By Michel aSselman | january 27, 2025
In a time where the metal scene is being overshadowed by pop it’s good to keep your eyes and ears open in order to discover something new that emerges in the shadows. Small bands pop up with a passion for music defying the mainstream idea of what is cool. One of these bands is from a small town in Poland, a group of five that goes by the name of Novissime. Playing a set in the local community center last Sunday to raise money for Poland’s largest charity, Majestic Magazine was there to have a behind the scenes chat with them and learn more about this young band aiming to keep rock and metal alive.
With Błażej and Maksimilian on guitar and founding fathers of the band, they recruited Julia on bass through the guitar school they all practice at. Through social media they found Tyberiusz who has been training his grunts for good use. And after a long search with a few problems on the way, Zofia joined late 2024 to be the steady drummer.
The name, Novissime, it is latin for the latest. What was the idea behind the name for a metal band?
T: I won’t be answering that question, it would be most fair if our member that came up with it will explain you more.
J: We needed a name that wasn’t just whatever, but something sounds good regardless of where in the world you say it and would make for a cool logo design with a metal font. Novissime does just that, in Polish, in English and even in other languages like Greek or Italian it sounds nice, and I think the logo for the band is cool to. The fact it means “The latest” wasn’t intentional but it does give a nice touch.
You’re all from the region here, how did you guys meet and make Novissime happen?
M: It’s been Błażej and myself who’ve been practicing guitar together and been talking about setting up a band, so we did. At that point it was trying to find people. At first we found Julia as she is practicing in the same space as. We wrote to her with our idea and and she replied that she won’t mind joining us as a bass player, hence first mission success. After that we put out “adverts” on Facebook, Instagram and other social media trying to get a vocalist and a drummer. For vocals Tyberius replied to us and it clicked directly. So with the four of us we started the project that is now Novissime. With drummers we had less success. There have been several swaps that didn’t work out for different reasons. Then I got back in touch with Zofia who I know from the karate dojo and asked her to join as a drummer. She came to rehearsals and today we play our first concert together.
Zofia, you as the last one to join a group that has been together since 2023, how was the transfer to join in with them?
Z: There was no weirdness about it at all, I know Maks for some time already and we has some jam sessions together and even a failed band project or two in the past so, all cool. Through Maks I got introduced to the rest and I’m happy to be here.
A year ago you also played here, earlier in the program, doing tree songs, of which two were covers. In September you released a demo single called “Survivor”. Can we expect some more own work coming out this year, who knows an EP maybe?
T: Maybe more like a demo than really an album or EP. Last months we wrote and finished three songs which we will perform today. Two more are in the pipeline we hope to finish those shortly. With that hopefully still the first half of 2025 we can record them as a demo, maybe even rent something better to make it an EP. And obviously place them online for the world to hear on the major streaming platforms.
We are waiting for the release of this new sound which hopefully helps to revice and rejuvenate the rock and metal scene. Sticking with new material, how do you go about writing new songs?
M: With survivor it came to be a riff that I stumbled upon at home when jamming on my guitar. I liked the sound of it to be used for an intro or a bridge. When showing it to the band, Błażej played around with it to give it some more body with a different sound and that’s how it came to be. With other songs it’s random, sometimes it’s one of us coming up with a melody line or something, other times we are hanging in the practice area and things come together as a cool sound.
Moving from the past and present to the future, with dreams and plans. If you could give a festival where you would like to be the headliner on the poster with Novissime, which would it be?
T: Personally, I couldn’t wait to even just play at something like Ozzfest, Brutal Assault or Dynamo, they are amazing festivals capturing the power of metal.
J: For me it doesn’t really matter where I play. Sure, festivals are nice, but just playing with the band is enough for me.
T: Maybe I can still add one more? Wacken.
M: I’m not big on festivals, but within our borders, Przystanek Woodstock (now called Pol and Rock festival) is something I would like to be a part of. But yeah, I’m not big on festival names and maybe prefer to go on the road for a tour around Poland or Europe playing in different places like the big and famous bands are doing.
Going into touring, with whom would you like to go on tour with, either as their opener or as the main act of the evening?
M: There is so many great bands I would like to share a stage with, hard to choose.
T: No doubt for me it would be Slipknot.
M: Oh definitely, Slipknot is on my long list as one of the favorites. But before going international, from Polish bands, Mgła, Vader and Behemoth are like a dream. Maybe also Illusion?
J: How about Sepultura, that would be cool.
B: Who cares with who and where, we just play and try to play wherever we end up. It’s the most important thing, to not stop playing
Question for all of you individually, who was your inspiration to pick up your instrument and start playing?
B: Nobody really was a sole source of inspiration I just kinda picked up a guitar and started with it. Gave it a go and liked it so much I never stopped.
J: Maybe not a cool answer, but my uncle got me into music. I wanted to start younger but never was really determined, picked up an instrument for a few weeks or months and then drop it as I lost interest. Then a few years back I picked it up again, met with Błażej and Maks and being in the band really keeps me going.
T: As a Slipknot fan, loving the sound of Corey Taylor’s voice, he definitely would be my pick as main inspiration to learn how to growl and sing. I tried it but didn’t have the proper technique maybe doing more harm than good to my voice. When later seeing the Polish band Portal and the intro scream their vocalist did put me to search for how to properly technique this style of singing.
M: My dad really liked rock and he would play it a lot, I especially remember Nirvana and AC/DC. Seeing the music videos with it I grew up wanting to be like Kurt Cobain, music wise that is. Or jump on the stage like Angus Young. So, he got me an acoustic guitar which after a year I replaced with an electic one. Two years later I ended up with Błazej forming Novissime.
Z: For me, my dad helped me on the way with his listening to rock and metal music. Do you know that drum intro to Painkiller from Judas Priest? That is the song he showed to me and what got me into drumming for good, wanting to play that intro. Telling him this dream, he got me some classes with a drummer and when really hooked we got me my first own drumkit to play on and this is how I moved forward and finally ended up here with the band.
Moving from inspiration that got you started back to dreams to come true, which band could call you up and make you drop everything to replace a bandmember who fell ill and can’t go in tour?
T: Fast and simple answer. Songs of Slipknot are the ones I am practicing with, so I would definitely not mind replacing Corey Taylor.
Z: Not sure, and maybe it’s just a silly dream but playing the drums for Judas Priest sounds pretty cool for me.
M: I like the guitar riffs of Jelonek, it makes me want to try and experiment something new where a rock sound of guitars is mixed with violins and other classical instruments.
J: Noone really, maybe support the band of my uncle to repay the inspiration he gave me to start playing. Keeping it close to home is never a bad thing.
B: Me, no, I’m good where I am with the band and aren’t going anywhere. But for real, I never really gave much thought to a question like this, not because it will never happen but at the time I am too engaged with the band to think of going places with other bands. But if there is a permanent position, Vader might be one of the candidates to join directly.
Last but not least, other than the demo, what are the plans of Novissime for 2025?
M: We are planning to play more concerts, something impossible last year with the lack of a stable drummer. Now that we have Zofia on drums we are complete, giving her the freedom to write and rewrite drums for our songs we can go on stage and show ourselves.
So with all this given, we hope to hear more this year from the ambitious and inspired young members of Novissime. Once we have more news on the band with tourdates or new releases or anything else, you will be informed.
Michel Asselman is a freelance photojournalist for Majestic Music Magazine. See more of their work here.
