We are glad to be returning to the Center

When in your life did you become interested in music?

I think quite early. When I was six, my older brother Marcin and I attended the Kobo Music Studio music school in Greenpoint, run by Bożena Konkiel. There, we learned the basics of music by learning to play the piano. Bożena Konkiel is a wonderful teacher and the education there developed us a lot. It was there that we also realized that we wanted to take up music seriously in the future.

The education at the music school probably had little to do with heavy metal.

That’s true, but it awakened in us a passion for playing live and developing our skills. So, although at the very beginning we were mainly exposed to classical music, we quickly became interested in stronger sounds. Our father Jacek, who was a great fan of rock and metal, had a big influence on our musical tastes. He introduced us to the work of such heavy metal bands as Metallica and Avenged Sevenfold, but also punk bands such as Off Spring, or Polish rock bands such as Lady Pank. I am certain that without his support and influence, our band would never have been formed, and my brother and I are grateful for that. We would also never have come to know the work of Polish artists, because although my parents come from Sanok, my brother and I were born in the United States.

So how did Minimal Absolution come about?

Minimal Absolution was founded by my twin brother Paweł Golda in 2017, which is relatively recently. We were still teenagers at the time. My brother had been playing drums for years, and I had always loved singing, but when the band was formed, neither he nor I had any idea that I would eventually be a part of it. My brother was looking for members for his band, and when he had found almost everyone, I auditioned as a vocalist and after a few rehearsals, I was accepted.

Where did the catchy name of your band come from?

Coming up with a name wasn’t easy. When we started our activity 8 years ago, we had no idea at all. And the first concert was approaching and we had to quickly put something on the poster. Then our bassist said that the word minimal is very cool, but it would be good to add something to it, because minimal itself sounds quite banal. I started to think about what could go well with minimal and then the term absolution came to my mind. A bit on the basis of contrast, but also the combination of these words sounds quite intriguing. The word minimal in the context of absolution nevertheless denotes great power. This name was liked and approved by the other members of the band. And it stuck.

What bands are your musical inspirations?

Each of us listens to many different bands. However, there are definitely some that inspire us all. I would mention here more or less well-known bands such as: Metallica, Avenged Sevenfold, Slipknot, Korn, Linkin Park, The Offspring, Trivium, System Of Down, Rammstein, Stone Sour, Lamb Of Gold, Alice In Chains, Paramore, Gojira, Disturbed, Karnivool, Ozzy Osbourne or even Abba. We all also like the instrumental work of the band Periphery.

As a vocalist, you certainly have some favorite characters?

Yes. There are several of my favorites that I look up to. They would definitely be: Corey Taylor from Slipknot, M. Shadows from Avenged Sevenfold, Bryan “Dexter” Holland from The Offspring, David Draiman from Disturbed and the unfortunately deceased Chester Bennington from Linkin Park. You could say that each of them contributed something to my singing.

You describe your band’s style as metal with elements of rock and punk. Last year you played at the Centrum during a rock festival, where you definitely sounded the strongest of all the bands performing, which is why this year the organizers invited you to a metal festival.

Indeed, there is the most metal in our music, which can undoubtedly be heard. That is why we are happy that this year we will appear on the guest stage of the Centrum at a metal festival and with such a respectable group of performers. We always play our own, we do not copy anyone and I assure you that it will definitely not be easier.

Has the band’s line-up changed over the last year?

Nothing has changed in our line-up, which I am very happy about, because stability is very important for the band. Especially since we have been composing a lot lately. Our next song entitled Lifeless will premiere online in a moment. We will definitely play all of our latest songs during the Festival.

You are a band that focuses primarily on concerts.

Yes. We still play once or twice a month, mostly in clubs in New York, but we also occasionally tour outside of the city. We’ve played clubs like The Kingsland in Brooklyn, Amityville Music Hall on Long Island, and Crossroads in New Jersey. We’ve played a few great shows over the past year, including Arlene’s Grocery and the Stone Circle Theatre. All of our shows have been very well-received by the audience. With each show, we feel more confident on stage and we’re growing as musicians.

Tell us a little about your latest collaboration with Cart Music.

On Sunday, May 18th, which is basically right after the Centrum Festival, we’re going to Philadelphia, where we’ll be recording our live show. This is all thanks to Cart Music, a record company we recently contacted. We’re very excited about it and looking forward to working with you for a long time. We hope you enjoy our work. They have many fans on YouTube, where we are already inviting everyone to our concert (www.youtube.com/@cartmusic6484). The same goes for the Centrum Festival, which we can’t wait for.

When will your first album be released?

We currently have a few songs that you can listen to on Spotify and Apple Music. For now, we are focusing on playing live, although we already have enough material for the first album. We also know that it will be called Metamorphosis. It may appear this year, but more in the fall.

Do you compose all the songs yourselves?

Yes. Despite many inspirations, we focus on our own compositions, although in the future we may also work on some covers. Each of us provides musical ideas, most often me or the guitarists, and then we work on them together. I am also responsible for the lyrics. For now, I only sing in English.

You will play at Centrum once again. What impressions did you take away from last year’s performance?

We liked it a lot. We were impressed by the musical level of the bands that performed next to us, and the audience also knew perfectly well why they came to the festival and generally everyone had a great time. We are glad that we are coming back to the Center with another performance. It will be strong and specific on our part. We will definitely not disappoint both the organizers and such an excellent audience.

In that case, I wish you a successful concert and see you at the Festival.

Marcin Żurawicz