Vrag remains faithful to the “darker roots”
Old school misanthropic Black Metal
Hi Vrag! How are you? Nice to be able to interview you.
How has the pandemic been going for you?
Thank you for your interest. Fortunately, the madness called pandemic hasn’t made my life particularly difficult, I don’t really watch the news and I don’t follow the daily events, I practically don’t feel much of this at the end of the world. I’ve been working from home for many years, so I don’t really care about it all. Only the concerts are a bit missing.
To begin with. Tell us a little bit about yourself?
Where does your passion for music come from?
Ever since I know my mind, music has played a very important role in my life. Listening metal music from waking up to going to bed, I feel bad when there is silence, even work doesn’t go that way. I was born in the late eighties, so I unfortunately missed the heroic age, but by the 1990s the metal had already caught on. My first big love was Iron Maiden, but a Pokolgép (this is a legendary Hungarian heavy metal band) and the first Helloween vinyls also thoroughly sealed my fate.
What are your main influences?
To this day, I like classic heavy metal, but I found my real home in black metal. I have been listening to the genre for over 20 years. The first records were the first Mayhem, the early works of Burzum, or Nargaroth. I would name these bands musically as my main influence, which of course has been shaped by a lot of other bands over the years, as I am constantly researching newer bands and records.
Let’s talk about “Harcom”, your most recent musical work from your solo project Vrag. How was the editing and recording process?
Recordings of Harcom were made in my own home studio, so I worked on it slowly, usually on weekends, and it took a little over two years to work.
How many tracks does it include? Any audio-visual material?
I recorded a five songs, and no audio-visual stuff was made for any of the songs, and there are no plans like that.
How was the promotion and diffusion of the album?
How was it received in general, by the public and the specialized press?
It was released just a month ago, so there hasn’t been too much critics for it yet, but so far I haven’t read anything bad about it from the press, and the CD and Merch are also surprisingly well going.
Where is it possible to obtain a copy of it?
The easiest way to order a CD is through Bandcamp: https://vraghungary.bandcamp.com/
Back to Vrag, your solo project.
How did the idea of creating this project come up?
Ever since I know black metal and Burzum — which is my main influence — I’ve wanted a formation in which I do everything all by myself.
Based on what influences is it born?
Someone paints a pictures, someone sculpts, and I live my passion for writing songs. I had no particular goal with Vrag, just to create, and I’m happy if someone else likes it.
What are you based on to create your own songs?
My songs mostly reflect my current feelings, imprints of those moments, supported by something quite serious to say through the lyrics.
In addition to your own personal project, you are a member of Frozen Wreath and Witcher.
Could you tell us briefly about both bands?
Are both bands active?
Yes, both bands are active and both represent a different branch of the black metal genre. I do WitcheR with a trained musician, Gere Karola, and we mostly represent the line of Summoning, the early Dimmu Borgir, i.e. atmospheric black metal supported by powerful keyboards, where melodies and classical musical influences were given the lead. Frozen Wreath is actually the project of Zoltán Szele, I only write the lyrics and sing there. I could most liken this formation to the more melodic black metal bands of the second half of the nineties, such as Catamenia.
I guess being in both bands plus your personal project, Vrag, you barely have enough time.
How do you manage to dedicate time to each band separately?
These projects are in circulation as one album is made, the next is usually made in the background as the creation is continuous. I don’t like to be bored.
Back to your personal project and your musical career.
What are the next plans we can expect?
I have no special plans. It was out of the question for Harcom to appear on cassette, but I think that was pretty much it on this record. New songs are already being made in the background, the next album is almost ready. At the end of the year, I may begin the recordings for it as well, but before 2024, it will almost certainly not release.
Well, that’s all. Thank you for your time and wish you the best of luck in your projects. Before finish, something you would like to say.
I thank you for your questions and interest in my work. If someone is interested in Vrag, feel free to contact me!
Vrag online:
https://www.instagram.com/vragofficial/
