Interview with Milán Leindler of Niburta

© Niburta

The latest news of Budapest with a Pinch of Music bring you the interview with Milán Leindler, the drummer for Niburta, one of our favourite bands from Budapest. I will not stall for too long by writing about the band itself, but be sure to read more on their Reverbnation site, or here about their gig in Crazy Mama Music Pub, on March 3.

1. Hi. Let's start by introducing yourself and the band?

Milán: My name is Milán Leindler and I have the fantastic opportunity to be the drummer of Niburta. I've been playing since 2004, and as a "civilian" I'm a psychologist. The band itself does not have such a long history, the founding members were Balázs Hormai, János Krieser and Anna Németh. They dreamed of a band combines the catchy and rather mystical folk tunes and melodies of the Balcanic region with the newest and craziest waves of modern metalcore. I myself joined the band in 2010 and I've been playing with these very diversly skilled guys ever since. The band's name comes from the ancient Scythian god. Niburta is definetely a two-faced deity; warriors prayed for him for strength and courage on the battlefield, so they could savagely rush into battle, and also during the summer when they hoped for a successful harvest. This bipolarity is not only a feature of our "patron-god", but also a feature of our music as well.

Niburta: Milán Leindler

2. Niburta has ‘awakened’ in the last year, both in studio and live. What was it that you have been accomplishing lately?

Milán: One of our greatest accomplishments is mentioned in the question itself. We recorded a studio version of Awakening, and Fúvom az énekem, a hearth-breaking Hungarian folk song. We also finished working on our very first music video, which will be introduced to the audience in the next couple of days or weeks. We also had a lot of live shows, performing with bands like Dalriada, Cruadalach, Stribog, Zrec, Krampus and other very good Hungarian bands. It is important to mention that we formed true friendship with our Czech and Croatian mates, so it will be a pleasure to meet them again in their country. We also plan to make a high-quality tour video during our trip. And at last, I must mention that the 9-member team "chose a king" for itself, as a manager joined the band, Balázs “Don” Buza, who helps us in many ways and knows the arts of diplomacy, organizing, negotiating, and other useful witchcrafts.

3. What has inspired you the most to pursuit the folk metal style? Which bands do you look upon most?

Milán: This obviously differs from band member to band member. However we all agree that there are a few important bands that were the pioneers of this genre. We respect all bands that play such a music that reaches to one's own heritage and traditions and can blend the strength and power of the music of our ancestors and today's metal music. Both of these have dynamism, passion, so they fit together very well. Concerning us, not all 9 members are true folk-metalheads. It is just the question of working together, feeling each others emotions, continuing each other's thoughts. Most of the members who play folk instruments do not necessarily listen to metal music, and those who literally "craft" the breakdowns (like the guitar players, or myself) do not know that much about folk music. But we share our knowledge, and together we create something that is way more than the sum of the two. But if names need to be mentioned, we obviously respect and like the music of Eluveitie, August Burns Red, Vildhjarta, and many more bands that do not necessarily belong to the folk-metal genre.

4. This spring you will be a part of an international folk metal tour – Beltine Fest. What are your expectations of the tour?

Milán: I hope that it will not only boost our popularity, but it will result in many more friendship with other musicians and with the fans. We tend to keep a close relation with our fans, for example I occasionally talk to guys from Brazil, Turkey or Germany, who love Niburta. Our expectation is that the people who come to the shows and honor us with their presence will have a good time and that we can convey our passion and love for these ancient cultural heritage. We hope to cross boundaries, break down walls that have been wrongly erected during the years. And also we hope for a lot of fun and drinking, naturally.

5. On April 23, you will play in Zagreb, Croatia, along with Trollfest and Korpiklaani. How did this connection happen? Are you excited about sharing the stage with them?

Milán: It is a great pleasure and honor to share the stage with them. It would be an honor and pleasure even if we were more popular, it is an honor to meet fellow musicians no matter how famous or popular they are. But I'm not implying that it won't be different from our previous shows, Korpiklaani and Trollfest are the two biggest names with whom we can perform at the same night. This is a huge possibility for us and we are in the middle of the largest preparation that we ever did. The connection can be thanked to Ana, ex-singer of Stribog, who we met at last year's Beltine Fest.

© Niburta

6. Is it true that not all of the band members will play on this tour? Will there be replacements?

Milán: Yes, we need to replace one of our guitar players in Croatia and Slovenia, but this issue has already been solved. Also, Márton Szilágyi cannot play with us in Maribor, his absence will ... as we, Hungarians tend to say it ... "be solved within the house".

7. This is not the first time you collaborate with Cruadalach. How does it feel working and touring with them? What’s your opinion on the other bands of the tour?

Milán: We love those guys! We talk a lot online and have a very good relationship. Last year Bálint Kemény played with Cruadalach on their Polish tour, and this time I'm going to play with Oganj at Maribor. This fills me with excitement and at the same time is a huge honor and challange. As said earlier, we respect all the other bands, we know that Avven is highly noted in Slovenia, I personally am very curious about them. And for Korpiklaani and Trollfest, I'm pretty much looking forward to meet them.

8. Which bands would you like to tour/work with in the future? How do you see the future of the band?

Milán: There will definitely be a full-length album coming soon! Very soon! I'm optimistic about the band's future, we have larger and larger shows, the crowd is thicker and thicker. Our on-stage performance is developing nicely, we are working to give the perfect Balcanic Folk-Metalcore experience to the audience. We would be honored if we could tour with great bands, Korpiklaani was "on the list" before this show too, but Eluveitie, Finntroll are such names too. I personally would very much love to have a tour together with Avantasia or Edguy, Apocalyptica or Stratovarius, but that's just my way of taste.

9. Having so many members, is it difficult for the band to get everybody on the same page, to find time for rehearsals?

Milán: It is difficult, but we try hard. We are starting to think of Niburta as a lifestyle, and this helps a lot. We just hope that you guys can feel this too!

Niburta: Balázs Hormai

10. Lately, you’ve started becoming a leading folk metal band in Budapest. Does it put a lot of stress on you as a band? What are your views on the (folk) metal scene in the city, and the country in general?

Milán: I must point out that we are NOT the leading band of this genre. This is not modesty, this is a hard fact. And there is no problem with it, Niburta is a young and prospering band, and we do not think of other bands as rivals, but as friends and even tutors, from whom we can learn a lot. For example, last august we had a great show with Dalriada, and we profited a lot from that night. We really appreciate their work and what they did for the Hungarian folk-metal scene. I think that the scene in Hungary is developing nicely, there are good shows not only in the capital, but in smaller cities as well. More and more people are interested, because there are good bands and musicians who can satisfy their hunger and appetite for a good folk-metal madness!

11. What would you like to say to your audience on Beltine?

Milán: We promise a great show and a few bruises, stitches for the guys in the front rows, because the passion and spirit of our very ancestors will be unleashed! Also, if there will be an opportunity, I can promise that I will personally say thank you for coming for everyone, who I meet after the show. And we are looking forward to meet you not only during, but after the show as well, because it is boring to drink alone!

Thank you once again for the interview. I wish you a great, extremely fun tour!

Milán: Thank you!

The interview was also published here in Croatian. Check it out!

International Irish Punk Festival

Dirty Artichokes: Dade (ac. guitar)

Bands: Dirty Artichokes (ITA), Firkin, The Mahones (CAN)

Venue: Barba Negra Music Club, Prielle Kornélia utca 4,
1117 Budapest

Time: April 13, 2012 - 8.00 pm
Entrance fee: 2400 / 3000 HUF

After we've had the chance to experience Firkin in their full glory last month at the CD release concert, the band has given the role of headliners over to one of the most notable Canadian Celtic punk bands - The Mahones.



However, one foreign band doesn't make the night an international evening. Another band, from Italy, does. They are called Dirty Artichokes, coming from Torino. Dirty Artichokes have existed for only a few years now, but they've already played a great number of shows, while at the moment they are proudly presenting their debut album - My Empire of Dirt. This was Artichokes' first time playing in Hungary, but the second time they shared the stage with Firkin and The Mahones. Two days prior to the show in Budapest, the bands played in Vienna, but I'm sure the audience was much wilder here. For one reason, there seems to be an enormous group of Celtic punk fans in Hungary. They faithfully follow local bands such as, now even internationally very influential, Firkin and Paddy and the Rats.

Dirty Artichokes

The kilted band started playing spot on at 8 pm, warming the crowd up. Apart from their original music, Artichokes played three cover songs. Of those, Drunken Sailor is probably the best known one, being repeated quite often in the genre. However, even when Firkin put their own spin onto the song later on it didn't stop everybody from going crazy again.

Dirty Artichokes: Andrei (elec. guitar)

I should say that they did one hell of a job at capturing the crowd's attention. They ended the show quite energetically, jumping and stomping so hard that at one point the singer went out of control, ending up on the floor. There was a part when the drummer played a strange tune, but I couldn't put my finger on the sound until I read it on their Facebook page. Apparently, it was a frying pan. Interesting feature, right?




Setlist: Brighis' March, Ordinary Tales of Bastards & Bitches, Feet in the Mud, I Pay with Vomit, Pay Me a Dollar (Flatfoot 56 cover), 22 in the Belly of a Shark, Land of the Clovers, Another, Worms' Society,  The Last Song, Drunken Sailor (traditional), Amsterdam (The Dreadnoughts cover).

Firkin: PJ (flute) and Pali (vocals, acoustic guitar, whistle)

As I previously wrote about Firkin, I thought there wouldn't be much more to say about the same tour of a band. I changed my mind already during the first song. On March 9 (read about it here), the band was presenting their newest album, Igyunk Pálinkát, so they had additions to the stage, such as guest musicians on stage, as well as a longer setlist. I was very curious about seeing them live at a regular concert, such as this one was. Or was supposed to be.


The show on Friday (the 13th) was just astonishing, even though I half expected to see the guest musicians once again, with their banjos, guitars, and amazing voices. The band seems to have put even more effort into engaging the audience than before. Their communication with the crowd was really admirable; it was impossible not to join in with the screaming and dancing to the Irish tunes. The parts where the violin and flute alternated the melodies were also very interesting, producing a kind of visual taste of their music.

Firkin: Pali (ac. guitar)

I have to note that Felföldi románc, the ballad that they played by the end of the show, was most definitely the highlight of the concert. There was such a dazzling energy to their sound in that song the studio version could have never got even near reaching it.


The last part of the concert, including the encore, was reserved for the crowd pleasers such as Drunken Lullabies (originally by Flogging Molly), Devils Dance Floor, and the farewell song - Búcsúpohár.




Setlist: Intro, Borfohász, Reggel van!, Seven Deadly Sins, Rocky Road the Dublin, Vezet majd a szél, Galway Races, A jó ég megáld, Crazy Man Michael, Rettenthetetlen, Kék volt az égbolt, Beggarman, Donnegal Danny, Jó, Hetedhét székely, Felföldi románc, Whup Jamboree, Lord of the Dance, Drunken Lullabies (Flogging Molly cover), Hozz egy firkin sört // Igyunk Pálinkát, Devils Dance Floor, Búcsúpohár.

Firkin

After Firkin's show, the curtain went down, so we had to wait for a while until the stage was set for the main act. By the time The Mahones graced us with their presence on stage, the crowd was amped up, with beer and hair flying in the air. They were formed in Canada, over 20 years ago, unlike the first two, much younger bands. Until now, they have released eight full-length albums, the latest one being The Black Irish from 2010. The Hungarian show was only a small part of a big European tour.

The Mahones: Finny McConnell (vocals)

The Mahones: Paul Cuzo (bass)

The Mahones' genre didn't need much introduction, after hearing the opening bands, but it did bring the music to another level. The crowd was almost ecstatic most of the time, while the guys from Dirty Artichokes made sure that everybody was jumping and singing strongly enough. An absolute delight on the stage was Katie KaBoom, an impressive accordion player. Apart from their older songs, the band also played tracks from the new album, the most pleasing one being Ghost of a Whiskey Devil. Before leaving the stage, the band introduced themselves, and thanked the audience, who, in turn, screamed loudly enough to have them back for an encore. The Mahones ended the show, but not the evening itself, with the song Give It All Ya Got (or Forget About It), which is also the band's motto.

Setlist: Across the U.S.A., Paint the Town Red, A Great Night on the Lash, Whiskey Devils, Rise Again, London, Down the Boozer, Nancy Whiskey, A Pain from Yesterday, A Drunken Night in Dublin, Ghost of a Whiskey Devil, Is This Bar Open 'Til Tomorrow, One Last Shot, Streets of New York, Queen and Tequila, The Blood is on Your Hands, Celtic Pride // Drunken Lazy Bastard, Teenage Kicks, I Wanna Be Sedated (Ramones cover), Give It All Ya Got (Or Forget About It).

The Mahones: Katie KaBoom (accordion) and Paul Cuzo (bass)

Check out the concert gallery.


 

Interview with Tamás Kátai of Thy Catafalque

Tamás Kátai

Last week, Tamás Kátai kindly agreed to answer a few questions about his works and his life as an expat musician. Before we indulge in the interview itself, I would like to make a short introduction.

Tamás Kátai is an avant-garde musician from Hungary, well known for his metal project called Thy Catafalque. At the moment, he lives in Edinburgh, UK, but nevertheless continues writing music in his mother tongue. Over the years he has participated in many other bands, such as Gire and Darklight. In 2006, he released a solo album, named Erika Szobája (Erika's Room), which is described as an ambient, folk project.


Apart from this, Tamás is best known for Thy Catafalque, an experimental, avant-garde metal one-man band. He started the project in the late 90s as a black metal band, working with János Juhász, but later they developed a more unique style. Thy Catafalque also includes some prominent Hungarian guest musicians, such as Attila Bakos (from Taranis), and Ágnes Tóth, better known as the beautiful vocals of another Hungarian folk band - The Moon and the Nightspirit. Last year, Thy Catafalque released the fifth full length album, Rengeteg, first time without János. Read more about the album here, and be sure to check out Thy Catafalque's official site.

Here's what Tamás says:


1. In 2005 you released a solo album, Erika Szobája, which is most often described as an ambient, neoclassical project. How did this album come to be, and how come you didn’t simply incorporate your ideas into another Thy Catafalque album?

Tamás: I didn’t want to put anything connected to metal on that album. At that time Thy Catafalque was still a band with two members and that was one reason I never considered that material to come out as a Thy Catafalque-release. The other thing that it was far too personal, it seemed absolutely obvious from the very beginning that the album will be released simply under my name.

 2. Last year saw the release of Rengeteg, quite a heavier and musically extremely interesting album. What inspired you the most? Could you describe the album, and the concept behind the lyrics for non-Hungarians?

Tamás: It’s always the same, the things I experience around myself, that’s rather simple, usually there’s no any special trigger. The word rengeteg means vast trackless forest in obsolete Hungarian. It’s the woodland. It’s a symbol of mystery, the night and also of pureness and life. A forest has its own, working life-system that is the opposite of our big-city lifestyle. It’s a symbol of nature itself we desperately need to respect again. We need to humble ourselves and respect our home. Not a nation, not a country, but our very home, the nature. This is not really the concept of the record, more my thinking and it obviously shines through the album as well.

Photo taken from Thy Catafalque at Reverbnation

3. Thy Catafalque signed with Season of Mist recently. Has it brought many benefits so far?
Do you think the project is more known in Hungary or outside of it?

Tamás: It definitely has. This album has proper distribution and good promotion all over the world and thus receives much more attention than the previous recordings. This is something a less strong label could not achieve. There have been plenty of reviews and interviews coming out and generally the material is well-exposed. Thy Catafalque is definitely more known outside Hungary in spite of the fact that the lyrics are in Hungarian. Our previous album Róka Hasa Rádió was also released by a non- Hungarian label, Epidemie Records.



4. You moved to Scotland some years ago. How has it influenced your life as a musician? Do you have any aspirations of returning to Hungary again?

Tamás: Yes, I moved to Edinburgh in early 2008 and obviously this decision has totally changed my life in all aspects, including music. Most importantly because we could not work together any more with my old mate, János. We started the band together and recorded the first four albums with the work of both of us, but being so far away from each other limited the possibilities of the common work. But the offer from Season Of Mist for example was not the result of moving to Scotland. It could have happened while I was in Hungary, it all went via the internet regardless of my actual place. I’d like to return to my homeland indeed, but currently, in that economical situation unfortunately there’s no point in considering this. Quite sad to say. I really hope to get back some time permanently again.

5. How do you feel about the music (metal) scene in Hungary? Do you think it’s progressing and that more opportunities are emerging every day? Could you compare it to the metal world in the UK?

Tamás: I don’t really follow the Hungarian metal scene as I’m not there. There are definitely great bands but it’s quite a hard situation now because of the lack of the solvent audience. After all this whole topic is getting back to the economy again and that’s why the UK metal scene is stronger than the Hungarian. But that’s not an excuse for the lack of originality anyway you can face with.

6. Do you have any suggestions as to which Hungarian bands to keep an eye out for? What would your advice to new, starting musicians in Hungary be?

Tamás: Well, what I do is not keeping an eye on anything. I mean not keeping an eye _that_ way. I do whatever I want and never consider if that is suitable for anybody or not. Be original, be diligent and enjoy creating something new out of nothing. Stop blaming the media, the people, pop music, whatever, stop pointing your fingers at the whole world and feel sorry for yourself. There’s this common mentality in the country that leads to nowhere at all and I hate this. Be creative, build, that’s all you need.

Photo taken from Thy Catafalque at Reverbnation

7. What have you been up to since finishing Rengeteg? You mentioned once in an interview that your next step is releasing an EP with two tracks that didn’t make the cut for Rengeteg. Have your plans changed since?

Tamás: Now I reckon those two songs will just go for the next album along with new ones. I also have a third one finished now, so it’s about 25 minutes done for the next release. Still plenty of work to come.

8. It seems that the number of guest musicians in Thy Catafalque albums has decreased over the years. Are there any musicians that you would like to work with in the future? How about your music connections in Scotland? Since the problem with finding guest musicians is most often the logistics, have you thought about working with someone there?

Tamás: Attila won’t appear on clean vocals any more, apart from those two already recorded songs as he’s about to focus on his own ongoing projects, but Ágnes agreed to contribute again if needed. There are great singers here for example, but I want to keep on with Hungarian words. But anyway I know more and more local musicians and well, there are damn good ones in every corner, so I might work with instrumentalists from Edinburgh in the future. But still I can record most of the instruments I need myself.

9. What are your earliest memories of creating music? While you were growing up, what were your musical influences? Have they changed much in the meantime? Apart from music, what are your other influences?

Tamás: I started writing music with my old ZX Spectrum computer in the ‘80s, then I got my Commodore 64, but I never used it for music. Later replaced it to an Amiga 500 around ’90 and that was the time when I really got interested in composing. But my first real instrument was a Korg N5 synthesizer I use even now. I purchased that in 1998 second hand. Now also have a guitar. And that’s it. I don’t really consider myself a musician anyway, I’m too lame.
My first musical influences were the theme songs of computer games, C64 and Amiga, they were great machines! Then my first tapes were Die Mensch-Maschine from Kraftwerk and the first two Jean-Michel Jarre albums and I loved those pieces, still my favourites. Later came metal and everything else, jazz, folk, classical, experimental music, I listen to a lot of different genres and enjoy to be open-minded. Apart from music I have always been interested in all other branches of art and they do have their influences in the way I see the world and create music. And science also has its role in my works.

10. Would you like to add anything else to the interview?

Tamás: I would like to thank you for your interest and wish you all the best for your activities in the future. Take care!

Thank you, Tamás, for the interview, and especially for your music. I’ll be looking forward to seeing the future of Thy Catafalque, so keep up the great work!

Tamás: Thank you! 

The official video for Thy Catafalque's Köd utánam.