EMQ’s with DIVINE WEEP
EMQ’s with DIVINE WEEP
Hi everyone! Welcome to our new EMQ’s interview with Białystok, Poland based Heavy Metal band Divine Weep. Huge thanks to vocalist Mateusz Drzewicz for taking part.
What is your name, what do you play, and can you tell us a little bit about the history of the band?
Hey there – I am Matt, singer in Divine Weep. The band was formed in 1995 by two friends: Bart Kosacki (guitar) and Daro Karpiesiuk (drums) as a black metal act. They played with a various line-ups for several years, then became inactive around 2000. Bart and Daro reformed the band in 2010 with new bass player Janusz Grabowski and this foundation of the band is present ever since. In 2013 two new members joined – vocalist Igor Tarasewicz and second guitarist Darek Moroz. After recording acclaimed full-length debut “Tears of the Ages” in 2015 (released in America by Stormspell Records and in Europe by Metal Scrap Records) Igor left the band, and Divine Weep began to look for a stable vocalist until I joined the band in 2017. During these 3 years we have been touring extensively throughout Poland and Germany – right until the Covid madness began.
How did you come up with your band name?
The band’s name was invented by the band’s first vocalist in the mid-nineties. The band played black metal back in the day, so the name seemed quite appropriate. It turned out to be quite universal, as it fits the current heavy metal style as well!
What Country/Region are you from and what is the Metal/Rock scene like there?
We hail from Poland – a country that has always had a strong underground metal scene. Up to this day many great bands have become worldwide recognized brands: e.g. Behemoth, Vader, Decapitated, Batushka, Mgła etc.
What is your latest release? (Album, EP, Single, Video)
Actually, we have recently finished recording our new album – “The Omega Man”, which was released on June 8th Worldwide so be sure to check it out!
Who have been your greatest influences?
Well, as a singer I always revered vocalists who were versatile and could sing in a variety of styles. Among my favourites are Rob Halford, James Hetfield, Chris Cornell, Mikael Åkerfeldt, Tomi Joutsen, Zak Stevens, King Diamond, Layne Staley, Peter Tägtgren, Chuck Billy, Kristoffer Rygg etc.
What first got you into music?
I guess it was music TV (back in the days when TV still played music) – channels like MTV2, Viva and 4funTV all had some rock airplay in the daytime, but in the evening they were playing metal and I guess it was then when I knew “that’s it!”.
If you could collaborate with a current band or musician who would it be?
I would definitely like to sing a duet with Rob Halford, haha!
If you could play any festival in the world, which would you choose and why?
As for know I think playing on Keep it True is something I would like to experience. This is a festival known for being a celebration of the worldwide metal community, united to praise heavy metal music and culture, I’m dead curious to know how our music would be greeted by the fans.
What’s the weirdest gift you have ever received from a fan?
I would say that a bag of local potatoes after we played an extremely well received concert in Munich, DE. But the rest of the band recalls the 20th anniversary (2015, I wasn’t a part of DW then), when instead of a regular celebration cake the band received a potato cake with candles from the fans. Well, it seems everything weird that happens to our band revolves around potatoes 😉
If you had one message for your fans, what would it be?
Support your local metal community. Without you the bands are nothing, and I hope there is some value added from the music in your everyday life!
If you could bring one rock star back from the dead, who would it be?
A tough one, but I would choose Chuck Schuldiner. He left so early with not a single bad record in his catalogue, I guess there are lots of people who can’t sleep at night thinking what awesome stuff he would be recording if the reaper hadn’t taken him…
What do you enjoy the most about being a musician? And what do you hate?
I guess the power of creation and showing your emotions and ideas to the people, to have an actual influence on people’s life. Making a difference, you know? And I don’t hate anything – maybe I’m a little bit concerned with a fact that there is very little chance that music will pay your bills recently. But then again – lack of financial dependence on your music gives you more artistic freedom, which is awesome.
If you could change one thing about the music industry, what would it be?
I would definitely make music in mainstream media more versatile – I know that metal is supposed to stay underground, but there is so much music that is ignored and so many bands unheard of because nobody ever put it in the spotlight – as opposed to seasonal garbage. It has thankfully changed during the time of the internet, as the worldwide access to music has made the chances a little bit more even.
Name one of your all-time favourite albums?
I might surprise you, but it would be “Red” by King Crimson. It’s a perfect blend of (almost metal!) heaviness, melody, atmosphere and very good songwriting. ‘Starless’ is probably my favourite song of all time!
What’s best? Vinyl, Cassettes, CD’s or Downloads?
Well, being an avid CD collector, I would pick compacts as superior, but I can understand why people like vinyl and internet streaming (actually I stream a lot while driving a car, totally convenient). Can’t get the cassette thing though, I see hardly any advantages others than bringing back your memories of running downtown with a Walkman 😉
What’s the best gig that you have played to date?
Overall, I would say that it was a Hamburg, DE show in February of 2019 – a sold out show during the “Revolution of Steel” circular event, this time we played with the mighty Wizard. The gig was totally sold-out, and the audience was CRAZY, it was great to play there. On the other hand, we had some technical issues onstage, so it wasn’t that pleasant for us as it should be during the gig.
If you weren’t a musician, what else would you be doing?
Well, actually we are all doing something else in our everyday lives – music is just like a second life to us, our realm where we run to after our daily jobs are done.
Which five people would you invite to a dinner party?
There’s nobody I hate that much to force them to have a dinner with me.😉
What’s next for the band?
It’s all up to the goddamn coronavirus. Once it’s gone we’d like to hit the road to make our new songs heard in front of the audience. God, we miss playing live.
What Social Media/Website links do you use to get your music out to people?
There are some platforms that we can recommend:
www.facebook.com/divineweep/
www.divineweep.bandcamp.com/
www.instagram.com/divine_weep/
open.spotify.com/artist/4b4u6lnFeBollRjNlj6UnO
Jaffa Cakes? Are they a cake or a biscuit?
Of course, they are biscuits! In Poland there is a brand that has a decades-long tradition, called “Delicje Szampańskie”. I’ve been the fan of these ever since I was a kid!
Thank you for your time. Is there anything else that you would like to add?
Again, support the metal community in these times of pestilence. United we stand, divided we fall – let’s all remember that!
Disclaimer: This interview is solely the property of Ever Metal. It is strictly forbidden to copy any part of this interview, unless you have the strict permission of said party. Failure to adhere to this will be treated as plagiarism and will be reported to the relevant authorities.
