1. Hello Thorn, we know each other from other projects but this time let's talk about - Painful Insomnia.
Tell us about the beginnings, why is the style different from your other projects and how good or bad is making music by yourself?
T.Hails! The beginnings of this project date back to around 2020. That's when Krystian Łukaszewicz knocked on my door, offering his services as a sound engineer, which I decided to use.
Although I'm known as someone who surrounds himself more in Black Metal style, the Death Grind vibe has always been pulsating somewhere in my head.
It just so happens that from time to time I record various ideas "in a drawer", so I decided to dig a few out and do something other than Black Metal.
That's when Painful Insomnia was born. Hard, brutal, pure madness plus complete spontaneity. Those were the assumptions then and they last to this day.
As for working alone? It's a great thing for me. I feel great in such a system.
2. You released a new album "Brutal Homoside". It is your third album in 4 years.
Fast tempo, fast music, I imagine that the lyrics are not about flowers and clouds.
What are the lyrics about?
T.Definitely not. The lyrics just fit the music. Kill, murder, guts, horrors and similar pleasures hahaha.
3. Another release without the backing of a publisher or a huge corporate machine.
How does this help or hurt promotion/breakout?
T.Every time I send my stuff here and there but unfortunately it ends in failure. Generally a lot of labels revolve around "their" environment and do not open up to new ones.
What can I do. I have also noticed a decrease in the popularity of this type of music in Poland, a country that revolves around Black Metal.
Or maybe my music is just crap? I don't know hahaha. Honestly, I don't care at all. I create music solely to satisfy my overactive imagination.
This applies to all my projects, Slavia and Stigmata Diaboli. The only thing that counts is creativity.
4. I may be wrong, but in your country - Poland, this type of music is not very common?
Although if you look at old times, Chopin was something new and aggressive.
T.Yeah, that's right hahaha. Like I said. Since I decided to play this kind of music myself, all I can do is do it honestly.
I don't count on popularity or any profits. Each of my new materials brings me quite noticeable financial losses.
Krystian's services have to be paid for and releasing an album alone also costs money.
Despite that, I will do it as long as I have enough ideas for creating music.
5. Returning to the texts. Where do you get your ideas from?
Do you read crime sections or maybe books with this topic?
T.Many factors influence lyrics. Various stories from the past, movies, pop culture, and general annoyance with the reality of everyday life hahaha.
I'm also a big fan of old cult horror movies. Every Painful Insomnia album has at least one song dedicated to one of the classics.
There was "Braindead", "Hellraiser", and "Carrie". Time will tell what will be on the next one.
6. Geopolitical question: are the current situations in Europe a good topic for the next songs by this band?
(unfortunately you don't sing about a smiling Poland).
T.Painful Insomnia is a completely apolitical project, which does not mean that I have no opinion on the geopolitical situation in Europe.
What is happening goes beyond all the absurdities of human leftist stupidity. It is leftist views that lead to the loss of the complete identity of nations
and are responsible for crimes, offences, and attacks on their citizens. In addition, there is also idiotic ecological policy. In general, Europe
is losing its mind, identity, sense of security. I consider leftist views to be extremely dangerous for the European population.
7. How will you convince metal fans to listen to your music and why should such an artistic message appeal to the worker-peasant masses?
T.I don't intend to convince anyone to like me. As I said, I make music straight from the heart, so if someone is looking for something "real" and not something made
for show or for show, maybe they should try to familiarize themselves with my projects. Each of them is a huge part of my soul.
I put one hundred percent of myself into them. I've known people who started bands, financed recording albums,
concerts and then fell apart because there was no profit or proper applause. I'm not in danger of that.
I will only stop creating when I decide that I'm completely burned out.
8. Finally, thank you for your time and good luck in your creative endeavors.
The last blasphemous words are yours.
T.Thank you very much for the opportunity to express myself in your media. What can I add. Support the true art of metal music.
Music that I have listened to since I was a child and that I will listen to until I die. This cult can never fade. Hail Metal!
for sale : thornsi666@gmail.com
interview by : seducer 2025y
Bombardier - 1. Hello, tell us who we are talking to and tell us in a few words about your band and how it came to be and how you created music?
# Hi, we are Bömbardiër, a mostly Polish 4 member speed metal band playing fast and mid tempo tunes all in the intent to make you move, violently, since 2024. The band name in itself originated from our former bassist, who at the time was jamming with a friend, who later on helped us figure out the mixer that was and will be used to record both our first and the second, upcoming demo. As to the current lineup, it all came from either internet posts looking for local musicians, word of mouth, or friendships that were formed beforehand. The music we have made so far has undergone a similar process where one of us, guitarists, has a few riffs or a fully formed song and that we mess with before teaching the bassist, who makes his contributing basslines. After that, we jam it with the drummer who makes his part, and at the end one of us, usually Vitalii, writes the lyrics and figures out the vocals.
2. Fresh demo from 25. 4 tracks of metal that pumps blood to the hearts of both old and young! What do you want to present with them and what do they say?
# Right from the get go, we agreed to make the vocalist shout lyrics covering the ever so original topic that is war and badassery which is more prevalent in the tracks "1939" and "Bömbardiër", with focus later on shifting to single and mass murders and violent suppression/exploitation of the weak, like in "Dni Żniw" and "Kamo Force". As to the music itself, we aim to create memorable and well put together riffs, with cool melodies and guitar solos. In turn, we want to present a sound that is full of energy but also has this barbaric atmosphere/theme. Of course, we have to make sure we feel and enjoy those songs, in order for the listener to soak something in.
3. You're very young, born in the new 21st century. I really appreciate young bands that are driving the new generation (finally, someone in the photos who isn't sporting a gray beard or gray hair—or maybe even without them). Do you have contacts with people like you, or are the gray-haired old ladies the dominant role models?
# We're all teenagers with no gray hairs and male pattern baldness (as of now at least), so we all are a lot more acquianted with souls that are as young as ourselves. That doesn't exclude the fact that we do have some contact with the older representatives of the scene, that is unfortunately quite far and few in between. It'd be nice to make it wider, since there is still a lot of them around and some (not all) have a lot of wisdom to dispense.
4. Was the demo created in a real studio or in your home? What about concerts, are they already happening, and how are you being received?
# The demo was made following the ancient tradition of old school methods of getting your shit recorded - in the basement on a tape deck. We bought an analog mixer, not even a 4 track, and some microphones, followed by the deck - all cheap but maintaining some standard. The vocals were recorded seperately, by inputting another tape deck with the instrumental demo and a microphone into the mixer. That "other" player turned out to be in a lot worse condition than we expected, which made our release sound even older than we wanted it to be. Moving on, we managed to play 2 shows as of this interview, with the debut being a lot better experience, since we could all hear each other. The reception has been good. We haven't heard much critique, except for our visible lack of stage presence and the demo sounding the way it does, due to it being rushed in 2-3 takes not fully equalized. We would love to hear more.
5. Where do you get your inspiration from, books, the Internet or real-life situations or thoughts?
# We're all seperate people with different backgrounds, aims and inspirations, so it may be a bit more complex once you ponder on this question. Musically, we listen to the many forms of rock, punk and the first metal bands of the 60s and 70s, thrash/death/doom/black of the 80s and 90s but even newer acts such as Gallower, Armagh, Sphinx, Species... the list could go on, but it definitely somewhat contributes to our songwriting even if we may not be aware of it. It's all just visions created in our heads that are then projected on the neckboard. We also get a lot of inspiration from what we get to read and hear from interviews taken with various musicians. As to the lyrics, "1939" was written by me, the lead guitar, and there is barely any thought behind them, I lost a bet and wrote down general images I remembered from my history classes covering the appeasement policy. "Dni Żniw" was written by our former bassist, Ryszard, and he got inspired and directly relates to the Bunker 44 event. The texts to the remaining 2 songs on the demo were written by our vocalist, Vitalii, and he gets mainly inspired by war crimes, like in the case of "Kamo Force", which talks about the Japanese Manchu Detachment 731.
6. The Collapse of Civilization: How do you see it? Does the flooded internet also tire you out, or is it the other way around? What are your opinions, as a team and individually?
# We can't wait for the fall of civilization, that's what we talk about in a way, don't we? As to the flooded internet dilemma we're quite divided. Our common ground is that if there was no internet, there'd be no way we would get even one pair of eyes laid on us from another country without a tour or a label, which is just a dream for us, for now 😉. Hell, I'm not even sure if anyone from the majority of Poland would know about us. Thankfully, we have the internet and our tape made it even to the U.S., despite our minimal efforts in wider promotion. The internet allows us to have an easy access to music, otherwise we'd be stuck to just shows and physical formats, and that'd mean most people would have figuratively nothing and there'd be less people to talk about this form of noise that some call art. We'd know a lot less amount of bands and some would never get the recognition they deserve. We must agree, however, that there is a lot of bands that managed to promote themselves quite well despite having subpar music limited to just a few inspirations aimed at gaining fans that want more of the same and nothing new.
7. Thank you for the interview, but I have one more question: would you go back in time to the '80s to be there at the beginning, or do you prefer our times? Finally, say something metal, like a guy telling his fans to listen to your music anywhere, anytime, day or night!
# Thank you too, we are glad to have this oppurtunity to speak with you. Just like that, you managed to ask a question that sparked the biggest debate between us. To keep it brief, we all agreed the 80's was when metal began to fully form and it'd be lovely to witness it unravel on your own eyes and see bands such as Mercyful Fate and Celtic Frost in their prime. We had contention on how we would be received, due to our opposing ideas on how it was really like. There were ideas of us being witnessed live by a lot more people, but that was met with how limited our reach would be, and how more difficult it was to actually get out of just playing local shows and clubs. Let's not even begin talking about how limited Poland's freedom was back then, or how we would create time paradoxes by playing music that is inspired by bands that weren't even formed at that time. It's better we stay in the times in which we are now and do the best with what we have and who we are, despite how flooded it all feels. Thanks again for having us and be on the lookout for our second, upcoming demo! If you don't have a copy we will kick your ass!
the interview by: Seducer 2025y.
Mjolne: 1. Hello, I haven't had the pleasure of talking to you yet; I've never written about the bands you've played in. First, tell us who you are, where you've played before, and since when.
* Well, I’m Mjolne, an aging metal head from Telemark, Norway. I started listening to metal as a 7–8-year-old boy when I first heard Ozzy Ozbourne with Mr. Crowley back in 1983/1984, and have stuck with metal ever since. I bought my first guitar at the age of 15 and did guitars/vocals in a local thrash metal band, but switched to drums a couple of years later. In 1993 I joined Mactätus (started by Gaut and Hate back in 1989), which at that point was an extreme doom metal band. The band evolved into a black metal during the following couple of years. We released the demo “Sorgvinter” back in 1996 which got us a deal with the French label Embassy Productions. Our debut album “Blot” was released in 1997. A new demo “a Dark Journey” was recorded early 1998, and then we signed a deal with Napalm Records. The following years we released three albums: “Provenence of Cruelty” (1998), “The Complex Bewitchment” (2000) and “Suicide” (2002). Mactätus laid to rest in late 2002.
* Around 2019 I picked up music again and started rehearsing on drums and at the same time took out my old guitar again. During the following years I started writing my own material and in late 2024 I had songs for a full album. Initially I didn’t have any plans to release this but ended up in doing a digital release under my alias form Mactätus; Mjolne. After the digital release I got some offer from labels who wanted to release the album in a physical format. I signed a deal with the Italian label ATMF, and the album will be released on cd August 29th.
2. You've been in music since 1993. I have the impression that your first band was overlooked (overshadowed) by bands from the Oslo and Bergen areas. Don't you get the impression that North Norway has been overlooked? How is it now, if it's still like that?
* The Norwegian black metal scene did have quite a few bands both located in the Oslo area and Bergen area (vest coast), so these two areas became well known in the black metal scene. But there were also many other good bands from other parts of Norway at the time, but there geographical affiliation was not emphasized in the same way. Take Emperor for instance. They came from Notodden in Telemark, which is only 40 minutes’ drive from where we lived. So in that respect our area (Telemark) was also known for black metal, even though there were no other black metal bands in our hometown at the time. Of course Svartahrid came along but they were maybe more in the vein of viking metal. Two of their members also played In Mactätus for a while; Istar 1997 – 1998 and Forn 1997 – 2002.
* But both the Bergen and Oslo scene did produce a lot of good bands which became prominent in the genre, many of the became legends and still are today, so for sure they took a lot of the attention of the scene back in the 90’s. It took a while before I remembering any bands coming from the north of Norway, Iskald for instance came in around 2005 and still are active today.
3. Let's get back to music: you've recorded a new album. What's the reaction from the media and fans? Are there more new ones, or has the old underground come to you too? And secondly, what's the reaction from your old friends from Mactatus to the new album?
* I have just released a new album under the name Mjolne. This is a solo project where I do everything myself, alle the instruments, vocals, recording and mixing. Since I have been musically inactive and away from the music scene for over 20 years, I didn’t really know what to expect. The reactions have been very good, both with some good reviews and quite a few interviews, so I can’t complain about that. My friends from Mactätus have been supportive. I also have an ongoing project with (guitarist of Mactätus) , and we are writing and recording some songs, so we will see what will become of this in the future.
* Many of the people who have contacted me are old Mactätus fans who’s been loyal fans for almost 30 years. It’s always nice to see that the music we made 25 – 30 years ago still means something for people today. Some younger people have also been in contact but mostly I believe my audience are people who have been listening to black metal for years and been following the scene from its early days.
4. Lyrics - are they still the same subject matter, or have you chosen a different path? Where do you find them? If in books, which ones do you recommend, or do you just pull them out and create them from scratch?
* The lyrics are mostly built up from scratch based on whatever’s going on in my head. I’m not a big book-reader so I’m not able to give any recommendations. The lyrics are mostly inspired by Norse mythology and the old ways of our forefathers, but some of them also have a meaning that I relevant today. Take “What I Once Was” for instance. It’s about how we look back on our forefather’s way of life and pay tribute to their old ways and traditions. But it can also be related to present day. We as people also go through changes thru our life and develop as individuals. It is also important to look back to see how your development has been and if you are heading in the right direction.
5. An underground scene in Norway - do you think it exists? Can you recommend anyone and thus promote it with your and my help?
* As I mentioned, I have been quite inactive in the music scene for about 20 years. Black metal has always been a part of the music I have been listening too, but I have preferred the older bands and releases before new ones. So, I’m afraid I don’t have any good insight on the Norwegian underground black metal scene today. But I have noticed that there are a lot of Norwegians bands out there, along with many foreign as well. Based on that I believe there is a vibrant underground scene, both I Norway and other parts of the world.
6. Concerts - can we count on it, your coming to Europe - to the Old Continent or the "neutral" island of the UK?
* There are no plans taking Mjolne to the stage. Since this being a solo project, I would have to get a lot of people to help me. The music is also very layered, with many guitars on top of each other as well as a lot of orchestration. To recreate the music on the album live on stage, would require quite a few people, if not a lot of the music being on tape. I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting to see Mjolne live if I were you…
7. In conclusion, what would you like to say to old fans and what to young ones - say it in a way that they will remember it for a long time, like in the old days in paper zines, which I also made since 1994.
* To the old ones a big hail to all of you that have kept the traditional flame of black metal and fanzies/webzines alive for all these years. To the young ones – your responsibility is to keep the flame burning for years to come. Hail!
the interview by:seducer 2025y.
