Uappa Terror is the singer and guitar player for the crushing thrash/crosser band Terrordome and here is a nice long chat with him.
 

Where were you born and where did you grow up?
Hello Chris and all readers! We’re from Kraków, Poland – this is our city where we were all born and grow up.
 
What sort of kid were you growing up? Did you have many friends or were you more of a loner?
When it comes to me, I had some friends and as in life, there was lots of foes. I was kind of difficult kid, but I always liked to be surrounded by friends.
 
When did you discover music, doesn’t have to be metal because that’s up next?
The music was always somewhere in the background and my way was like from the shitty pop artists until I found something that completed me. We did not have MTV these days, but when the US music started to be played in some Polish TV in the middle of 90’s, I heard some first guitars and they had my attention at all.
 
How did you discover the wonderful world of heavy metal? Were there many music stores where you could buy or discover metal bands in Poland around the time you were say 16 or 17 years old?
First, it was listening to The Offspring and some Metallica played in TV but that was really rarely when something was played in our TV. There were not many stores with metal music in my area. Just few places you could count on with your one hand. So that until today people talk about these special places where you could buy cassettes and CD’s.
 
How did you find out about underground music/metal? Was it one band in particular or a bunch at once? Now was this style you took too rather quickly or did it take a few listens to really grasp it?
My cousin gave me lots of cassettes when I was 14. I got crazy with them! I got old Slayer, Metallica, Vader and many more. It was like a miracle! Fulfillment of my life – and suddenly I discovered that I want to make music like that!
 
Once you found this style, did you want more and more like a drug so to speak?
Yes, I started digging, searching for new bands, reading zines, looking for some news and finding people who I could talk about it and exchange tapes. That was wonderful.
 
At what age did you want to pick up a guitar? Did you ever take lessons or were you self-taught? What are some of your favorite guitar players?
I picked up a guitar very quickly, something around being 14 or 15. I sucked at all, but all the time I remembered I have to start a band and record an album. Finally, I decided to go on lessons after our album Machete Justice in 2015. So I did.
 
What were some early concerts you saw before you formed Terrordome? Had you managed to see Vader live as they were a famous underground band from Poland?
Yes, many times. With Terrordome we had also an opportunity to support them in Poland. Great people, great experience for us. Before forming Terrordome, the early gigs we went to were some concerts in small venues. Just maybe few bigger fests, but most of the gigs I went to were really underground shows.
 
Are there many record shops still around to purchase underground metal music or is everything on-line these days?
Now in Cracow, something like five good metal / music shops I know now, but we have the trend to buy music online and it is the most popular thing. I like walking, searching for music, to have a look on the CD, touch it and talk about it. It has its spirit.
 
At what point did you want to form a band and was it hard find members?
I was very stubborn with that. Back in 2005 it was not so hard to find members, the worse thing was – nobody understand that I want to play vulgar, aggressive music that is fast and powerful. People liked to jam Metallica or some slow shit. I did not wanted to make it. Finally I found some good guys to make it real.
 
From the early going was it decided you were going to be the singer or was other people tried out, but they didn’t work out so you became the singer?
Exactly. Nobody was good enough to sing the way we wanted it to be. I had enough, asking people, instructing them, so I decided (it was something natural) to stand behind the microphone.

How long was the band around before you recorded your debut release “Shit Fuck Kill? Where did you record it and how long were you in the studio for around?
We were around 1.5 years before entering the studio. We recorded this EP in Psychosound studio, which exists until today recording alternative/rock bands. There were not into metal back then and we were the most brutal band then. Of course after us, there was few metal bands coming there for their recordings.
 
How was the reaction in the underground to this release? How was it for you guys the first time as a band in the studio?
For me it was very special, I felt really great thinking “Gosh, I am going to record an album!” I was 20 years old kid that did know what’s around him so that was the best here, something new.
 
Did you get to play any live shows as you had a release out, even though it was only a demo?
We played a lot small shows in small venues, sharing the stage with really strange bands where 95% of them split out. We had done it even before “Shit Fuck Kill” because there were lots of people coming to the concerts even if they did not know the band. These days MySpace was entering and that was something huge. Not everybody had internet and people were going to the concerts to get to know the band they really hadn’t known or hadn’t heard before. They were curious and always ready for a good party.
 
In 2008, you did a split release with the band “Lostbone” how did that come about and how did the songs come about for this release? Looking back what are your thoughts on this release these days?
Personally, I do not like this record. I did not like also the process of recording it, I did not feel it and I feel now ashamed of this recording. There are really cool two songs there I really liked, but the way we recorded them destroyed (in my opinion) their spirit. Anyway, nobody cares now, but thank you for this question!
 
On 2010, you did a 2 song release, including a SOD cover of “Speak English or Die”, how well do you think you covered this classic song?
This was the second session where our band lost its spirit for some period. Split it Out and then the Single, should not have place so much – but we did it to learn the lesson. It is always good to record like 2 songs or doing nothing. S.O.D. could be better I think, but we were in a hurry and we could do it really, really better.

In 2011, you released your first fill length on “Defense Records” called “We'll Show You Mosh, Bitch!”. How did you hook up with them and did you feel any added pressure seeing as this was a full length and you actually being on a label now? What made you pick Nuclear Assault’s “Hang the Pope” as a cover tune, even though it’s a great tune. Do you know if they have heard it?
 Finally we made full length and were very happy of it. Not only of the full record and finally a new label that helped us a lot those days. I met Peter from Defense Records by accident – I bought some Dark Angel and Slayer t-shirts and picked up from him. He told me that he is starting a label and looking for some new bands he would like to release. I left him a demo and told that we are in the middle of the process of recording a new full length. He told me that he is interested in releasing it and this is how it actually went. We’ve chosen “Hang the Pope” because the bassist loved it. I also like Nuclear Assault but we changed the lyrics a little to fit the concept of the album and suit the artwork. I had a chance to talk to them finally at some gig in Poland, but I totally forgot about telling them about that! Damn!
 
With your 2011 release, do you feel you were starting to come into your own sound so to speak and is that 2011 release still for sale?
Yes, I felt this is it. Now it sounds terrible, but it’s really old school and has it’s spirit. The version from 2011 is sold out, but we have received some re-release from the label.
 
In 2012, you joined or formed the band “Extinkt”, which to date only have one release out that came out in 2016. Tell me a bit about this band and then we will move back on to Terrordome.
 I formed Extinkt with former musicians of Terrordome. It had to be a project where we could record some songs that were unreleased or the songs that could fit the post nuclear climate of Mad Max and so on.
 
In late 2012, you released on “Thrashing Madness Productions” a split with the band “Dekapited”. What are your thoughts on this release these days. By now was it easier or harder writing tunes to go in and record them? What are some of your lyrical content you like to write about?
I was into Municipal Waste then a lot. And all of songs there are hits for me, I love them. It was easy for me to write these tunes but they are not complicated, so that I really enjoyed this stuff. The lyrical content there are quite funny but nowadays I focus on important feelings and concrete thoughts that are holding my mind.
 
How does a song come together? Is it a group effort or does one or 2 members write most of the music?
All depends. Sometimes lyrics come first, sometimes music comes first. I like making a full song, but sometimes my guitarist Paua helps me with adding some great riff I love. And it goes in the same way. All depends and it is quite liquid process, you never know!
 
Were you playing live a lot around this time? Who are some of the bands you shared the stage with?
Yes we played a lot in whole Poland and abroad – we owned our band’s van and we were travelling a lot playing gigs. We shared the stage with bigger and smaller bands. The bigger ones were like Suicidal Angels, Exhumed, Anthrax.
 
In 2014 a comp came out on “Defense Records”, which was the re-issue of “We'll Show You Mosh, Bitch!”. Was this just that release, plus some stuff that was on your split release and that 2 song promo from years back?
It was a compilation of old new songs that we decided to release, because we were run out of all CD’s and while travelling and playing gigs we needed at least something new. This was called “We’ll Show You Bosch, Mitch!” and it has some hidden bonus live from underground concert we had.

 In 2016, another full length came out on Defense Records called “Machete Justice”. How was the response to this release and did you find by now the band had found it’s style, which was “brutal hardcore thrash” as you call it. Is it still for sale these days and who came up with the band’s logo and name?
In 2016 when Machete Justice appeared, it changed everything. It was the time we started to be more professional. We did a good thrash metal CD, not brutal hardcore thrash, just only thrash. Maybe little crossover, because of my voice. We have sold lots of copies and it is harder now to get the European version of this album. Logo was done by me. When it comes to the song, I wanted to make a song “Machete Justice” and drummer caught it and proposed to name the album “Machete Justice”. That was a great idea I really liked.
 
How would you rate the band live and are there live videos on You Tube and are there many places to play over in Poland and have you had a chance to play outside the country?
We were energetic and chaotic then. But we did it quite OK on stage. Now I could do it better. We played a lot shows in Poland then we went to Japan, Brazil and China for a tour. That was a great time and great shows I will never forget.
 
In early 2016, you released another split with the band “Chaos Synopsis” on Defense Records and you do an Evildead (yesss-chris) cover tune. Why did you pick that particular tune? Is this split still for sale? What was the reactions like when it came out?
Yes, we are slowly running out of this split, but few copies are still available on our merch store. Reactions were quite OK, but not so big when you release a full album. I was very happy that Chaos Synopsis could make it with us, they recorded their songs in less than one week, because basically we planned to make this split with some other bands. They saved our asses!
 
Just curious, is Defense Records your own label, or do they have other bands?
Nope, the label is run by Piotr Popiel, who also releases other bands. He was also a vocalist of thrash metal band Whorehouse or vocalist of gore grind band Pathologicum. Nowadays Piotr does not play live or record album and he takes care of few bands in his label.
 
The band didn’t release anything from 2016 till 2020. Why was this and also you got a new drummer and new bass player in 2020. What happened to the other 2 members?
First drummer – Mekong – left the band after 13 years. Then we decided split ways with our bassist – Dekapitzator. After this we found a new drummer Venator and a new bassist Simon. We played some shows, recorded the video, but then we decided to split ways with Venator also. That was at the beginning of COVID. When COVID came in Jan 2020, Simon the bassist, was forced to change his job and decided to go to other city. That was impossible to play rehearsals, but he recorded the album with us. Afterwards it came out naturally that we have to find a new drummer and bassist. So that after all these changes we finally found Rob Sixkiller on drums and Virous on bass. All goes well now, so hope this will be the greatest Terrordome squad. In the middle of changing squads we asked Friggi Mad Beats to record drums on the new album. He did it perfectly.
 
Would you say the band’s sound changed much with the 2 new members who appear on your 2 song single as sort of a teaser for your full length, which came out a short time later on Selfmadegod Records?
Not so much, we are still the same band. Even better and more mature.

In early 2021 comes your new release on Selfmadegod Records called “Straight Outta Smogtown”. Why that title? How difficult or easy was it to record a full length with 2 new members? Were most if not all the songs ready to go when you went in?
Straight Outta Smogtown is a special album. All because of the city we came from, that is full of smog. The tile has some few other meaning I do not want to tell about now. I want all of meanings to be found by the listeners. The recording session was easy and in a great atmosphere. We got what we exactly wanted to have. What is interesting, we entered the studio with a full album already recorded – nowadays we make a preproduction before entering the studio now.
 
Why the change from Defense Records to Selfmadegod Records? Were any other labels interested?
We wanted to have a professional label who would promote us abroad, in magazines, other media and support us in every aspect that is really appreciated by us. We received few offers for releasing SOS, but the best offer was coming from Selfmadegod Records. Of course, when signing the contract I also proposed what can we give from our band. In my opinion the cooperation must work both ways.
 
How has the response been to this unreal release? I personally love it. Has it been frustrating for you guys that you can’t play live at all to support this release?
Happy to hear it. The response is great. Personally, now I do not care so much about gigs, I focus on working on promotion in other ways – especially on making clips – I love it. I love the production of music videos, we can finally prepare our rehearsal room and all the stuff that we could do because we were playing gigs. I know that kind weird, but I really can focus on important things now. Hope it won’t last forever, so that I wait for the gigs coming back patiently.
 
For someone who has never heard the band, what would you describe the band to be like musically?
Terrordome is just straight in the snout fast and brutal thrash metal!

So what are your plans for 2021 and going forward?
Making clips – that is for sure. Let us also finish our rehearsal room and we plan to make some streams. What’s more? We’re just starting writing new songs if gigs are not back.
 
Please plug any social music sites you have.
Sure, you can please visit our bandcamp at https://terrordome.bandcamp.com – we have everything there! Also, have a look on our clips on our YouTube channel.
 
Horns up for the interview, any last words to wrap this up?
Thank you for a great interview, take care everybody – see you on our shows on tours and now – enjoy our new album “Straight Outta Smogtown”. Cheers!

Interview by Chris Forbes
Answers by Uappa Terror

March 2021