By Dig Dirkler

For more than two decades, Serbia’s INFEST have been flying the banner for uncompromising thrash and relentless intensity. Fronted by Vandal, the band’s mix of militant precision, emotional brutality, and Balkan fury has made them one of the fiercest underground forces in European metal. With their latest release Ambassadors of Aggression and the blistering new single “Bolje Da Umrem,” INFEST prove once again that aggression isn’t just sound—it’s survival. We caught up with Vandal to talk about pain as fuel, the evolution of their songwriting, and the fire that keeps the legion burning.

“Bolje Da Umrem” cuts deep. It’s lyrically brutal and emotionally raw. As both the vocalist and lyricist, what was your headspace during the writing process—and was there a specific event or feeling that sparked it?

That song was born from a place where pain becomes fuel. It’s not fiction—it’s confession. I wrote it during a period when everything around me felt poisoned. People rotting in silence, friends drowning in bottles, hope traded for comfort. “Bolje Da Umrem” came from that corner where you stop pretending everything’s fine. It’s about staring into the mirror and seeing a stranger looking back.

There wasn’t one event—it was a buildup of years of pressure, disappointment, and loss. Writing it felt like bleeding on paper. But sometimes you need to open the wound to stop the infection. That’s what this song is: a scream for everyone who ever felt too much and said nothing.

You’re seven albums deep into INFEST. How has your approach to songwriting and riff-building evolved from the early days to Ambassadors of Aggression?

In the beginning, it was all instinct and rage—we played faster than we could think, and that was our purity. Over time, I learned to control that chaos—to aim it, not tame it. The riffs today come from experience, from understanding the weight of every note.

Ambassadors of Aggression was about sharpening the blade. Every song had to earn its place. The aggression is still there—maybe stronger than ever—but now it has purpose, direction, and message. The hunger never fades; it just gets smarter.

Your vocal delivery is ferocious and uncompromising. Do you treat vocals as an extension of the riffs, or do the lyrics and themes dictate the rhythm and phrasing?

For me, vocals are a weapon. Sometimes they follow the riff like a blade follows the swing, and sometimes they lead, like a battle cry before the charge. It depends on the song’s heartbeat.

The lyrics dictate the emotion, and the emotion dictates everything else. When I scream, I’m not performing—I’m releasing. I don’t want the words to sit neatly on top of the music; I want them to collide, to fight, to bleed together. That’s how the chaos becomes truth.

Serbian is such a forceful language—especially in extreme metal. What does it allow you to express that English might not, particularly in songs like “Bolje Da Umrem”?

Serbian carries a weight—every word feels like a punch to the chest. It’s the language of survival, of stubbornness, of never backing down. In English, I can reach the world, but in Serbian, I can reach the soul of my people, and Balkan people in general.

When I scream in my mother tongue, I feel every word burn. It’s not just communication—it’s exorcism. “Bolje Da Umrem” couldn’t have been written in English. It needed the bite, the grit, the blood of our language. It’s not pretty, but it’s honest.

You’ve shared stages with legends and earned props from people like Tom Hunting. What does that recognition mean to you personally, coming from someone who’s helped define thrash metal?

It means the world, man. When someone like Tom Hunting—a legend, a foundation of this genre—gives you a nod, that’s not ego food. That’s validation that you’re doing something real.

We grew up on those riffs, those records. They shaped us, taught us that aggression can be art, that rebellion has rhythm. To stand on the same stage with people like that—it’s like coming full circle. It reminds me why we started. Not for fame, not for approval, but for the fire.

INFEST is known for its militant energy and no-compromise sound. Does the concept of “war” in your music reflect the outside world, or is it more about inner battles?

Both, because the line between the two is thin. The world outside is burning, and inside, we’re fighting to stay human.

Our “war” isn’t about blood and politics—it’s about survival, about integrity. Every day is a battle to stay true, to keep your sanity, to not become part of the machine. When I write about war, I’m writing about the clash between what’s real and what’s fake, between hope and despair. The battlefield is inside your chest as much as it is outside your window.

If you had to pick one Slayer track that still hits you in the gut today, what would it be—and has it ever crept into your own playing or writing style?

“War Ensemble.” Every damn time. That song is pure adrenaline—the perfect storm of riffs, rhythm, and fury. Slayer didn’t just write songs; they wrote commandments.

Their impact is in our DNA—in the precision, the drive, the refusal to compromise. We never tried to copy them, but their spirit lives in every note we play. Slayer taught us that brutality can be beautiful if it’s honest.

What’s your current live and studio setup in terms of guitars, amps, and effects? Any secret weapons in your rig that help craft that INFEST tone?

We keep it simple—no gimmicks, no overproduction. Just raw tone and power. We use Music Art custom guitars, Mesa, Engl, and Peavey amps, a touch of Maxon overdrive, and that’s it.

The secret weapon isn’t gear—it’s attitude. You can have the most expensive setup in the world, but if your heart’s not in it, it’ll sound fake. Our tone comes from our hands, our sweat, and the scars we carry. You can’t buy that in a store.

If you could replace your mic with a flamethrower for one live show, which song would you set the stage on fire with—and who in the band would be most at risk of going up in flames?

Oh, that’s easy—“Songs of Violence.” That track already feels like a flamethrower, so why not make it literalAs for who’d catch fire first—probably Cosmogen, because that man moves like a possessed animal when the riffs hit. But honestly, we’d all burn gladly if it meant taking the crowd with us into the inferno. Fire, sweat, chaos—that’s what a true show should feel like. If nobody leaves covered in ashes and adrenaline, did it even happen?

WE ARE LEGION! 🔥

INFEST continue to prove why they’re one of the most unrelenting forces in European thrash. Fueled by pain, purpose, and unshakable conviction, Vandal and company channel real-world struggle into sonic warfare. Ambassadors of Aggression and “Bolje Da Umrem” don’t just hit hard—they hit true. With every riff sharpened like a blade and every scream forged in fire, INFEST remain a band that bleeds authenticity.

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Categories: Interviews

Tags: Dig Dirkler, Infest