Beware of the hot bubbling eruption coming from the South

What lies South?  The answer to this obscure question is addressed by the blasphemous metal band Stillborn in their newest release "Los Asesinos Del Sur".  This fascinating blend of black and death metal brings with it a glimpse into the unknown dark realm...a glimpse of torture and evil…a glimpse into the vile human nature of people.  ataman Tolovy, bass player for Stillborn, delves deeper into this release and how it came to fruition.

Thank you for taking the time to interview. Stillborn has been on the metal scene since 1997. Can you tell us how Stillborn was "born"? Where did the idea for Stillborn get it's start?
Hello. I didn't play with them at that time. So I asked the chief and he said: “Did you ever boil a soup or a milk ? And if you even press a lid to the pot with all your strength, hot water and foam is still going outside. That’s how the band was born.”

The newest release entitled "Los Asesinos Del Sur" has received great reviews. Where did the concept for the album come from?
I think it happened when I found out what lies south of heaven. However, the idea required a lot of time and immensity of observation to ripen. More than twenty years of exploring vile human nature. Saturated with fear and its established consequences.

Is there a particular reason Stillborn decided to make the album titles in Spanish?
I perfectly remember how Killer revealed titles of the second and third album to us. They were these few words that define the whole load of emotions contained in the notes. The Spanish is also the language of Death for us. A little touch of this culture we have known shows so common and natural existence of Death, so exotic for us. Perfect to honor our music and to express our simple feelings.

Can you tell us how your song writing process goes? Where do the ideas come from and how do you go about putting it all together?
It’s as ordinary as boring. The song is composed by one person, then we work on this as the band during rehearsals. The final shape is a result of digestion in the set of our music personalities.

I understand Stillborn has a side project called Genius Ultor. Please tell us a bit about this second band. Is there a big difference musically or conceptually between the two bands?
Not exactly. Genius Ultor is the regular band. First of all, we don’t understand the concept of side-projects. Why to spend time on something that is a whim by definition? Genius Ultor is what August wanted to form many years ago as a black Metal band. But it had to wait for its time. Musically, we have a lot of flexibility there, based on what each of us understands as black Metal. We sing it in Polish, the language we think and feel, we prey on the mental poverty that surrounds us. But finally the differences were marginal excluding the language. We are working on the second album now, we will see.

Why have the members of Stillborn decided to have an side project another band? Why not put all your energy into Stillborn?
Each of us had his own band except Killer, who is the only one who stands from the beginning. August come from Deception, Rzulty from Hell United (he is back last time). I come from TT. But Stillborn is very important for us, it’s the most powerful one from all mentioned above. We commit totally in what we are creating at the moment. Every idea has its own time, the golden rule. There wasn't any problem to found Genius Ultor, it had its time on the timeline. Now this moment seems to come back.

Readers would be interested to know what your personal life is like. Are members of the band married and do any of you have children?
I think so. What could please the people more than lives of the others?

What are your interests/hobbies outside of music?
It’s hard to say, because the music is our interest, hobby and passion at all. For me, personally, all others sorts of art too. Maybe I’d like to make movies? The first step is just behind me.

How did you get your start in music?
At the end of the eighties being just a fan of heavy music was no longer enough for me. The need to create lies in my nature. So I started playing guitar, looking for other musicians. In 1990 I started my first band, riffs from the title song on our last album comes from those days.

Many musicians are self-taught. Have you had any formal musical training?
I suppose we are all self-taught. August uses some books to practice, but no one of us had a teacher.

Who are the band's musical influences?
I think you should not ask who but what. The feelings. This is the music of youth, lividity and liveliness. A rebel. We know how to play it, the only case is not to lose these elements. And to be still young, angry and vital.

Do you listen to other artists who may not be considered "metal"? If so, who do you listen to?
Of course. In recent years we listened to much more music which surrounded us when we were really young. Such a senile dementia. We even listened to more pop than rock, generally Polish pop from the seventies and eighties. Or Polish patriotic and military songs. I searched and listened to many music genres when I was twenty-some years old. I discovered many great bands, often very different stylistically. If I have to determine the one that had a really strong impact on me I should mention King Crimson.

Stillborn has been around for quite sometime. There must have been some great memories over the years. What is your most memorable moment since the band has gotten together?
I cannot answer this question.

What are some of the obstacles the band has had to overcome to see the realization of Stillborn and the release of "Los Asesinos Del Sur"?
There were no obstacles or any difficulties. We worked with our friend Piotr Lekki as sound engineer, the songs were well prepared and the mood was militant. Recording session and mixing took around thirty hours, mastering one quarter of hour. Even a winter and an alcohol couldn’t stop us.

Does the band have any pre-show rituals it does before a show? Alternatively, what do you do after a show?
Only August has his own ritual, the endless warm-up. But it’s necessary for him. Once we drank to unconsciousness after shows, but now I don’t know, we didn’t play live almost two years.

There are some great bands coming out of Poland. Can you tell us what the metal scene is like there?
This is a question I hate responding to. The scene is like people. People are like the world nowadays. Of course there are exceptions. Relics.

Finally, where would you like to see Stillborn go from here? In other words, what are the ultimate dreams and goals for Stillborn?
To go away as men, with a shield. Or upon.

Thank you for taking the time to interview. We wish you much success in the future.
Thanks for the interview. Beware of those coming from the South…