Please present your label and what you focus on, or even better, what you search for in a band you want to sign?
Grom Records is very underground oriented label and we follow extreme sounds only and it means Death, Black, Thrash, Doom etc… Bands that are interesting for us are from these named styles and we follow these rules since we started back in 2001. From the other side we also run Tmina Records as sister label of Grom Records and there we pay our attention on some other genres as well.
Serbia is not usually a place metalheads think of when they hear metal, but you have a few band worth talking about, including Bane whose members just moved to Montreal, actually. Can you please tell metal fans what they need to know about your scene with some suggestions.
Well, Serbia got some nice tradition in Metal and bands are destroying our ears since late 70’s Yes Bane was one of the bands we’ve released in the past and yes, frontman of the band moved back to Canada (said back as he was also born there) and now as far as I know there is a new line up with Canadian members and that’s great, great to know band continue to live. As for our scene there are really plenty of Metal bands from all the genres and worshipers of every Metal style can find some great tunes here. You can visit these portals and check some activities of Serbian bands: HYPERLINK « http://www.serbian-metal.org » www.serbian-metal.org, HYPERLINK « http://www.nocturnemagazine.net » www.nocturnemagazine.net
You present the « Thrash With Us Fest« . Can you tell us how it came about? Was it difficult to set up in Serbia? Present the event today and some of its highlights.
Since we organize shows on regular base since late 90’s, « Thrash With Us » is just another project for us, but project with big balls and honor. We connected bands from ex-Yugoslavian countries and we are trying to gather something like « Yu Metal Attack fest » that was active in Yugoslavia late 80’s. Bands from Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia will kick ass that night and we really are looking forward \m/. We have real collection of generations as members of some older bands are 60 years old and members of some younger acts are just 14, and we are more than proud we got opportunity to connect them all in one night It’s so meaningfull and show to all that simply Metal Lives \m/
Sarcasm will headline this year’s edition and they seem really popular, can you explain their history and success?
Sarcasm are a very old Thrash Metal band that started back in 80’s in ex-Yugoslavia and nowadays they are active in their country Slovenia. Band got real cult status among Speed Thrash Metal fans all around the globe and their first album « Crematory » got many re-releases on all kind of formats. The band is still active after all these years and they kick the dam ass! Beside them there will also be Bombarder, another legend from old Yugoslavian scene and it’s great to have them both playing our fest together. Bombarder old albums are one of the most expensive and rarest records from our scene and last year band got honorable tribute album « Hail To Bombarder » where even bands from Sweden, Norway, Czech play and sing covers in Serbian language, and that’s real blast indeed!
What does it mean to be, in 2014, an underground artist in Serbia (travel, freedom, access to jamspaces, vibrant scene, easy diffusion/broadcasting, etc.)
Everything is here bro, and everything is working. It’s on some lower level if you want to compare it with Western countries mainly as for the lack of money and financial power…But bands are very active, clubs, portals, radios and we are running all this the way we can…Underground with big U
As a label and being involved in the scene, where do you see the music industry going in terms of listening format, diffusion, trade, evolution of music., etc.
Hm, that’s the question of million dollars ahha. But I think music will stay and fight! Metal in music is still very underground and no matter that we have a huge acts playing stadiums and halls we still have very strong and all the time grooving underground where the rules are plain and simple, fight or die. And that’s great, as underground will survive all the craps that music industry create and push. Why? Well as the underground rules are still followed by honor, respect and ART above all! Not infected by damn filthy money…Let’s hope it will stay that way looong, looong time!
Any fanzines or websites to recommend in order to follow your scene?
There were many zines but since internet started with swallowing everything all of them died and nowadays we have just webzines. I’ve listed two the biggest ones in one of the previous answers and if you want to know our scene, go and click there.
Thanx for your interview and giving us some space to promote Grom and our activities. Please see and spread this great video add below we got for « Thrash With Us fest »
-Milan
