EXCLUSIVE: Interview with the iconic Drummer and Drum Technician Robert Kovačič

Known with his unique technical touches, and outstanding Drum techniques for over 25 year career in Metal music world. Born in Slovenia in 1977, Robert Kovačič performed as a Drummer,  a Drum instructor, and a Drum technician. 

Participated in dozens of international Metal acts, gigs, and festivals, Kovačič participated with major Metal bands as a drummer with Belphegor, Scaffold, Supreme Pain, Nothnegal, Obduktion, and Evnar, and as a drum technican with Suffocation, Nile, Dark Funeral, Ex-Deo and many.

Egypt's Metal Reviewer and The Metal Sister: Reviews have this honorable chance to chat with Kovacic about his career, future plans and interests.

Thanks Robert for giving me this chance! Firstly, as our target audience is Middle Eastern Metalheads so I want to know more about your opinion in the Middle Eastern Metal bands, and Are you on contact with any Middle Eastern Metal bands?

Hi. I am honored to do an interview with you, especially it's the first one I got from the Middle East! Regarding your question, There are some Middle Eastern/North African Metal bands I know like Scarab (Egypt), Crescent (Egypt), Lelahell (Algeria), Kaoteon (Lebanon), Nervecell (UAE), Orphaned Land (Israel), Bilocate (Jordan), Melechesh (Israel) and  Smouldering in Forgotten (Bahrain).

I was even invited to play with Lelahell (Algeria), Nervecell (Dubai/UAE), Bilocate (Jordan), Melechesh (Israel), but couldn't cooporate for several reasons at that time. Fortunately, we played with Smouldering in Forgotten (Bahrain) in Dubai when I was on Asian tour with Nothnegal (Maldives).

The Middle East offers some really good bands. I just wish to know more besides the ones I know. I've been touring pretty much all over the world & I am really glad that Metal community is so strong everywhere!

I Remember through one of our conversations you mentioned one of the greatest Egyptian Death Metal bands Scarab. Can you tell us more about your relation with Scarab?

I believe Scarab is internationally the most known Egyptian Death Metal band, so I assume they have some reputation at home as well. 

Me & Sharif (Scarab Guitarist/ Composer) know each other for some time now. We contacted each through social media at first and later we've met in Dubai for the first time, when I was there performing with Nothnegal in 2012. 

Second time we met was in 2016 when I was in Cairo. I had a chance to meet the rest of the band. We jammed together on one night. 

Me and Sherif (keyboardist) jammed on tablas too, which I really enjoyed. I am very happy for Scarab and how they broke the boundaries and started to play abroad. Same goes for other Egyptian bands who are delivering their music to the outside world. 

In fact, I love Egypt. I've been there 4-5 times & I love the architecture and the ancient part of it a lot. My room is full of papyrus & statues of ancient Egyptian gods and godesses I got or bought from Egypt. I also love Arabic/oriental music & traditional instruments. 

I gained my interest into Arabic music at the begining of high school. That would be probably around a time when I formed my band Scaffold. So, Arabic / Oriental tunes are with me for a very long time now. 

I am totally in love with Egyptian tabla. I bought one from Mohammed Ali st. In Cairo. There's also a couple of videos online of me playing tabla, so you are most welcome to check it out.

3-Back to your early years as a Drummer and as Metal musician, Why did you choose the drums? I think, it is one of the most challenging instruments? What was your main motive to learn drums and reach this great degree of professionalism? 

First of all,  of course I started to listen to the music in primary school, got interest into 50-60' Rock, later 70' and so on till I got to 80' & stopped there for a while and discovered heavier bands from Hard Rock to Heavy Metal. At the begining of 90' I ended up listening Thrash Metal bands like Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, Sepultura, etc. 

I was a huge fan of Metallica at that time and I believe Lars made a great impact on my interest in playing drums, along with Igor Cavalera of Sepultura and some others

 I remember sitting in my neighbors's room listening to Metallica song and there was a certain part with a fill on the snare drum. Neighbor asked, if I can try to play along with wooden kitchenware. I tried & surprisingly played it tight. That moment while playing that part made a click in me to gain more interest in drums. 

I started to listen to drum parts in the songs even more carefuly since that day & imagining how to play along. I bought a pair of drum sticks even, as I didn't own a drum set  yet. I just wanted to play on any surface available, hehe. 

Somewhere around that time, I tried to play guitar as well, cause I liked it too. Still, after a while of trying, I realized drums is the instrument I prefer more. I had some friends who already played in bands and I was attending their rehearsals & tried to play a bit after they were done. 

I also jammed with a neighbor who already bought electric guitar & annoyed neighbors with it and I was just adding a little more volume by jammin' to riffs on a pillow or a plastic bucket,  hahaha. 

A bit after that time I formed my own band, later known as Scaffold. I made my own provisional drum kit of plastic paint buckets filled with different amount of water in each to make them sound different. 

And hey, paint buckets had lots of attack in the sound which is very typical for Metal haha! A bit less then a year later I got my 1st real drum kit. After that I just continued to practice & played with Scaffold and some other local bands, till international bands got an interest in me.

While I was checking your press kit, I was shocked, really shocked, you contributed with great names as a drummer, and drum technician, Can you describe to us the difference between being a technician, and a drummer in a concert? 

You are right. I’ve been and am working as a drummer & drum technician with bands I was a fan of since I started to listen to Metal music.

Really hard to imagine for a young teenager with a band and dreams of touring the world, that It will actually happen, to tour with influencers in not so distant future.

There’s a difference between a drum technician and a drummer, but at the same time a very strong bound when both work as one. It’s like two jobs combined in one. 

Drummer has to learn to play the songs & me as a drum technician, I like to learn songs by memorizing them, so I can walk around the drum riser and do whatever corrections and arrangements and be back to the drummer on time when the song is finished.

 I prepare things to relieve a drummer so he/she can concentrate more on playing. Things drum technician would do are setting up and tunning the kit, connecting all the electronics, preparing water, towels, set lists, and many many more. If a band has a stage production (side drops, candles, crosses, etc) I would do that as well and sometimes I even play intro, interludes and outro.

It’s an advantage for me being a drummer, cause I can understand what a drummer needs. I remember those days when I didn’t have a drum tech, but I needed it the most. I am trying to breath with a drummer through the gig and I am 110% focused on what’s going on & I am taking my job seriously.

I like to play drums and whatever related to drums, so I wanna be around playing or ‘just’ being a tech. 

Can you tell us more about your current experience with Dark Funeral?

Oh. Sure. Dark Funeral was searching  for a new drum tech 2 years ago & many people (managers & musicians) recommended me, so they contacted me. That was just a bit before European tour in 2016. 

I ended up touring with one of the greatest Extreme Metal drummers, Nils Fjellström/Dominator. He is hitting drums hard & producing the most metal sound I’ve ever heard in these insanely high tempos! 

And he is not just fast, but also very musical and groovy, really creative and unique. I recommend you to check his drumming. He’s not working with Dark Funeral anymore, but with some other bands like Myrkskog, 1349, Nordjevel and so on and It seems I am going to work with him again, in Nordjevel, Norwegian Black Metal band. I am flying to Norway in a couple of days for preproduction rehearsals to set & learn everything for upcoming shows. 

Caption: (Taken from Robert Kovačič Media Kit)

Regarding Dark Funeral shows, I did a couple of festival gigs this year and a tour in Japan. It was the first time for me to tour Japan. Very nice experience. Me and the singer extended our stay for a couple of days to explore More of Japanese culture and really enjoyed our stay there. I am looking forward to explore more places with Dark Funeral and the other bands I am working with and deliver to fans as much as I can. 

What are your main influences, and who are your favorite musicians? 

Huh, this is soooo hard to tell, cause there's so many. But, if I really have to name a few who made major impact on me in certain genre of Metal it would be Lars Ulrich of Metallica, Dave Lombardo of Slayer & Igor Cavalera of Sepultura when listened to Thrash Metal & later when I was more into Death Metal it was Pete Sandoval, drummer of Morbid Angel who showed me what blast beat and death metal drumming is.

 These would be my main influences when I started with certain genre. Later on I discovered more drummers to get inspired by. Everyone has something unique to show and offer.

Is teaching Drums challenging? And Are you still on contact with your previous students? 

It is. Being a drum teacher and a drummer only is a different thing. You have to be able to explain in a way students can understand. People are different so you have to use different methods and approaches according to individuals. 

You have to be sure they understand what is showed and explained, so they could learn and do their homework properly. 

When I started to play drums, I wanted to have a Metal drum teacher, but there was no one in my country who could show me a thing, so I had to learn all by myself, by listening to my favourite bands and drummers. When I felt I am ready & experienced enough, I decided to start to teach young drummers and give them what I couldn't get when I started to learn the instrument.

And to answer on question, if I am on contact with any of my previous students. The answer is yes, with some of them. And one of them became one of my best friends. J

There is a question always aching my mind, you may see it a silly question, but How do you choose your drum kit pieces?

Easy. If you need notes, you just add them. The rest is the rhythm.

Of course you dealt with a hundred of musicians, and drummers all over the world, in your point of view, What are the common mistakes that drummers make in tours, and gigs?

Hm. I don't really see so many mistakes, cause touring bands work hard at home and they would normally come on tour ready and prepared. 

The only thing you can't do on tour is to practice as much as when at home. So, you kinda have to stay in shape, do some workouts, warmups, eat healthy food as possible, trying to rest and sleep enough. 

I would say getting on tour ready and prepared and then trying to stay in shape as much as possible. These would be the most important things for touring drummers.

What are the main pieces of advice you want to send to rising and promising musicians? 

First of all you have to be sincere to yourself. Ask yourself; Do I really love & enjoy in what I am doing, creating music? If you can't live without a thought of the instrument and everyday practice, then just continue to do what you are doing already & life will bring you what youdeserve.

What are your future plans?  

Trying to stay around music and tour as much as possible. Getting more knowledge and experiences in gardening, cause this is my second passion beside music, but that is another chapter we can open in next interview hehe. 

Thank you again Robert for this rich, enjoyable interview! Hope to see you in Egypt soon.