100 shows in a year. So, you can see, we are really busy people.
Touring that much in a year, when do you get time to compose or play or just come up with new music?
Vader: Any time. Composition is always in your mind. You just need a time to sit in a studio, to focus in your work and to put it into a tape record.
In what direction do you see the metal scene in Nepal going? Any words of advice for local bands?
Vader: It’s hard to say but it depends on you. If you really want to do something, you will. If somebody comes to you and says he’s going to take you somewhere, then don’t believe in that. Believe in yourself. We were also in same situation in eighties in Poland. We were in deep shit back then. You are in a better situation than we were. You have studios, media and people like Bikrant. You have all the necessary equipment here. The world is all yours. Moreover, you have fans around. The time is going to come when the world is going to cry for you and wants to see you somewhere else in the world. That’s the only way.