Doomed Confessionary: Jabol (Grilled Witch)
Grilled Witch is a sludge/hardcore band from Gdańsk and Bydgoszcz, Poland. Formed in 2021 out of smoked piles of grilled tunes, Grilled Witch play grilled fucking blues and simply don’t care. Three years later they released their debut double single entitled »Being You (Shit)« followed by a music video for »Backward Steps«.
Grilled Witch are Jan “Jabol” R on drums, Oliwier Chuchmała on guitar, Filip “Zazio” Zażdżyk on bass and Julian “Jeleń” Schutta on vocals.
Can you say a few words about your band?
We’re a Polish band called Grilled Witch, we play sludge for people who like to have a BBQ with their spoons and we started as a coping mechanism of me and our guitarist back when we played in a really shitty local band. No, I definitely won’t give you the name… Embarrassment is still with me.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Finding a bassist that wouldn’t get overwhelmed by his personal life during the creative process and leave. So far, we have achieved a partial success because as busy as our bassist is, he’s still with us.
What can you be most proud of so far?
That the things we made actually sound listenable… I hope.
What was your biggest regret?
I think that all experiences shape us. Whether they’re good or bad they result in us being who we are and I’m pretty happy with how I turned out. I don’t regret a damn thing.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
It certainly wasn’t ours. There are things out there… like Frank Zappa playing fart samples throughout his performance and that’s a close contender for the best one if you ask me.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
How many grown-ass people in the so called “metal community” are emotionally immature. Of course, it’s a rather unpleasant surprise but life’s full of them
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
As of now I’m listening to the newest Chat Pile album called »Cool World«. I also have really fallen in love with an electronic album called »War« by I Speak Machine and been revisiting »As Heaven Turns To Ash« by Warhorse.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
I got told to “fuck off” by a guy that taught me how to play and so I did. Since then, I got even more motivation to be a drummer.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Reading lore of my favourite franchises, I’m a big fucking nerd.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Gdańsk / Bydgoszcz?
In terms of my local area we have a handful of great jazz musicians that play really modernly and groovy, as well as a great selection of stoner/sludge/doom gigs and recently quite a few new bands. Sadly, it all stays pretty underground but so far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by a few vinyl vendors that I’ve met abroad that did recognize them. I wish them all the best.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
From what I know we’ll be playing in Bydgoszcz, Toruń and Gdańsk (Poland). I’ve also been trying to book something in the area of Berlin for a while but as it turns out “responding” gives Germans a lot of trouble.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We’re planning to record and EP or an album (depends on our wallets) and release it on a label that we’re currently in contact with.
How can people best support your band?
Go to local shows and support bands like us or get in contact with us if you’d like to book us. You can also go the easy route and just send me money.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
You should hang out more with Lucy and Mary.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well