Interview with Pandrador
Discover more from Volatile Weekly
Interview with Pandrador
What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today?
Bard: I got into music because of watching AC/DC’s Live at Donnington 1991 concert on DVD. My dad showed me that when I was 10 or 11 years old. A few years later I started to play guitar and… that’s how it all happened. Without it, I would probably be focused on other things in my life, maybe be a better student or something – I don’t really know. But I always think that I’m living the “best version” of my life.
What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity?
Bard: Being brutally honest… I like to cook or read about things connected with my everyday life, so medical diagnostics articles. I like to get better at some things just to know that I got better. I can get some wider perspective when I do other things than playing, so it helps me to be more critical of my creativity.
How long has your band been around? Also, please tell me about the dynamic of the band of what brought you all together.
Bard: Our band Pandrador exists since 2015, I got here in 2016 and since then, the whole line-up has changed. We played gigs together with other bands and I observed other musicians, that’s how Adrian, Mateusz and Marek joined the band. Those guys are “the best of” the bands that I’ve played with in previous line-ups and they were invited to Pandrador because they’re just phenomenal musicians and good friends of mine.
Where are you based and how did that influence your music?
Bard: It’s safe to say that we’re just based in Poland. The band has its origins in Rzeszów, but currently, we play rehearsals in Kraków and every member of the band is from a different city. It forces us to work on the music fully when in rehearsal, but I don’t think it’s something bad. We just need a bit more time to do songs or to meet and play, but we can live with that.
How did you come up with the name of your band and what does it mean to you?
Bard: The name of the band was the band’s first drummer Daniel Chlebuś’s idea. It doesn’t have a specific meaning, but it’s our job to bestow any meaning to it.
Tell me about your most memorable shows.
Bard: I think that our most memorable show happened in Częstochowa in June 2018. All of the bands playing before us played without any problems, but during our show, the police showed up and told us that the gig needs to end right now. They told us it was about the loudness of it, but they didn’t measure it in any way, they haven’t done anything than telling us to stop. We’ve seen them before the show when they were patrolling the area around the club when we were loading in. Even the club’s manager told us that it was strange. Częstochowa is in fact the heart of the catholic church in Poland, so maybe that’s why they’re so sensitive when a Death Metal band with Pagan themes appears there.
What is your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already?
Bard: We didn’t have a specific, favourite venue. We just like to play in venues that are well-treated when it comes to acoustics because our music is quite demanding in that aspect. Also… it’s good if the backstage isn’t just a dirty room without a light in it. The Polish club ”Progresja” is one of the best venues we ever played in for example. I would say that one day I would like to play in Carnegie Hall or other another well-established venue, but there’s a long way for us to be there.
If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket?
Bard: It’s not possible, but one band that I would like to play with is Bathory, which hasn’t played shows at all. But if I could pick anyone, I believe it would be Imperial Triumphant, Immolation, Morbid Angel or maybe Deicide. Or… there’s one artist, which is a huge inspiration to me, but she’s more pop/folk singer. Her name is Eivor and I would definitely would love to play at least one gig with her.
What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into playing in a band and some advice that you would give to your younger self?
Bard: ”Don’t do it. Just don’t…”… but being serious, just play what you want to play. It’s always better to have 100 listeners that are truly believing in you and your music than 100 000 listeners that heard just one song from you. Don’t mind what’s popular, what people think about it – create something that you always wanted to hear from the bands you’ve always listened to.
Of your songs which one means the most to you and why?
Bard: I think that ”Hvergelmir” is the song that means a lot to me. It was partly composed in 2019, when my grandma departed this life. When I got a phone call from my Mum, I haven’t cried, I just grabbed a guitar and wrote the ending of the song. That’s the sound of the tears and sorrow I had then.
Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most?
Bard: We love playing songs from the previous album, but we want to do something from the new album. So, I believe my favourite songs from the previous release are ”Tiwaz”, ”Valgrind” and ”Anno Domini 793 (Lindisfarne)”. When it comes to new stuff, I would pick ”Valediction of Exalted One” and ”Midgard’s Bane”.
What is the creative process for the band, and what inspires you to write your music?
Bard: To be honest, I need to have some kind of impulse to write something new. Some kind of event in my life, maybe reading a book, or watching a movie which can affect me… there are many things that can make me start writing a new song. It depends. One thing is crucial to that – I need to feel some kind of ”spiritual inspiration”.
What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music?
Bard: We tell stories of our lives and events in it by enriching them with Norse Mythology symbolism. I don’t get people, who are comparing our lyrics to Unleashed or Amon Amarth. They are of course great bands which made it to the top, but our approach is different. It’s more misanthropic, nihilistic and occult-based.
Do you have any new singles, videos, or albums out that you would like to tell me and your fans about?
Bard: We’ve just released our new, full-length album called Seiðr. We’re planning to promote it with a few more music videos that we’re preparing right now.
What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up?
Bard: Right now we’re promoting it with a few concerts. We’ve just played with Krzysztof Drabikowski’s Batushka in Klub Progresja in Warsaw. We will also play at Metal Mine Festival, which takes place in western Poland and we’ll be supporting Rotting Christ and Hate. In September, we’ll play a gig with our friends from Antigama, Redemptor and Shodan in Lublin – a city in eastern Poland. Hope to book some more gigs to promote our new release!
How can your fans best keep up to date with you, any socials you want people to check out?
Bard: You can follow our Facebook or Instagram profiles, check our Bandcamp, subscribe to our YouTube channel and visit our website – www.pandrador.pl
Pandrador online:
Website: https://pandrador.pl/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Pandrador/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pandradorofficial/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PANDRADOR
Spotify:
Pagan Records online:
Website / Shop: https://www.pagan-records.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paganrecords
Bandcamp: https://paganrecords.bandcamp.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/paganrecords
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PaganRecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pagan.records/