Over the years, Thy Catafalque has evolved from its raw black metal origins into a genre-defying band that challenges musical boundaries. Fresh off their anticipated return to Posada Rock Festival 2024, the band’s mastermind shares insights into the emotional experiences that have shaped their unique sound.
This interview delves into how their deep connection with their homeland and evolving musical vision have influenced their latest works and live performances, including the one from Posada Rock Festival 2024.
Thy Catafalque performing at Posada Rock Festival 2024
(c) Paul Voicu (LivePictures Ro)
Greetings! It’s a true pleasure to have you with us today. Many thanks for finding time for this interview. Thy Catafalque has seen significant evolution from its inception in 1998 to today. How would you describe the journey of the band, and how have your personal experiences influenced its evolution?
We started as a black metal band. Like an absolutely normal black metal band in 1998. As a two-piece band; it was two members only.
An we never wanted to play live. It was just a studio project for almost 20 years. And it just changed with us. I think it was a natural evolution. It was not something we planned out. First, we played black metal. First album was a black metal one, I mean. The second album was a bit more colorful. Third one was more experimental and so on. And we ended up playing anything we wanted to.
So… yeah… I think it’s a natural way. We just wanted to play music that was not about the record deals or gigs or anything. We just wanted to create something new. It was very simple.
Reflecting on your roots, what are some of the most unforgettable experiences you had with the local music scene where you grew up?
Well, I guess I should mention the first gig I have ever been to. That was in my hometown, in Makó, which is the southeastern part of the country. Just very, very near to the Romanian border actually. Just 20 kilometers from the border. As a parenthesis, I was growing up there. I was born there. I was living there for 33 years. My parents still live there. All my family still lives there. I visit the town like monthly, roughly. And there was a local band called Primator. It was a heavy metal band. My mom and my friends were playing the guitar. And we went to visit the gig. I think it was very important because that was the first time I was attending to a metal gig. I was like 16 or something. So it was a big influence. And I still love their demo. They didn’t have an album. They had like three or four demo tapes. I still have them and I love them.
Then, after a couple of months, there was a Metallica gig in Budapest. That was huge. I mean, it was massive. Especially compared to the local band. So it just completely blew my mind. And that was the final shot.
Your music often incorporates a variety of genres and unconventional instruments. What’s your process for constructing a new album?
There’s no process. I don’t plan anything, in fact. So it’s very simple actually. I just play music and see what goes well with what. Usually, after a lot of work and a lot of tries and a lot of varieties, I find something good. It’s like digging. Like digging gold or something like that. And I work a lot with that because I’m not a natural musician. I’m not a real musician. I cannot really play the instrument properly and I never really wanted to. I was more interested in creating music and composing music instead of performing music. So it’s not easy for me to play something that goes on the record straight because you have to have some sort of basic knowledge of the instrument and the skill. And I lack the skill. It’s not easy. I have to work a lot, while I’m just interested in music. That’s all.
Every time it’s just a surprise for me. And it’s a journey. I don’t know myself so it’s an adventure every time I am creating something. And I still feel the excitement of doing it like this after like 30 years.
Yeah, because you discover new things all the time…
Yeah.
I’ve got to say, “Sublunary Tragedies” holds a special place for me. Reflecting on how different things were back in 1999 when you and János were just starting out, how do you think those early black metal roots have shaped Thy Catafalque’s music, and what do you feel has changed or remained consistent in your sound since then?
I still consider Thy Catafalque partly a black metal band, so I still love “Sublunary Tragedies”. I think it’s a very good album, musically. Production-wise, it’s very poor. So it’s almost unlistenable in looking at the sound quality and the production. But I think the music itself is quite exciting. Especially thanks to János, actually, because it was two of us and he was playing the guitar. And he had very, very good guitar riffs. He was not a very good player, but a very good writer of riffs and he really put a lot into the first three albums of Thy Catafalque.
But as a conclusion, I think I still consider the band partly black metal. On top of that, I still listen to black metal and I love the genre. Somehow, I think it will always be inside the music that I create. Because really, that’s my root.
And… what about “Vadak”? It is a powerful release. What aspects of this album do you believe showcase your progression as a musician, and what does it represent to you personally?
“Vadak” is our 10th album. For some reason, I think it’s a bit stronger than the average Thy Catafalque albums. It has a varied sound; some of the songs are really heavy, while others are very mellow tracks. I regard it as a part of my life. It was written in 2021. And… Look, all the albums represent the time when I was in. I remember what I was doing there and I remember my activities there. And the representation of that time is the album itself. I can’t really comment on anything else on the album. Because that’s just like a photograph or a painting of that era. That one year, basically, of my life. That’s true for every other album.
The instrumental tracks on “Vadak” such as “Gömböc” and “Kiscsikó (Irénke dala)”, add a unique touch to the album. How do you decide when a piece should be instrumental rather than vocal?
Well, it’s very easy: if I cannot write any vocal lines on it, then it’s gonna be an instrumental piece. I don’t really bother much about that. If it’s instrumental, I try to put some vocals on it and if I fail, I say, “Okay, I don’t worry about it. It’s just instrumental, I don’t mind”.
The song “Piros-sárga” stands out with its distinctive style. What influenced the musical direction of this track?
I listen to a lot of music and my taste is very diverse. I think this influenced the song…
The core of the sound is Eastern. Eastern, actually, because it is… well, there is a Duduk in it. You know what Duduk is? Duduk is a Middle Eastern instrument. It’s like a flute, but it is Armenian. It’s from Armenia. So Armenian Duduk. The sound of it is very distinctive and I think this defines that song pretty much. It is something traditional. Well, a bit traditional.
I’ve got to ask about “Néma vermek” from the album “Alföld”—it’s such an incredible track, and the video shot in the farmlands of Makó-Bogarzó adds such a profound layer to it. How does filming in this particular location enhance the song’s emotional impact, and what does this place mean to you personally?
You did quite a lot of research, I am impressed! Makó-Bogarzó is a farmland next to Makó. It’s like 10 kilometers from the town itself. I know the couple who owns the farm and they like the music we are making, actually. So we just went there and asked if we could shoot a video.
Well, first I went there to shoot the photos. Actually, the album cover was shot there, at the same place, and like half a year before the video. So we went back to shoot the video.
It’s very close to my hometown. And so, of course, it has very strong bonds to me because that’s my land, actually. But I must admit, there’s not much to see there.
As you already know, “Alföld” means “lowland”. The region is a very flat area. There’s nothing there. It is desolate because it’s dry. And it is becoming a desert, unfortunately. It’s very sad because it’s even more barren than before. But that’s where I was coming from, I love the area and I have decided to highlight it.
So for you, it was like a personal connection with that place…
Yeah, for me it’s a special place. I go home and visit home monthly or sometimes even on weekends. I just like to be there. I like the air. I like the soil. I like the people there. Even though I know it is hard and it’s like a barren land. It’s not very likable. But that’s where I’m from.
“A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek” from the upcoming album is a gem. What emotions or personal experiences influenced the creation of this track?
“A gyönyörű álmok ezután jönnek” means “The Beautiful Dreams are yet to Come”. And… Okay, again, time for a story. There was a video. And the video was shot in Makó again. I chose that area because in the video of the song “Néma vermek” , I’m digging. That’s the whole concept. I’m trying to dig something and I’m not able to because the soil is so hard. So this is the whole idea about the video, that you are not able to bury the past because it always comes back. It’s physically not possible. And in this video, the new video, there is a scene where I run to the countryside and I see myself digging. And we look at each other. It’s a back view to that video. I even wear the same clothes.
So it’s connected to the other video. And it is, again, my hometown. It’s a sad song, actually, but very catchy despite the fact that the lyrics are about disappointment and trying to find hope in darkness. “Why hope in times of darkness?“, you will ask.
It has to do with my land.
Look, I go home and what I see is very bleak. Financially, geographically, and morally, people are in a bad shape. That’s what I see. And I don’t really like it. And it seems like, you know, when your own child age or the age of your childhood is getting blackened. It’s very sad. So it’s a song about hope. Hope in times of darkness.
Indeed, this song is a reflection of that sadness, but also a beacon of hope, even in the darkest times. After channeling such deep emotions into your work, how did it feel to perform again, this time at the Posada Rock Festival 2024, especially after your memorable performances with Sear Bliss in Bucharest and Timișoara last year?
We were very happy to have an invitation. It happens very rarely, because, as you saw, there are eight people in the band, so the costs are really high for traveling, catering and accommodation. Not many festivals invite us simply because of the mathematics. And we don’t bring in so many people to be worth to get invited. So we were happy that we were invited here. It was nice to come back. We always like coming back to Romania. We really want to go to Cluj-Napoca because people really want us to be there. For some reason we were not able to have a deal there yet. But we would like to go there.
And you have plenty of great festivals in Romania. Like, really, much, much better than in Hungary.
Thy Catafalque performing at Posada Rock Festival 2024
(c) Paul Voicu (LivePictures Ro)
Which tracks were you most eager to perform here, and why?
Oh, I can tell you exactly the track. “A csend hegyei”. That’s from “Alföld”. The opening track from “Alföld”.
There is quite a story about this performance. We didn’t know how much we could play here. And I thought it was 75 minutes. So we rehearsed for 75 minutes. Then it turned out it’s only 60 minutes, so we had to cut three songs. The day before… I think yesterday or the day before, we had to decide which ones to cut.
And I asked the band: “Okay, tell me, guys, what do you want?”, and I added “You can choose anything but not «A csend hegyei». Because that’s my favorite”. And really they wanted to cut “A csend hegyei”. But I stood my place. I said “No, no, it stays”. I fought for it because I think it’s a good song. It’s not so catchy. That’s more like a death metal song, but I really love death metal, and I love that song, so I wanted to play that tonight. And I did. It was good.
Thy Catafalque performing at Posada Rock Festival 2024
(c) Paul Voicu (LivePictures Ro)
It was a great choice! Now, in terms of future engagements, which festivals or concerts are you most excited for, and what can your audience expect from them?
We don’t have many concerts ahead of us. Confirmed, I mean. We have plans, but no confirmations yet.
Yet, there is something that we have in November, in Budapest, Hungary. A double gig. Friday and Saturday. And it’s already sold out.
So… We will play the whole “Rengeteg” album from 2011 and half of the new album. And nothing else. It’s gonna be like 100 minutes. Both nights. So I’m very excited about that, because we never did something similar before. On top of that, we never played half of the new album, only one song. As you can guess, it’s a lot of practice.
And I’m very excited, because on one of the nights, on Saturday, my old band will play. They will be supporting us. Like, can you imagine? The guest band will be my old band. I will play there as well, on keyboards, so it’s gonna be like crazy, because that band stopped playing 17 years ago. And now we’re back for that one show.
I must admit, I really love that band. It’s called Gire. The guy who is helping with us is the guitar player there. So it’s like the two bands are entwined together a bit.
This is definitely something worth attending! But no doubt, it comes with some challenges. And speaking of that, what are some of the biggest challenges you faced when performing live, and how do you manage them to ensure a great show?
Well, my biggest challenge is that I have to play. Why? Because I was never prepared to play. On top of that, I never wanted to play live. And I had to go on stage, because things turned out that way. At that point, I decided “Ok, let’s give it a shot”. I had to do the bass guitar.
All the guys in the band are professional musicians, so I really have to man up to be able to perform with them. I have to practice a lot. You can imagine, it’s a big challenge for me to go on stage and play. Even if I wrote the songs. Recording one song is totally different than playing it properly in front of one thousand people.
Oh… and one more thing… At first, I didn’t have the guitar. In fact, I didn’t have all the stuff I am possessing now. I didn’t have the pedals. I had to buy everything.
I had to learn everything. Of course, now I’m more confident. But it was not easy.
You learned all of that by your own?
Well, I had help. The band knew what to do and they gave me advice. But it was not easy and it’s still a big challenge for me to go on stage and play properly, play like a professional when I’m not.
When you’re not on stage or in the studio, what do you enjoy doing to unwind or find inspiration?
Usually I’m interested in writing music. Even before we left to Romania (because we left at midnight to get here on time) I was writing a new song. I almost got late for the appointment because I was recording guitars for that song.
So your free time is about music too?
I’m afraid. I know it’s not healthy. It shouldn’t be like that. But the thing with a band, with a live band, is that there are so many things to do that I don’t really have enough time to do what I love the best: composing and recording music. There’s so much mundane things about the touring itself. Coming there, what to do, what bus, where to sleep and all of this stuff you have to take care of. And it’s very tiring. Then you realize that you are here to make music. I mean to write music.
It’s not easy to find time. So when I have a little time, I try to write something. Ah… it’s a bit disappointing. I mean, probably it’s not healthy because I should do other things.
What things?
For example, I love hiking. Because I was living in Scotland for 10 years and I was always hiking up to the Highlands, Scottish Highlands. I loved that place. And every year I tried to get back to Scotland for a week or two and go to the Highlands, for hiking.
That’s a nice hobby!
Yeah, yeah! I think about it and I just get goosebumps. I really love that place.
Before we finish, what’s one piece of wisdom you’d share with up-and-coming artists in the music industry?
You just do whatever you want. If you want to play music, play music. It’s more simple than you think. I think people are just overthinking now the situation of music business, which is not… Of course, it’s not easy. But I never thought about this when I was starting the whole stuff. I just went home and recorded music.
It’s simple.
And if you cannot get a record deal, so what? You just play music, create something for yourself. I think that’s the most important thing to achieve.
