2006 was the first year of existence of Saratov DRUKNROLL, a group whose style of performance is quite problematic to name, because the musicians take the best from Thrash, Doom, Death and even Industrial Metal in turn. A mishmash? Not at all! Maybe this is exactly how our Metal scene would look if we, journalists, had not hung various labels on the music professed by the groups, had not driven composers and arrangers into stylistic frameworks… But we have what we have. And now we have an interview with the leader of DRUKNROLL
— As far as I know, the latest release from DRUKNROLL to date is “Freakingface”, released in 2020. Is there any news about the new material?
Of course! At the end of the year we are launching a new video clip, at the very beginning of 2022 on our native label Metal Scrap Records the EP Zero of 3 new songs will be released and then in 3 months a full-length of 10 songs, it will be a blast!
– Is this already your seventh LP planned?
(a few words about the previous full-lengths, please…)
Yes, it seems like yesterday I released the first single “Metal Night” and here you go – the 7th full-length! The 5th and 6th were made in English (maybe with a Ryazan accent), but we are not looking for easy ways, we are slowly learning Cambodian, you never know
–Wow, “yesterday!” 15 years have already passed)). I noticed that DRUKNROLL actively participates in many Western compilations, many interviews with foreign magazines… How about going on tour to the West?
Yes, we took part in several compilations of the Spanish magazine NECROMANCE, as well as in the compilation of the Portuguese magazine METALEGION and in the compilation of the magazine Antichrist Metalzine, as well as in several compilations from Metal Scrap Records! In addition to the magazines NECROMANCE and METALEGION, we gave several interviews to the Czech Rock Hard Magazine and the leader of the German metal echelon with a circulation of 20 thousand, the magazine Legacy! Regarding the tour, our label constantly invites us to tour Europe, but so far they have offered little money, we are waiting for more!
And I almost forgot to mention the now foreign Ukrainian magazine Atmosfear – special thanks to them for their constant support and interviews!
– And tell us, what is DRUKNROLL’s relationship with the label now, how do they help, what do they demand? And what is better – to be signed under the “badge” or to do everything and decide for yourself?
The relationship with the label is excellent, the label does a lot of promotion – advertising, interviews, reviews, digital platforms, CD and accessory sales, digital releases and all this abroad, in short, everything that a good label should do! The label doesn’t burden us with anything, there are no deadlines, if you want, jam metal, if you want, drink kvass, in short, complete creative freedom! What can I say – we’re riding like a king in clover!
And he’s constantly inviting us on tour!
– An artist, when everything is going well, may experience a creative crisis. How are you doing with it?
The crisis is always nearby, you can jam every day for a week, then not think about music at all for the next week, in short, only in creative freedom can you do something worthwhile!
– Are you going to introduce new stylistic moments into your music on the next album?
Of course I am, but I don’t know yet exactly which ones and how! Sometimes trash is pouring out, sometimes I want to do some doom, by the way, one of the recent compositions just happened to be in the doom and, it seems to me, even Paradise Lost could envy me! Oh, by the way, their Obsidian album turned out great!
— Are you interes
ted in new trends in Metal music? Or do you think that old school is better?
Now everything is mixed up, the youth is stepping right on the Adam’s apple, and the concept of old school, in my opinion, is already blurred! What is old school – Deep Purple or Testament? Very soon it will be like this – old school is what was last year! Yes, only jazz does not change (now jazzmen will eat me up…)!
— And a few words in conclusion!
I want to share my pride that my playlist largely coincides with my daughter’s playlist and I am very happy about this and wish this to every fan of heavy metal!