Doomed Confessionary: Michał Kamiński & Łukasz Borawski (Smoke Rites)
Photos by @memorycard_archives
Smoke Rites is a sludge/doom metal band hailing from Warsaw, Poland. Formed in the fall of 2020, they draw inspiration from bands such as Black Sabbath, Sleep, Crowbar and High On Fire.
Smoke Rites released their debut EP entitled »The Rite Of The Smoke« in 2021. It gathered positive reviews both at home and abroad. In March 2022, they recorded their first studio album »Total Lung Capacity« in Warsaw’s Santa Studio with the help of sound engineer Arkadiusz “Malta” Malczewski. Since then they have played a number of concerts alongside the likes of Bongzilla, O.D.R.A., Artillery and many others.
Smoke Rites just dropped new single »Death Is A Five Letter Word« that features guest vocals by Monika Adamska-Guzikowska from Toń. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Adam Ziolkowski. Bartek Bartol is responsible for the cover artwork.
Can you say a few words about your band?
Michał: Hello! We are Smoke Rites, Warsaw based, sludge/doom band. We started in late 2020, gone through a couple of lineup changes, recorded one EP, one LP, and a couple of singles, the most recent of which is »Death Is A 5 Letter Word«, released on April 2nd. Our current lineup is as follows: Tomasz Mielnik on vocals, Łukasz Borawski on guitar, Adam Ziółkowski on bass and myself, Michał Kamiński on drums.
What was the biggest challenge for the band?
Łukasz: That would be getting together in midst of Covid-19 related lockdowns and restrictions, to complete and record our debut EP. On top of that, our then-vocalist Maxi was living in UK, which didn’t make things any easier. Thankfully we overcame all of these and came out strong.
What can you be most proud of so far?
Michał: Everything. Every song, every gig was a snapshot of what we wanted to do musically, and hopefully, we made someone happy with our efforts along the way.
What was your biggest regret?
Michał: None whatsoever.
What was the best concert/tour so far and why?
Michał: The show at E-Lite Culture Festival 2023, was by far, our best one yet. The event was designed as an intimate meeting of Berlin’s stoner-psychedelic scene enthusiasts, which was held in charming town of Stolzenhain, about 100km south of Berlin. People were extremely friendly, atmosphere was absolutely stress-free, cool and laid-back. As for the show itself, we were playing as one of the last bands that day, and the reason it was so memorable is people had a great time and you could feel it while playing. We were a bit worried how people would react to our music, but the feeling was gone right away. It would also mark the biggest audience we ever performed for. Truly unforgettable experience.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Łukasz: Most notably, how people abroad react to our music. The feedback has been pretty awesome, so far.
What is currently in your heavy musical rotation?
Michał: At this point, I’m listening heavily to old doom/sludge bands as Grief, Iron Monkey, Reverend Bizarre. With some of the all time favourites Napalm Death thrown into the mix.
What was the best advice you’ve ever been given as a musician?
Michał: I don’t believe that I ever got any, I’m just figuring it all out by myself.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Michał: Staring at Matt Pike’s nipples on Instagram while blasting High On Fire records at full volume.
Can you say something more about current music scene in Warsaw?
Michał: We have quite a prolific sludge/stoner/doom/psychodelic scene in Warsaw, with bands like Weedcraft, Taxi Caveman, Sun No More, Fiasko, to name a few, or the latest discovery that is taking the scene by storm – Toń. All cool guys and gals, not to mention kick ass musicians.
Łukasz: Like Michał mentioned, we have a lot of such cool bands in Warsaw, you can check few of them on the last Weedian compilation »Trip to Poland II«.
Where can we see you live this year (concerts/tours)?
Michał: We have just performed a handful of shows in April, most notably: 10.04. with Beehoover and Semi Nomadic at Chmury, Warsaw, 12.04. supporting Toń and Weedcraft on their tour at Fort XXII, Przemyśl and 13.04. supporting Toń and Weedcraft on their tour at Chicago, Kielce.
What are your plans for the future as a band?
Michał: After these shows we are hoping to go to rehearsal space to resume working on new music, that we plan to release in September, this year. A couple of songs are already done and being played at concerts, also we have quite a few ideas which are slowly but surely being shaped into actual songs.
How can people best support your band?
Michał: Come to our shows, whenever possible. Have a beer with us. Buy a T-shirt, a CD or a patch, if you can afford it. Spread a word about us.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Michał: First and foremost, we are extremely thankful your support. We hope that we will see you at shows. Support your local bands. Stay stoned and doomed.
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well