Hi this is Jay reporting from Bogota, Colombia
Today I’m lucky enough to be talking with the mighty BÁL from Hungary
Üdvözlöm BÁL! Thanks for taking the time out of your rather busy schedule to talk to our readers…
1- What inspired you to become a Black Metal musician?
First of all, thank you so much for inviting me to this interview, and I’d also like to extend a warm welcome to the readers. I started BÁL around 2017. A year or 2 earlier, I began making guitar cover videos for fun, inspired by one of my guitarist friends. I’ve always been surrounded by musical instruments, mainly thanks to my dad. Making music has been a part of my life since my teenage years, when I was experimenting with EDM. I’ve been drawn to metal from an early age, and I probably listened to some BM bands back then too, though I wasn’t aware it was BM.
In general, I enjoy discovering new music genres and artists—I never stick to just one. However, I’ve come to realize that extreme genres are where I feel most at home. Around 2016, while working as a graphic designer at Hungarian Metal Hammer Magazine, I delved deeper into BM, thanks to another friend of mine. Before that, I was more into hardcore, deathcore, and technical death metal, but the atmosphere of BM captivated me, and I’m still under its spell.
2- Give us a run down of your extensive and amazing discography.. I know you’ve also done some fantastic limited editions... tell our readers about the releases and where they can buy them…
The detailed answer to this question would be quite long, so I’ll try my best to compress it into a few sentences. First of all, you can find my digital discography on my Bandcamp (link at the bottom of the interview) and on my YouTube channel (it’s also available on other streaming services). Over the years, I have worked with different labels from all over the world, but my merch is mainly self-released. To name the labels I’ve worked with, here they are: BMC Prod., Death Eternal, Depressive Illusion Records, Narbantage Produktionen, Narcoleptica Productions, NGC Prod., and last but not least, Masters Of Kaos Productions. These are mainly CD and tape cassette releases, but I think I’m most proud of our vinyl split album with Atrocious, released by Masters Of Kaos. My favorite merch is the special wooden case tape cassettes for Szakasztott and Fénytelen, released by NGC, and the self-made—better to say, wifey-made—wooden eggs. Last year, I started my own tape cassette label (Bál Records), but it’s currently on hiatus for various reasons.
3- Which of your releases is your favourite, and why?
I can’t pick a favorite release, but right now, I find myself listening to Nagyobb nálam the most, for obvious reasons. And yes, I do sometimes listen to my own music because I genuinely enjoy it. For those new to my work, I’d suggest starting with Tánc or Ütközet határok nélkül.
4- Your latest album, Nagyobb Nálam, is due on 13th October… Tell us about it…
The Nagyobb nálam album is arguably the most well-crafted yet rawest release in BÁL’s discography. While it’s the longest in terms of track count, its runtime might still be challenging compared to earlier records. The album can be divided into two parts: 12 main songs and 5 bonus tracks. The first 12 tracks include both an intro and an outro, with the 10 songs in between forming the heart of the album. Throughout these tracks, you’ll experience a range of emotions—hope and despair, light and darkness, love and hate, happiness and sorrow—along with sacred wisdom, traditional spirituality, surreal psychedelia, and an undercurrent of aggression and depression that eventually leads to insight and acceptance.
5- You have some dark and complex structures and sounds and atmospheres in your music.. From where do you draw the inspiration behind it all?
This is a tough question. I can’t pinpoint a single thing that inspires me, but I’ll do my best to explain. I believe my inspiration comes from within, driven by my emotions and my current state of mind. These are the main forces guiding the music I create. In the bigger picture, my open-minded approach to exploring new music, films, performances, books, and other forms of art also plays a role. I think all of these influence me in some way. When I sit down to compose, I usually stick to the first idea that comes to me and build from there. Interestingly, I’ve never really studied music theory except school classes. I might know the absolute basics, but I wouldn’t call it real knowledge. In the end, I like to separate BÁL from Bálint. When I create something new, I feel like I’m channeling BÁL, almost as if I’m possessed by it.
As for the bonus material, three of the tracks are acoustic renditions of earlier BÁL songs, performed on acoustic guitar and bass. The vocal delivery remains intense, with the same harsh, tortured screams complementing the softer sound of the acoustic instruments. Track 16 stands out as the shortest on the album and the only one specifically created for a competition organized by Bogren Digital. The final track originated from a tutorial video I made, which can be found on my YouTube channel. The video showcases how to create raw, atmospheric ambient black metal using free software and minimal physical tools.
The album artwork was crafted by my sister, Anna Rósz, and I believe it perfectly captures the visual essence of this release.
https://www.instagram.com/roszanna_/
The 5th track, Satans Braut, was actually the first to be completed, and Smara Kand and her team produced a breathtaking short film to accompany it. Petra, one of Smara’s collaborators, wrote the lyrics for the song, making it the first English-language track on the album. There are two additional English tracks as well. Notably, three songs are instrumental, while the rest feature lyrics in beautiful Hungarian. It was Smara’s idea to collaborate after a long hiatus, and without her reaching out, this album might not have come to life—or at least not in this form or at this time.
6- You play everything and do vocals, a highly talented multi-instrumentalist… when did you first start to play? What equipment do you use?
First of all, I don’t consider myself a highly talented multi-instrumentalist—there are so many others far more talented than me. My journey started around the age of 10 when my father taught me a few chords and tried to encourage me to practice, but I wasn’t very interested back then. A few years later, I began learning drums with the help of a teacher, but I eventually stopped due to my studies and shifted to making music on my computer. Later on, as I mentioned before, I was inspired to pick up the guitar again, and I’ve been playing it ever since. When I started creating cover videos, I also began playing bass, though it’s nothing serious—just a guitarist using the bass as an extension. Around 2017, I started doing vocals because I wanted to handle everything for BÁL myself, and that’s also when I began experimenting with synths again.
Currently, my main guitar is a Squier Contemporary Jazzmaster, tuned to standard D and loaded with active pickups. I recently got a Harley Benton multiscale 8-string guitar, tuned to standard F# with passive pickups. A friend lent me his Ibanez GIO, which is tuned to standard and also has passive pickups. My bass is a Hungarian-made 5-string by Craftsman by M.T., in standard tuning with active pickups. Finally, I have an SX acoustic guitar in standard tuning. Aside from these, I have a few microphones, a Hughes & Kettner combo amp, and a Boss Heavy Metal distortion pedal copy by Behringer. Occasionally, I record onto tapes with my Aiwa or Marantz decks for added saturation and character. I think that’s enough gear talk for the nerds reading this—I don’t want to go into too much detail.
7- What plans do you have for future releases? Have you started working on new material already?
Yes, I’m always working on something new!
We’re planning to release a split album with the Turkish band Archurahl after my full-length release, and we’ve also discussed a split with Tristitia Nigrum from the USA. A few months ago, we agreed to do a split with Snares of Impurity (UK), but that person has disappeared, and I haven’t been able to reach him for weeks. So, I guess I’ll release those songs with someone else!
8- Have you thought of taking Bál to the stage as a live act?
I’ve been considering it and have received some invitations to perform on stage, but I don’t think I want to pursue that. The main issue is that this is my solo project, and I wouldn’t be able to replicate the same sound live alone that I create on my own in my bedroom. While it might work with guest musicians, I wouldn’t feel comfortable calling it “band” BÁL anymore.
9- What is the metal scene like in Hungary? Recommend some local bands for our readers to check out
I have no idea what the metal scene is like here because I don’t pay much attention to it. However, I recommend checking out Urachel, Gormoth, and ForevercolD. They are very talented musicians who approach black metal from a different angle than I do. There was a band called Niedergang whose album I listened to on repeat. I’m not sure if they’re still active, but they played classic second-wave black metal.
10- What are your top 5 favourite Metal albums and why?
My top 5 metal albums are always changing however these are the ones that are spinning a lot nowadays: 1 – Slipknot – Iowa (Agression) 2 – Wiegedood – De Doden Hebben Het Goed III (Cold Atmosphere)
3 – Northlane – Singularity (Warm Atmosphere)
4 – Can’t decide: Tribulation – The Children of the Night & Paysage d'Hiver – Urgrund (Darkness)
5 – Can’t decide: Misþyrming – Söngvar elds og óreiðu & Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin kynsi (Chaos)
11- What is your opinion of the current BM scene at the moment?
In some parts, it’s pretty exciting, while in others, it’s bloody boring. There are tons of bands in the scene with countless releases, and I bet most of them are very enjoyable. However, this vast amount of music is impossible for a single person to listen to, even in a lifetime. I usually go and discover new music on Bandcamp and YouTube. Some days, I’m lucky and find very interesting stuff, but there are also unfortunate days when I only come across the 26,485,656,974th Darkthrone or Burzum copy band. All in all, I want to highlight the Icelandic scene as always, where they bring the coldest and most interesting ideas and most chaotic atmospheres in my opinion. I think, the Norwegian scenes is nowhere close to the Icelandic one these days.
12- What advice would you give to any up and coming bands or musicians looking to follow in your footsteps?
1 – Please! Don’t be the 26,485,656,975th Darkthrone or Burzum copy band because nobody needs that. It’s okay to try to imitate them, but don’t build a whole one-man band based solely on other artists’ ideas. If you do, just call yourself a tribute band or go and set yourself of fire while wearing a Mayhem T-shirt.
2 – If you use AI, treat it as a tool and don’t let it replace you. However, if you’re just starting a band and you’re already considering using AI, just stop and sell your gear.
Be unique! This is my most important advice for newcomers. Don’t try to replicate what others are doing because that can't be called self-expression, and in my opinion, this should be the number one reason to start a one-man-band. For me, it has always been therapeutic, and it still is. If I feel down, if I’ve had a bad day, or if there are problems in my life that I can’t solve for a while, I just grab my mic and scream the shit out of myself.
If you truly want to start your own band, it may take some time to discover your true path and sound. Even if you think you’ve found it, keep experimenting until you completely lose it because, in the end, you’ll find the true ghost in the most unexpected moment who will possess you and will come back again and again when you create something new from the depths of yourself.
13- Would you like to add anything for our readers?
Thank you so much for everyone who read this interview and don’t forget to support Masters of Kaos Productions because they work on making this world to be a better place for the BM lovers and also for the BM musicians but if you’re here reading this, I believe you already know this.
Köszönöm BÁL! 666 https://valentbaal.bandcamp.com/ https://linktr.ee/valentbaal https://www.facebook.com/valentBAAL/ https://www.instagram.com/valentbaalofficial/ Masters Of Kaos Prod. https://mastersofkaos.bandcamp.com/merch https://www.facebook.com/people/Masters-Of-Kaos-Productions/100083264766354/ https://www.instagram.com/mastersofkaosrecords/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ5mrPBaMgDuGn71cyYWpbw
