Decapitated Premiere "Homo Sum," Interview with Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka

To say that it's amazing that we're hearing new music from Poland's Decapitated at all would be an understatement.

Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka made the decision to carry on with Decapitated after a tragic van accident befell the band while on tour in 2007, killing Vogg's brother and drummer "Vitek" Kieltyka and leaving then-vocalist Adrian “Covan” Kowanek in a coma. It's safe to say no one would have blamed Vogg for ending the band then and there.

A few years of soul-searching, and the support from family, friends and fans, has brought Decapitated back, with Vogg bringing in a lineup that comes as close as any could to recreating the energy that the original brought to the table.

GuitarWorld.com has the exclusive premiere of a brand-new song from Decapitated, titled "Homo Sum." The track comes from their new album, Carnival Is Forever, which is out July 12 on Nuclear Blast Records. Give it a listen below and then check out our interview with Decapitated mainman Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka.

GUITAR WORLD: This is the band’s 15th anniversary. How does it feel to have been around for so long under the Decapitated banner?

VOGG: It's awesome!!! I mean for me, it's half of my life, and this band was always No. 1 for me. I'm happy to have Decapitated again and be on stage after what happened in 2007. Now it is like a new beginning, and I have a totally new lineup for this band, but it is still better to be under the Decapitated banner than under any different name.

How difficult was it for you to decide to carry on the band without Vitek?

That was one of the hardest decisions in my life. Vitek was my brother and my best friend. He was such a nice guy and one of the best drummers I have ever seen. To play with him was a pure pleasure and something very, very special. After the accident, I was devastated and I couldn't imagine to even play music again and play with somebody else. Right now, I play with Kerim “Krimh” Lechner, and he is very good, but for me, it's still weird to play without Vitek. But I need to accept this, accept what happened. I think Kerim was the best choice for what I wanted to do – to play again.

Have the fans been supportive of your choosing to continue the band?

To be honest, the fans gave a lot of support to me right after the accident. They were a huge help for Covan’s family as well, through making benefit shows and placing donations for him and for Vitek's wife and daughter. There were so many shows over the world, and for all this, I want to thank again those people who helped us in those days. My decision about coming back to the stage was supported even more by my girlfriend and my closer family; also Vitek's wife.

What was your gear set-up like for the recording of Carnival Is Forever?

This is everything I used for this album: 6-string Dean ML Custom Shop, 6-string Gibson Shred V, ESP 7-string Custom Shop Seth (Behemoth) signature model. Amps: Crate Excalibur, a very old solid-state amp, probably older than me :). A Bogner Ubershall for rhythm guitars. Solos I did on an Eiesel Herbert. For clean guitars, I used a VHT Pitbull with a Marshall Valvestate. Cabinets: Mesa Boogie and Ashdown. Strings: Ernie Ball .12 to .56 and .10 to .52. Cables: Laboga. Effects: DD3 Boss, Whammy - Digitech, Bad Horsie - Vai pedal, Eventide effects pre-amp. Intune picks. EMG pickups.Do you have a piece of gear you would consider your “secret weapon”?Not really, but this Crate Excalibur head is for sure something I didn't expect I would use for the new record. I had so many cool heads to use, but Crate had the biggest balls … heh heh. This head is about 30 years old but still can kick ass.How long ago did you start writing the songs for this album? Are there ideas on this album that have been around since the time of Organic Hallucinosis?I started to write these songs with Vitek in 2006. Almost each song on this album includes ideas we made together in the past. I'm glad I could finish those ideas now. I hope he will be proud ...Do you have any advice for young players who want to play similar music?If you have passion for what you are doing, you just have to practice and never stop dreaming. Never give up, no matter what.We’re premiering the song “Homo Sum” on GuitarWorld.com. Talk a little about the inspiration behind that song.I think it's a pure Decapitated-style song. It's full of energy; a fast and intense piece of metal. What is interesting is that in the middle part, this song’s music changes to a more progressive part and the guitar, together with the drums, plays kind of a very atmospheric solo. I love to play this track.