Ivan Kozarev (I) - founder, song and lyric writer, guitarist and vocalist
1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
K: We are enjoying ourselves and the response of the audience, which, at least so far, has been pretty good. At the same time the work behind the scenes to develop the band further never ceases.
2.In April you released your first full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
K: I personally wanted a fully fledged death metal record. That being said, our creative process is typically completely natural, so we go wherever our ideas take us, and you can hear that in the record. In general, I envisioned a heavier, darker and more epic record than our first mini album, and I daresay we managed to achieve all of those.
I: I share Konstantin’s perspective and vision for the record, but I dare say it turned out to be more than we expected. We were free to just express ourselves and the result was an album that doesn’t stay in one place and isn’t defined by one subgenre of metal. I love it.
3.Most of the band members were previously a part of 'Incara', what was the decision behind splitting up the other band and starting a new band?
K: From my perspective - I was the band’s drummer for a bit, and there was tension with some band members, mostly based on character and ego (not mine). The band was also thrash metal mostly, which isn’t my style of choice, so to be honest it was only a matter of time for me before I left. The band ended some time after that. Ultimately, this band was the reason for me to make Ivan’s acquaintance, which ultimately led to the creation of Carcerous. Myself and Ivan already had the idea for an extreme metal side project between the two of us and me being forced out of Incara was the perfect trigger for that project to come to the foreground. Because the two of us were already in the process of writing the next Incara album (and we were trying to move the band into a more extreme direction), we took those songs with us to Carcerous and that resulted in the New Age God mini that we released in 2025. Also Incara was the reason to meet Carcerous’ current drummer - Kristian - who succeeded me as the band’s drummer until they disbanded.
4.A lot of your lyrics cover occult and anti religion themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?
K: We are writing lyrics that fit the feel of the songs we write. We are not satanists or inclined towards the occult ourselves. We like to tell stories, and we choose topics that make for a compelling narrative.
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Carcerous'?
K: Carcerous was meant to be a name that was completely unique and ours - we wanted no one to have used it before. I also meant it to invoke correlation to other similar names in the genre, without being cheesy. It achieved both things quite well. It is a non-existent word, but if I had to give it a definition, it is an adjective, meaning carcer-like - referencing the creeping lack of freedom we experience in our daily lives, due to technology, politics, and our own beliefs holding us back. We live in a Carcerous age.
6.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
K: The cover art is the work of a close friend - the amazing artist Yassen Stoilov. The art itself is his interpretation of the lyrics for the namesake song - Doomsday Factory, which itself is a critique of humanity’s inability to know peace.
7.Out of all the shows the band has done so far, which one stands out the most?
K: I love shows with high attendance, just because the audience hypes and feeds off its own energy, which always results in a wild ride. All of those we have had so far have been great. I also love those shows where we get to support bands from outside Bulgaria.
I: I don’t have a favorite amongst our shows so far, but I can say we always give our best when we perform, just because that’s the important thing - No matter how many people come to the show, the artist must stay true to the performance and always give their best.
8.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
K: We are working on those. In general we are an active live band and will continue to be. For now we have two shows announced, both in Sofia, Bulgaria - in support of the French death metallers of Redsphere in June and the Hungarian death machines Monastery in October. In the meantime we are actively looking for opportunities.
9.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?
K: We are independent still, looking to get signed. We have had interest from labels and are hoping to close a deal soon.
10.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of extreme metal?
K: So far the reception has been warm. Relatively few people know of us still, so I guess we need to address that first.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
K: I see us digging deeper into death metal, at least initially. I think we will remain true to ourselves in that regard and keep being spontaneous with our songwriting, so who knows what the future will bring. I hope whatever we do, we manage to stay inspired and keep things fresh and interesting.
I: We always try to not think about what our songs have to be, but instead to just allow ourselves to write music freely and then see what the end result is. It always surprises us and it’s always original for us, so that’s what matters the most to me.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
K: I am listening to a lot of bands, not so many new ones - mostly bands from the 90s. I mostly listen to death metal, black/death metal and some less typical black metal. Notable names for me are Hypocrisy, Sodom, Rotting Christ, Thy Catafalque, Belphegor, Behemoth, Bolt Thrower, Memoriam, Lay Down Rotten, Morbid Angel, Vomitory, Blood Red Throne, and so many more. Lately, I have been listening to a lot of 2000s Cradle OF FIlth and some late 90s and early 2000s Dimmu Borgir. New releases that I have enjoyed include the new albums by Immolation, Vomitory, Vreid, Cryptopsy, and Hanging Garden from Finland. I also really loved the new Coroner record that came out last year - made a fan out of me for sure.
I: Konstantin is the death metal guy. I like many of the bands he mentioned, but I also listen to a whole lot of thrash metal, groove metal, alternative metal and metalcore bands. You can get inspired from a lot of bands and styles these days.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
K: Thank you for your interest and the great review for Doomsday Factory! We would like it if everyone reading this checks us out and follows us on socials and streaming platforms, links below. We wish you and your audience all the best!
I: Thanks for the awesome review and for this cool interview! We’re pushing forward as a band and we’ll be happy to participate in another one of these for a future release! Stay safe and stay metal!
https://linktr.ee/carcerousband
https://www.facebook.com/CARCEROUS
https://www.instagram.com/carcerousband/
https://www.youtube.com/@CarcerousBand
https://carcerous.bandcamp.com/album/doomsday-factory
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