The band originates from Karlovac a small town in Croatia.
From 2003, the music grows into something different, the style gets a new definition. Now its some kind of alternative electronic rock-metal that does not follow up the world metal standards a great deal.
The band has now played shows all over Croatia and are gaining a large fan base on Myspace and in Croatia.
AlternativeInformant: How long have you been involved in the music industry?
Sepal: As "Sepal", the band is active since 2001. Until now we published three demo ep-s so we cannot say that we are very involved in the music industry, for now. We hope soon to find a record company willing to give us a chance to publish our first album and open some new possibilities to help us be more succesful in our home, and of course, the international market.
AlternativeInformant: When did you all meet and form Sepal?
Sepal: Here is how it all started: nine years ago Valentin Mrak(vocal, ex. guitar) and Alen Muža (drums), in their elementary school days, formed a punk band just to have fun but a year after Damir Vučković (bass), Mrak's highschool friend joins them. For some time, the band played cover songs and little by little started making their own songs that led it more into serious music playing, thus impliying the need for more band members. In a local night club, we met Marko Turkalj(guitar) who showed a desire to come and listen us practice. Since he showed he can play the guitar quite good and was very interested, he became a part of Sepal. Josip Vučer (ex. vocal) joined the band soon after, but after the first ep and video was recorded, he left the band becouse of private obligations. Mrak takes over the vocals and leaves the guitar role entirely to Marko. As we wanted our music to be a little bit different from others, we decided to introduce some electronics into it. For that we needed one more person. Then, Marko's brother Luka Turkalj (electronics) came involved in the whole story and that mostly affected the style of music Sepal creates.
Sepal: We would describe our style as modern rock metal influenced a lot by electronics. We try to make our songs be as much hard and as much melodic at the same time and to involve as much electronic elements as possible. The goal is to make our music interesting and enjoyable to listen. So far were quite good at it.
Sepal: What makes us different is our ideas and the way we manage to pack it all up in a good piece of music. Innovative guitars and samples with sometimes odd but recognizable vocals make us special. We try very hard to make our music original which as a consequence brings some good and some bad things. The good ones are that people tend to remember us very fast and mostly like something fresh and new, but the bad thing is that same originality makes it sometimes hard for us to get shows in Croatian festivals. For some rock festivals we are too hard, and for some hardcore metal fests we are too mild. We hope that will soon change and we get more lucky when it comes to things like that.
Sepal: Yes, it has a message! No matter how difficult moments you might have, no matter if they come from within you or from the outside world, you should go on and never stop. Using our music and lyrics, we try to help people get in a good mood, and kick in some adrenaline while we're at it. There is nothing wrong in getting a little crazy and have a good f**king time. One should not burden himself with history, but with the things that are happening right now and we try to make the listener think of the future and to make use of every moment of his life!
Sepal: The condition in Croatia is very bad when it comes to any sort of alternative music. But lately it seems to be moving foward a bit, using baby steps though, but foward none-the-less. The biggest problem is the lack of places where bands could play and practice and people here are quite not interested in alternative music. It will surely take some more time for the alternative culture in our country to stabilize and get support from the government and for the people to realize that no matter how different, hard or wierd this kind of music can be, its still music like every other.
Sepal: Lol, this is a really funny part. We made the name up by taking a croatian-english dictionary and started searching for words that would sound good for a band name. Out of a few candidates, "Sepal" sounded best. So we ended up naming our band by a part of a flower, so we decided to use a rose as a main motive for our new demo cover, and putting that rose in midst of electrical instalations and space where nothing living would ever remain alive. The public seemed to like the name so we decided to keep it. Its short, easy to remember, has a cool meaning, and the whole bend can see itself in the name- as the sepals give support to flowers, we give support to the rock metal scene using our songs, playing, and spending time with our friends and fans.
MRAK: when on stage, I feel somewhat untouchable because of the words I sing. Because then I sing about things I cant express by conversation, but I sure can express them through our songs! Then I feel very powerful and good... unless I smoke a lot of cigarettes, then I get a headache! :)
ALEN: The energy I feel when performing, generally the fun and enjoyment the music and live playing brings. One must try it in order to realise what I mean. Oh yeah, and beating the sh*t out of my drumset! :)
DAMIR: The adrenaline I get when on stage is my favorite thing. I think we play very good so im happy that other people can hear it aswell. Another thing is the traveling into other cities and meeting alot of cool people.
MARKO: I enjoy spending time by working on our songs in the studio but of course, I love sharing the result of our hard work with others. Its a great feeling when people accept our songs and when we all together make a hell of a party! I try to give it all I got, have a good time, meet new people and enjoy playing my guitar!
LUKA: One of the best feelings I get is a combination of stage fright and the excitement before we start the show. I enjoy crating the music as much as playing it. I like to see smiles on people's faces after a good played gig. Thats a sign that tells me our aour hard work was worth it!
AlternativeInformant: Finally, what does the future hold for Sepal?
Sepal: Hopefully a contract with some record labels, a lot of touring and playing, and being able to earn something for start, writing interesting music, partying... and beer.
www.myspace.com/sepalband
