Interview Magefa

Magefa emerged in 2014 in Frankfurt, Germany, fueled by a passion for metal music. Their name, meaning "plague" in Hebrew, reflects their diverse influences and commitment to originality.

1. Can you tell us more about how Magefa was formed and what inspired the band's name, which means "plague" in Hebrew?

-Kai : Our Band was formed 2014 in Frankfurt ,Germany, as 3 individuals who wanted to have some fun and create some new metal music together .We started with a different name and only in 2015 we made a decision to go with ‘MA-GE-FA’ which as mentioned , means Plague in Hebrew (the Israeli language) ,same as bands like ‘Behemoth’ , ‘Meshugga’ , etc. We also like Israel very much and support it all the way .

2. Your debut album "New Era of Darkness" received positive reviews from fans and critics alike. How did the creation process for this album differ from your latest release, "Exenteration"?

-Kai : As part of our writing process, we always work together in the rehearsals and each brings new ideas , and each song can have a different music influence . As of 2023, we have 2 new members in our band : Andreas (Bass) and Nico ( 2nd Guitar) .

They both bring to the table some new ideas and influences that we already included in our new songs to come .  In our last 3 singles from the upcoming album , one can find 3 different extreme metal styles :

Back To the Front : The main theme is WAR ,so we had in mind one of our favorite classic death metal bands: Bolt Thrower . We wrote the music in that style , with some modern Brutal sound .

Overdose: with the main theme ‘Corona Virus’ and mankind’s stupidity , we explored for the first time some oriental melody and combined it with Extreme Brutal Chorus . It became one of our most experimental songs .

Pathology Calls : As already mentioned , with the theme being ‘No Hope’ brain tumor patients and the way hospital treats them , we were going to some more Deathcore style for chorus , combined with some old-school death metal music.

Rooting Away : Our newest release from March 8th, 2024. This song delves into the macabre corridors of mortality, painting a vivid portrait of the human journey of not only the mere human, but murderers and cannibals towards decay. Brutally slaughtered humans paint the shed in foul red, while the butcher goes to hunt another pile of meat and recognizes his own slowly progressing demise.

In our latest music , we went even further and added more Groove ,Breakdowns and Black metal parts to make it even more interesting . We have it in mind not to write the typical Death Metal bands music in order to be different .

3. "Exenteration" showcases a significant evolution in your sound. What were some of the influences or experiences that contributed to this progression?

-Kai : The ‘Exenteration’ Album,released in 2021, had a mixture of some already written songs that did not make it to the first ‘New Era Of Darkness’ album and some new ones . The Album sound and production reflected our own evolution as band and as individuals , and our experience at the time. The album contains some of our best songs to date , like ‘Instrument Inside’ , ‘Abdominal Section’ and ‘Exenteration’ . We were really influenced from the DeathMetal and DeathCore scene at the time.

4. With the departure of bassist Thorsten in 2021, how did the dynamic within the band change, and how has the addition of Andreas and Nico influenced your music?

-Kai : The departure of Thorsten was inevitable and also necessary , in order to continue as band into the next phase .It was during the years of Covid-19 Pandemic when all bands had some rough times . Kevin and I had a vision in mind and we were finally able to go through it in 2023 , with the addition of Nico and Andreas to our band .

They both bring to the table some new ideas and influences that we already included in our latest release ‘Rotting Away’ .

5. Magefa is known for its intense and brutal music combined with haunting melodies. How do you balance these elements to create a cohesive sound?

-Kai : Each of us band members has likes different metal styles and in our latest releases you can see how it comes together . We write our songs with no specific genre in mind and let each of the members input something into the music and the structure of the songs . We think that the new metal fans today appreciate this originality over sticking to the same block in every song .

6. Can you share some insights into your songwriting process? How do you approach crafting lyrics and composing music within the death metal genre?

-Kai : We normally are capturing new ideas in the rehearsal, then Kevin (e.g.: Lead Guitar/Vocals) prepares a Demo structure as a basis for a new song. The song goes through many iterations in the rehearsals until we’re all satisfied with the result. The Lyrics, so far, written by Kevin, although it might change in the future.

7. As a band hailing from Germany, how has your cultural background influenced your music and artistic vision?

-Kai : As we started , we were already strong Metalheads and metal junkies for Death Metal and Thrash Metal . We were all fond of the Old School Death Metal with bands like Carcass, Cannibal Corpse ,Bolt Thrower and Death , which their influences can be heard in our music as well .

The ‘German’ culture probably was holding us down from releasing any music before it was 100% perfect to our vision . It took us until 2019 to release our new album ‘New Era Of Darkness’.I think we’re still sticking to this rule , which may result in less music released , but when released it will be with high standrds of production , as we invisioned.

8. What are some challenges you've faced as a band, and how have you overcome them to continue growing and evolving in the metal scene?

-Kai : Some of our past challenges were : a.as a metal underground newcomers to release our first album right before and throughout the Covid-19 pandemic , with no real options to get it in front of local public and b. loosing our reharsal room and some band members over time .

Our current challenges are ones that every underground band has: how to get more and more into the scene and gain more attention in the metal world , but still stay true to our passion and values of music .

9. Magefa has been described as having a unique and infectious sound. What do you think sets your music apart from other death metal bands?

-Kai : LOL , We have been descibed many things during the last years .I think that unlike bands that only writes their music with same formula , we create our songs with veraiety of metal influences and not sticking to specific form or genre . One can find in our songs parts from different metal genres .

10.Looking ahead, what can fans expect from Magefa in terms of future releases or upcoming projects?

-Kai : This year (2024) represents the 10th year anniversarry of MAGEFA .We have started it with the successful release of ‘Rotting Away’ in March , we have our first UK Tour in May and we plan to release another brutal single this year , as well a limited Vinyl LP Compilation with all our best songs , towards the end of the year .

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