What has Bulgaria brought the music scene ??? I have absolutely no idea ! Bulgaria is one of the forgotten ex- Warsaw pact countries. Bulgaria only springs to my mind when I buy a bottle of the superb, cheap Bulgarian red wine from the local supermarket. The holiday resorts in Bulgaria are also well known for us Scots when we want to defrost our frozen bodies during the winter-storms in Scotland.
It therefore came as a surprise when I received a magazine from Bulgaria called Counter Attack. The magazine left no doubts that the music scene was strong. Especially a Doom Metal band called Nightsky Bequest, who had just released a CD on Counter Attack Productions. The central man in Counter Attack magazine, Counter Attack Productions and Nightsky Bequest is Andre Mateew. Contact was established, I got a copy of the Nightsky Bequest CD (see review somewhere else) and this interview was done by mail.

1. First off all; please give us a new- beginners insight into Bulgaria.

- Let me start with the fact that Bulgaria is a small country which is on it’s way out of the terrible situation that settled in during the post- communist period. I think that at least one generation should be laid to eternal rest before young people here show their real potential. So we will be able to walk our own way without fighting down all stupid obstacles that lay before us every day. Communism has done it’s job well ! I am sorry, but I don’t want to talk about the problems in my country. I prefer that we discuss things that I do and concern me.

2. Could you tell us more about the history of the band ?

- At the end of 1994 I started searching for the right musicians to record a demo with. That demo was "Uncounted stars, Unfounded Dreamlands" and it had been in my head for quite a long time. I was gradually joined by: Radoslava Dikanska (voc), Emil Goranov (guit) and session musicians. In June 1995 we recorded the demo. We achieved a surprisingly good sound quality for a first effort and we signed a contract with Emil Saparevski who’s the founder of Counter Attack Productions and magazine. He was very serious and caring, so for half a year we sold approx. 600 cassettes.
Then we signed a contract with the Italian label Polyphemus which released our demo on MCD. Unfortunately; they did not honor their obligations and they did not pay us our $ 1.5 per sold copy as written in the contract. Recently I insisted on the fact that I should receive 50 copies of that MCD, but Giovanni (Polyphemus owner) responded that the MCD was sold out, adding that he could not pay me anything because of financial problems. He also proposed to pay $ 500 for the recording of a new CD. In my view; the sum is highly insufficient, having in mind the possible length of the album and it’s mastering.It is crystal clear that the whole deal is a s scam because one cannot trust people who lie to him. If we agree on their terms, the whole story will repeat itself all over again. In our case, that is for sure !!
All these worthless discussions with Polyphemus took a lot of time, so eventually we released "Keep The Lonely Trees" on Counter Attack Productions, who is now run by Emil Saparevski and myself.
Right now we are working on our new album and I hope it’s going to prove that it can be a match for many of the best Doom Metal albums ever created in this world. It is entitled "About The Sea, Wind Or In Farewell".

3. The CD have a somber feeling. Could you please tell us more about the CD, the title of the CD and the name on your band ?

- The name "Keep The Lonely Trees" means that all human beings should keep their own true identities and believe in everything they do. When one has achieved a certain state of his/her spirit one can feel him/herself and he/she is alone. Nightsky Bequest is what’s going to be here after I am gone. I mean not the band but that very part of the sky which started everything in my heart. This part of the sky still always be unchanged and i’s a part of me. This were all the melodies in our music comes from.

4. If I am not wrong; you are already working on a new CD. Could you please give us more informations ?

- As I already mentioned somewhere in this interview, our new CD will be called "About The Sea, Wind Or In Farewell". It will be ready in September 1998. Right now we are working on it. All the details are ready and they just need to be recorded. In May 1998 we will do the main guitar, drums and bass parts. It would be very nice if we sign a contract with a bigger and reliable label. Otherwise we are going to release it through Counter Attack Productions again. I hope taht by then this label will be bigger and stronger.

5. Do your band have any tour plans ?

- As you might have guessed; we do not have the possibility to tour due to financial reasons.

6. You are an active man with many talents. Could you tell us more about Counter Attack magazine.

- Counter Attack is the ‘zine of Emil Saparevski and numbr 3 was issued last November. In the summer of 1998 hopefully we will have number 4. The people who work on this issue are Emil, Victor (from Turndown) and me. We try to include something more interesting that the standard interviews, poetry and art pages.

7. Your magazine more than prove that the metal/hard core scene in Bulgaria are strong. Could you please tell us more about this scene ?

- Yes, for a small country such as Bulgaria, the scene is quite strong. I recommend these bands which are really worth checking out:
On Wings(Doom), In Somnus (Doom), Distorted Reality (Death-Doom), Dead Future (Death), Zaratustra (Black), Turndown (Hardcore) and Last Hope (Hardcore).

8. From my address in Scotland; I have a distinctive feeling that there is an East- European Wave Of Doom Metal that unfortunatelly is completely ignored in the West. Something this magazine want to change. What is your feeling about the Doom Metal scene in Eastern Europe ?? Why is it so difficult to get accepted in West ?

- The problem here is the constant lack of moeny. In the West; people don’t listen to cassettes anymore. The CDs has taken over a long time ago, but there is no real market for them here. 1 year ago the average monthly wage was $ 30 for Teachers/Doctors etc. Things are slowly getting stable and the monthly wages are now approx. $ 80. Still there are no social benefits. In spine of all problems I am sure that this country will give birth to a lot of great bands which will be a considerable force !!
Time will tell.

9. Could you please tell us more about Counter Attack Productions ?? What is the next release ?

- Counter Attack Productions was formed in 1994. We have already released 6 releases with different styles of metal. All releases are from Bulgarian bands. I think they are all good and have an unique identity of their own.

This is our release list in 1998:
Zaratustra full length CD (Cold, harmony atmospheric Black Metal).
Tangrycan full length cassette (Pagan war Black Metal).
and maybe the new Nightsky Bequest CD.

Thanx a lot for this insight into the metal scene in Bulgaria. More informations about Nightsky Bequest and the metal scene in Bulgaria will follow in 1998 when things happens.

You can contact the band and the label on this address:

Counter Attack Productions, PO Box 55, 1408 Sofia, BULGARIA.