Interviews: Rettenet
1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? Did you plan it, or did it just come about naturally?
Rettenet is a somewhat old-fashioned Hungarian word. Its closest English equivalents would be horror, enormity, or something dreadful. I really like it because the word has a kind of double life in Hungarian. On its own, it usually refers to something terrible, but in everyday speech it can also be used as an intensifier—something can be rettenet jó (“terribly good”) or rettenet rossz (“terribly bad”). So the name carries darkness, but also a certain amount of sarcasm and humour.
This time, I didn’t want to glue together a few fancy English words and pretend we had discovered a new chemical element. And if a name like Korn can conquer the world, I don’t think a Hungarian word will be the thing that stops us.
2. Why did you want to play this genre?
Well, we didn’t really choose a genre at all. We have a shared vision and a certain approach, but we deliberately left that question open. “Alternative metal” is simply the label we use on Bandcamp and elsewhere when selecting a genre is mandatory. It is the closest available category, but we are not trying to obey it. We just play whatever crawls out of our heads and deal with the classification afterwards.
3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?
I’d say mostly no. We are a trio, and I had known Béci for around fifteen years, but we weren’t close friends. Gábor, our drummer, basically walked straight into the band—and, to be honest, he was the one who set it in motion.
We met at a festival about a year ago. He knew me from my former bands and asked what I was working on. I told him I had become a bedroom guitarist and was working on songs alone. Within the first five minutes of meeting me, he asked, “What if we started a band?” So we did. Apparently, that is all the strategic planning a band really needs.
4. What is each band member’s favourite band?
I’m proud that all three of us listen to a very wide range of music—from alternative and indie to black metal and different forms of hardcore. Naming one favourite for each member would probably start an internal conflict, but there is one band we all love: Converge.
5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?
I have a large collection of recorded ideas: riffs, short sections, and half-formed pieces with very different moods and textures. When we start composing, we usually pick one of these fragments, and its atmosphere begins to shape the lyrics.
I also have plenty of unfinished lyrical ideas. Sometimes I use one of those; at other times, a phrase simply appears in my head and becomes the starting point. We don’t have a strict songwriting method. Usually, we begin with one small idea, although sometimes I bring in something closer to a complete song skeleton. Then the three of us start attaching flesh to it—which sounds more appropriate for our music than saying we “develop it.”
6. Where was your last gig?
We haven’t played any gigs yet. Rettenet is only about a year old. Don’t get me wrong: all three of us are experienced musicians and have played plenty of shows with our former bands. Rettenet, however, currently operates as an online band without a rehearsal room.
We agreed not to book shows until we could be reasonably confident that somebody might actually turn up. For a new independent band, trying to build an audience solely by playing gig after gig can be a long and difficult road nowadays. So we chose a slightly different route: first, we are trying to build a genuine listener base. If that begins to take shape, we will bring the band to the stage as well. At that point, I suppose we will finally have to meet regularly like a normal band.
7. Where would you like to perform?
I’d love to play intense shows in medium-sized clubs all across Europe. I really like the atmosphere of those venues and the intimacy between the band and the audience. I would always choose a smaller, packed room full of people stage-diving and moshing over a much larger venue with a distant, colder crowd.
8. Who would you like to collaborate with?
I haven’t thought about a particular person, but I could imagine an interesting collaboration with a rapper. I wouldn’t name someone famous just for the sake of having a famous name attached to a song. For me, the more interesting question is what kind of unexpected voice or personality could take the music somewhere we wouldn’t reach on our own.
9. Who would you not like to collaborate with?
Nobody comes to mind. We aren’t actively searching for collaborators, but we are open to interesting ideas. If something sounds wrong in an exciting way, that is usually a good start.
10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to overcome it?
In my former bands, I played support slots before AC/DC and Rammstein at Strahov Stadium, and I also played on the Sziget Festival main stage several times. The other members of Rettenet also have a great deal of live experience, so in that sense, we left ordinary stage fright behind many years ago.
Despite that, I’m quite sure I will be nervous before our first Rettenet show, because it will also be my first time singing lead vocals while playing guitar. At the moment, I honestly don’t know how I’ll handle it. Ask me again after the first show—by then, I may have useful advice or simply a very entertaining story about failure.
11. What bands have inspired you the most?
That is always changing. At the moment, the bands I listen to and draw the most inspiration from include Russian Circles, Converge, Ecca Vandal, Radiohead, and Zao.
12. What is the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?
Many years ago, a girl asked me for detailed pictures of my guitar because she loved its shape and colour. It was just a red Gibson SG Special, but she decided to have it tattooed on her back. By the time the guitar made it onto her skin, it looked more like a distant relative of my SG than the instrument itself.
It probably wasn’t the weirdest thing anyone has ever asked me, but it is the weirdest one I can safely include in an interview.
13. What do you think of your fans?
At this stage, I’m still a little reluctant to call anyone a “fan.” I think people who are drawn to aggressive music tend to be very discerning listeners. They don’t blindly idolise you—they listen closely, judge what you do, and often have very strong opinions.
So when somebody genuinely likes our music, it feels less like admiration and more like an earned compliment. That means a great deal to us, especially this early in the band’s life.
14. What do you think of our site?
I really like it. Despite the name suggesting a strong focus on core music, the site is genuinely open-minded and covers a broad range of heavy and alternative artists. It also feels active and committed, which is increasingly valuable for underground bands.
I should also mention that this is Rettenet’s first interview request and first proper feature from outside Hungary, so Breathing The Core will always have that distinction. Thank you for giving us the opportunity.
15. Is there anything you would like to add?
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