www.decapitatedband.net
Latest Album: Cancer Culture
Nuclear Blast
Polish death metal band Decapitated have endured more than their fair share of challenges and heartache over the years. Having survived for over two and a half decades is a monumental feat, especially with the tragic loss of incredible drummer Witold ‘Vitek’ Kiełtyka back in 2007. A steady but measured set of excellent album releases has seen the band’s discography grow and demand respect from the metal world, bolstered by ferocious live performances that are on par with other legendary acts to come from Poland, including Vader and Behemoth. Guitarist Wacław ‘Vogg’ Kiełtyka is a widely respected musician and his dedication to his craft has not only afforded him a tenure with Vader in 2009, but now sees him as celebrated lead guitarist of well-known metal band, Machine Head, since 2019.
Decapitated’s latest album is the wittily titled Cancer Culture, and the results are nothing short of spectacular. A recent rhythm section change within Decapitated has reinvigorated Kiełtyka’s approach to his music, challenging himself and his band to take their music to the next level, both technically and with their unique sound. Decapitated continue to be at the forefront of death metal with expansive inclusions of various musical styles among the bludgeoning metal, as heard with guest appearances from Machine Head mastermind Robb Flynn and from inspiring Jinjer vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk. Aside from some blistering guitar solos from Kiełtyka, the production team’s jaw dropping curriculum vitae makes the new album an essential metal album for 2022. Loud Online caught up with Kiełtyka recently to discuss Decapitated’s latest opus.
The latest album, Cancer Culture, had 15 months of pre-production. That is pretty full-on.
It is, but Covid times gave us that opportunity. We could spend enough time on pre-production. It was fifteen months because it took around twelve months for the composing process. Then after writing those songs, there was three months of practising the songs. That was myself and James Stewart, my new drummer, in the rehearsal room to just make it possible to play all these crazy riffs. Then, there was another three or four months in the studio, with small breaks. We knew we had time and didn’t need to be rushing things, but we also didn’t know when we could be able to get back on to the stage. We didn’t try to make this album release date too early because if we did, the album would have been out but with no tours or festivals which would mean we couldn’t promote this album in the proper way. Releasing an album just before the summer means we can take it to the festival stages.
How did you manage to get a hold of American producer Ted Jensen for production duties?
We were just looking for the best possible person we could for the mastering stage, which is the last thing, talking about the process of making the record. We never paid too much attention to the mastering thing, it was always much more important to record well and then mix. The mastering was always like, ‘Ah, mastering, what does that mean?’ But then we found out if we are doing something like mastering, it has to be important and it has to be done by someone who knows how to deal with that. We talked with David Castillo [Sweden’s Fascination Street Studios / Studio Gröndahl] who mixed the album and he said that he had worked with Ted Jensen for a few albums already. Ted is a very busy producer and he made many albums, having been doing this for many years now. If you see the list of the bands he has worked with, you just go there, you don’t have to think too long. He worked with Pantera, Slayer and Rage Against the Machine, Gojira, Sepultura, everything, all the best albums that we’ve been listening to over the years. We just emailed his assistant and they said they were interested to do it, no problem, and it really has added some better low-end to the final mix. It is just sounding bigger. It is the best.
The Decapitated sound has progressed with many mood shifts. Even the guitar tones change for different solos. I gather that is a natural progression.
I think that for sure it is a natural progression, and it comes down to experience. It is natural that we are becoming better and better at what we are doing. We are really trying to be better and for example, listen to our last album, Anticult. It is cool, with good ideas and a good sound – everything is in the proper spot, with solos and everything. But actually, now, a few years on, with more life experience, and more musical experience, it’s better. I became a part of Machine Head and spending time on tour with those guys saw me changing as a composer, as an arranger and overall, as a musician. There are so many things going on in our lives that are changing us and improves what we are all doing. I am doing the songs, so it is a natural progression. I think that I maybe became a better composer, and I am not afraid to be using more melodies, and can just put more music into the music, if you know what I mean? To be honest in what I am doing, I express myself in more brave or open ways than I did before.
For your guitar solos, the rhythm figures underneath them tend to include some time signature changes. For example, the songs Suicidal Space Programme and Hours as Battlegrounds have arrangements that change as the solo hits.
Thank you, that is cool to hear. That is because I had so much time to work on it during the pandemic. Yeah, I opened my mind more for key changes, harmonic changes, and intonation changes in the song. It is more interesting when the song is changing, or parts are not playing everything the same on the one note with is the tonic note. Going to a different part of the guitar neck is cool to add inn some surprises in the arrangements and I think I became a better composer from doing that, somehow and for some reason, which is cool.
The song No Cure starts out with blast beats. Given you have a new drummer, what are the techniques used to keep in time?
It is really fast and it one of my favourites. James [Stewart – drummer] can play everything so yes, that was the inspiration for me to deliver this kind of stuff. It is really fast and aggressive, but I knew that he is able to do it. He can play all of this stuff but of course, we were working all of this out together because he was visiting me here when I was putting together the demos. He made his own drum parts, taking some of my drum parts for the demos and putting them into his own language of drumming. We were then practising this in the rehearsal room, checking to see if we both can play this kind of stuff because this new album is a really hard album to play. The previous album, Anticult, was not easy but it is really comfortable in that once you start to play the songs, every song you can play without warming up too much. The new songs are more intense, and the tempos are higher, so we really took the level up with this kind of performance, but I knew that having James in the band when I didn’t have any boundaries on making things harder, faster and more aggressive. I did not have to worry about anything like that as I knew I have a drummer that can deliver.
Certainly, and the song Just a Cigarette, goes between different figures and then gets into a thrash metal gallop.
Oh yeah, we were just doing the video for that song and James needed to play the song about forty-five times. It is kind of challenging.
Why do think other death metal bands generally shy away from bringing in different musical styles? You’ll even have a melody line using a drone guitar part which is similar to something that a band like Pink Floyd might do.
I know, because the melody is the integral part of the music and without the melody, it is hard to create good music. You can create a breakdown just like a low string or bass on high gain sound. But I was focussing on delivering more melody because without a melody, I did not know how to explain myself in the music. That is why I started to explore more melodic territory again. I think that I haven’t really done this for about twenty years, since the first album, which is good. I think that is the way for me right now, I believe that is the key for me to deliver more music; by focusing on some kind of melodies instead of just some typical thrashy riffing.
Indeed, but having said that, there are still some ferocious and aggressive guitar tones, such as heard in the songs Locked and Hello Death.
Oh yeah, Locked, No Cure and Hello Death; there are lots of those aspects there, that is true.
What was it like collaborating with guest vocalists of Robb Flynn and Tatiana Shmayluk?
Well, with Robb it was kind of natural because I am in Machine Head and have been for three years. I had been thinking about asking Robb about that a few months before that happened and I knew that if I am playing Machine Head, then maybe I can ask Robb Flynn to play on a Decapitated record, which would be a dream come true for me, being a fan of Burn My Eyes which was an incredible thing. It was easier with Robb to just ask him, and he agreed to do it [guest on Iconoclast] and was really helpful. It doesn’t mean that asking Tatiana from Jinger was hard but I didn’t know her before the collaboration happened but I knew the bass player from Suicide Silence, and drummer Alex, who is her boyfriend. I asked Alex if she is able to do a collaboration and he asked me to send them a song [Hello Death]. They listened to it and liked it, and saw the potential for her to sing on it as a nice collaboration between Decapitated and her voice. That is how it happened, and she recorded amazing parts and also provided more than we asked for so it became a unique song.
Both of those guests also get the opportunity to do something a little bit different.
Yeah, and when you listen to that album, you’ve got Just a Cigarette and No Cure but when Hello Death comes in, and the riff with her vocals, it changes everything and adds a different feel to the overall album. It is cool and when you listen to that track as it flows on the album, it is like, ‘Wow, what is that? what is next?’
It also has a jolting style of rhythm to it which reminds me a bit of Meshuggah.
Oh yeah, that is true, it is a kind of Meshuggah style of riffing or polyrhythmic technique that they are using in the phrasing. You can certainly here the influence in there and I think that after so many shows that we did with Meshuggah, it comes through.
Touring with a band like that would definitely rub off on you.
Oh yeah and I think it is the same for every musician. If you are watching a band every night, it will stay with you for a long time. It will probably affect your own songs and riffs. It was like that and I remember when I came back from the tour with Meshuggah and when I started to write the Blood Mantra album I had some little problems because my mind was still hearing and trying to go in that direction which reminds me of Meshuggah in some ways. It was a bit of a problem in a way, but it is maybe like when an actor finishes one movie and then needs to go into another movie, to prepare for another role. They need to take out the aspects of the role that they were involved in before to make a completely different personality for the next picture. It is probably something like that.
How does song writing work within Machine Head? Is it a case playing parts or is it a combined and contributing team effort?
Well, in Machine Head, it actually works with Robb asking me about riffs all the time. He will ask me about sending him riffs as much as I want. So, I will send an idea for a song, plus a few other riffs and he will use that, or rearrange that to create a song from that. I have been collaborating on two songs on the new Machine Head album, plus, he asked me for the solo parts, so I sent him seven or eight solos for other songs.
Do you have to put on your Randy Rhoads hat to play some of Phil Demmel’s solos?
Yeah, I mean it is not possible to do everything the same and sometimes I even change some of his parts because I am not sure how he did it. Robb is okay with that but of course, some parts are important where they have to be the same. Other times, we can go around and play some different notes and it is still okay, within my parts in the solos.
What would be your favourite solo on the latest Decapitated album?
Let me think; I would choose two. I like the solo from Cancel Culture, and maybe the second solo from No Cure because No Cure is an aggressive song and an aggressive solo. It became really cool, as it was natural and fit with the rhythm guitar so well. Plus, with Cancel Culture, it is really melodic, and epic, with interesting key changes on the rhythmic parts.
Some solo parts sound like trade-offs such as in the track, Cancel Culture.
Okay, in Cancel Culture, just before, let’s say a chorus, there is an expressive part in octaves with a more melodic thing after that.
Overall, who would be your influences as a guitarist?
That is always a hard question because sometimes musicians don’t realise exactly. I’ll always says some names but then I will come back to some records that I haven’t listened to for years. For example, like the thrash metal band Sacred Reich, or Overkill and I then realise how much I am so influenced by all of these bands. There are so many choices with people like James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, John Petrucci, Zakk Wylde or Trey Azagtoth. I am probably influenced by all the bands that I have been listening to from when I was a kid, that led to me being me, right now.
What sort of guitars are you using?
I play Ibanez guitars and am endorsed by Ibanez. I work with the Ibanez LA Custom Shop with Mike Origgo who is the artist representation for this company. Yeah, Ibanez and am coming back to the six string guitars. I have a few years playing seven strings and recording only seven string guitars for the previous last two albums. Right now, it is more six string and actually, for the last record, it was only six string guitars from the Custom Shop. The model I am using right now is a Destroyer [Ibanez LA Custom Shop Destroyer] and I have come back to EMG pickups again.
For amplifiers, have you taken on the digital realm with Kempers and Axe-FX processors?
I have been using Kempers for live performance and for the studio, I always use tube amplifiers because in the studio, they always sound the best. After a few years of using the digital things like the Kemper I am coming back to using tube amplifiers for live shows, again.
Finally, the lyrics are well constructed. I know you’ve got Jarek Szubrycht [journalist and Lux Occulta vocalist] doing a large portion of them. What would you say is the overall album theme and do you generally agree with his lyrics or have to tweak them at all?
I am in agreement with Jarek, I would never ask someone to do this and then not agree with what they are thinking about, because the lyrics are talking about reality, about humanity and the state or condition of our society, and our planet. It is also about social media and what is going on there with cancel culture and the mistakes that we repeat because we don’t want to change. That is what the song No Cure is saying, that there is no cure for us, and Cancer Culture’s topic of the lyrics are about the dark side of human nature. The cancel culture is the culture of humanity, and we are the cancer of this world.
It is a brilliant album title which is both punchy and gets the point across immediately.
Thank you and I think the same. I really trust Jarek; he is a smart guy who has a good view of the reality of the condition of humanity and the condition of what is going on, on the planet. He is a journalist who works for one of the biggest newspapers in Poland and he is also a music journalist and the author of books. He is the right person for writing lyrics.
Hopefully things in Poland will also improve given what is going on within proximity.
I know, it is terrible. We are really close to the Ukrainian border and I am just waiting for when the conflict finishes. Hopefully it will be soon but if not soon, I am sure that the Ukrainians will be fighting as soon as they win because they are really brave people.