Catastrofy: “People Leave Our Shows Drained by the Pit, but Happy at Heart”

The Slovak thrash metal outfit Catastrofy have long since proved that heavy music does not always have to wear a stony expression. Their work naturally blends razor-sharp riffs, an outlaw theme, exaggeration, humour and social criticism. It is precisely this combination, together with their powerful live energy, that has given the band an unmistakable signature and earned them fans in both Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Boris answered our questions on behalf of Catastrofy, speaking openly about how their songs and lyrics are created, how the band operates, their experience at the Brutal Assault festival and the differences between Czech and Slovak audiences. We also discussed the new material, which is set to be even more closely connected to the band's outlaw universe, and why listeners should leave a Catastrofy show above all in a good mood.

Over the years, Catastrofy have developed a completely recognisable signature. What do you consider the most important thing that has allowed the band to retain its own identity after all this time?

Hi, Denisa. First of all, on behalf of the whole band, I would like to thank you for inviting us to do this interview. We appreciate it. As for our signature, we honestly do not really know, hehe. We create the way we feel and as well as we possibly can. We listen to loads of music, develop as individuals, grow older as people, and all of this gradually finds its way into our work. Jano has his own signature when writing riffs, I have developed a certain style of writing lyrics over the years, and the rest of the band complete the final atmosphere through their playing. When we put together the rough skeleton of a song and it simply does not work or evoke any emotions, we try to rework it. If it becomes more of a struggle than a joy, it goes in the bin. That filter shapes our final identity: a kind of inner feeling of satisfaction with a particular song.

Your lyrics often balance humour, exaggeration and more serious subjects. Where do you draw the line between pure fun and a message intended to make the listener think?

Nowhere. It comes naturally because that is simply who we are. We can laugh at completely toilet-level humour and politically incorrect stand-up, but empathy is also part of us, and injustice of every kind can really piss us off. We let it flow authentically, so our work organically shifts and changes depending on what we are living through and experiencing. Sometimes it is funny and occasionally almost primitive entertainment; at other times it is biting criticism of a social ill. It turns out that many of our fans feel the same way, because this mix of themes resonates with them.

When a new song is being created, what usually comes first – the riff, the lyrics or the shared energy in the rehearsal room?

The initial impulse for a song comes from Jano's riffs. I constantly write down ideas for lyrical themes and always have at least twenty of them up my sleeve. When Jano records some riffs, I listen to them and choose a theme that fits. I then develop it alongside the song itself. Sometimes, however, I come up with an idea for the lyrics before the first riffs exist. In that case, I describe to Jano the mood and emotion the music could follow, and he writes the music based on that.

Is there a song that developed in a completely different direction from what you originally planned?

Na detskej oslave. The music had been finished for almost six months, while I kept rewriting the lyrics. At first, I wanted them to be serious – about a city and the relationships between the people living in it. But it was not working, and I kept rewriting them over and over again. In the meantime, the guys and I agreed that we would also try writing a few songs about outlaws. Then it occurred to me: what would it look like if outlaws raided a children's party? Suddenly, the lyrics for a song that had been sitting there for six months practically wrote themselves.

The Slovak metal scene has its own particular character. What do you think it excels at, and what is it still lacking?

It excels in the diversity of its genres. For such a small country, we have quite broad representation across the different metal subgenres. What it lacks, however, is perseverance. Many promising bands emerge, some of them better than us, but after a few years most of them always fade away.

On stage, you appear relaxed and clearly enjoy entertaining the audience. How much of that energy is spontaneous, and how much is the result of careful preparation?

Eighty per cent is freestyle, while twenty per cent consists of expressions, poses and choreography we have picked up through playing shows so often. Whenever we tried to rehearse something more complicated – for example, a skit between songs in which several of us had to play off one another – someone would always make a mistake or we would talk over each other. The result was, to put it mildly, awkward.

Which concert changed the way you viewed the band and how it operates, and why that particular show?

Probably the first time we played Brutal Assault. It was in 2016, and it was our first major show. That was when we realised just how tiny we were. It was not only because of the enormous stage. Compared with the bands in the big A-league – our favourite artists, who, together with their entire crews, ran like machines – we were just an insignificant little unit. I still value that opportunity enormously because it pushed us to work harder on ourselves, our music and our show...

Do fans ever discover meanings in your lyrics that you never originally intended to put there?

Not really. I write lyrics in a fairly straightforward way. That is why I was surprised once after a show when a guy asked me whether our song Kazimír referred to the politician Kažimír, who was active at the time. I asked him why I would have called it Kazimír instead of Kažimír. As young people say – WTF? What makes me happier is when someone understands the lyrics exactly as they were intended and finds everything in them just as I planned. It is like a comedian landing a joke. That is not a metaphor either, but making sure the audience decodes it and laughs at the punchline requires a great deal of work with words.

If you had to choose one Catastrofy song that best captures the character of the band, which one would it be and why?

Zbojnícky tanec. It is energy, fun, dancing, heroic folk chants... You experience all of that when you come to one of our shows. In our private lives, I would probably choose Taký je život.

How has your view of your own work changed from the earliest recordings to the present day?

Compared with our early work, when we sang in English and were still learning how to play our instruments at all, it has changed quite radically. It is like watching a first-year pupil learn to write and then seeing the same person graduate from an art school specialising in calligraphy. However, since our debut Zbojnícky tanec, which came out in 2015, we have maintained a fairly similar level. I occasionally return to our full-length albums, and I still like them. There are not that many things that make my ears hurt. In any case, we are still trying to move forward creatively and keep experimenting with new elements in our songs. We are slowing down a little, but that is inevitable with age. You write thrash songs differently when you are twenty-five than when you are thirty-eight.

Fans are eagerly waiting to hear what comes next. Can you already reveal whether new material is being created and in which musical direction you would like to move?

Yes, we are no longer hiding the fact that the new album is almost completely written. Right now, we are finishing the demo, which we will listen to and use to fine-tune various shortcomings. We would then like to record it properly in the autumn, and we firmly believe that we will release it at the beginning of 2027. If everything goes well, we may release a single before the end of this year. Musically, it will be quite varied. Once again, we have dipped into several different genres, as we did on Besnota. But nobody should expect a copy of Besnota. We have moved it in a slightly different direction – for example, we have smuggled a few more folk motifs into some of the songs. It will also be different lyrically. This time, absolutely everything will come from our outlaw universe.

In 2027, you are due to perform for Czech audiences again. What do concerts in the Czech Republic mean to you, and do you notice any differences between Czech and Slovak fans?

The biggest difference is the average age. At our shows in Slovakia, roughly a quarter to a third of the audience is between fourteen and twenty years old. In the Czech Republic, we see only around one to five per cent in that age group. Age is naturally connected with other crowd activities, such as mosh pits, circle pits, stage diving and so on. From that equation, it is probably clear that the younger crowd in Slovakia can make things more energetic. When it comes to fan support, however, it is exactly the same. Young and old, Slovaks and Czechs... anyone who supports us is warm-hearted and encouraging. I enjoy chatting with fans in Plzeň just as much as I do in Košice.

If you could organise your dream festival and invite any three bands from metal history, which bands would you choose and why?

Ozzy, Motörhead and Dio would be the headliners – one of them each evening – and I would somehow put together the rest of the festival afterwards, hehe.

Above all, what would you like fans to take away after listening to the next album or leaving one of your concerts?

A good mood. That was what we had in mind the entire time we were writing this album. And essentially the same thing applies to our concerts. People often tell me after a show that they laughed, thought about things and left completely drained by the pit, but happy at heart. An experience like that always genuinely makes me happy.

The questions were answered by vocalist Boris. 

The interview with Boris only confirmed that Catastrofy are exceptional not only because of their music, unmistakable outlaw image and live energy. Behind the heavy riffs, humour and exaggeration are completely natural, honest and likeable people who genuinely love what they create and who, even after all these years, have never lost their humility, perspective or joy in what they do.

I have to admit that, after reading Boris's answers, I am even more smitten with the entire band. His openness, humour and the way he speaks about the fans, the band's creative process and the future of Catastrofy only prove why this Slovak group deserve enormous respect and attention. They are true to themselves, original and do not take themselves too seriously, yet at the same time they know exactly what they want to convey through their music.

Catastrofy are simply one of those bands that can make you laugh, force you to think and then completely destroy you in the mosh pit. We already cannot wait for the new album, another meeting with the Czech audience and everything else this amazing outlaw gang is preparing. Because if anyone deserves to be talked about far more, it is Catastrofy.

Denča