Let’s start a bit unconventionally: A study from the University of Queensland found that listening to heavy metal can help reduce stress and improve mood, even among people who are not regular fans of the genre. Research among French metal fans showed that their levels of anxiety and depression are similar to or even lower than those of the general population, debunking myths about a connection between metal and mental health issues. According to psychologist Dr. Andreoli, listening to heavy metal lowers cortisol levels, leading to reduced stress and negative emotions. What is your opinion on these scientific findings, and what does metal mean to you personally?

This is indeed unconventional, science question for the musician, haha. There might be a correlation between heavy metal and all the positive psychological aspects, but I don’t believe that can be applied to all people. Some would roll into a ball on the floor or run away if they would listen to the music I am sometimes listening to, their stress level would definitely rise. Some are listening to some minimal lofi music or repetitive EDM when they want to focus, I personally find that kind of music super annoying even if it is just playing quietly in the background. Studies like this come and go all the time, plants grow better if they are played classical music and die when exposed to rock music etc. Oh how would I wish that we as rock and metal musicians could claim, that our music and ONLY our music makes the world a better place. Ultimately, I don’t know how much use such a study has in the real world. If I would be a conspiracy theorist I would even say, somebody made it up to justify why the specific music he is listening to is better than any other kind of music, haha.

You were born in Budapest, but your family moved to Switzerland, where you later obtained citizenship, completed your education, military service, and found your first jobs and bands. Then your work brought you to Slovakia. How long have you actually been living here? And if I’m not mistaken, you still don’t speak Slovak – does that make your life more complicated, or is a combination of English, Hungarian, and German enough for everyday communication?

It is actually longer than I like to admit in light of the fact that I don’t really speak slovak...it has been 13 years. I understand if the people around me are not too wasted, but I fail to express myself. It definitely makes life harder, mostly visits with public offices and such. Luckily, we do have very helpful technology, that can translate conversations in real-time, so I get by. For my day job and the bands my language skills are sufficient.

The band CROSS THIS BRIDGE is probably quite unknown to many fans in Slovakia. Online, you can find basic information saying it’s a modern heavy metal band from Bratislava with an international lineup and an ambition to create timeless metal, mainly active on the Bratislava club scene (Aligator, Randal). Please tell us more about how the band was formed. Do you remember your first rehearsal, your first original song? And how did your very first concert in December 2019 at Randal in Bratislava go?

And what a shame that is, right? The basic information is pretty accurate, I would say. This band was not born out of burning ambition to be the best, the biggest, loudest or fastest but friends coming together and writing music, exploring how far we can get with total self-sufficiency and without stressing ourselves too much. I met Atoragon, guitarist of CTB, originally from Italy, when he was already living here in Bratislava, I think it was maybe at a Trans Carpathian Orchestra show. We have mutual friends so we were hanging out and if I recall correctly, it was his idea to write some music together. We involved Daniel Hotka, with whom I play in the TCO and Alice Cooper Tribute. One of the first songs we were working on were Ones And Zeroes and Falling Apart, both were released on the first EP. I don’t remember the first rehearsal anymore, it was probably only Daniel, Atoragon and me. At that point I was not sure, if I would play an instrument besides singing, but soon I decided to go with vocals only. It took a couple of years until the lineup solidified with Martin Jarasek on bass and Andy Valovic on drums, and I am happy to report, that the line-up has not changed since the first concert. Speaking of, to me it was really weird, because it was the first time I was on a stage without an instrument in my hand. I was a nervous wreck before the concert, but ultimately it all went as well as it could for our first outing, the guys played flawlessly.

In April 2020, the band released its debut EP “Cross This Bridge,” featuring five tracks with a total length of just over 23 minutes. How would you describe this EP in three sentences?

An amazing 100% self-sufficient DIY project that we put a lot of work into. 5 unique songs that captured the sound and vision of the band at that time. My personal resurrection as a lyricist after at least 15 years.

During the COVID period, you managed to play one more concert in July 2020 at Aligator (Bratislava), and then the band “woke up” again only in February 2024, performing again at the same venue. What was happening within the band during this period? Was there a risk that the band would not continue, or were you just waiting for the right moment to return?

It did not occur to me that it was almost 4 years between the two concerts, haha. There was no risk of not continuing the band, we did not get nervous about not playing live for a while. If I think about it, it was life, that was happening. Some of us became parents in that time, others were focusing more on their carriers or got involved in other musical projects, I myself was battling some personal demons. We were not really waiting for the time to return, we kept on working on our music in our own pace, and one day we had it all together and started recording, this was at the end of 2024, if I am not horribly mistaken.

Please introduce the current lineup of the band. What do the individual members do in their “regular” lives, what are their hobbies, etc.?

First of all, the source, the beginning, the essence, Atoragon, from Italy on the guitar. He is the man who writes most of the music, he is also the sound tinkerer, a gifted studio engineer and total gear nerd, in the best possible way. He used to write a blog about music technology, mainly for home studio enthusiasts. Daniel Hotka on the guitar, he is a passionate aviator with a pilot licence, please don’t ask me the category. Andy Valovic on drums, he is also playing in other bands, most famously with HATE CONTROL Martin Jarasek is a devoted family man and he used to play with the Guns N Roses Tribute slovakia with whom he has putting in an amazing amount of shows every year. I keep myself busy with the bands I am playing with, I dabble a bit with home recording, I do live sound in the Aligator Crystal Rock Club, when I have the time and I love to go to local concerts. We all have regular office jobs, except Dano, who is a highly regarded journalist.

How are responsibilities divided within the band – who handles booking shows (contacting promoters, arranging exchange gigs with other bands), promotion (organizing album reviews, sending materials to websites, interviews), and merchandise (CD artwork, T-shirt printing)?

Such responsibilities are more dynamic, they are not fixed functions, more like projects that are handed out, and each of us can be the manager of a project. I am trying to oversee most of it, but I also delegate things to the others or they take some responsibilities. The workload changes over time, since the time each of us can spend with the band is constantly changing as our personal lives are in constant motion.

How does the songwriting process work in the band? Do you create songs together from the beginning, or does each member bring their own ideas which are then developed further by the others? Do you also use modern technologies, apps, or specialized software?

The very first songs were written in collaboration, but while we wrote two songs like that, Atoragon wrote two by himself on the side. He writes amazing songs and also records a demo immediately, so I can work on the vocals and the rest can arrange their own instrumental parts. I suppose he likes working like that, and as long as this is the case, we are very glad, because it works well and the results are, in all modesty, stellar, in my own opinion of course. That doesn’t mean, the others cannot participate. I am writing music from time to time, Martin, Dano and Andy are very involved in arrangements, solos and such. The thing that I am keeping to myself for now is lyrics and most vocal melodies. The guys seem to trust me with that and I am honoured.

How do you prepare yourself for writing new songs? Do you listen to your own material, new bands, or classic genre albums, or do you prefer not to be influenced and instead move toward “uncharted territory”? Is originality your top priority, or is it enough for you to simply write a good song?

The good song has definitely priority. We do not have the ambition to invent a new genre or reinvent an old one. The songs should be catchy, interesting enough to be intriguing to the listener and with the vibe and energy that we like. I myself rely on intuition when writing, I am not very methodical, I am going with the flow. Atoragon has more method to his writing, he sometimes is choosing a certain vibe of a song or band as an inspiration and is working methodically on it. By the time the song is finished, it usually does not resemble anything that it took originally inspiration from, at least not for me. To me his songs sound fresh and unique.

In September last year, you released the new single “Age Of Demise,” followed by “Not Today,” “Blinding Lights,” and “Our Last Dance.” Where do you see the biggest progress compared to your debut EP? Many musicians nowadays also choose to release songs gradually instead of full albums, and some don’t plan to release physical formats at all. What about you – can we expect a new album on CD or LP?

The biggest progress is everything, haha. We are better musicians, we have learned a ton from the EP recording, and we did utilize all the experience in these recordings, we had more recording equipment, more options, we took a bit more time as well, for sure. We have decided to try the release of the songs from this recording cycle as standalone singles. We have recorded 8 songs in total, so there are still 4 more to come soon, actually, we will release a new song just the day before the Ziarsky Angelus concert, entitled „Roll With The Punches“. The gradually release of singles or an album, both have its plusses and minuses. We are evaluating if the method we are going with is right for the next cycle or not, I guess it will also depend on the songs and if the album format would make more sense from an artistic point of view. And since this is our band, that we are self-financing and self-producing, we reserve the right to change our minds at any time, haha. I am going back and forth on the idea of releasing these 8 songs as an album on CD, quite a few people were asking actually, let’s see what is going to happen. I am pretty sure, vinyl will not happen without some sort of external financial influx.

Together with the band HATE CONTROL, you went on a mini-tour last autumn (Jablunkov, Levice, Martin, and Bratislava). Were these your first concerts outside Bratislava? How did these shows turn out in terms of attendance and fan reactions?

I think you are right. We have played Randal and the Aligator before multiple times, but we have not been outside Bratislava. It was a great experience. The HATE CONTROL guys are awesome people who became our friends and amazing musicians, obviously; you should get them for an Angelus event. Our band is working very well on a daily basis, traveling, set up, show, break down, we had no arguments, not only did we not get sick of each other, we enjoyed each other’s company, I personally could imagine to do this with these people 5 days a week for the rest of my life, if we would get paid for it, haha. The attendance was mixed, some not so well other really good, but the reactions of the audience was overall very positive.

In July this year (10 July), you will be opening for the legendary melodic band ROYAL HUNT at Randal in Bratislava. How did you get this opportunity? Did the promoter approach you, or did you have to take the initiative yourselves? Do you consider supporting bigger bands a good opportunity to gain new fans? Are there more similar opportunities on the horizon?

The promoter did approach us in this case. Surprisingly, he was asking specifically about us, he heard us somewhere and he liked what he heard quite much, or so the story was told to me. This was not the first time, though. Because of my other musical activities and also because I go to a lot of shows and see a lot of other musicians and industry people there, I seem to be quite present in the scene, so we got offers prior, unfortunately we could not accept them due to scheduling issues, but other great local acts played instead of us. This time the timing was right, and we are very happy about it. For a band like us, who is, let say, not exactly native with all the newest social media platforms or simply don’t have the flair or the patience or the talent to release 20 funny short videos per month, presenting our music live to the audience of another band is a great opportunity, as well as playing festivals like the Angelus.

Let’s also talk about the band CASTAWAY, where you play bass and sing backing vocals. In our previous interview, you mentioned that you are involved in composing songs or parts of them – riffs or melodies – and that you also prepare demo versions of new tracks. So what is the current status of new material? I know that in CASTAWAY you usually don’t rush album recordings…

With CASTAWAY, we are currently recording some songs. When these songs are finished or in what format they will be released, that I don’t know just yet, but the songs are written and the studio recordings have begun.

Regarding CASTAWAY, you mentioned that the music you play is not currently a trendy genre on the metal scene, where either full-on retro or very modern production (down-tuned and “screamy”) is popular – while CASTAWAY is somewhere in between, and at the same time neither of those. I assume you’re not planning any major stylistic changes, but do you see room for adding some new (modern) elements? I think that, for example, a touch of growling in some song wouldn’t hurt at all – though I’m not sure what Mayo would say about that (laughs).

CASTAWAY is by its nature always evolving, it is also not just rooted in one style, therefore can be really versatile. It is hard to me to determine stylistic changes in CASTAWAYS music, because it is not really planned, we are not sitting down and analysing the song and then decide to add a bit more evergrey to it, a bit more devin townsend or a bit more dream theater, it happens more organically. Mayo is one of the most versatile singers I know, and he would be the first to include a touch of growling, or even a touch more, when it makes sense. In fact, he is growling in some older songs when we play them live.

Mayo Petranin (singer of CASTAWAY) said about you that you are a skilled graphic designer and have created many posters and promotional materials for the band. Are you still active in this field? Are you self-taught, or did you take any courses? Do you also use AI tools in your graphic work?

Really, did he say that? Bless him for that, but in fact, that came out of sheer necessity, because there is never money for something like this, and I used a bit of photoshop in a job I had 20 years ago to edit some pictures for a product catalog. I am barely self-taught, never took any courses, and to be completely honest, I do not really enjoy the process, because as cool as the end result might be, I am always painfully aware of my artistic and technical limitations in the visual field, and it takes me ages and quite some nerves to get there. But yes, I am still doing it for the bands I am playing with, haha. AI and me, we have a bit of a love/hate relationship. It is quite useful in my day job, analysing documents, extracting data, quick searches about regulatory issues or simply proof-reading emails, great. Most other applications, genAI for example I tend to use with caution. It usually cannot create something along the line of my artistic vision, or it takes forever to get close to it. Additionally, I find working with AI quite annoying, and to be honest, and somewhat creepy. It tries to imitate human traits like empathy and to me it just sounds so fake. It is a machine; it should talk like a machine and not try to imitate a human. But many people implemented AI into their daily lives and treat it like a companion, or trusted advisor, that is definitely not for me.

You are also a member of XIII GHOSTS (RAGE tribute), WARRIORS OF STEEL (MANOWAR tribute) and ALICE COOPER RESEARCH BAND. Are these projects still active, do you perform live? What does playing in cover bands mean to you as a musician? Is it fun, business, or something else?

These bands are more or less active, depending on the demand. We played with the ACR in MMC in December, with Warriors we had a concert in Vienna recently. XIII Ghosts is not active anymore, since there does not seem to be a demand, and even though I love playing those songs with that band, it is just not worth it. Playing in a cover band is definitely fun, musically challenging sometimes and can open great opportunities or create contacts but at the end of the day, I don’t necessarily want to pay money to play somewhere with a tribute band, as opposed to a band with original music, unless it is a charity event or such.

With CASTAWAY, WARRIORS OF STEEL and XIII GHOSTS, you have performed several times at our charity concerts under the “Angelus” banner. Which performance do you remember most fondly? And what is your general opinion on charity concerts and charity as such?

I loved all of them, it is always a pleasure to play at your events. Castaway at the amphitheatre in BB, ACR and WOS in the yard of the Museum, if I am not mistaken, the return of XIII Ghosts after years of absence, I remember them all fondly and I don’t think I can put them in any order, I don’t even want to, haha. I personally find a charity event a great opportunity to show solidarity, be is as organiser, as a performer or as visitor. I myself donate regularly to certain charities, like equality-now and such. Of course, in a perfect world, an event would not be necessary, but solidarity would be a constant state of mind, the default setting, if you want, of the people, of legal entities and governments. But unfortunately, we are not living in that world, even though we would totally be capable as mankind if we could leave greed, hate and fear behind.

We recently met in Banská Bystrica, where you performed with the punk rock legend KONFLIKT. When and how did you join the band? Did you have to adapt to a different musical style, or have you always had a bit of true punk rock spirit in you?

I joined Konflikt in October last year. We were acquainted before, and one sunny day in late September the phone rang and it was Jury and Kristian, asking if I would be interested. I do not know about the circumstances of Tomax’ exit, I did not ask, I don’t think it is any of my business, but I do admire him as a guitarist and wish him all the best of course. The adaptation of the style was indeed something that I have grossly underestimated. I have not played any punk rock music before, so imagine my surprise when I found out, that some of the signature rhythms and the specific groove the band has were not as simple to play as some people might think, because it is “just” punk. I had to sit down and put in some serious practicing time, because in a band of that status, it simply has to work, the playing cannot be debatable. I am still practicing every day.

John Oliva (SAVATAGE) said in a 2008 interview: “The future of metal? I can’t judge. I’d like to see a unique band appear on the scene with perfect musicians and a great singer who doesn’t growl but has a melodic voice. I’m still waiting for a new Robert Plant or Freddie Mercury, someone exceptional. So far, I don’t know anyone like that, but I hope such a talent will emerge in the future…” Do you feel that, in the 18 years since he said that, someone like that has appeared on the global music scene? And where do you think metal will be in another 18 years?

I do agree almost with Jon, except the part about the growling, I find it a legit way of singing, I love bands like Samael, Coroner, Strapping Young Lad, Cradle Of Filth who are all more on the growling/screaming side. That being said, I am also aware of the limited mainstream appeal of such bands. But when we ignore the mainstream for a moment, I think the raw talent is out there, but is not utilized in the same way as back in the 70s or 80s. A singer or band has not really the opportunity to organically grow but uses rather social media platforms like tiktok, youtube and whatnot. The targets and the metrics for success are vastly different on those platforms, they need to grab the attention immediately, the content should be short ideally and they need to do it in high occurrence. The artistic exploration, that led to the magic of Led Zeppelin, or Queen or Savatage, for that matter, is not happening in that form anymore. This doesn’t mean it is worse or bad; it just means the artistic outcome will be completely different in these days. It is then a matter of personal taste if one likes it as a listener or not, but both require a tremendous amount of work and dedication. For the future, I think the underground becomes more relevant. Heavy music will still be present in the mainstream, but it is going to be less, especially once the legacy bands will bow out at some point, Priest, Maiden, Metallica and such, and believe me, that day will come, haha. Of course, a lot of people will whine about it because they cannot enjoy art or music just for the sake of it, they always need a new master of puppets, a new seventh son etc, but of course already bitching while the band is still active that they don’t get it. We see the resurgence of some legacy bands right now, like Pantera, Rush, Nevermore or Savatage. I think that could happen more and more further down the line. I had an interesting conversation about this topic with a friend, we agreed that if a band wants to reassemble and continue to play, they should absolutely do that, if people want to go and see them, they also should definitely do that. What is not necessary is the shitstorm on the internet, like “no Neil, no Rush”, or “no Dime, no Pantera” etc, and we all collectively should call those mouth-breathers out and shame them publicly on the internet for being asshats, haha. No, seriously, life is too short for this crap, just enjoy music in whatever form you like it and don’t shame others because of their personal taste. Just FYI, I really like Ghost, Nickelback and Sleep Token, haha.

And finally, the traditional question: what can fans look forward to when they come to see your performance at the charity concert Žiarsky Angelus on April 18, 2026 in Žiar nad Hronom?

We are looking forward to play our music at your event to the audience, I think as the youngest band of all four we are ready to prove that we are on par with the others and we hope that people will have fun and donate a lot to the red cross. Let’s do this, every day is a good day to start to make the world a better place, and to listen to great music, of course.

 

Questions: Vlado Lauko

Photos: Band archive