Doomed Confessionary: Kosta, Golub, Stane, Uroš & Pax (Burning Leaf)
Photo credits: Igor Đorđević
Burning Leaf is a stoner/grunge/post-metal band from Pirot, Serbia. Founded in 2010, Burning Leaf consists of Aleksandar Kostić (vocals), Nenad Golubović (guitar), Stanko Kostić (guitar), Uroš Rakić (bass) and Pavle Jovanovski (drums).
Burning Leaf’s debut album »Hold The Tides Away«, released in 2022, is a collection of eight songs encompassing almost ten years of the band’s creative existence. The music on this album is energetic and mystical, with nods to groove metal and post-grunge.
Their second full-length album »Amber And Gray« from 2024 represents the band’s growth, with music relating to personal experiences, struggles, and human relationship with nature. The album also features a few songs in Serbian and one cover of a well-known traditional Serbian song. »Amber And Gray« is available on CD and all major streaming platforms.
Can you please say a few words about your band?
Burning Leaf is a band from Pirot, in south-eastern Serbia, a town surrounded by grand mountains that largely inspire and influence the band’s musical style and lyrics. Our sound is a colorful blend of several genres, mainly stoner rock, grunge, and post-metal, all tastefully embellished with traditional music and singing belonging to the region we hail from.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Besides good old standard challenges every metal band has these days, we face one particular problem with the creation process. To us, inspiration comes in waves, and sometimes we spend months without doing anything we are satisfied with, like song writing, composing riffs, and writing lyrics. We tend to wait for that perfect spark, rather than force it. And when it happens, we become really productive, but the dry spell can be super frustrating.
What can you be most proud of so far?
The reception of our second album »Amber And Gray« was a surprise to say the least. We got a ton of positive reviews and praise from both fans and listeners. Our single »Kroz Sunce« was voted the best single of the region for the year 2024 by Balkanrock, and the album was voted top 30 in the region, which was a huge deal for us, and the proof that we are doing something good. One more thing that we are really proud of is the concert in Dom Omladine in Belgrade. That was a real magical experience for us, given the fact that the fans wanted us to do an encore three times in a row. Totally surreal.
What was your biggest regret?
We don’t deal with regrets. We move on, and write lyrics about it. But, in all seriousness, maybe sometimes we are overly critical about our work and songs. We tend to shut down some riffs and ideas before they even try to materialize into a song or at least a part of it. The good thing is, we are fully aware of this habit; the bad thing is, we are still doing it.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Like we said, Dom Omladine was great, but Zappa Barka (also Belgrade) was fantastic as well! We met a lot of great and positive people that like our music, and this is something no money can buy. Beautiful people having a wonderful time while we are playing and having a wonderful time ourselves is truly a gift in itself.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
The amount of AI slop, in an art form that historically has roots reaching deep into the genuine, is astounding and quite frankly disgusting. Also, the sheer audacity of people that present AI work as their own, and the abundance of AI album covers and gig posters is rather disappointing. But lets end this question on a positive note. We are glad to see that there is a lot of pushback.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Again, it all depends on the mood, but currently we are on our Sentenced, Type O Negative, Mastodon, King Gizzard, and Black Sabbath rotation. That’s the starting five these days. We always have some Green Lung, Candlemass, Katatonia, and Amorphis on the bench. And many more.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
We have a very strict definition of what makes “music” and what makes a “song”. Music can be anything with tones and lyrics and whatnot. But, not every music piece can be a song. A song is something that moves you from within, that drives the emotions out of you whether you want it or not. We understand this is very subjective and anecdotal, but this is something that works for the five of us. This definition is basically our interpretation of many advices we got throughout the years combined. Two pieces of advice that shaped us the most are “Know when to stop” and “Don’t overcomplicate”.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Going to a rehearsal, and not plugging in for 30 min. Or even better: a cancelled rehearsal!
Can you say something more about the current music scene in Pirot?
The scene in our town is relatively small, but there is a strong sense of community between the bands. In some periods there are a lot of project-bands, in some, less. But the passion is always present which is vital. No matter the circumstances, some semblance of a scene does exist. Can it be better? Of course! But it can be a lot worse, so we are not complaining. It is better to inspire than whine.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
At the moment, we have two upcoming shows at HellHammer Fest (30.8.26) and FAKS Belgrade (5.9.26).
What are your plans for the future as a band?
We are currently working on new material for our third album. So far we have 4 songs in the bag, fifth and sixth on the way. Burning Leaf has an esoteric rule of eight songs per album. That being said, we are a bit more than half way there.
How can people best support your band?
Go and listen to our stuff! We made it with lots of love and a bit of booze. And if it is your cup of wine, consider supporting us on Bandcamp or write to us, we have merch!
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Hopefully, we will make up for the lack of live shows in the future! Cheers all, and drink to forget! Love you all!
Links:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Spotify | YouTube
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well