Interview with Igor Ignatczyk
(Possessed by Hate)
Igor with Peter (Vader), Minsk region, June 2015
Hail my Belarusian metalbrother Igor, you are very welcome to my own hell, called Archangel’s Lantern. When and how did you join metal music? What was your first tape/vinyl/CD? Which band(s) you saw very first time?
- Hey Bro! It will be very nice to talk to you! I am very proud that you paid attention to my modest person :)
It all started a very long time ago, in the second half of the 80s. I had just served in the army, and I just needed something new. However, even as a schoolboy, I asked to be louder when my friends turned on AC/DC, Scorpions, Queen, Nazareth. At that time, I didn’t have my own tape recorder, and it was difficult for me to figure out what was happening, there was, of course, no idea where such recordings were taken at all)))
However, something stuck in my memory. My military service began in May 85, that is, practically with the beginning of Gorbachev's perestroika. When I returned a couple of years later, I was surprised to find that the union also plays hard rock and even metal, and moreover, if you try, you can buy vinyls of Soviet bands playing this music in stores. I even found Cultural goods in the military town, where these records were not scattered instantly, and you could have time to buy something interesting. By the way, my old friend Uladzimir said that he managed to find absolutely incredible things in the Soyuzpechat kiosks in his town. Ask him for more details.
The first bands I listened to, were Accept, AC/DC, Running Wild, Cruise, Черный Кофе, Master, Aria, Bonfire, Warlock. In the early 90s, the amount of music I listened to increased, my metal horizons developed as well. In general, in 1991, I no longer needed to ask more advanced colleagues what would be so interesting for me to listen to. Plus, I read a certain amount of fiction. I liked to read, and then there was enough time for this. That's how it all started.
before the Skyforger-show, Minsk, 2011
You are with Uladzimir both have awesome collections of different stuff of underground music, what are your most preferred treasures?
- My music is old school Heavy, Thrash, Death, Black, Black/Doom, Black/Thrash, Black/Death.
This is a huge number of bands, both classic metal and modern performers playing old school metal. There is simply no point in naming any names, I think there are more than a thousand such compositions. I think all the bands that you listen to like me too.
Would you be so kind to describe Belarusian underground movement from the beginnings to our times? Tell us more about your activity in your local scene.
- Well, this is a question for Uladzimir. I'm not a big fan of the Belarusian scene... And not a very big scene in Belarus. The Metal Archives lists 491 names, both former and current bands. Not so much for a country of 10 million people. I will name a few names, but they are mostly from the past Exhumator, Pathologist Department, old Gods Tower, Oyhra, Pagan, Zmrok, Smiercieslau. I myself promoted at different times the music of Septic Schizo, Evthanazia, Frodmortell, Iratus Dominus. However, the representatives of Belarus quite recently pleased me with a good album. I mean the last album Smiercieslau. Black metal tarnada (Black Metal Tornado).
Kilkim Žaibu festival # 14, Varniai, Lithuania, June 2013.
Are you playing the musical instruments and were you in a band or are nowadays?
- No, that idea never crossed my mind. In general, there are not many metal musicians in Belarus from my generation. There are much more musicians among the guys born in the 70s. In the 90s, it was they who, in their 20s, formed the basis of the Belarusian scene.
Unfortunately I’ve never been in Belarus so far. What interesting places would you recommend to visit for me? What are your recommendations of your local cuisine and drinks?
- As for me, it is unlikely that you have lost something from the fact that you have never been to Belarus. Nevertheless, there are very beautiful, filled with a unique atmosphere. For me, this is primarily the Braslav Lakes. Uladzimir just lives there. Also unique are Polesie (its southern part is located in Ukraine), Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Berezinsky Reserve (my wife Alla is from those places), Nalibotska Forest.
Among Belarusian cities, Grodno is my absolute favorite. However, in general, a trip to Western Belarus is quite an exciting experience. You can see a lot of interesting things.
As for traditional Belarusian cuisine, it is largely intertwined with Polish cuisine. And it is not surprising, because a lot of common things have connected these countries for centuries. It is very sad that now Belarus is repeating the negative Soviet experience, supposedly there are enemies all around. It is because of this that the country is sliding into the Stone Age, depriving itself of prospects for the future. Well, to complete the theme of Belarusian cuisine and drinks, I can recommend the restaurant "Kamyanitsa" not far from the center of Minsk.
Igor, you visited our local fest a couple of years ago in Uzhhorod/Ungvár, what organized my old mate Cornelius of Castrum/Encomium. (Unfortunately, I was not there). What are your experiences? Which bands do you like from Ukrainian and Hungarian scene?
- Yes, it was really just an amazing action! The line-up of the groups was chosen simply superbly. Well, the places of origin of the performing bands was also voluminous, more than ever, either before or after this release of the festival: Ukrainian, Hungarian, Romanian, Polish line-ups. Well, I myself had a hand in ensuring that the Belarusian grindsters Exegutor performed there. So, it was very awesome and meaningful.
I even have a T-shirt left in memory of this event. The festival itself, as far as I remember, was held in early September 2015. Wow, more than 7 years have passed!
In general, in the period from 2004 to 2017, I was lucky to attend about 10 festivals and concerts in Ukraine: in the Crimea, the Carpathians, Kyiv, Chernihiv, Lviv, Uzhhorod.
with Radu Vulpe (ex-Decease) UzhGoreRot 2015
I'll start the second part of the question, perhaps, with the bands that impressed me with their music last year.
Among the Ukrainian line-ups, this is the Kharkiv Death Metal quartet Necrom. The group consists of very famous musicians, and the fact that the debut full-length was released on Osmose Productions only confirms the class of this group.
As for the Ukrainian scene as a whole, here we have just a lot of great bands:
1914, Castrum, Deathincarnation, Dead Christ Cult, Gasoline Guns, Hellfire, Khors, Nokturnal Mortum, Paganland, Screaming Forest, Zombie Attack, Січгарт, and this is an incomplete list of Ukrainian bands I know.
Basically, these are artists whose albums I like, but there are also a couple of lineups that I was lucky to work with as a promoter. And then my more than 5-year collaboration with the Black/Death Hellfire formation from Kremenchuk immediately pops up from my memory. In 2017 and 2021, we released 2 releases, this is the Goat Revenge EP. The CD was released on the German label Witches Brew, well-known in certain circles, and the Hungarian Iron County Records undertook the release of the cassette version, after 4 years the debut full-length of the band Lobotomized by Holy Crucifix was released. The album was released by Polish Mara Productions as CD in Digipak and Slipcase versions. Later, the guys had disagreements, and the group suspended activities, and then this damned war began. War of madness against common sense!
There were other groups that I hope I was useful. I remember well that my collection Seven Burning Churches (A Tribute to Possessed) included cover versions of Ukrainians Січгарт and Castrum (your alma mater).
In 2017, the people of Kyiv Січгарт successfully performed at the private festival Serna Tusas in Lithuania. Later, another Kyiv-based Zombie Attack released their 2nd album on More Hate Productions. Prior to this, there was an edition of the album released by the band itself on CD-R.
Let me now turn to the Hungarian scene. Just recently, I accidentally discovered that the almost forgotten gangs Blizzard and Diecold released new albums in 2021 (Disengaged from Life) and 2022 (Rebirth) respectively. I immediately set aside a couple of hours to listen to this cool BM. And now I would like to see these opuses in my collection on physical media. And the first albums of these formations Rest in Hell (Diecold) and Les Litanies de Satan (Blizzard) got into the collection in the 2nd half of the 2000s.
Of course, I am familiar not only with those that I just spoke about. I really appreciate the creativity of Age of Agony, Angerseed, Drünken Bastards, Dusk, Fanatic Attack, Gore Thrower, Gravecrusher, Gutted, Hell Eternal, Malediction, Mörbid Carnage, Fog. And, of course, the classics of Hungarian metal Angel Reaper, Fantom, Tormentor!!!
with Diabolizer, October 2017 Warszawa
Perhaps you know, that my small blog is eternally dedicated to Jon Andreas Nödtveidt and Lars-Göran Petrov. What are your favourite albums/tracks from their heritage? Did you see and meet them live?
- I like Dissection from the 90s! Everything there is just gorgeous! The 'Reinkaos' album, recorded and released after Jon's return from prison, disappointed me. Then, in 2006, I listened to it only once and never returned to it. I am less familiar with the work of Entombed, oddly enough, here for me No. 1 is legendary 'Left Hand Path' debut. I also really like the music of Firespawn, where Lars-Göran also sang.
Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to meet these legendary personalities live.
Are you have any special hobbies?
- Well, our family loves cats. My wife and I have 7 pets in the apartment. We all met
under different circumstances, but all of them somehow needed a loving family then, and they found it.
In any case, animals are much better than people, and for me this is an axiom in life)))
with Martin van Drunen (Asphyx), Warszawa, October 2017
What shows did you visit last time?
- Last year I managed to visit a couple of festivals and concerts in Poland and Lithuania. And these were the first promotions after covid restrictions.
In May, I was at a rather interesting concert in the Polish city of Siedlice. This is the same city where I tried to work. We can say that he tried to start a "career" of a guest worker in February - March 2020)))
It was there that I learned what a pandemic is. However, I digress.
So, on the stage of the Lemmy rock pub there that evening, local NuclearwinteR, my buddies, and Orgasmatron, a band consisting of musicians from the cult Polish bands Acid Drinkers, Turbo, etc., performed cover versions of Great Motörhead songs. The concert was clearly a success then, there was an unique and well-known atmosphere of a metal concert for every metalhead!
In the Summer, already in July, I went to Lithuania, to the small town of Macionys for a private metal fest Serna Tusas (Party at the Wild Boar). I was, maybe still am, a representative of this small metal forum and invited 2 Polish bands Frightful and Black Hosts there. The action itself, but I will keep silent about the atmosphere. Everything was not the same as before (I was there for 4 issues in a row 2016 - 2019) because of the war in Ukraine.
And, finally, the last, I hope not the last, Metal Doctrine'fest vol.4 festival in my life. in the Polish city of Bytom. The hordes which performed there were really worthy of the attention of the most sophisticated metalhead. These were Polish Dimidium Mei, Witchfuck, Prosecutor, Sexmag, Titus Tommy Gunn, Deus Mortem, Infernal War, and Norwegian Bombers led by Olve Eikemo aka Abbath became the headliner.
Photos from the festival are on my fb page.
with Herr Warcrimer (Infernal War, Iperyt, Voidhanger), Vilnius, March 2016
I know, it’s a very hard question but name us your eternal favourite bands/LPs (and not only from big bands and their releases)
- I will not go too far, I will name only a few albums: VENOM "Welcome to Hell", MERCYFUL FATE "Don't Break the Oath", POSSESSED "Seven Churches", SODOM "In the Sign of Evil", "The Final Sign of Evil", HELLHAMMER "Apocalyptic Raids", BATHORY "Bathory", "Under the Sign of the Black Mark", DARKTHRONE "Soulside Journey", "Transylvanian Hunger", BLASPHEMY "Fallen Angel of Doom....", SARCOFAGO "I.N.R.I.", KAT "666", DESTRUCTION "Sentence of Death / Infernal Overkill". I think, after such revelations, everything is clear with me))))
Дзякуй вам вялікі/thanks a lot my great friend! Send your message to the readers to complete the interview.
- Дзякуй табе за вельмi цiкавыя пытаннi / Thank you for the very interesting questions!
What can I say? I wish that the black flame never goes out in the hearts of real old school metal Warriors!
Igor and Uladzimir
