Forever Storm’s Stefan Kovacevic talks writing and politics

Deanna Mac-Neil had the chance to interview musician Stefan Kovacevic of Serbian heavy metal band, Forever Storm. Kovacevic is the lead singer, songwriter and guitarist. Based in Kragujevac, the band has toured across the country and played Serbia’s biggest music festivals. Soul Revolution is their first studio album.

Ryerson Free Press: Tell me a little bit about how you and the band became Forever Storm.

Stefan Kovacevic: Milos and I have known each other for a long time. We talked much about music and figured that we like almost the same style, so at the end of 2006 (New Year’s Eve), we decided to start a band that would play that kind of metal. At first, we were called “Steel Storm,” but we figured that “Forever Storm” better corresponds with the story and the message that we wanted to tell and that is to, “Wake the storm, the lust for life in you and hold it forever!”

RFP: What bands influence your [song] writing?

SK: There are so many bands, but I can, for now, set aside Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath (with Dio and Martin), Megadeth, Metallica, Gamma Ray, Dream Theatre, Threshold, Firewind etc.

RFP: Are there any films, writers or activists that influence your writing style?

SK: The truly great thing about art is that it is only changing mediums. So we found it logical to also look for our inspiration in the work of Stephen King (The Dark Tower), Aldous Huxley (Brave New World), in Al Gore’s theory and presentation about global warming, the Zeitgeist movement and in movies like V for Vendetta, To End all Wars, etc.

For me, personally, heavy metal speaks of alienation and oppression on micro and macro levels (big and small, personal and political). What does heavy metal mean to you? Are you aware of the ways in which your words, your message and your music speak to the disenfranchised?

As I grew older, I came to understand the message behind the music. I became more aware of my surroundings and life as a cycle of good and evil and all the things in between. After some time I started to realize that my life is being changed by this newfound revelation, and that I am every time falling deeper into the message. From that moment, I started to cherish what I have and what life has to offer and realized that love is one of the most important things in this forsaken world and began my journey to carry on the flame.

RFP: When did you start playing guitar and song writing?

SK: I was nearly 13 when I got my first guitar. It was an old Hawaiian with only one string on it at that time. I started some classes and gained the right amount of knowledge to carry on by myself. The song writing started almost instantly [because at] that time I already listened to Iron Maiden (it was my favourite band back then) and was greatly inspired by their music. As time passed, I got more independent in writing and started doing my own thing. The rest is history!

RFP: Would you mind telling me a little bit about the political conditions of Serbia right now? What kind of music is popular in Kragujevac?

SK: Political conditions are ever changing but not evolving I’m afraid. The music that is the most popular in Kragujevac is the music that is popular in the whole damn country and that is “turbo” folk. The hollow and assaulting lyrics came to be the best thing that the most people could relate to. So you can only imagine how hard it is for a metal or a rock band to progress in that kind of environment.

RFP: How is the song writing coming along for the second album?

SK: The song writing is going great, most of the songs are prepared for the final arrangement and most of the lyrics are finished. The working title of the album is Euthanasia for Mankind and the idea in [terms] of cover design is already being executed.