Metlika, Slovenia black metal act MORDENOM self-released AGNVS DEI, a technical blitzkrieg of dark music
in 2009. With a growing following, they have been making a lot of noise in the underground and are ready to take it worldwide, showing great determination in a very competitive “Unsigned” scene.
The Metal Den’s Randy “Rocket” Cody recently conducted an interview with Mordenom’s vocalist Deni Petras for his loyal army of Den Headz worldwide.
Rocket: Where were you born and raised?
Deni: I was born in Novo mesto, Slovenia and raised in the village called Primostek with my mother and older sister. My father left us when I was a kid so he wasn’t around that much. But I think I grew up good, hehe. I still live there with my childhood friends and my mother.
Rocket: Do you come from a big family?
Deni: Well, no. My family is my mother, my sister and also my father (if I can say this). But I do have cousins, aunts and uncles.
Rocket: What bands first drew you to heavy metal music?
Deni: My sister’s boyfriend gave me a Metallica tape when I was 10. There were different Metallica songs from different albums on the tape. I became a big Metallica fan in a minute. That tape changed my life. Metallica was the first metal band in my ears – thank you, Primož! After a while there were Iron Maiden, Deicide, Slayer, Bloodbath and others.
Rocket: Who are a few of your biggest vocal influences of past and present?
Deni: As a musician I first played the bass guitar in a local band. But there was no singer so I stepped forward, grabbed the mic and started to growl, scream, whatever I could do with my voice, it didn’t matter, just to hear some fucking noise. I think I was 13 then J.Later I think I liked Peter Tägtgren’s vocal the most. Today Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth, Bloodbath) is the best singer in my opinion and I adore his vocal, it’s amazing! And I mustn’t forget John Gallagher (Dying Fetus) who impressed me when I first heard him sang.
Rocket: How did Mordenom band initially form together as a band?
Deni: I’m not the right person for this question because I’ve been in the band for only 2 years so I was the last to join the band. I think it went like this: Marjan Krajačič (lead guitar), Jernej Bricelj (drums) and Rok Stopar (rhythm guitar) played some covers for years, then the bassist Dušan Vukčevič joined. 2 years passed and I joined the band. The songs were made before I came, so we added the vocal parts and went to studio. The result of this long process is now our new CD Agnvs Dei.
Rocket: Let’s talk about the new Mordenom CD entitled ‘Agnvs Dei’. What does the title mean exactly?
Deni: Agnvs Dei is Latin and it means the Lamb of God (no, not the band J ). And then it’s all about your own imagination. Even the band members wouldn’t explain the title in the same way, we all have different views on this. I’ll say for myself: Lamb is a metaphor for a human on his way through his life. God is a metaphor for Life. In other words, a human is passing through his life and Life is giving him many tests and many obstacles. I don’t really know how to express myself properly. You should listen to the CD and set your imagination free J.
Rocket:Where was it recorded and who produced it?
Deni: It was recorded in dB Recordings in Slovenia. The production was made by us (Mordenom).
Rocket: Who are some of the heavy metal labels that you think would be a good fit for Mordenom?
Deni: That’s a hard one. I don’t know exactly. Maybe Candlelight records or Metal Blade. Those are the labels I personally like because they are the labels of my favourite bands.
Rocket: I like to have fun with this next one. What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened
to you while performing on the stage?
Deni: In fact, I don’t remember anything shocking. OK, I’ll be honest. I forgot the lyrics in some parts once or twice. Oh, and yes, it happened once that I was enjoying too much and I exaggerated head banging and I almost fell off the stage, hehe.
Rocket: With all the great metal albums released in 2009, which ones are your personal favourites so far?
Deni: My favourite would be Behemoth – Evangalion and Fleshgod Apocalypse – Oracles. I love this last one. I can’t get enough of it, it’s brutal as hell!
Rocket: What are some of the upcoming shows for Mordenom?
Deni: A few local shows, then maybe Germany, we’ll see.
Rocket: Thanks very much for rocking this out with me. Best of luck with it all moving forward. Go ahead and give special thanks to any of your friends, family and supporters.
Deni: I think the biggest thanks goes to my mother for putting up with my animal screaming around the house for all these years J, then to my girlfriend Ula for a great support, to my friends under the stage (see ya there, fuckers!) and all other Mordenom fans, and last but not least, goes to you Rocket for this interview. Horns Up!
http://www.myspace.com/mordenom
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