Interview

Some time ago I came across a new band for me. LaNinia a new Thrash/Core/Metal band from Poland. The album that I came across was called; Tyrant, and it was released in 2021 via Metal Mind Productions in Poland. I found out that they where playing a live concert with one of my all-time Favorite Polish band Flapjack that released this great album in 1996 called; Fairplay. So, i went to Poznan, Poland to see Flapjack and LaNinia playing this remarkable concert. I asked the band for a interview and everything was arranged. The Interview was done with Daniel Ludwiczak with help in the English translation from Szymon Lesniewski. The photo’s are from Mariusz Majcherek.

Hello Daniel, how are you doing?

Welcome! Im very well, I hope you too;-)

You guys Just did a ‘small’ Polish tour with the Legendary Polish Thrash/Hardcore/Rap band Flapjack. Please tell us about it and how did you get in contact with the band to be the support act?

Yes! We had the pleasure to share the stage with the legends of the 90s. We love music and bands that had a big influence on us at that time. Flapjack are great musicians as well as our friends. I had the opportunity to meet Maciej Janhz in person during the concerts promoting our debut “Loneliness”. We follow each other and, most beautifully, we support each other. I asked Maciek if it would be possible to play this mini-tour with Flapjack and he agreed 🙂

For the people who don’t know Flapjack and that one of the old important member Guzik died in 2021. What is your Flapjack experience. You where a fan of the band?

Yes. I’ve known the band since their first album came out. I love groove in music and in 90’s there was not enough music like that when it comes to the Polish metal scene. Also Grzegorz was very special with his flow, vocals an apearance. Besides, Flapjack is a group of great musicians from various great bands. As a fan of these bands, I was curious how it would turn out. And it would be a bull’s eye 😉

Did you play any gigs with other known Polish bands so far?

From the very first concerts, LaNinia was lucky and had the opportunity to play with great and well-known bands from Poland. We had the honor to promote our records during the tours of such bands as: Vader, Turbo, Illusion, Corruption, Kat and Roman Kostrzewski, The Sixpounder, Luxtorpeda, and recently with Flapjack 😉 We played, among others, at the “Wake Up & live” – Music festival and “Free Music”

Okay, Lets talk LaNinia now. How did you guys met and started the band? And why you choose the name LaNinia?

We’ve all known each other for a very long time because some of us have played together in other projects before. I founded LaNinia together with Janusz Duź – our previous guitarist. For private reasons, Janusz had to put down the instrument and withdraw from cooperation with the ensemble. But I hope that everything will normalize with him. When it comes to the name of the band, I always wanted it to be enigmatic, dark, and at the same time related to us, that is people. There is such a weather phenomenon El Niño and La Niña. This time I chose a name that represents a low temperature anomaly and we made it sound more Polish. However, before LaNinia, a long time ago, at the turn of 1998/2000, I created the EL-Ninnio project

Unfortunately, the project did not survive due to insufficient involvement of some members. I remember in 2001 in one of the numbers of Metal Hammer a new band called “Ill Niño” was presented 😉 I was a bit sad because my EL-Ninnio was gone. I have an idea to record just a few songs from that period where we did not manage to release a full album and there is a lot to choose from because there were two demos that did not see the light of day.

In 2018 the band released the first album called: “Loneliness”. Please tell us how this album came into being. I think it was a self produced/released album without a record label behind it?

Yes.”Loneliness” as well as the second album “Tyrant” was made and produced by us. We released our debut at our own expense in August 2018 on CD. Whereas “Loneliness” on vinyl was released in February 2019. When we had the first album “Loneliness” recorded, we were looking for a vocalist quite a long time. Various people showed up, showed us their possibilities, visions, etc., but I didn’t feel it. Then I thought about Mateusz. I have known him for a long time – you could say that from the cradle, because with his dad we have been creating various local music projects for years and I had this opportunity to observe Mateusz as he develops vocally. I invited him to LaNinia and offered to cooperate.

The album features great guests: Maciej Gładysz, known for such projects as Human, Edyta Bartosiewicz or Wilki, and Jacek Hiro from Decapitated or Kat and Roman Kostrzewski. Their presence is a great honor for me !!!

How Loneliness was received by press and fans?

We had very good reviews. Generally, people did not believe that LaNinia is a Polish band 😉

Last year in 2021 we saw a new album called: “Tyrant” seing the light of day. Now a record label stand behind you guys. Metal Mind Productions Saw potential in you guys and signed the band. How did you came across MMP?

When it comes to MM, we sent an EP to them and we got a positive response. I must admit that it is also a great merit of Piotr Luczyk from the band Kat.

2021 was a ‘strange’ year to release a new album. Cities and country’s where in a lockdown. Worldwide nearly no Live concerts etc. Why you guys or MMP decide to release the album, even when it was not possible to promote the album for a live audience?

We changed the release date several times, but MM decided to release the whole album for us and gave us that time so we can promote it when possible. I had to get to work hard and complete the album. On the one hand, it was not an easy art, and on the other hand, I am pleased with myself that I was able to create these compositions despite the pressure of time. And sometimes such pressure doesn’t help.

Please tell us about the writing process time in the studio when you recorded Tyrant?

We recorded the album in “Aurora studio” in Lubon near Poznan in Poland. Daniel Witczak and Krzysztof Małagowski are great producers. Daniel understands my expectations very well when it comes to the sound of LaNinia. On the other hand, the very way of recording guitar tracks was such that this time we did not duplicate tracks, as was the case with the previous album. The sound engineer suggested that we record one track per side because the guitars sounded so powerful that you don’t need to do that. The EVH 5150 amplifier was used to record the guitars, in a traditional way, plus modern production techniques that Daniel is famous for. VST plugs from AURORA DSP, which Daniel is also a co-author, were used.
As for the logistics itself? There were two steps. The first is Ep material, and then it turned out that more songs have to be recorded. We started with the drums, Karol got the pre-production tracks from me, he practiced and we went to the studio to record the drums. Then it was time for guitars, bass and Mateusz’s vocals.

Who created the front covers of Loneliness and Tyrant?

The cover for both albums was created by Michał Grabowski from Black Team Media. He is a man who is light in conveying what we have included in the lyrics on the album.

The Aardschok, a known metal magazine in The Netherlands was one of the first outside of Poland who really did a good decent review of the album. Later other magazines in the ‘West’ cane with reviews etc. Do you have a good feeling about it and can it help to explore the band in the west/outside PL?

We never thought about it. There is no calculation in this regard. If they say that we are supposed to play today in Poznań and tomorrow in Berlin, we will simply play there. After all, in every country on earth, there is a place for every musical genre, and also certainly for ours. We would be very glad if we could try our hand also in the West. We have nothing to be ashamed of.

On the album is a cover from Slayer – Mandatory Suicide. Why you guys choose this song to be on it?

It was a time when Slayer announced the end of its activities and I thought to pay tribute to them at least in this way – this is how the cover of “Mandatory Suicide” was created. We wanted it to be a cover in our style, not to deviate from the character of LaNinia. I invited Piotr to this piece. Piotr Luczyk is a musical personality who had a great influence on the Polish metal scene. We grew up on Kat records. Piotr made this cover even more special. Among other things, thanks to him, we can reach a larger group of listeners of heavy sounds by signing a contract with MM.

You got help from legendary KAT guitarist Piotr Luczyk. How did you get in touch with him?

I met Piotr thanks to Dominik Wyszyński. This is our mutual buddy, it turns out :-). Dominik is also a fan of the Vader band like me. And that’s how it all connects hehe. We talked a lot about music, instruments, etc. introduced him to our first album. He liked Loneliness very much. When the new material for the EP was being created, I asked Piotr if he would like to play a solo for “Mandatory Suicide”. I sent the piece and he agreed 🙂

All lyrics of the album are in English. Thats for a Polish Metal band not always like that. When you listen to CETI, Turbo, Hunter that’s not always the case. Lot of bands prefer to use Polish lyrics.
What is important for you and the other band members to write about. Lyrically i mean…?

None of us have explored it whether Poles prefer Polish or English. It came out naturally. English fits perfectly into our musical style. Besides, it is more “singing” language.
“Loneliness” is a reference to the passing time, interpersonal interactions and what the world around us is today. Loneliness is an album that has its roots in strong sounds. This album is inside me. It’s my whole life painted with sounds.

As for our second album “Tyrant” and its message is that we wanted to describe the phenomenon of tyranny on many levels – domestic and political violence, and how the decisions of one person affect one life, e.g. during a war, but also on mental problems, when bad thoughts demonize the mind and prevent a person from functioning normally. We refer to tyrants on many levels of life – social, political, domestic, and in many aspects of the use of human violence against humans.

In the media journalists describe your music as a mix of Sepultura, Vader, Biohazard and Polish legendary masters of Acid Drinkers. What are your thoughts about it?

I must admit that I love the old Sepultura and everything that Max Cavalera does. I love groove in songs etc. I grew up on Death, 90’s thrash metal. To this day, I listen to the most records from that period, which does not mean that I do not follow the music market. LaNinia is a metal band. We can’t get away from it, but I’m not going to be fully pigeonholed. You will meet strong riffs and beautiful sounds at the same time. It is similar with the vocal – it is very contrasted.

Any thoughts about the future concerning the band? Do you have new songs for another album?

Oh yes! I have a lot of thoughts lately hehehe. I also have new ideas for the third Laninia album. How would I like it to sound, where to record it and who will be the guest 😉 Some riffs are already recorded.

Any live shows planned for the near future?

LaNinia would like to play concerts all the time. Unfortunately, we often have no influence on it. But we will try to play whenever possible.

What are some of your favorite bands?

As I wrote before. The 80’s and 90’s in metal music are the best times for me and they somehow influenced me. There are a lot of them 😉

Do you have a last word to the readers?

Yes!!!
I invite you all to our concerts and to buy our album “Tyrant”
STAY METAL \m/ \m/