Interview with Masque of Betrayal’s Drazen Djordjevic!

Inferno Guitars’ endorser interview series “part four” introduces Masque of Betrayal’s Drazen Djordjevic – a young, eager guitarist and web developer with a keen sense of musical versatility…

Trevor Discombe: Thanks for talking with Inferno Guitars today Drazen, I really appreciate your time. To begin, I’d like to ask how Masque of Betrayal formed and how you got involved with the band?

Drazen Djordjevic: Hi Trevor, thank you my friend. Well, to speak honestly, I was the main man behind Masque of Betrayal’s forming many years ago. I just wanted to gather people who are eager to play good metal and after quite some time, the right people came. It was difficult and took ages – but it was worth it.

Trevor Discombe: Is there any new Masque of Betrayal material in the works?

Drazen Djordjevic: Yes, there is a lot of new material, but unfortunately we have this problem with drummers – it’s some kind of drummer curse. We find a perfect guy and something happens, so he leaves the band after a short time. As a founding member of M.O.B., I had put the band on hold a few months ago and I hope to reunite the new incarnation of the band in the future. It’s a shame because of all those great songs we made earlier.

Trevor Discombe: Could you tell us about some of the bands you have played in other than Masque of Betrayal?

Drazen Djordjevic: Of course Trevor. I am involved in many other musical projects and bands – there is Dichotomy Engine (my dark/ambient/industrial/noise project) which is kind of experimental music… but anyway it gained a lot of good reviews. I also performed many gigs with Dichotomy Engine and released four albums with some splits and EP’s so far. Also there is my solo project which I will work on later and it will be just instrumental jazz/rock music. Scatter My Remains is a melodic death metal project where I am trying to make a new breed of melodic-death metal (just working on new music the last couple of months). As you can see, I am involved in a lot of different music and bands… there are also some bands where I play guitar in live performances as a session guitarist. I just love to play and that’s it!

Trevor Discombe: How are your solo projects going? Can you tell us more about them please?

Drazen Djordjevic: Dichotomy Engine is going good, there are no limitations for it – and more music is always there around the corner. I make new stuff whenever I get free time and it is some kind of experimental exploring. I love that! My other rock/jazz solo project is going slowly. I have recorded two demo songs and I don’t intend recording anything else soon… but I don’t want to leave it behind. I just wait for the right time when the inspiration and everything comes into place. Music is not a product but an art, so it needs the right moment and emotion to be what it was originally intended to be – especially when you want to make this kind of music.

Trevor Discombe: How long have you been playing guitar?

Drazen Djordjevic: It has been over 8 years and yes, I started to play fairly late… but my will and love for guitars, guitar playing and music is great – so I haven’t had any fear or such because I started late. Many awesome musicians proved that fact. It’s never too late to play! Just have a strong will with a love for music and you can make it!

Trevor Discombe: Who are some of your main musical influences and favorite artists?

Drazen Djordjevic: Oh, that’s a tough one. I have many musical influences in different music genres. I am broad-minded when it comes to music, so I could make a gigantic list. You know, I think that everyone has stages in their “musical life” and at some point we have different favorite artists that we admire. I will try to narrow this list down somehow, just to guitarists. My main influences are Tony MacAlpine, Joe Satriani, Jon Shaffer, Vinnie Moore, Al di Meola, Dan Swanö, Mattias IA Eklundh, Chuck Loeb, Michael Romeo, Prashant Aswani, Kiko Loureiro, Jeff Waters, Arjen Lucassen, Stef Carpenter, Tom Englund, Niklas Sundin, Mikael Akerfeldt, Jimmy Page, Mike Stern, Lee Ritenour, David Gilmour, and John McLaughlin… this influence is more emotional than technical.

Trevor Discombe: So, what is the metal music scene like in Serbia?

Drazen Djordjevic: Serbia is a tough place for metal musicians (and all other kinds of music which is not main-stream) but that’s a long story. The only good thing is that over the last ten years Serbia has a wider scene, despite the tough conditions for metal music. Also the fan base is much greater than before. I think the metal scene is going to be better and stronger because we have great musicians and good music. The most important thing is to find a way to promote bands outside of Serbia and if one or two bands become successful, the world will take a better look at our scene and other good bands will get a chance to show their quality.

Trevor Discombe: How do you see the metal music scene today around the world?

Drazen Djordjevic: I think that metal music is good these days around the world. The situation was bad in the 90’s but as the new century came, people started listening to metal music again – and it is good, because with more bands, more good music is created so you have more choice.

Trevor Discombe: Please tell us about some of your most memorable performances…

Drazen Djordjevic: I have played many gigs and festivals with different bands and projects. Every performance is unique for me but I would say performances with Masque of Betrayal at Battle of the Bands in Zajecar (Serbia’s oldest band contest – over 40 years old) and Rock Battle in Kula, when we won the Best Band Award as voted by the audience. Fans are the best judges, so that’s why I love that one.

Trevor Discombe: I have received many positive comments regarding the graphic design work which you have done for Inferno Guitars including the logo, website and MySpace page. How did you become involved with graphic design?

Drazen Djordjevic: That is so nice to hear. I did my best to present Inferno Guitars with this new logo and other web designs. I have been involved with computers since I was a kid. Also I love to be creative in many ways. Being interested in web programming, I loved the other side of the web and that is graphic design. I really don’t know when it started but in the last few years I became so involved in the graphic side that it is now part of my daily life, although I must admit that I was a good painter in elementary school, haha!

Trevor Discombe: How should people contact you if they would like some graphic design or website work done?

Drazen Djordjevic: Well, they can simply email me at djdrazen@gmail.com. I don’t have a website which is especially intended to promote my graphic design yet but maybe I’ll put one online soon. Currently I am mainly busy with my daily job and my music (bands and projects).

Trevor Discombe: As you have received two different “budget priced” Inferno guitars, what would you say to those who may be concerned about the sound or playability of an Inferno guitar?

Drazen Djordjevic: Yes, it’s been a while and I have tested and played these two Inferno guitars live. First I have to say that I love them! You know, I wanted to experience what these “budget” guitars look, feel and sound like because every guitar builder can make a great custom guitar which will cost a lot of money… but who can make a great budget guitar which will not cost you so much and still be as good as custom one? Well I can honestly say that these two Inferno guitars totally exceeded my expectations. They are so awesome I couldn’t stop playing them from the minute they arrived. Both of these two are perfectly crafted with great sound and playability. I can tell you now a lot of things but you must take an Inferno guitar in your hands and feel this. I am happy that my waiting for these two guitars paid off. I love both the acoustic and electric guitar, each one has its own highlights. The most important thing is that these are to great instruments which are awesome in crafting and even better sounding. Thanks Trevor for such good work!

Trevor Discombe: Again, many thanks for your time Drazen and best wishes my friend…

Drazen Djordjevic: Hehe thank you Trevor again! I am so glad to have this interview with you, it was a pleasure. Take care my friend, all the best to you and everyone who reads this.

    by infernoadmin