Getting to Know… MoGa | Interview 🎤

In the 406^th Q&A in our Getting to Know… series, Hristo Lazarov provides the inside scoop on Bulgarian, progressive death metal band, MoGa.

“Our sound is defined not only by what is basically a must-have in death metal – down-tuned guitars, endless blast beats, harsh vocals and fast technical riffs, but also by the exact opposite of it – clean vocals, ethereal melodies, atmospheric electronics..” Awesome, MoGa! Rhythm guitarist Hristo Lazarov answers all of our burning questions regarding the Bulgarian, progressive death metal band.  That includes the genesis, goals, musical influences, and current, and future musical endeavors. So, without further ado, let’s jump right into Getting to Know… MoGa: Interview No. 406!

For those who may not be familiar with you, what would you say makes MoGa distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

Hi! For those who don’t know us, we are MoGa, an experimental death metal band. We are based in Sofia, Bulgaria. Our sound is defined not only by what is basically a must-have in death metal – down-tuned guitars, endless blast beats, harsh vocals and fast technical riffs, but also by the exact opposite of it – clean vocals, ethereal melodies, atmospheric electronics. This is why our music is experimental. It doesn’t live within the boundaries of a single genre.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did MoGa form and what were some of the goals or visions you had early on?

MoGa took its current form in 2023 but the project dates back to almost 11 years earlier. The band our current lead guitarist (Anton Dimitrov) and harsh vocalist (Milko Dyulgerov) had back then couldn’t carry on, unfortunately. But they didn’t want to quit, as they already had quite a few interesting ideas for new material. These ideas were developed further and formed the musical backbone of our current album, Where Do You Come From. Later on, they were joined by Borislava Yordanova with her beautiful, clean voice. Last year the band took its final form when the rhythm guitarist, the bassist and the drummer came along.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

Nothing has changed in its essence. There used to be a time, way, way back, when Where Do You Come From was thought of as a studio project. However, once the record started coming together, we didn’t want it to just be something people would stream online. We wanted to play it live, establish a connection with the audience, let the musical magic happen. After all, this is what music is all about, right? Once we formed MoGa in 2023, the goal became clear: Live shows, new audiences, and even a second album.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Whom would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Our music has not been composed with a specific band in mind to take after. It shows our musical face the way it is. The biggest guitar influence of Tony, our main composer, as well as one the players he admires most is Steve Vai. It is thus inevitable to find at least a hint of an influence. Our fans tend to find some references to Meshuggah or Jinjer on some of the tracks but, if there is such a resemblance at all, it has not been sought after. But still, we are playing 8-string guitars in drop tuning, so at least the Meshuggah reference doesn’t come as a surprise.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative. 

We have had to cope with a number of technical difficulties during live performances – just like everybody else. On the other hand, there has never been anything truly dramatic. Once I had the issue that after switching guitars on stage for the next song, the new guitar just didn’t play. There was no sound. I glanced at the sound engineer with a terrified look on my face, but he managed to get it all sorted in no time, so it was all fine in the end. But it really got me scared for a moment 😊

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

Oh, this is a tough one. Personally, I enjoy playing through all of our tracks. I particularly like “Contrastmus”, the first song we play on our current setlist, because is sets the mood for what is about to follow and I really enjoy the looks on everyone’s faces when we start playing. “Chained Life” is another personal favorite because it is an experimental ballad where we utilize fingerstyle playing, which is super fun and also something different. However, “Garden” is probably the one I enjoy playing the most – it has everything, fast riffs, clean parts, technical runs, interesting chords and also a truly mind-blowing solo Tony is playing.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Sure 😊 Take a look at our physical album (which can be bought at our shows, online or simply if you DM us). It is not what you’d expect to see, as it is not a CD but a USB drive which has been packaged in a 3d-printed, hand-painted action figure of MoGa – our band’s mascot and main protagonist in the story the album is telling.

We created, manufactured and painted these figures ourselves and are very proud of the result. So, have a look and if you dig them, DM us!

Closing out, what is MoGa currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure.   

We are focusing on playing live shows and also we have something cooking as far as a second album goes.  We’d love it if you’d check out our band links: https://linktr.ee/mogaband. Also, give us a listen and consider following us on our social and streaming platforms.

Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to answer these questions, and best of luck moving forward. 

Thank you, the pleasure is all ours!

Follow… MoGa: Instagram • Facebook • Spotify • YouTube • Bandcamp

Getting to Know… MoGa: Interview No. 406 [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; MoGa; Clker-Free-Vector-Images, Królestwo Nauki, OpenClipart-Vectors, Pete Linforth, Tumisu from Pixabay