[Interview] Northern Revival [SRB]

Northern Revival band photo
Northern Revival is a quite active heavy rock band from Novi Sad, Serbia that recently released a new EP 'Electric Power Supply(watch the official video here), so we took the chance and had a little chat with the singer of the band Petar Randelj and we present you this interview so that you get to know them better.


1.-Hello and welcome to Downtuned. First of all, give us some info about the band's background just to let people know you better.
Howdy! The band has 7 years of existence, over 100 performances, 3 releases:  two EPs - "Mouth full of Dirt" and "Electric Power Supply", and one full length album "Life Survival Tips". The members of the band are Aleksandar Rajić - guitar, Marko Čizmar - drums, Petar Kožuvara - bass and Petar Randelj - vocals.

2.-Did the members of the band participate in other projects or bands in the past and what kind of music did they play?
Yes, I've had other bands in the past, the only one worth mentioning, and whose music was recorded is Inquisitia (thrash groove metal), Petar K. played in Reality Attack, and for Aleks and Marko this is the first serious band.

3.-How did you come up with the name "NORTHERN REVIVAL"? Does it mean something particular for you?
Aleks came up with the name, we are from the north of our country, hence the word "northern", and "revival" simply means revival, which together represents the revival of the north, the waking through the music.

4.-How big or active is the underground music scene at your place of living and generally in Serbia? How easy or difficult was for you to make your first steps as a band? Was it easy to find an audience for your music at your place?
The underground scene as it is anywhere is modest, there are bands and people who keep it alive, there are a lot of bands in our city. The same image is mapped all over the major cities and certain smaller towns. Wherever there's effort and will, there are places where a gig can be held. Every start is more or less difficult, it is first necessary to collect a team that will last, which can function together as a whole, making music is the easiest part. As for the audience it comes in time, as in our case, at the beginning, we could count them on our fingers, but now is another story, we have some support.

5.-Almost seven years have passed since NORTHERN REVIVAL came into existence. What has
stayed the same and what is different today in the band and in the way you work?
Well, for the past 7 years, Aleksandar and I have been in a non-sexual music relationship, that much has remained the same. The rhythm section changed several times, people left because of other obligations, some for other reasons. Mostly, the band was always active creating and working on music, we just spent a lot of time until we found the right people.

6.-What were the biggest difficulties that you encountered in producing and releasing your music? Are those difficulties going to affect the way you'll handle a full album release in the future?
Material difficulties, at the beginning, although now we are already earning enough from gigs so that we don't have to give out of our own pockets for recording, videos, etc. In any case, I hope that in the future we will be able to charge our music through gigs so that we can at least keep it in life and to raise funds for the next release.

7.-Do you have plans for a new album soon?
We've already started to make new songs, slowly. We still need to promote the current EP.

8.-How would you describe your music to someone who doesn't know you yet? Is that the style that defines "NORTHERN REVIVAL" or is there room for further experimentation?
It is in our core to sound a bit more aggressive, although you can stumble upon some deeply buried melodies. We try not to limit ourselves too much and always try to add at least a smudge of something new to our sound, so as not to get sick of ourselves. At the moment we define ourselves as a stoner, heavy rock, sludge band.

9.-What were the main reasons and influences that made you adopt this music style?
I don't know, we all listen to everything, and this sound is like a golden mixture of everything we love. It's in our nature.

10.-How does the whole songwriting process work for you? What are the emotions you want people to receive when they hear your music? What are your lyrics about?
Aleks usually has some riff to start off with, and the rhythm section is there to make a groove. I personally love when the song has an atmosphere and based on that I write the lyrics, I name the song and give it an identity. People usually get crazy and let the music carry them, they go all out. The lyrics are diverse, they talk about common themes, human psyche, living conditions, some are really strict with a strong attitude, and some are humorous in a weird way, yet serious.

11.-During a gig, is the communication with the crowd important for you? Does the positive feedback from the crowd motivate you to perform with more passion?
Communication is very important and the audience feels it, the band must be honest and convincing on the stage. There is no better feeling than when you see people jumping and shouting your music, and even after the gig, when they approach you and tell you they've had a great experience.

12.-Are there any "special" bands that you dream to share the stage with?
We would love to share the stage with bands like Clutch, High On Fire, Cancer Bats, Mastodon, Red Fang, Corrosion Of Conformity, Apey & The Pea, 1000mods, Kvelertak and so on...

13.-How do you imagine "NORTHERN REVIVAL" in 2029?
Hahaha as old people still in condition for rocking, hopefully with all our teeth.

14.-What are your plans for this year? Is it a priority for you to try and participate in gigs outside your
country?
Plans are to  promote the EP "Electric Power Supply", which implies as many gigs as possible in our country and beyond. We have travelled and giged outside our country many times in the past years, so why not continue this tradition.

15.-We wish you good luck to whatever you do in the future, the epilogue is yours...
Thanks and we wish you the same, we hope that one day we will meet live in Greece. STAY HEAVY!😉

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