Please introduce yourself and share a bit about your background. Tell us a bit about yourself. (Location, artist name, the works!)

Cos: I go by Cos as a guitarist and producer and am located in the USA. One band named Marauder did really well years ago and I kept the name, now going by Marauder Music to cover all projects. Currently working with Zsani we go by the team name Zsani and Cos Project.

Zsani: I'm Zsani, a singer-songwriter-lyricist from Hungary. Currently I'm the leader and lead singer of the Hungarian metal band called EVENS and besides I'm creating with Cos and with other songwriters who are in need of a singer-songwriter-lyricist.

What's your musical origin story? (when did you start? What inspired you?)

Cos: I have played guitar since a kid and been chasing music production ever since it became an "at home" thing that could be done affordably. Thanks to Digitech and Line 6 really. I think hearing KISS Alive 1 and Ace playing a song called Parasite, I was like "I want to make sounds like that!". My step sister introduced me to Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin etc., cause back then you had to have actual vinyl records to check a band out (has it been that long LOL!!). Later I still remember the night I heard Van Halen 1, that just blew my mind. Then later I discovered Dokken and George Lynch. I really connected with the vibe George had vs Eddie. I did get to take lessons from George and got to jam with him once, so that was very cool to connect with my guitar hero like that. Today Jeff Loomis inspires me, in my opinion he is the current Eddie/Randy/Jimi/Vai sort of player, he took guitar to the next level for me. I had stopped playing for a while and Nevermore went totally under my radar. Only because of Ola Englund and my Marauder partner JT did I discover Jeff and Nevermore not all that long ago. JT had a Schecter JL7 guitar and was like "hey you can have this if you want, the neck is too big for me". He sent it to me, I open it up and it is signed by Jeff!! So lower tuned metal entered my vocabulary. Kill Switch Engage continues to be a favorite as well. Have always been in awe of Adam D's writing, playing and production, the Godfather of Metalcore.

Zsani: The first bands I heard were Metallica and Iron Maiden, but then I discovered Nightwish and loved them so much, I decided to be a rock star just to be able to sing their songs. I went on this path with Evanescence and Within Temptation, but then I heard Arch Enemy's heavy riffs and experienced the force of Alicia's power, that's why I learnt to scream and dived deeper in the metal genre. I started to write poems/lyrics during my self-knowledge journey about my own experience which I hope can be related to others' too. Poems became lyrics when I met the members of my current band, EVENS.

What were the driving forces or pivotal moments that inspired you to pursue music?

Cos: It is the creative process mostly. It has a magical element and the creative process channels that outward. Being in the creative state of flow has some mystic quality to it, it is addictive. And being able to share the output with others who enjoy it is amazing. For me songs just fall out of the sky and evolve, it's a child-like fun, probably why my productions are very basic, but I am having fun so who cares. To see an idea take shape like clay on a potter's wheel and end up being something that speaks back to me is just addictive, even if it is that ugly ash tray you made in art class LOL!!

Zsani: I wanted to sing first, then I wanted to make songs from my own messages. It is self-expression and joy to be able to create songs and perform them on stage.

How would you describe your style of music?

Cos: Metal/Doom Metal/Rock

Zsani: I wish I could know… :D It's rock, it's metal... just be heavy!

How is your personality reflected in your work?

Cos: I like anything that is powerful and invokes emotion. I do lean towards wanting dark sounding music, though every now and then something happy comes out, I am not sure why LOL! I am still at the growing and learning stage both about song writing and production. I take lessons from some of the online talent. Recently Trey Xavier's songwriting course. Only halfway though it, he has a ton to offer and I try to weave things in with each new track as I learn from him.

Zsani: As I'm walking on my road of self-discovery and self-knowing, I meet all the emotions along the way, Heaven and Hell. My music and lyrics often go from a deep place but always go up to the light. I'm not staying in Hell too long so my work always helps to get out of it.

Describe your creative process when you write new music.

Cos: It can be a melody or a concept. The vibe plays a lot into it too. Starts with a riff. Or in recent cases a melody. Simple ideas start to unfold and show themselves. That is part of the magic of the creative process that is so addictive and enjoyable. I find notes in the melody and just start playing with chord shapes. George Lynch told me years ago to get Don Mock's book Artful Arpeggios. I did. I still have not used it yet LOL!! But I get the concept to some extent. So I play with chord shapes and look for extra notes to throw in around them. Your ear tells you what the progression is wanting to get to, so I search for it until I find it.

Zsani: If I don't have music from a songwriter or from my band, I usually just sit down and start writing my thoughts, my feelings around my most current topic. When I have the title of the song, I'm searching for melody, singing to myself and then I find the right words, lyrics. When I have the music or melody it is a similar process, only a little more driven.

What is the name of your latest releases?

Cos: Zsani and Cos Project - MOST MIT TEGYEK (Hungarian). Zsani had this a cappella vocal and brought it to me and said "write it as a metal song" so I did and she recut the vocals for the metal version and I produced it. We had a lot of fun and it was a tremendous learning experience for me. I remember I had one note wrong and theory wise it made it in a major key, I was like "why is it so happy sounding, this is not a happy song???". Zsani then video recording herself playing it on the keyboard and then I was like "Oh I got it now". I love how it turned out. It is on our Bandcamp page. Zsani and I have three other releases as well on our Bandcamp page (Rusted from the Rain (cover), Darkness and Light, and Release me now. More are in the works right now.

Zsani: I agree as Cos told. :)

What was the inspiration for that release?

Cos: For MOST MIT TEGYEK let Zsani answer that.

Zsani: In 2024 I decided to quit my "normal job" to become a full-time singer-songwriter-lyricist. I felt I had to do it no matter what. I wasn't able to continue as I lived before. But it's hard and after the change I really didn't know what to do. "Most mit tegyek?" means "What should I do now?" I was going round and round. That time I was doing a course about singing/songwriting where we had to write our own songs at the end. I decided to sing out loud these disturbing feelings to release them for good and to turn to something new.