Q"Saints Dispelled" came out in January 2024 on Hammerheart Records. The hype sticker says, "When it says Master, you get Master." Do you think that's a compliment or a challenge at this point in your career — or both? A: It's a compliment as you know what you'll expect from a Master record, simply pummeling and massive heavy riffs! The formula never changes, why would I change something that is not broken. Incidentally, we just finished recording the new Master, we're in the mixing stages now, so expect a new opus in October this year!
QThe six-year gap between "Vindictive Miscreant" and "Saints Dispelled" is the longest recording break in Master's history. Was that gap a conscious decision, a consequence of circumstances, or simply how the music developed this time? A: Covid obviously played a part in this situation. I had a new lineup at the time, because in 2018 drummer Zdenek Pradlovsky and guitarist Alex Nejezchleba left the fold. I brought in Patrick Shea and Ruston Grosse to fill the guitar and drummer positions, and we set out and toured Europe, South America, and Mexico with the idea of recording together afterward. Fauci and the Chinese set out to destroy the world with their so-called virus, and manipulated the people and destroyed many lives. I returned to the Czech Republic days before the world closed, and the American lineup returned to the USA.
QPeter Bajci is now behind the kit. How did his approach to drumming change the dynamic in the studio and the feel of "Saints Dispelled" compared to what came before? A: He is a younger and dynamic player, and has brought some well-needed energy to the band. But in all honesty, it's the songs I write that dictate the feel of the music. Peter is a great live performer and we will continue to perform together as long as he is available.
QThe title "Saints Dispelled" is a direct statement — false beliefs dismissed, narratives rejected. Do you feel that this kind of political and anti-dogmatic writing has become harder or easier to sustain after forty years of doing it? Does the world keep giving you material? A: The world has always dictated the lyrics to my music. Basically the albums represent a time and period in my life as well as the history of the world — a sort of journal on the history of the world from my point of view.
QHammerheart reissued the entire Master catalog alongside the new album. For someone who has spent decades watching his own records go in and out of print, what does it feel like to have the full discography available and visible again? A: It's great to make money from the reissues and Hammerheart has done a great job with the remastering and reissues in general. There are still several vinyl reissues on the horizon — the "Four More Years of Terror" double album release is next. I have been successfully unemployed for about 20 years, living from my music. Nuclear Blast Records and founder Markus Staiger have also been a great help over the years.
QYou've been based in Czechia for over twenty years now. How has living there — away from the United States — shaped the way you write and think about the music? Do you feel like an outsider looking in, or does distance sharpen the perspective? A: Standing on the outside looking in is where it's at. Yes, I have a better perspective when looking at the reality of the USA from afar, and sadly it's not a pretty picture. Things were great growing up in the 70s there but it's been on a steady decline ever since.
QMaster's sound has always sat at the intersection of death metal and thrash, with a clear punk and hardcore influence underneath. When you're writing, do you think about those boundaries at all — or does the music just come out the way it comes out? A: The music basically dictates itself on the acoustic guitar. I play what I play because it somehow feels right. I don't think about it when I write, it just comes to me. I only listen to old heavy metal and rock bands so as not to be overly influenced by any one band or genre.
QYou've been doing this since 1983. What does a Master show feel like from the stage in 2024 compared to the early days? Has the relationship with the crowd changed? A: No, the audience either likes it or hates it, so nothing has changed. Of course on bigger tours the response is better, so we strive to get on tours.
QWe stock your records in Lisbon and sell them to people who genuinely care about this music. Is there something you'd want those listeners — the people who still buy physical records and follow underground metal closely — to know about "Saints Dispelled" specifically? A: Sure, we put our heart and souls into the recordings and hopefully the fans can feel it. We are not actors from some television show, it's really life captured on these recordings. The underground is where it's at — someone said to me recently that Master is still in the underground of the underground, so be it.
QYou've mentioned in the past that you don't follow newer bands much and prefer the music you grew up with. Is there anything from outside the metal world — music, books, films, places — that still feeds into what Master does? A: Sure, the forest is where I often get inspiration among the crazy mushrooms. Lyrics often come to my mind when I am walking alone in the deep woods in the morning. I like reading police novels, murders, etc. Reading is on my agenda every single day — I have trouble sleeping if I am not reading before I crash.