Interview with Magefa
Hi Kai and welcome to Volatile Weekly. What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music, what would you be doing today?
Kai (Drums): Hey Volatile! Thanks, and I’m glad to answer your questions. My love to Metal music has started years ago. I remember as teenager started listening to Punk, then Thrash Metal and Death Metal. I always had the passion to make music myself but started to play drums only at the age of 22 as a hobby. I started playing in bands only from 2011, joining some Frankfurt regional bands, but could not find what I was looking for until in 2014, I found Kevin (Lead Guitar/Vocals) and together we founded MAGEFA, which has been my focus since.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
Kai (Drums): In my free time I like listening to music (Metal, Classic Rock, Classical Music, and more), Creating new PR content for MAGEFA and being active on social media, Spotify playlist curator, Website development, Driving fast sports cars, Learn new languages, watch TV and Films . Listening to old and new music is the best influence I have for our own music creation process.
How long have you been making music?
Kai (Drums): Since 2014 when we founded MAGEFA.
Where are you based and how did that influence your music?
Kai (Drums): Like rest of the band, I’m based around the Frankfurt metropole in Germany. The region itself is not very much known for its Metal roots, compared with other regions in Germany. My music influence is more from globally known bands and Underground bands I catch on Tour or in Social Media / Spotify.
Tell me about your most memorable shows, if you haven’t played live what is your vision for a live show?
Kai (Drums): Our last live show in 2021, during Covid-19, is definitely something I won’t forget. We were all prepared and knew it was a risk, but still, we had a show in front of a very small crowd. People just didn’t show up. Very weird feeling and I hope that in 2023 we will get to perform in front of large audiences again.
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
Kai (Drums): For me, any venue that want us to play is great, as long as the sound/technical arrangements are good enough. I wish for MAGEFA to play in some of the large Extreme Metal festivals in Germany like ‘Summer Breeze’ & ‘Party San’.
If you could play any show with any line-up, who would be on the ticket?
Kai (Drums): That’s a hard question as so many bands out there are very good. But we would like to play with the bands that inspired us like Thy Art is Murder, Dying Fetus, Carcass & Cannibal Corpse.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into making music and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
Kai (Drums): In the era of digital global music, where we hear every day so many new metal bands, do not be afraid to experiment with new style/technic/genre of your own in order to stand out.
Having the right band members will make a difference! so don’t compromise and stay in a band where you can’t fulfill your creativity.
Never underrate PR and Marketing! Nowadays, being just a good musician /band is not enough. Make use of all the digital world has to offer today to young bands, especially if you are not in a label.
Invest in your music. Go in the studio for recording/production/mix in order to release it. People will appreciate it more and you’ll have a chance to grow.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Kai (Drums): The song that means the most for me is ‘Mindless religion’ from our first EP ‘New Era Of Darkness’. It is one of the first songs we wrote. I relate to the lyrics the most and love the Groovy Death Metal music.
Which songs are your favorite to play, and which get requested the most?
Kai (Drums):
A few songs to mention would be: ‘Instrument Inside’, ‘Abdominal Section’, ’ New Era Of Darkness’, ‘Mindless Religion’ and of course the new Single ‘Pathology Calls’, which I’m sure is going to be the next big thing!
What is your creative process, and what inspires you to write your music?
Kai (Drums):
We are inspired by our own daily life, struggles, and beliefs. Musically -On the death metal part mostly Dying Fetus, Carcass, Cannibal Corpse, and Bolt Thrower. On the Core part something like Thy Art Is Murder, Whitechapel, Napalm Death.
Music & Song Writing: We are normally capturing new ideas in the rehearsal, then Kevin (e.g.: Lead Guitar/Vocals) prepares a Demo structure as a basis for a new song. The song goes through many iterations in the rehearsals until we’re all satisfied with the result. The Lyrics, so far, written by Kevin, although it might change in the future.
Production: The music production for our latest releases was done by Presskopp Studio together with Kevin and Kai.
Do you have messages that you like to get across in your music, if so please tell me about them?
Kai (Drums): Yes. We do have a message in our music and each song has its own related message.
Most of the songs we have related to the medical practice (i.e.: Instrument Inside, Abdominal Section, ECMO, Pathology Calls, etc.): There is a lot you can rage about in life and so you can do in the medical field like questioning some structures or procedures. Nobody thinks about hospitals and its staff until they need it.
Over the years we also released songs like:
‘New Era Of Darkness’ – our view of where global humanity is going to fight over earth’s resources, the endless cycle of hate that will lead to the destruction of our world.
‘Mindless Religion’ – an Atheist call to everyone! you have to watch the video on our YouTube if you haven’t.
‘Back to the Front’- Released after Russia invaded the Ukraine, describing the horrors of war.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
Kai (Drums): After having some rough time during Covid-19, our goals for next year are:
Successfully release our new and brutal single ‘Pathology Calls’ on Jan 06, 2023 !
Release an EP around July -August 2023
Establish more fans in Europe and perform on some of the known Death Metal festivals
Establish our MAGEFA Webstore for Merch and Vinyl .
How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?
Kai (Drums):
Pathology Calls -Pre-Save and HyperFollow: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/magefa/pathology-calls
Links to Spotify, Bandcamp, etc. channel: https://linktr.ee/magefa
Link to MAGEFA homepage: