{"id":54527,"date":"2017-04-23T17:35:16","date_gmt":"2017-04-23T22:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/?p=54527"},"modified":"2017-04-23T17:39:51","modified_gmt":"2017-04-23T22:39:51","slug":"interview-with-grzegorz-kupczyk-and-tomasz-targosz-of-ceti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/2017\/interview-with-grzegorz-kupczyk-and-tomasz-targosz-of-ceti\/","title":{"rendered":"Grzegorz Kupczyk and Tomasz Targosz of CETI"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska<\/span>
\n– Sr. Columnist —<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Twenty or more years of stage tenure under their belt, many bands tend to look back more often than to look forward, desperately hanging on to their \u201cclassic\u201d repertoire in an attempt to recapture some of their past glory. However, the Polish assemble CETI is a clear opposite to the entire league of \u201cnostalgia acts\u201d while still retaining classic Metal flavor to their music. Their most recent album Snakes Of Eden<\/em> is a clear proof of this fact, the new material was written almost entirely by the youngest addition to the band, bassist Tommy Targosz. <\/p>\n

As for CETI\u2019s lead singer, Grzegorz Kupczyk (Greg) is one of the founding fathers of the genre in his homeland due to his tenure with pioneering Polish Heavy Metal band Turbo. However, the charismatic frontman is a faithful follower of \u201chere and now\u201d philosophy and rarely looks back. This kind of attitude he reveals in the interview for Hardrock Haven \u2013 alongside Tommy Targosz\u2019s tale of \u201cdevil, women, wine and life\u2019s ups and downs\u201d that became Snakes Of Eden<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Last year CETI released a tenth studio album so far, entitled Snakes Of Eden<\/em>. As it\u2019s been a while since it hit the shelves, what kind of addition do you think it makes to the band\u2019s overall catalog? <\/p>\n

Tommy (Tomasz Targosz): In my humble opinion, it\u2019s the best CETI album together with our previous one, Brutus Syndrome. The asset to Snakes Of Eden<\/em> is that all elements of the album are in their right places, from its cover artwork to its lyrical content.<\/p>\n

Greg (Grzegorz Kupczyk): Yeah, I absolutely agree. Some feedback we\u2019ve received so far from the music industry representatives is that the album is well-developed in every detail, from A to Z. You know, from the cover artwork to the additional releases of promo singles, trailers and music video and the entire promotional campaign\u2026 What\u2019s more, the feedback outside of Poland or even Europe on Snakes<\/em>\u2026 is equally enthusiastic, the album being compared to the likes of Iron Maiden or Black Sabbath.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: What kind of feedback did you receive from the reviewers and the listeners?<\/p>\n

Greg: As I\u2019ve said before and I\u2019m glad to say that again, the new material is praised worldwide. I\u2019m also glad to say that in Poland the feedback from our staunch fans is equally positive.<\/p>\n

Tommy: It\u2019s been only superlatives if we talk Snakes Of Eden<\/em>, no negative opinions about the album so far. The funny thing is that people are more eager to express their opinions if it enables them to criticize someone else\u2019s work \u2013 and here it\u2019s been only the applause since the release date (laughs). <\/p>\n

Greg: (laughs) Right! If there\u2019s something to be criticized, you may be sure you\u2019ll have that pointed out to you in detail\u2026 especially in our homeland.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Even though it\u2019s the 28th year of CETI\u2019s venture, the band is still developing. Have you tried to draw any conclusion from your past ups and downs while making Snakes<\/em>\u2026, either in an attempt to make a reference to your previous endeavors or perhaps to avoid repeating some mistakes?<\/p>\n

Greg: That\u2019s a baffling question (laughs). In a way, you\u2019re right about drawing conclusions. But personally I \u2013 and we as a band \u2013 have always tried to keep CETI genuine and authentic. I\u2019ve learned and concluded a lot from mistakes made in my previous band (Turbo), which in my opinion kind of chases its own tail these days\u2026 Still, the most important thing for CETI is that the new album is \u2013 at least! \u2013 as good as the previous one. The facts are that we\u2019re getting better with each record. The band\u2019s still in shape as we work together harmoniously, with smiles on our faces and positive attitude towards our lives\u2026 and not taking ourselves too seriously as well. I think it\u2019s phenomenal for a band of such a long tenure to still keep going and improving\u2026 not lowering our standards and ending up playing some silly party rock thing just because it\u2019s \u2018on\u2019. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Snakes<\/em>\u2026 is the second album recorded by the current line-up, with Tommy on bass. As the band has gone through some personal changes in the past \u2013 do you think this line-up\u2019s the optimal one in both musical and personal terms, something every music band aims at?<\/p>\n

Greg: I\u2019m sure it is. We feel great with each other. There\u2019s a perfect understanding between us as far as artistic and creative aspects of our work are concerned. We may have different opinions on things but it\u2019s not something that triggers an argument; quite the opposite \u2013 it makes our bond stronger. We can talk about everything with each other, including any problems that appear along the way. And if possible, we try to help each other with our personal issues as well.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Was the creative and recording process any different this time around, especially in comparison to the album\u2019s predecessor \u2013 2014\u2019s Brutus Syndrome<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Tommy: Brutus Syndrome<\/em> was our group effort and I contributed only a few tracks to that material. In the case of Snakes<\/em>\u2026, it\u2019s all my ideas from the very first to the very last note. That is if we discuss the music and lyrics. As far as vocal lines are concerned, we worked on them together with Greg and the two of us made a Jagger\/Richards kind of duet (laughs). <\/p>\n

Greg: Right. What this \u2018duet\u2019 stands for is the harmonious cooperation and compromise \u2013 in a good way, of course.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: The album\u2019s title, as well as the cover artwork, could have possibly been a suggestion of a concept album, based on biblical themes. In fact, however, Snakes<\/em>\u2026 is a multitude of different stories and themes. Was it your intention from the very beginning? <\/p>\n

Tommy: This time around, the idea of concept album was out of the question. All I searched for was a good title to turn all the tracks into one stylistic entity. But if we talk the possible release of some kind of a concept album in the future, the answer is yes. I have plenty of ideas, all I need is the proverbial wind that fills my sails (laughs).<\/p>\n

Greg: There\u2019s already been some discussion between band members on making such an album sometime in the future, but nothing\u2019s won by force. We don\u2019t feel like working under pressure of \u2018having\u2019 to do something. What we do is what and how we feel at a certain moment. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: What\u2019s inspired the lyrical content of the album? Could you reveal something about the stories behind the songs and the message behind the entire album?<\/p>\n

Tommy: Lyrically, Snakes<\/em>\u2026 is a very rock \u2019n\u2019 roll kind of thing. What we have here is the devil, women, wine and life\u2019s ups and downs. That was my initial idea and having a few stories up the sleeve, I\u2019m glad I managed to illustrate them with the accurate sound. It\u2019s bits and pieces of my fantasy (\u201cMidnight Rider\u201d) alongside some real life stories (\u201cNotes Of Freedom\u201d, \u201cEmpire Of Loss\u201d) as well as some legends and tales (\u201cLady From The Dark\u201d, \u201cSnakes Of Eden\u201d). <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: There\u2019s a lot written and said about the cover artwork for the album, designed by Piotr Szafraniec. But let\u2019s focus on its most compelling detail which is in fact in the background \u2013 the snake\u2019s head with a tear in its eye. Where does this idea come from?<\/p>\n

Greg: The truth is that we\u2019ve suggested a thing or two to Piotr, even though in general he\u2019s been given a free hand with his designs\u2026 to be able to express himself as an artist. This always gives the best results. When he showed us the project he\u2019s just finished \u2013 we\u2019ve nearly fallen off our chairs! But my suggestion was to include the snake\u2019s head on the cover, as the main element of the background. Piotr did it and it looked fantastic. Then I asked him to add a tear to the snake\u2019s eye. For Piotr, it seemed kind of funny at first \u2013 how come, the crying snake? Snakes don\u2019t have lacrimal glands, do they?\u2026 But what I wanted to achieve by that was to give the picture some absolutely figurative meaning. My idea was that the biblical serpent introduced the first people to knowledge only to realize how much of a bad deed it was\u2026 and then he cried\u2026 Apparently, he was a Satan, wasn\u2019t he? (laughs) The heart, the apple, and all the other details are all Piotr\u2019s idea. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Prior to the album, the first single was released. It features the total number of three songs, including the re-recorded versions of early CETI songs \u201cPrawo piesci\u201d and \u201cOgien i lzy\u201d (released in English language version as \u201cFire & Tears\u201d). Where does the idea of re-recording the tracks classic to your repertoire come from? Are there any differences as far as arrangement is concerned?<\/p>\n

Greg: It was only my whim (laughs). It always seemed very interesting to me what the older CETI songs would sound like now, with the new sound and the new possibilities in terms of recording and sound engineering. It turned out that these songs are timeless. Some say that now the tracks finally sound as they should from the very start (laughs). As for the differences in arrangement, these are just details that don\u2019t really matter.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: The third song released on the single is a previously unreleased track \u201cRock ‘n’ Roll Doctor\u201d, recorded during the Snakes<\/em>\u2026 sessions. Why wasn\u2019t it included on the album? Do you think it could be included in your concert setlists sometime in the future?<\/p>\n

Tommy: \u201cRock ‘n’ Roll Doctor\u201d is my personal tribute to Lemmy Kilmister. We had no pressure to put it on the regular album \u2013 plus, in stylistic terms, it\u2019s much closer to our song \u201cKilling Time\u201d off the 2014 single than the songs off the Snakes<\/em>\u2026 an album such as \u201cEdge Of Madness.\u201d \u201cRock ‘n’ Roll Doctor\u201d is just our simple rock \u2019n\u2019 roll piece which I guess we\u2019ll enjoy playing live one day.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Do you have any plans to release next singles after \u201cWild & Free?\u201d<\/p>\n

Tommy: Out next single and music video will be \u201cMidnight Rider,\u201d but for now all the details related to it must remain a mystery (laughs).<\/p>\n

Greg: (laughs) Mystery \u2026 sounds very much like us indeed, if to think about things like communication with extraterrestrial intelligence \u2026 (editor\u2019s note \u2013 that is where the band name comes from).<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: If to think about the frequency of the band\u2019s releases in recent years, it can be assumed that 2018 will bring us another CETI album. What would be the direction you\u2019ll take this time around?<\/p>\n

Tommy: The material which will end up released as a follow-up to Snakes \u2026 is in progress indeed. All I can say is that the next release will sum up both Brutus Syndrome and Snakes<\/em>\u2026 in musical terms. There\u2019s gonna be a lot of changes of pace, gallops, sharp riffs and fiery melodies.<\/p>\n

Greg: We can\u2019t go backward now, so we\u2019ll surely kick some ass this time around as well (laughs).<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: As we talk, you\u2019re in the middle of the \u2018Snakes Are Back In Town\u2019 tour \u2013 more dates still to be announced. Do you plan to promote your album also beyond your homeland Poland, as with Brutus Syndrome, and perhaps outside of Europe as well?<\/p>\n

Greg: We always plan such things, although the challenge of carrying these plans all out is a whole different matter. We have many concert possibilities now, beyond Europe as well \u2013 so we may land up in some exotic areas (laughs). Our main plan is to promote the new material, although there are some other exciting things in progress too. If everything turns out fine, soon we may be able to announce some really thrilling news.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Do you still base the majority of your concert setlists on the new material, rather than hanging on to the oldies as many \u2018classic\u2019 bands do? Are there any surprising additions to the live repertoire during the current tour?<\/p>\n

Tommy: You\u2019re right. We\u2019ve been focused mostly on the new material while promoting Brutus Syndrome and now, after Snakes\u2026 saw the light of day, we just swapped a few older tracks with the brand new ones. That is, we base our concert setlists on the songs written and recorded during the last four years and the result is awesome! These songs are real killers, especially when played live. Besides, we\u2019ve added some surprises known to our listeners from the days when Greg fronted Turbo \u2026<\/p>\n

Greg: The band decided to include Turbo songs into CETI repertoire because our fans expected that. Besides, it was me who wrote songs like \u201cJuz nie z Toba\u201d or \u201cSztuczne oddychanie,\u201d so I don\u2019t see anything wrong in performing them while playing with my own band.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: One of the most important dates during this tour is the Metalmania festival in Katowice, Poland. As it\u2019s the seventh Metalmania you\u2019re going to perform at \u2013 Greg, what do you think about the influence of this festival over the development of Heavy Metal music in the entire Central Europe? Does the formula or atmosphere of such events change throughout the years?<\/p>\n

Greg: Metalmania was an unprecedented event not only in Poland but in the entire Central Europe since the very start indeed. It\u2019s a huge, wonderful festival and a real celebration \u2013 a holiday in its own right. I\u2019m very glad it returns this year after some hiatus, especially that CETI\u2019s been invited to play there. And for me personally, it\u2019s like a time travel (laughs). But it\u2019s hard for me to say if the idea of such events changed throughout the years or not. To tell you the truth, I don\u2019t really think so, but I\u2019m hardly an expert as I don\u2019t spend that much time on music festivals. <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Back to Snakes Of Eden<\/em> \u2013 recently the album has been re-released in the vinyl format. What do you think are the pros and cons of the vinyl edition of Snakes\u2026, especially in comparison to the CD?<\/p>\n

Tommy: While preparing the album to be released in the vinyl format, we had to leave out some tracks \u2013 like the epic \u201cEmpire Of Loss\u201d for example\u2026 But what we get instead is the hot collector\u2019s item which allows for full exposure of the album\u2019s unusual, amazing cover artwork\u2026 and more space for the autographs! (laughs)<\/p>\n

Greg: From the very first moment that we started to work on Snakes<\/em>\u2026, I knew this material must be released in the vinyl format. One thing is a matter of different sound, one that fits our current album like nothing else. Besides, it\u2019s prestigious to have your album released in the vinyl edition. The exposure of the graphic design of the album is another asset \u2013 there\u2019s more details to be exposed and a bigger dimension to Piotr\u2019s design.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Have you ever thought you\u2019ll witness the resurgence of vinyl format? <\/p>\n

Tommy: I always knew the vinyl format will return someday… Now we have to brace ourselves as the resurgence of audio cassettes is coming as well \u2013 and this will be a real blast! Fans of guitar-oriented music are simply tired with the achievements of digital technology which, in fact, deprives their favorite music of its heart and soul. They need this kind of magic that only vinyl is able to retain!<\/p>\n

Greg: I\u2019ve got nothing to add \u2013 Tommy said it all (laughs).<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: If we talk about new CETI releases, we can\u2019t omit the topic of the recent re-release of the second album in the band\u2019s discography \u2013 1992\u2019s Lamiastrata<\/em>. Whose idea was it?<\/p>\n

Greg: This album has been described as exceptional among those we\u2019ve released. Firstly, it was released only on cassette, then we had the first CD edition \u2026 but for many different reasons, both of these were extremely hard to get. Even for the avid record collectors, Lamiastrata is a rarity. That\u2019s why Piotr Szafraniec \u2013 our graphic designer, a big fan of the album and quite a successful businessman \u2013 suggested us to re-release it this year. I agreed and now that I see how many people are interested in it I can say it was a good decision. Re-released twenty-five years after it was \u2018born\u2019 and included in a specially designed wooden box set alongside other treats from CETI, together with its brand new cover artwork, Lamiastrata is now a real collector\u2019s item.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Are there any differences between the re-released edition of Lamiastrata<\/em> and the previous CD edition of the album?<\/p>\n

Greg: No, not at all. The only exception is that we\u2019ve added two live recordings from that era \u2013 the title track and \u201cBurning Fantasy\u201d.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: This year, it\u2019s thirty-five years since Turbo released their chart-topper \u201cDorosle dzieci,\u201d which could be considered the beginning of Grzegorz Kupczyk\u2019s career. Greg, do you have any plans related to the celebration of this anniversary?<\/p>\n

Greg: Well, I don\u2019t think so. There\u2019s too many people who waste too much time celebrating every little thing possible. Here comes the anniversary of the first release, then the third, and here\u2019s another band anniversary \u2026 (laughs) Personally, I live here and now and I live for the future. In my personal and artistic life, there\u2019s so much going on \u2013 so many wonderful things \u2013 that I don\u2019t feel like looking back and I don\u2019t have time for that. Whatever happened, it happened. It\u2019s already far behind me and I can\u2019t change anything, so it doesn\u2019t make sense to reminisce. Memories become a frustration.<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: What does the future hold in store for CETI?<\/p>\n

Tommy: Releasing a brand new album and going on the road to discover and conquer the places yet unknown to us \u2013 all across Europe, then towards the West and all the way back to the East! There\u2019s nothing more beautiful in this life than to play rock\u2019n\u2019roll music for the roaring crowds\u2026 the power, the energy, the sheer adrenaline\u2026 It\u2019s better than having sex \u2013 a kind of orgasm that lasts two hours! (laughs)<\/p>\n

Greg: That\u2019s well-said! (laughs)<\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Do you intend to dedicate all your time and energy to band issues only during the next months, or are there any side projects we should pay our attention to?<\/p>\n

Greg: In my case \u2013 I don\u2019t think so\u2026 Maybe some exceptional thing will happen somewhere along the way, but still, I\u2019m all about CETI. I don\u2019t feel like doing anything else, plus there\u2019s too little time for that\u2026 <\/p>\n

Tommy: I\u2019m open to all possible ideas\u2026 but the facts are that there\u2019s too little time indeed to dedicate enough time and energy to someone else\u2019s musical endeavors. Besides, perhaps it would\u2019ve been better if we focused on what\u2019s going on in the band\u2019s camp. We need to gather strength so as to leave all listeners in awe when our new material sees the light of day \u2013 even our opponents (laughs). <\/p>\n

Hardrock Haven: Any last words?<\/p>\n

Tommy: Greetings to all Hardrock Haven readers \u2013 especially, the female readers! In rock we trust! See you on tour or somewhere in the pub\u2026 or maybe under the table (laughs)! <\/p>\n

Greg: The option \u2018under the table\u2019 sounds best, doesn\u2019t it? (laughs) What I\u2019d like to add is that we\u2019re honest in what we say and do \u2013 no bullshit allowed. We really enjoy what we do and the feedback we receive from people, especially from our fans.<\/p>\n

Official website: http:\/\/ceti-gk.com\/en\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Alexandra Mrozowska – Sr. Columnist — Twenty or more years of stage tenure under their belt, many bands tend to look back more often than to look forward, desperately hanging on to their \u201cclassic\u201d […]<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":54529,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15125],"tags":[10306,12541,203,12544,8981],"class_list":{"0":"post-54527","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arcint2017","8":"tag-ceti","9":"tag-grzegorz-kupczyk","10":"tag-interview","11":"tag-tomasz-targosz","12":"tag-turbo"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54527"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54527\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54529"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54527"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54527"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hardrockhaven.net\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54527"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}