Turbothrash make short, fast thrash metal from Central Asia. Their releases are compact, and the songs usually reach the point quickly. Behind that economy, however, Awakening – For the Sake of What Is Dear to You was recorded during a period of disagreement and major changes inside the band.
Members were leaving while the four-track EP was being written, recorded and mixed. The original vocalist departed before the sessions, leaving bassist Mikhail to take over the vocals. Even the guitar sound changes on the final track because the band were unable to record it under the same conditions as the first three.
The result documents Turbothrash at an unstable point in their history. It also carries a clear message about acting while there is still time, doing the work that feels important and accepting that a finished song may end up far from its original form.
“The recording and mixing took place in an atmosphere of general disagreement and confusion.”
Awakening – For the Sake of What Is Dear to You is a short EP, with four tracks in just over ten minutes. What made that compact format feel right for this release?
Pavel Matveyev (drums): All of our EPs contain short tracks, and Awakening – For the Sake of What Is Dear to You was no exception. Both habit and the conditions under which these tracks were written and mixed played a role.
The recording and mixing took place in an atmosphere of general disagreement and confusion. Some members had already left the band, while others were preparing to leave. In the end, we managed to record three tracks properly, but the fourth did not turn out as well, and its guitar sound differs from the first three.
The vocals were also originally planned differently, but the singer left before the recording. Our bassist, Mikhail, was essentially forced to take his place and sing on the EP.
The title (original: Пробуждение – Во имя того что тебе дорого) can be translated as Awakening – For the Sake of What Is Dear to You. What is the idea behind that phrase, and how does it connect to the songs?
The idea is simple: get up and start doing what you began all of this for. Do what is dear to you, what you are living for at this point in your life, and what you will not later feel ashamed of having neglected. It is also about the people you encouraged. You should not waste the opportunity to act while you still have it.
As you may have noticed, the title also corresponds with the third track on the EP, which, in my opinion, turned out the best. There is probably a motivational element to it, although it goes beyond that track or the EP itself. It reflects a general attitude towards life: start doing what you need to do, and then answer the question, “Why do I need all of this?” It is simple.
Turbothrash work with speed, short songs and immediate impact. How do you decide when a track has said enough and should end?
It happens naturally. First, there is the musical foundation, and then we try to add lyrics. During the recording, we play several variations. In the end, we remove everything we consider unnecessary and keep what the song needs. As a rule, the finished track is very different from the original idea. It is often not what we expected, but chasing perfection is a thankless task. We leave the track as it is and move on.
The EP was released independently and digitally through Bandcamp. What are the advantages and limitations of remaining independent at this stage?
Historically, we have released all of our music through Bandcamp. We find it very convenient for independent releases and for promoting the band’s work. Our position is simple: until we have a full-length album, we are happy to continue releasing music this way. Once we record a full-length, we may consider other options alongside Bandcamp.
The advantages are obvious. It is a quick way to introduce the band and make a name for yourself. The disadvantage is that you can remain stuck at that level if you do not continue moving forward.
The line-up on this EP includes bass, vocals, guitars and programmed drums. How did the programmed drums affect the way Turbothrash wrote and arranged the faster material?
Initially, guitarist Sergey composed the melodies with his own rhythm section because that felt more comfortable for him. During rehearsals I simply played the drum parts that Sergey had already sketched out.
After a while, everyone became used to working that way, and we did not make any major changes. When it came time to record, we decided to keep the original rhythm section and add arrangements and other fills that we thought would bring more groove to the songs.
As I mentioned earlier, bassist Mikhail had to step in as the vocalist for the recording sessions. We essentially recorded the entire EP with four people involved: Mikhail on vocals and bass, Sergey on guitar, Vladimir as the sound engineer, and me handling the production.
Since this EP, Turbothrash have also released “Эпос о батыре Фархаде”. Looking back, where does Пробуждение – Во имя того что тебе дорого sit in the band’s development?
“Эпос о батыре Фархаде” was an experiment. As I mentioned earlier, three people left the band at once, and we needed to find a way forward. Musicians who want to play thrash metal are not easy to find.
We found a guitarist named Danil who wanted to play with us and bring something new into the band’s music. He was far from speed metal, but he was very good at writing longer and more melodic material.
We also found a vocalist, Nursultan, who had written lyrics suited to that kind of music. Bassist Artem joined us as well, while our former bassist moved to second guitar. We released the single in that form.
As you correctly noted, it is very different from our previous work, particularly Awakening – For the Sake of What Is Dear to You. The reasons for that change are connected to everything I have already described.
Later, we recorded three more tracks in the same style, but that eventually became a separate project called Dark Skies and the EP World on Fire. That, however, is another story.
Buy/Stream Awakening – For the Sake of What Is Dear to You on Bandcamp.
