Expressional riffs. From crying melodic parts to desperately aggressive. Emotional vocals. Blasting drums. Here comes death metal band from Latvia – Infected.

Infected was born in 2000. The founders of the band were two guys from Latvian province Kraslava – Arnis (drums) and Ilmar (bass). At the age of 15 being inspired by their favorite metal bands (EyeHateGod) , finding their spiritual leader , by whom they were introduced with heavy music, fellas were ready to start crushing the metal scene. The name of the person who inspired them by his love to metal music was Valery, eventually he became their band vocalist. The band also entered another local metal head named Stanislav on guitar. And so from that moment on they started their getting through, living in the province and having nothing by then:

“Our first concert was in our home town Kraslava, the place was crowded with people.” Arnis remembers ,”But when we first were performing outside Kraslava in Daugavpils we felt ourselves like fucking brush apes. Although D-pils isn’t one of biggest towns in Latvia, bands from there had tuners and cases for their instruments, while we were tuning our guitars aurally, and Ilmar brought his bass wrapped into simple cellophane bag…” (laughs…)

At that period their music could be described as Old School Metal. But lately opening for themselves new bands, new directions in metal, they decided to change their own. This time it was Nu metal and Hardcore influence. It was also the time when Valery left the band. He was the oldest band member ,by that time he was about 30 years old and already had a family to provide, and there were no money brought from the gigs of the band yet, it was only the first stage of their career.

But it didn’t stop Arnis, Ilmar and Stanislav from continuing moving forward. Valery left the band, but he left a belief in themselves and their future in metal scene, that once he opened to their teenage hearts. They weren’t those little guys who needed somebody to guide them all the time, they already had known what they wanted from life and it was – thrashing hard on stage, being a true metal band.

Soon after Valery left, they found another vocalist called Stasej ,a friend of Ilmar. But then another one named Vitaly, he joined the band. Whether it was an experiment or a competition between both of them, a little time later Stasej left the band, it just didn’t work out.

The band continued performing all around the Latvia. Now it were the gigs in Riga mostly, the capital.

In 2003, they record their first album called “NO WAY OUT”. Song “Castle of matches” debuted on the 12.position of the metal song collection Black Friday 2004.

Right at that full of happening period Vitaly informed of leaving the band. It was the time of another Infected self-searching transformation. This time they turned to New wave heavy metal side. Vitaly had another ideas in music to realize, soon after leaving Infected he joined a local band called Saving Daylight Remains.

This time it wasn’t so easy to find a replacement, so there was nothing left, but to perform without vocals.

Although at that moment the band stayed without vocalist, they found another guitarist, guy called Viestur from Valmiera. They found him in an advertisement in internet.

“I started playing when I was 16, I was looking for the band to play. “Viestur says, “Once I played in one Valmiera local band, I cannot even name the style of it, something punky. We didn’t get a fuck about the lyrics and music. It was only about fucking having fun like going to get drunk as a pig ,with just a little bit of playing included. It was fun of course, but I wanted something fucking more.” “When I joined Infected, “Viestur continues , “it was kind of a challenge to me. I liked their music, it was rather difficult. I was interested in playing there.”

The band continues performing on Latvian scene. The band continues its self-searching. Viestur with his playing techniques brings the band new flavor. Now elements of melodic death were heard in their songs.

In the spring of 2004 it came to recording a single “Caelum”. And the vocalist were immediately required. Internet was the way out again. For about 4 months guys couldn’t find the right vocalist to sing and now it went to an experiment again. They found a girl. named Cheslava. But after hearing her singing it was clear that growl in their music is what they still are seeking for. They were lucky to find exactly Cheslava who knew one male vocalist, he managed growl vocals. Her friend Alex passed the test and joined the band.

“I started using growl being inspired a lot by Aaron Stainthrope from my Dying Bride. He’s a true monster in this sphere.” Alex remarked ,” But in general, I started to sing since childhood, at the age of about 13 started to write lyrics as well. In Infected it was a new kind of feeling for me. It was the first band where I started to use growling vocal, and write lyrics on it. It’s very exciting, you know. Adding a depth to guys arrangements, giving it more life! It’s fucking awesome!”

The song was recorded with both vocalists.

Soon after a few concerts it was clear that the experiment with melodic female vocals failed. It wasn’t her place to fit. The girl left the band.

The beginning of 2005, Infected records another single “World full of…” (It entered Black Friday 2006 collection, now it was on the 8th position), it was the sign of band’s slowly taking roots in Latvian Metal scene.) Now it comes to the most difficult Infected period. Stanislav after 5 years of playing guitar in Infected leaves the band. He couldn’t manage living in the capital (or maybe it simply wasn’t his path) , he left his studies, hadn’t being able to find a job left the capital and returned to his home town. Metal probably wasn’t in his blood, it was just a transitional period of his life. It meant minus one guitarist.

But here comes another strike. Viestur informs of his leaving to Denmark to some music college for a half a year!

“It was one of the fucking blackest stripe in my life. I don’t wanna share it, cause its too personal. But I had to get out of Latvia, out of its atmosphere for some time, cause at this time I felt an unbearable pressure coming from everything in there. I needed some time to stay alone with my thoughts, to think out everything. At the same time I could find out something new I need in that music college, so leaving music wasn’t in my plans, I just needed some time to make it through.”

Now it meant no guitarists in the band at all. Now there were three of them : Arnis, Ilmar and Alex. They started looking for guitarist. At least with one of them they could play on stage somehow, until Viestur returns.

First the guy named Alex (Brutal) was advised and then Artyom. They were put to test. The band were playing with these two guys for a month and then though both of them had good technique, it was decided that Tyoma should stay, he had a “spirit close to ours” they said.

While Viestur were in Denmark, Infected continued playing concerts with their ex-guitarist Stanislav as a session musician.

Viestur came back at summer of 2005, fresh and new. Ready to kick the motherfucking asses on stage.

The same summer Infected joined the first Latvian metal festival “Metalshow” in Blome.

Soon after the festival Infected releases a demo which contained two previously recorded “World full of…” and “Sacred death” , and two tracks recorded with Tyoma on September - “Run to the hills” and “Awaiting of the end”.

After recording new stuff guys started creating new material. After Viestur came back, had getting more experience, being inspired by coming to life again after a long break, he seemed to be breathing new life into the band. He became more creative, his riffs became more expressional and individual. And Infected started to live its own life with it. It wasn’t copying favorite bands like almost all beginner bands used to do, it wasn’t “maybe-we-should-try-this-or-that-to-sound-better?” It wasn’t self-searching anymore. That’s from where starts Infected that knows its place and stands on the ground steadily. It’s when you’ve got that feeling YOU’RE THE BAND! But it was not the time to relax. Now Ilmar went soft. He couldn’t find the job in Riga, had being disappointed he returned to Kraslava, as if leaving the band.

Infected was left without bass player. Later it was offered for them to play on Nile concert, supporting them. “You cannot just refuse such concerts” – Arnis remarks. The band was very depressed because of a sudden Ilmar leaving. But suddenly, as it used to happen in our life, something absolutely unsuspected happened. Sergey from Neglected fields that makes rehearsal next door, offered to play this concert instead of Ilmar.

Of course the answer was “Yes”. They started making rehearsals together, Sergey brought a new energy to the band, made bass parts to some of their songs, he shared a lot of his experience with the guys.

But after had having played with them three concerts (the last one he played at was the 2nd Metalshow festival in Blome, he waved his hand good bye. Sergey as it was mentioned already have his own band and a family as well.

After Sergey was gone guys were desperately looking for a bass player. But they failed in their searching, time went by. They decided to call Ilmar and find out if he could play again, just in case. To their surprise, Ilmar was dying to come back to the band and play there, he just was afraid to call to the guys and to say that, he couldn’t imagine that the band were still seeking for the bass player, recently he saw concert in Daugavpils with Sergey.

With Ilmar return to the band Infected was brought to life again, with more strength, energy, self-confidence …Their sound started to become more and more individual. And lyrics became more personal:

“I write about an inward of people.” Alex says.” About their struggle within, about their struggle with society pressure. I write about people whose life sense isn’t to eat, to sleep, to buy a house, a car and die, all these material shit. I write about people with inner deeper values, people with spirit. About those who cannot live without their values and would prefer dying for them instead of being defeated, being slaved by society. It’s fighting against stereotypes. Being what you are whatever the price is.”

Next concert happened in Liepaja, and seeing it could tear the top off every metal fan. It was that first true gig of Infected – so much energy, emotions, expression… At one moment you could think that these motherfuckers are gonna burn the fucking stage down with their performance.

6 years have passed and what do we see? It all started from living in a province, having nothing. But this love to metal music first brought guys to the capital, then to the stage with the best Latvian metal bands and playing with one of the member of those, being on metal music collections, then to supporting Nile…What’s next?

After seeing them on stage in Liepaja you understand that it’s not a hobby for them, they’ve got that metal spirit inside, and having it means stopping against nothing! It means living for metal!
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