Catchy yet powerful musicians EVOLUCIJA have been doing music for sometime now, releasing several albums, with an all new album out soon. The band talks about this release and upcoming plans.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
We are the Swiss-Serbian Symphonic Metal band, Evolucija. Our journey began in 2007 when we formed the band in Switzerland. One of the first big projects was producing the official soundtrack “Pale Rider” for the German film “Die Templerherren” (The Templars) by film producer and director Andreas Leffler in 2009. Our roots are diverse, with our singer, Ilana, hailing from Switzerland and relocating to Serbia in 2012. It was in that year that we decided to move the band to Serbia and kickstart our musical endeavors more actively.
In 2016, we achieved a significant milestone by releasing an album with lyrics in the Serbian language. This album garnered widespread acclaim, with both critics and fans showering it with praise. In fact, it was voted as the second-best album of the year.
Our second album, titled "Hunt," was unleashed upon the world in 2018 through Pure Steel Records. This release catapulted us into the international spotlight, drawing attention from music enthusiasts worldwide. Towards the end of 2018, we were honoured to receive the Innocent Award for "Best Album of the Year" from the esteemed German magazine Cute & Dangerous.
Fast forward to 2023, and we are incredibly proud to have been awarded the prestigious "Kraljevski Oskar popularnosti (Royal Oscar of Popularity)" as "Najbolji metal bend u Srbiji (the best metal band in Serbia)." This recognition means the world to us, and we are deeply grateful for the support of our fans.
We've embarked on successful tours in Switzerland, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, and the Balkans. Along the way, we've had the incredible opportunity to share the stage with some heavyweights of the global heavy metal scene, including Paradise Lost, Doro Pesch, Children Of Bodom, Tyr, Pestilence, and many others.
Excitingly, this year, we anticipate the release of our new studio album, "The World is full of Wrath." This album was produced at the renowned Swedish "Fascination Street Studios" under the patronage of the illustrious Jens Bogren. We can't wait to share this new chapter of our musical evolution with our dedicated fans and the world at large.
Regarding the band members, we all have different backgrounds:
Dragisa: I grew up in diverse surroundings when it comes to music, so I was exposed to many different types and genres of music. At first, I started playing the guitar, and the first song I learned to play was Paranoid by Black Sabbath. And later on I switched to playing bass, because nobody else wanted to play it haha. From then on, bass became my great love. Some of the bands I used to play in were Korak, Fire edge, Rock and Callboys, Revolution, and, starting in 2007, Evolucija. Bands that influenced me the most are Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Kiss, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden and Nightwish.
Ilana: Music was an integral part of my childhood. I used to play some piano and acoustic guitar. Elvis Presley was one of my early influences. I used to sing in some blues and jazz rock bands, before joining Evolucija in 2010. My favorite bands are Queen, Krokus, Gotthard, Metallica, Within Temptation and Nightwish.
Our guitarist, Darko V. Konstantinovic (alias Konstantin) is a multi-instrumentalist, composer and producer, working a style that blends world, electronic, classical and progressive rock music. He is / was a part of many different bands and projects, from ethno – jazz to Industrial metal. He is highly influenced by the German metal scene (Helloween, Gamma Ray, Blind Guardian…) from one side and with Mike Oldfield and Pink Floyd from the other side.
He is our Ajren Lucassen … ha,ha,ha … (Yes, he is enchanted with Ayreon and all other Arjen`s projects)
Marko Wolfy Vuckovic is our rhythm guitar player, and also a producer of the new album. He’s been active in the local metal scene for over 20 years playing guitar in the one of the best Serbian Heavy/Thrash Metal bands Alister, but he’s also a renowned music producer and mixing engineer who worked on some major projects in our country.
Aleksandar Kastevarac, our youngest member, is our drummer. He has some sort of “pedigree” being the son of a drummer for a biggest Yugoslavian metal band of the 80’s, Metro.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
The origin of our band name, Evolucija (Evolution), stemmed from a desire to stand for progress and positive change. We initially started as "Revolucija (Revolution)," but we discovered another band with the same name, prompting us to make a symbolic shift. Evolution is a concept that resonates with all of us, especially in a world where it sometimes feels like progress is moving in reverse. We aspire to lead by example, evolving with each album and show, and encouraging others to do the same.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
There is a scene with a lot of bands that are absolutely great.However, it's disheartening to observe that the spotlight of media attention tends to overlook these promising up-and-coming acts. This oversight is often due to the industry's profit-driven focus, making it exceptionally challenging for these talented bands to reach a broader audience.
Among the noteworthy bands that we enthusiastically suggest checking out are The Big Deal, Jenner, Nemesis, Numenor, and Claymoeran. These musical talents deserve your attention, and their music holds the potential to resonate deeply with those who discover them.
4. How would you describe your style?
Evolucija's style is a unique blend influenced by our multicultural background. We draw inspiration from diverse musical genres, aiming to create music that's both catchy and powerful, characterized by memorable vocal melodies and impactful riffs. Our influences include iconic bands like Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Kiss, Iron Maiden, Queen and Nightwish. Additionally, we incorporate elements from Balkan and other ethno-musical traditions into our sound, adding a distinctive touch to our music.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
2007: "Baklja slobode" (The torch of freedom); TIOLI Records
2016: "Igra pocinje" (The game begins); TIOLI Records
2018: "Hunt" (2018); Pure Steel Records
In our opinion, energy and creativity are the most important things for a good metal album. We wanted an album that the listener would want to hear from start to finish, each song has its own story and there is no filler.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Yes, we have just finished our third album “The World is Full of Wrath” and its counterpart in Serbian language, and we are in the active search for a record label for the English version of the album. Considering the Serbian version of the album, we have both a record deal and a local promoter, and looking forward to starting promoting it!
We worked really hard on the new album, had a lot of guests on it, and tried to make every aspect of the album as good as we could. The album was mixed and mastered in a famous Swedish Fascination Street Studios by Jens Bogren and Linus Corneliusson who previously worked with some of the biggest names of the Metal scene and beyond.
The new album is the heaviest one we’ve done, with a lot more of a Symphonic Metal influences, but with classic Heavy Metal vocals.
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
We have confirmations for some summer festivals next year in Serbia/Ex-Yugoslavia, but it’s too early to talk about it. Our main focus right now is to release the new album and to do media promotion for it, and if some shows come along the way, we are ready! The whole Covid thing still has some effects on the live music scene, especially for the smaller bands, but I’m sure everything will come to its place in the near future.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
We are happy to announce that our new single and video “The Earth is Full of Rats” will be out on October 6th on all streaming platforms and YouTube! We promise a furious Heavy Symphonic Metal song, and we hope you’ll like it!
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
Our music is present on all of the streaming/buying platforms and YouTube. You can visit our site at https://evolucija.org/ and chat with us on https://www.facebook.com/evolucijaofficial/
Our store is under construction, but it will be available in the next month or so.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
Enjoy and feel the power! We are not singing about imaginary worlds, dragons and stuff like that. That doesn’t mean that we are against or don’t like the bands that sing about that stuff. :) But we are trying to bring the truth to the people about this beautiful and unforgiving world we are living in and to make it a better place through our music.
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