Roses Of Thieves Interview – Kronos Mortus News

It’s August 2024 and Roses Of Thieves was formed in the autumn of 2023! You’ve had a lot of member changes, a full album and a tour abroad. As a Hungarian band, this is quite a fast pace, but in my opinion it’s no coincidence, because you play quality music. Folk metal style and in some places in a modern guise! Can you talk about the autumn of 2023, how the line-up was formed at that time and what problems you had with your bandmates? What were the values and expectations of each new member?

Roses Of Thieves was formed in the autumn of 2023, at a time when we all wanted to create something new and unique. The first line-up quickly proved that, in addition to a common musical interest, there was a need for a shared set of values and expectations. The member changes happened because some people didn’t feel they could commit to the band in the long term. Some wanted to continue on a more hobby level, while others had more serious plans. In selecting new members, it was important that not only their musical skills were outstanding, but also that their values fitted the mission of the band: to create quality music.

How much did the short “gateway house” within the band wear on you? How easy was it to make up for the loss?

Of course, changing members was not easy, and the loss of a musician was always a problem. However, the aforementioned shared values and commitment were a priority in the band, and we were forced to resort to member changes. During the transition period, it was difficult to find a balance, as with each new member a new dynamic emerged. It was frustrating, of course, but it was also an opportunity to strengthen the band. As new members joined, our collective sound became more and more formed and we felt more and more that we were now a group that could work and create together.

What does the current membership agree on, what path have you started to walk together? More popularity and more concerts?

In the current set-up, as I said, there is complete harmony. The most important thing in Roses Of Thieves is not to increase our popularity as fast as possible, but to create music that really speaks to people. Of course we are happy about the success and the fact that we are getting more and more gig opportunities, but for us the primary goal is to stay authentic and true to our own artistic vision.

Roses Of Thieves is a very new formation, but I think you are a bit modest and need some encouragement to continue! How have you experienced the past 1 year, because in the past you haven’t had to perform and prove yourselves in front of a bigger audience at all? Do you think more gigs will solve the problem of encouraging the band?

The first year was full of challenges. We had to learn a lot of things quickly and there were moments when we really needed encouragement. The experience of performing helps us to become more confident and we feel that the audience supports us on this journey. Playing in front of Alestorm in Germany, Poland and Slovenia this July was a great help. The first few gigs are always a big challenge in the life of a new band, as it’s the time to decide how the audience will receive the music, but we can say that we were definitely positively disappointed with our summer shows.

What is there to know about Kinga and Dominik?Apart from the fact that everyone is important and presumably you decide together, who can we name as the band’s manager and who is the main songwriter in the group?

Kinga and Dominik both have a rich musical background, having played in different formations before. Kinga’s singing skills were noticed as a child, and she made her first stage appearance at the age of 9. Between 2002 and 2011 she studied music at the Böhönyei Private Music School, the Music School of Marcal and the Liszt Ferenc Music School of Kaposvár. During her years at music school she has been invited to perform in several competitions, including Balkan Fanatics, and she has participated in several talent contests, including the nationally renowned X Faktor and Dunakanyar Hangja (she came 2nd in the latter), and in the autumn of 2022 she was a finalist in the Golden Violin Prize singing competition.
Dominik’s outstanding talent was already evident as a child, which allowed him to be mentored by Bernát Babicsek, the former harmonica player of Paddy And The Rats, who sadly passed away in 2021. His father and his mentor, who sadly are no longer with us, are still his strength today, but they were the ones who trusted him the most in his music and his perseverance, and he doesn’t want to let them down.

“Gateway To Utopia” album was born. In terms of time, it was very simple and you put it together very quickly. How would you say it went smoothly? When were the songs recorded, where did you record them, who was the engineer? How would you argue those decisions were the best songs you made?

The creation of the album “Gateway To Utopia” was indeed a quick process, but not by chance. Most of the songs had already been written, so when we went into the studio we just had to refine them. The production was done by Dániel Kökényes, guitarist of the band AWS, alongside Dominik, and the sound engineer was István Simon. As a first album, we struggled a lot with who should fill these positions during the recording, but we feel we made the right decision, as Dani understood exactly what we wanted to achieve and supported our ideas to the maximum, and István did an amazingly thorough job in bringing out the sound we had in mind.

Very good melodies, wonderful singing voice and harmonies that lean towards folk. The music is wild metal in places, but for the most part it has a pleasant, soft caressing feel, and in places it even leans quite pop due to the modern arrangements! What would you say about the 10 songs?

The 10 songs on the album each represent a different world, but overall they create a cohesive mood. There is a harmonious unity between the wilder metallic parts and the softer folk tunes, reflecting the band’s diversity. We wanted the songs to have the power of both traditional and modern music, which is why we use acoustic instruments such as violin and accordion, which we incorporate into the harder sound of the guitars and drums. The more popular elements were intentionally included to reach a wider audience, but we always made sure to keep the music authentic. Our diversity is what allows us to reach a lot of people and tune them into the line we represent.

The song “Blunderbuss” was the first one to be done, I think. Did that set the direction and did you focus on that when you were making the other songs? Clearly everyone wanted similar songs? Who wanted to focus on what? What did they want to hear more of?

“Blunderbuss” was really the first song we wrote and it had a big influence on the direction of the other songs on the album. When we wrote this song, we felt we had found a musical style that really expressed what we wanted to say. “Blunderbuss” is hard-hitting, energetic and melodic at the same time, which summed up the band’s sound perfectly. You can hear both violin and harmonica solos, metal standouts, synthesizers and a wide variety of musical elements. This became the benchmark to which the rest of the songs were adapted.

Are love, freedom, love and standing up for yourself the most important things in life for you? Who wrote the lyrics to the songs?

The lyrics of the songs were mainly written by Dominik. The values mentioned above are the ones that are important to all of us and on which the songs are based. The lyrics do not only tell simple stories, but also carry deeper messages that encourage the listener to reflect on his or her own life and the values he or she holds dear.

I think it took a kind of luck, besides the acquaintance, to be able to play with Alestorm and to before them in Poland and Germany. It must have been a very good experience and learning experience. How did you see the fans’ faces from the stage? How were those 2 nights? Were there more people looking to buy t-shirts and CDs?

It was a great honour to perform with Alestorm in Poland and Germany. These evenings provided experiences we will never forget. When we took to the stage, we could feel the excitement of the audience and see that they were curious to see what we would bring. The reaction from the fans proved that our music can cross borders and reach people in other countries. After the concerts, more people came up to us to buy T-shirts and CDs, which shows that the music has really reached its target. It was a great feeling to see the fruits of our labour come to fruition and to see that the public supported us. It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe in words, it’s something you have to feel.

You also played a sold-out party in Slovenia where, in addition to Alestorm, the great Elvenking was there. This was your third gig in front of the “big ones”. Did everything go easier for you there? Which gig did you feel was the best of the three?

The concert in Slovenia was truly special. Not only was it our third performance in front of the “big boys”, but it was also the third performance of the band’s life, so we can definitely say that it was the best possible debut for the band. The first two shows helped us to focus more on Slovenia and to fully experience every moment of the performance. The audience reactions were the most intense here and we felt the most liberated and successful this night.

Can the friendship of Alestorm help the band in other ways? Did they give you good advice? Would you like more opportunities abroad?

I think that being friends with them can really help us in the future. Being able to play with such big name bands not only gives us experience, but also gives us contacts. They have given us a lot of good advice, especially in terms of touring and managing the band. The guys are incredibly cool and at the same time they are blood professionals, so we have a lot to learn from them. We’re keen to organise more gigs abroad, as we’re finding that our music is well received abroad. So we will do our best to continue building our international network.

The initial steps are very good and you have spent the opportunities you have gained in a sufficiently valuable way. What next? What are your plans? Is it possible that you are currently known more abroad than at home? 🙂 Have you considered a new video to promote the album?

We are currently working on getting more opportunities to perform, both in Hungary and abroad. We have also noticed that we are probably better known abroad than in Hungary, which is partly due to the fact that we have made a lot of new fans while touring with Alestorm. That’s why it’s important for us to play as many gigs as possible at home and to show our home audience what we can do. To this end, we will be doing a small series of domestic concerts in the autumn. We have already shot a new video for the song Can’t Look Back on the album, which will be released soon. We are also working on a new album, but that’s music for the future.

Thank you for your answers! I am glad that Hungary has a wonderful female folk band, worth what you represented!

We are happy that more and more people are paying attention to us in Hungary, and we hope that Roses Of Thieves’ music will reach many more people.
Thank you very much for the opportunity!