RockLine with Milan Krušič (Lene kosti): An Exclusive Sneak Listen to the Album “Penetrator” (2011)

Location: Ljubljana / Slovenia
Interview date: November 18, 2011

We’re giving you a first look at what’s coming on the new studio record from the legendary Slovenian metal steel-blowers Lene kosti, back firmly in the saddle. It’s due out in spring 2012 and will be called “Penetrator”. Thanks to a generous invitation from Milan Krušič, the frontman and driving engine of Lene kosti, the RockLine crew got an exclusive chance to sit in on the first listen to the songs (in raw, work-in-progress versions) that will make up the upcoming studio album “Penetrator”.

In the lines below, we give you our first impressions of what’s really brewing behind the walls of D.Y.Z. Sonic Temple studio in Jesenice, where the material for “Penetrator” is being filed and polished for the final cut.

Milan commented on each track first and revealed the story behind the lyrics, and we’re adding the impressions of the forever insatiably curious RockLine crew too. And the first verdict? It promises a whole lot once again….

(Heads-up: the track order for the new album is nowhere near final!)

1. THIRTEENTH WARRIOR

Milan: The inspiration for this song comes from the Viking movie “The 13th Warrior”. It’s built as an anthem.

RockLine: The song rides a rolling, mid-tempo groove driven by W.U.K.O.’s pounding double bass drum pedals, with twin guitar harmonies in thirds laid over a “Pristov-style” riff, which gives you that anthemic, bombastic power metal feel. It’s a special song on the album for Lene kosti.

2. HEAVY ARTILLERY

Milan: A military song, as the title already says. Galloping rhythm and an anthemic chorus made for mass singalongs and crowd participation when it’s played live. A song with a hook you won’t forget. A straight-ahead riff, a straight-ahead heavy metal tune.

RockLine: A potential crowd favorite live. The military-style drum intro turns into a classic riff, backed by a galloping rhythm and a catchy chorus that fans of the old-school Accept metal sound will love too. Catchy, venomous and 100% forged under the Lene kosti banner.

3. DIE YOU BASTARD

Milan: (laughs first) This is actually a track I wrote after meeting a couple of really twisted types this year, the kind that set your imagination off. Call it a blessing or a curse, take it how you like. You just can’t dodge the feeling of bitter experience.

RockLine: The new Play With Fire?

Milan: Something like that. Same formula.

RockLine: One of the fastest songs on the album. For anyone who’s too shy to let their anger out loud, Die you Bastard will be the song that blasts past all limits.

4. DEVIL IN DISGUISE

Milan: I got the idea for this song after watching some “fearless” individuals on TV summoning spirits. It was some documentary. And it happens that these spirits actually show up. And the ones who called them can’t get rid of them. My takeaway was that if you “mess around” with this kind of stuff, there’s always a danger you’ll open a door you can never close again, and you’ll end up sealing your life in a very unpleasant way.

RockLine: One of the most venomous tracks on the new record.

Milan: If I may say so, it’s basically “Uninvited Guest No. II.” (laughs)

RockLine: A slow, rolling rhythm. A straightforward yet viciously grabby riff with proper Marco seasoning, Milan’s emphatically wicked and dark vocals delivered completely clean, with the occasional nod to the energy of the eternally majestic works of King DIamond. Right out of the gate, this song feels like one of the potential favorites on the band’s upcoming new album.

5. SPREAD YOUR LEGS

Milan: It’s a classic song about women. My way. On this track I’ll be singing a duet with Mat Sinner (vocals and bass guitar, Sinner, Primal Fear, editor’s note). We split the verses. It’s a real “macho” hard rock number.

RockLine: In this raw version, it’s the song that keeps the most of the “Do Or Die” album’s tradition for the new era. Anyone who might miss a Russian Girl-type track on the new album has nothing to worry about.

6. LET’S ROCK

Milan: One of the simpler songs. For rockers. With a simple tune that’ll unite the crowd in front of the stage singing the lines: “Let’s rock, let’s roll,…”

RockLine: Along with Spread Your Legs, the second song that keeps the most in common with the previous Lene kosti studio album “Do Or Die”. Think of a Rock Power-type track and you’ll get a rough idea of what’s going on.

7. PENETRATOR

Milan: This is a Motörhead-style tune. German guitarist Manni Schmidt (ex-Rage, ex-Grave Digger, editor’s note) will contribute his solo on this one. Chopped out on two “bass drums”. The Motorhead influence on me as a musician really shows here.

RockLine: Once again one of the fastest songs on the album, with a great-working link between verse and chorus. The lyrics are juicy and extremely “penetrative”, no worries there. A 100% genuine one-of-a-kind from the Lene kosti school of metal.

8. REFUSE TO DIE

Milan: The verses of this song say that no matter how low you fall in life, and when everything’s going wrong, you have to hang in there and keep fighting. You can’t give up.  There’s always a couple of idiots trying to keep you down, but you can’t surrender. What doesn’t kill you only makes a person and their will stronger.

RockLine: Another one of those typical Lene kosti wrecking balls that really lights up the sky.

9. TEARS OF SADNESS

Milan: This song is dedicated to my late mother. I felt I had to dedicate a song to her, and that’s how this ballad came about.

RockLine: The spot on the new album where the acoustic guitar steps into the spotlight. A gradual, wave-like build-up of atmosphere through the verse and pre-chorus to the chorus. Without a doubt a special song on the upcoming new album. Definitely something for fans of classics like Beyond The Realms Of Death (Judas Priest).

10. THE CAGE

Milan: This song is dedicated to my son Lemmy. It’s about WMF “fighters”. It’s designed as an entrance song for the ring. Fast, driven by the pounding of double bass drum pedals, and with a catchy chorus.

RockLine: A song that works remarkably well in the verse-chorus combo. One of the most aggressive and fastest songs on the album, with an excellent mix of punchy riffing and rhythm. No letting up, no buckling, a true satanic march, the kind only Lene kosti know how to forge!

Heartfelt thanks to Milan Krušič (and Lene kosti), who made this feature for RockLine possible!

photo published with the exclusive permission of the band Lene kosti (official photo archive of the band Lene kosti)

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