Bloody Redemption Interview With Martin Fodor

Where were you born and where did you grow up?

MF: I was born in a town in central Slovakia called Revúca and grew up there.

What sort of kid were you when you were growing up and what did you want to be when you were growing up?

MF: Others could probably say that better, but I think I was a pretty attentive and perceptive child.
I didn’t have any prospects of what I wanted to be, but maybe a professional soccer player.

When did you start to take an interest in music and how did you come to discover metal and then the world of underground metal?

MF: I have been interested in music since I was a child. My father listened to hard rock stuff and my older brother to metal. I remember watching even as a little boy headbanger balls on MTV and music from, for example, VH1 or tape recorders. Gramophone was often on at home.

Now with underground metal, what were some of the 1st bands you heard and did you like it right away or did it take a few listens to get into?

MF: Well, as a child it was bands like Metallica, Priest, Maiden, Manowar, and Helloween that my brother listened to. When I was about 12, a classmate brought Obituary – dead on CD. Then it completely absorbed me and I became fully interested in the harder offshoots of metal.

Now what led to you wanting to pick up a guitar? Did you take lessons or were you self-taught? Who are some of your favorite guitar players?

MF: We always had a classical guitar at home, but I only started trying to play it when listening to hard music. I was interested in how the riffs are played. I was about 15 years old and taught myself everything. My favorite guitarists are Chuck Schuldiner, Randy Rhoads, Paul Gilbert, Vivian Campbell, and many others.

Now is there a decent or good underground metal scene in Slovakia, where the band is based? Are there any record stores or many clubs where bands can play?

MF: Yes, the underground scene in Slovakia is very decent. There are a lot of excellent bands whose playing is at the world level. There are also many clubs for playing here. Metal concerts are organized in almost every larger city, but there is a lack of support for this music from higher circles, as well as music publishers that would support budding young bands.

What was the first metal concert you went to?

MF: I remember the first death metal one well. It was at the Pathology Stench in Rimavská Sobota in April 2004

Now how did the coming of Bloody Redemption come together? Was it easy to find members?

MF: I have known our singer and guitarist Jozef for many years. As a couple, we started putting together the first Bloody Redemption stuff. The drummer approached me himself because he heard that we play death metal and wanted to try it again. So from the beginning, it was work with musicians who had already played something. Finally, the young talent Marian joined us and the band began to work in full force.

What were the early practices like and how soon was it before you began to write your own songs? How does the writing of a song come together?

MF: When I learned to play the electric guitar and tried to play some covers, I started creating and recording my own riffs, from which I put together some songs. So the first songs of Bloody Redemption were composed long before the band was formed. First, the skeleton of the song is thought up, and then the second guitar is added to it. Marian invents the bass part, Matúš the drums, and finally the vocals are invented.

Who came up with the name of the band and the logo?

MF: The name of the band was invented by me and the author of the logo is Adam Parazit Šluch, who drew the cover for the first album Infected Minds.

So now how long was the band together before you began writing songs for your 2017 release, which was called “Infected Minds”? Why that title? Who came up with the artwork for the album cover?

MF: We started playing as a trio in 2012. The bassist joined the band in 2013/14, and actually during this period the songs for the first album were created. We went to the recording studio in 2016. The title of the album was named after the song Infected Minds, which deals with greed, envy, and senseless desire for power and superiority of people. All in all, about the stupidity that causes senseless conflicts and wars. The author of the cover is the aforementioned Adam Šluch.

Now how did you hook up with Support Underground? Did you find them or did they find you?

MF: Support Underground released albums for many SK/CZ bands and our friend Marcel from Acid Force recommended them to us. We approached them and they agreed. Unfortunately, this label is no longer working at the moment.

What are your thoughts these days on your debut release? How did the underground take to it overall?

MF: I am personally satisfied with the music of the debut album. For all that it was the first experience with recording, it’s decent. I believed in those songs from the beginning and I think that they have and always will have something to say within the genre of classic death metal. Only the album cover should have been better today, but some people liked its simplicity. Of course, we worked on the sound on the second album and it sounds much better than the first. Underground received our debut very well. We mainly approached older listeners with it, but younger generations were gradually added as well. The responses were very favorable and people were happy that someone was playing that sort of old death metal here.

Did you get to play any shows in 2017/2018?

MF: Yes, we played a few concerts here in Slovakia. We also played support bands for big names like Suffocation, Vital Remains, Jungle Rot, and Hypnos.

Now there was a 5 year break between your debut release and your release that came out in August of last year so what did you as a band do all that time?

MF: First of all, we toured and supported our debut, and of course, we also started creating new songs. We had planned to record the second album earlier, but there were problems with playing and rehearsing together. The drummer lived in Prague and during Covid, he was unable to get to our rehearsal room. He had problems with his spine and hand even before COVID-19, so Matúš, who has already stayed with us, stepped in for him. In the new line-up, we practiced songs for the second album in 2020. We came to the studio to record only in 2021.

I also saw you only had one member change, as you had a new drummer join for your new release, Matúš Minich. Where did you find him and did things just not work out with your former drummer?

MF: So I already mentioned why Matúš replaced Ladislav 🙂
Matúš is an excellent drummer. He is technical, emphatic, and a perfect fit for us. I liked his style of play from the beginning. Our bass guitarist Marián approached him because they play together in a melodic metal band called Marturos.

Now obviously COVID put a big dent in playing live over the past couple of years and even in many bands it took a lot longer to put new music out. So now when did you guys start to gather material for the “Hit to the Gore” release? Did it take you long once you got going?

MF: The material was more or less completely prepared in rough form already in 2019. With the aforementioned problems and the arrival of Matúš, we started rehearsing songs and preparing for the studio. Of course, Covid restrictions also affected us and we could not work as we would like. Concerts were played as far as possible, but finally, in 2022 things improved and were put in order.

Now Awakeing Records, did you find them or did they find you?

MF: I noticed that the legendary Slovak death metal album Invidia by Amorbital is being reissued by Awakening Records. When I was looking for a label, I wrote them too. After listening to our recording, they immediately wrote back that they would release us and so we were satisfied with their terms. This is how our cooperation began and we are very happy about it.

Who did the cover art for the new release?

MF: The author of the new cover art is the Czech artist Martin from Pen n Ink Designs.

I love the new release as it’s sick punishing death metal. How has the feedback been so far?

MF: Thank you, we are very pleased. The response has been fantastic so far. Awakening knows a lot of fanzines and webzines, so there have been a lot of reviews from around the world, mainly from Europe, which makes us very happy. I think that what we wanted to say and what we wanted to refer to, we managed to express ourselves with this album musically and visually.

Do you guys plan on playing some live shows this year?

MF: Of course. We have already confirmed some events in Slovakia and some festivals in the Czech Republic, so we are looking forward to it. Hopefully, there will be some more to come.

For someone who has not heard the band, what would you say you sound like?

MF: I would say that our guitar sound is specific, because we play on home-made guitar heads, which Jozef’s brother Jan put together, and their sound is killer. In terms of genre, we move in the old school of death metal of the 80s/90s. That is, in the style of its creation.

Please plug any social media sites you have, merchandise you have and where can people pick up this crushing piece of death metal.

MF: Everything can of course be purchased from us. CDs and T-shirts. We will send it anywhere. Just write to us either on the Facebook page, Instagram, or email. New CDs can also be purchased directly from Awakening Records.
Links:

Fb: https://www.facebook.com/bloodyredemptionRA

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/bloody_redemption

Mail: [email protected]

Horns up for doing this chat. Best of luck with the band going forward and any last words, the floor is yours?

MF: Thank you very much for this interview, your space, and the time you gave us. Greetings to the US metalcore fanzine and extreminal webzine and everyone who likes and supports us!