We had the good fortune of speaking with Polish sound engineer and musician Michał ‘Neithan’ Kiełbasa who works on guitar tech duties with Mayhem. He serves as composer, frontman, and guitarist with the experimental band Whalesong. He is also part of the folk band Grave of Love and has a solo noise/power electronics project named Lugola. He has also worked as a guitar tech, FOH, and monitor engineer for bands like Watain, Mgła, Abbath, and Tormentor.
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How has it been touring across Asia over the years with several acts?
It has been a very good experience. Two years ago we had shows in Japan, Thailand, and South Korea. I have worked with Mayhem before and then Watain at Bangalore Open Air. It’s quite similar everywhere as organizers ensure the requirements of the tech rider are present along with the gear we carry.
What does the guitar setup for Mayhem consist of?
Right now we use the Neural DSP Quad Cortex for guitars. Both guitarists Teloch and Ghul use it. We started to use it last year and works very well. For bass, Necrobutcher uses the Ampeg or Fafner amps, it depends.
How long have you been working in the industry?
I have been working since 2013 while working full-time since 2019. I started working with Polish tech death metal Decapitated and was with them for almost 6-7 years.
Are there any artists from South Asia that interest you?
I love the music of Hindustani classical musician Zia Mohiuddin Dagar who played the rudra veena. It has influenced my music in terms of drones and minimalist music I make.
Check out Whalesong’s music here!
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