Author: Zsolt Némethy

“One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important.”
(Bertrand Russel)

As I’m not a therapist, I cannot tell you, whether Bertrand Russel was right or not. Maybe he was, or maybe he wasn’t. Or maybe my whole adult existence was nothing but a prelude to a forthcoming grandiose nervous breakdown. I really don’t know. But I can assure you of one thing: I took every step towards the birth of Thanatology very seriously. From the songwriting to the recording, mixing, mastering (etc.) of this album, I poured my heart into these six songs.

Without having the intention to repeat my previous post on the meaning of Thanatology, I try to elaborate my thoughts on this album from another – a very personal – perspective. You could say that talking about the impermanence of life is a somewhat depressive topic – and I will eagerly agree with you on that. Death is the big question mark upon our existence. However, I don’t want (and hopefully won’t) sink into depression, while exploring themes of existential transience. Although “everybody is going to be dead one day, just give them time” (Neil Gaiman), Thanatology is intentionally connected with offering a glimmer of optimism. This positive outlook emerges from the realization that acknowledging life’s ephemeral nature can lead to a profound appreciation of the present moment and the beauty of life.

Why is it so important to me? What’s this slighlty morbid interest all about? It’s quite easy to answer these questions. The last twenty (or at least fifteen…) years of my life were spent under the sign of constant procrastination. I always had big dreams: I started to write a book (I never finished it…), I climbed beautiful rock walls in the Alps and High Tatras (I had to stop doing it for a long while due to health issues…) and practiced a lot on my guitar (but my dream music to-come has actually just started to come into life). And finally, at a certain point started to feel that my whole existence was nothing but a compilation of unrealized possibilities. I was probably too afraid, too hesitant or simply just too lazy to fully dedicate myself to implement my dreams, until – probably during one of the lockdowns, when I had enough time to contemplate on matters like these – I finally realized that I don’t have unlimited time anymore. “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us” teaches us the famous quote by J. R. R. Tolkien – and actually he was damn right: time is running out, and each of us must find out, what to do with what’s left of it.

Well, my very personal solution to the problem of passing time is that I brought – among many other things – Darkwave into life. I know that it could (and should) have been done much earlier. But as Jack Kerouac once wrote: “I’m writing this book because we’re all going to die” (Visions of Cody). There is always a trigger that gives you a final push – and this time I felt triggered by the rush of time. So, please understand it well: I’m presenting these songs, because we’re all (including myself) going to die. And before our time is running out, I wanted to create something meaningful. A nervous breakdown? I don’t think so. Thanatology is a giant leap for me, but only a small step for mankind – and in this regard I will never assign to it unhealthy significance. But still, I poured my heart and soul into these six songs until the point that they became the honest representations of who am I.

Please, listen to them if you want, and take a piece of my soul.

Are you ready to listen to a longer excerpt of the fourth track (Legacy Of The Worthless) of the new album? Click on the video below, and write me what you think!

And… please save the date: the new album will be available on 3. August 2023!

Thanatology, my upcoming album will be available on the main streaming platforms on 3. August, 2023. If you want to presave the album (Spotify, Apple Music), you can do it by clicking here: https://ffm.to/thanatology!

Stay tuned, friends – it’s less than one month!

“Thanatology is a scientific discipline that examines death from many perspectives, including physical, ethical, spiritual, medical, sociological, and psychological. It emerged out of the “death awareness movement” that started in the 1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom.” (source).

Despite its title, my upcoming album has nothing to do with depression or sadness. This album has nothing to do with gloomy feelings or fear of death, too. This album doesn’t even intend to transmit negativity. On the contrary: Thanatology is my very special diary that tells you in six songs, how I slowly became aware of the fact that the time – my time – is running out. I try to present a multifaceted and very emotional picture of this deeply spiritual journey.

The opening track (“The Last Wasted Down“, referring to the realization of fragility and brevity of life) starts with an oriental flute theme. The sounds of a flute and a piano combined with progressive metal riffs lead to another oriental guitar motif, then subsequently into a faster part with tight blastbeats.The second track (“Stepping Through The Shadow Line“) is intentionally two-faced: it combines brutality with orchestrated melodies, a thrash-based speed with a funeral hymn-like gloomy bridge. “Necronym” (the name of or a reference to a person who has died – an obvious link to all things I’ve left behind to have time and dedication to do new ones) starts with an acoustic, jazzy part followed by some unconventional melodies upon a monotonous, pulsating riff and a piano-based, gloomy middle part. Following a Voivod-like bridge, the song ends up in the original riff packed with synthwave fills. Then there immediately comes the orchestral into of the fourth track (“Legacy Of The Worthless“) with tons of guitars tuned in drop D and some synthwave support. The fifth song entitled “All Shall Perish” intends to be some kind of a recognition of our own mortality, signified with the ringing bells in its intro. Then comes a part of slow brutality supported by a brass orchestra and followed by a jazzy middle part with pianos and one of the fastest moments of the wole album in the shape of an old-school thrash riff. The closing track (“Farewell Before Sunset“) is again a thrash metal-based song combined with a melody that I find very emotional.

Well, that’s basically the structure, the logic and the message of my third album that will be released exactly on the second birthday of my debut material Hexapla, on the 3rd of August 2023. I can’t wait to show you the results of the hard work of more than one year! I hope you guys will enjoy the final product!

Despite that most of you probably already saw it, still I think it’s time to officially unveil the cover art for my brand-new album Thanatology!

As always, the cover photo was done by my talented, long-time friend, Dávid Ujhelyi. We’ve been friends for decades, so besides my music, he also knows the person behind it. Consequently, his cover art concept with a blend of dark artistry and clear-out symbolism serves as a visual gateway not only into the sonic realm that awaits the listener, but also to the deeper layers of my true self – a kaleidoscope of emotions, stories, and experiences that will hopefully ignite your imagination and resonate within your soul. Let me thank him again wholeheartedly for this amazing piece of art!

Stay tuned friends, as Thanatology will be released on the 3^rd of August!