Bolesno Grinje Interview

Croatian death metal/grindcore institution Bolesno Grinje has celebrated last year their 15year anniversary and this year they are finalizing their eight album GRD. There were multiple reasons why I wanted to speak to these guys. Not only for their specific approach to hard core music, but also for the fact I have very close relations to exYugoslavian region and I do my best to reach all crucial bands and musicians from this area. Sorry Goran Bregović, it's time for sth heavier ;D. Next to that, Czech Republic is a second music home for them and finally, this Saturday they are coming to my hometown Ostrava.

When someone is searching for videos or interviews with you, most of them are related to Obscene Extreme Festival. You have already complimented craziness of this crowd, however, how did this festival fueled your career?

For any band Obscene Extreme Festival is a wind on the back by all means!
It helped us finding few record labels for releasing the records and also we met some people there who helped us with the gigs around...

When I saw the footage, I was glad to hear Yugo comments. ;D as “U pičku materinu“. Were you surprised and did it happen also in Italy, where you also toured?

No, we were not surprised...since there on OEF usually you can see (and hear) a decent number of Balkan people!  No, in Italy it didn't happened...there's not so much Balkan people there like on OEF! :D

Czech Republic in general, is your main destination outside of Croatia. Was it thanks to the organizers of OEF that you managed to arrange visa to play in EU country? Are you planning much larger spectrum of tour destinations now, as Croatia joined EU.

This happened by accident...the fact that we're playing more in Czech Rep. than in any other country in EU is because of the friends we have in Czech Rep. that are inviting us constantly...we would like to take this opportunity to thank them for that! When Croatia joined EU all our troubles from the past were solved...it just took us some more time to fight with the stupid bureaucracy! We're not planning a tour exactly...we just want to play wherever we're invited...to be exact, wherever is possible to go!

I must also compliment your steadily rising production quality. Especially, as it is done in-house by your guitarist Jule. My roommate is also a guitarist and a producer. Rising number of his business request and same as with you, rising quality of production, proves: “You don’t always need a well-known studio and a well-known producer.”

Thank you for your compliments! All the time we're trying to be better in any way that is possible! Yes...in our kind of music you don't need a well known studio or producer...ok, of course it's better if  you have a decent studio where you can record...but the most important thing is to have there the person who knows how and what to do...and that he's doing it with passion!

Mouth full of honesty

In your lyrics you often discuss cultural and social issues. I loved your comment: “There is stupidity on this planet for at least  20 more albums.”I personally experienced plenty of those issues while I lived in Serbia and spent many months in Croatia soon after 2000’s: Post war depression, never ending race hate, rising corruption and support for radical movements, smaller wages/increasing prices. Did I miss anything? ;D

No, that's it...but would like to mention nationalism...which the bastards are using again to keep the people busy with fighting over something so unimportant...the rotten spirit of the 90's is awakening and the worst thing is that a lots of young people accepts it...

What are your daily jobs , which you hate so much?

One of us is electrician in a shipyard, one is ceramist, one driver and one is reading the water counters...all hated equally! :D 

Rotten spirit of the 90's is awakening and the worst thing is that a lots of young people accepts it...

Metal life

When I mentioned some of these bands, how are you arranging tours? Are you keeping good relationships with plenty other bands within the scene or you rely on the interest of the promoter? 

We're not a band who tours a lot...we're trying to play wherever we're invited to...and usually it happens to be smaller/shorter 2-3 days tours... Yes, we're keeping relations with a people and bands who likes what we do...that's where all the arrangements come from...

When we were talking about “shitty” jobs, what are the reactions of your co-workers on you playing in a grind/death metal band?
Oh, definitely we're weirdos!...But when they realize that we're throwing all the bad things out of ourselves this way...and that we're doing what we love...some of them might be jealous! :D

When I lived in Belgrade during my puberty and also traveling every few months to Vinkovci in Croatia, I was facing many bad looks on being a metal teenager! I was called Satanist and a member of cult by some of my classmates, religious grandmothers on streets were freaked out if they saw me in Sepultura T-shirt, but one time I was really afraid. It was really hot July afternoon in Vinkovci, when I saw a warning on Croatian TV HRT: “Church is warning people, to be extra cautious regarding metal fans. They are dressed in black, greeting themselves by a horn and listening to bands as Iron Maiden or Dimmu Borgir.” I thought I would be stoned on the street. On the other hand, there is nothing evil as: Seka Aleksić, Sinan Sakić, Dara Bubamara, Semsa Suljaković, Mile Kitić, Jelena Karleuša and the others u pičku materinu ;D

Yes, there is deeply rooted traditional christian value policy in all parts of Croatia...and Serbia of course! Today things changed a bit...kids in metal t-shirts doesn't feel like you did any more...but since they are minority they can always be discriminated. The thing on Croatian TV was insane completely...can you imagine some priest doing anti metal propaganda...and seeing young metal heads as a threat! It's just ridiculous! Today Iron Maiden plays in the center of Dalmatia (a totally religious area) and nobody complains...also like those so called singers you mentioned...they are playing their shallow minded bullshit all around Croatia... as long as the business is working nobody complains...so you can come to conclusion that the money is the new religion and the new god!

Even though there is a long rock tradition in Balkans thanks to Bijelo Dugme, Riblja Čorba, Smak, Azra and many more, metal scene is very underground due the social atmosphere, I mentioned. On the other hand Croatian scene seems to be the largest in the ex-Yugoslavia. There are only few Serbian bands as Sacramental Blood (Supposed to play on Brutal Assault, but there were Visa issues). However in Croatia, I know for many years Ashes You leave and my friends from Zadar’s scene: Rising Dream. Next to that: Omega Lithium’s short small explosion and not sure how far Cold Snap pushed it. ;D

It’s hard for all Croatian bands to make a huge impact outside the country. First of all Croatian scene is so small that you have maybe 3-4 places to play your show during the whole year. You must constantly look for some shows outside Croatia, but to book a show outside Croatia people must hear about you and with 3 gigs per year in some local club promoters from Europe will never hear for you. So it’s like a closed loop you have to be very persistent to break the loop and to take band to the next level.

Money is the new religion and the new god!

If we critically look at the success and the influence of Croatian bands, I take you as the most influential – based on the issues you discuss in the lyrics and for the years of being active. Did you ever realize, you might be the main spokespersons on local social issues, if one listens to Croatian band and reads the lyrics? If we take the power of death/grind lyrics, I tend to consider you the Croatian Brujeria.

Well we don’t consider Bolesno Grinje as a band with big influence to the people. To be honest we have very small fan base and when we are writing our songs we don’t think: “this song will change the world”. We are writing our lyrics about stuff that is surrounding us, about some injustice and some other things that are pain in the ass for us. Of course someone can find himself in our lyrics and agree with us, on the other hand someone can think this lyrics are nothing but a bullshit. To compare Bolesno Grinje with Brujeria we think it’s too much, but thanx anyway he he…

I’m doing my best to study the Balkan war and also teach my surroundings about, what really happened after Second World War in the Balkans, but I was dragged once into a discussion: “What would happen in the backstage of an international festival if Serbian and Croatian band met?” I rather leave answer to you.

Probably they would get drunk together with some beers and Rakija of course...(that's what would we do!). If any of those two bands refuse to hang out together on national basis...they are an assholes!

Message for Czech readers:

We love to play in Czech Rep. it is always good atmosphere and we always meet nice people there so greetings to all Czech grind maniacs from Croatia. See you on Saturday in Ostrava!!!