Mario Kozjak on Writing Rock Songs in Croatian — and Why He Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

Most rock bands start writing in English. For Mario Kozjak, that was the obvious choice — until he sat down with his own lyrics and realized something was missing.

Kozjak is a Senior Software Engineer at X-Team and the lead vocalist, guitarist and frontman of the rock/metal band Kozjak, a trio based in Zagreb, Croatia. He has been studying music composition for 15 years — chord progressions, riffs, singing technique, song structure — mostly in the metal genre but with some acoustic singer-songwriter work alongside it. In this story, Kozjak explains how the band came together, why he made the uncommon decision to sing in his native language and what his songwriting and production process actually look like.

From an In Flames Tribute Band to Original Music

The band's origin traces to a rehearsal room in Zagreb in 2017, where Kozjak met drummer Josip Vladić. Both were there to rehearse for an In Flames tribute band. The friendship that developed quickly became something more ambitious: a two-man project writing original music that blends alternative rock and metal. Croatian lyrics included.

By the time of this interview, Kozjak had grown into a trio — Kozjak on guitar and lead vocals, Vladić on drums, and a bassist who provides backing vocals. "We're a trio now and I'm pretty happy about it," he says.

The influences that shaped the sound go back to elementary school, when MTV introduced Kozjak to alternative rock and metal. The bands he cites as inspirations: Opeth, In Flames, Mastodon, Gojira, Dream Theater, Audioslave and Rage Against the Machine.

The Decision to Sing in Croatian

Every song Kozjak wrote started in English. That changed when the band was about to record.

"All my songs started in English, but I realized (right before we started recording) that I didn't feel the connection I wanted to my lyrics," he says. The problem wasn't fluency — it was emotion. In English, no matter how proficient the writing, something was getting lost. In Croatian, his native tongue, the feeling came through completely. "No matter how good my English gets, it's really hard to get all the emotion out as I can in Croatian."

Being in his mid-30s factored in too. There was no reason to keep an unnecessary barrier between himself and what he was trying to express. "No unneeded boundaries anymore," he says. "It's strange to sing (let alone scream) in Croatian, but I'm taking my chances with it anyway."

The decision also made geographic sense. The band plans to play gigs across former Yugoslavia — Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia — where Croatian is widely understood throughout the region.

How a Song Gets Written — and What It Takes to Record One

Kozjak's composing process starts away from the guitar, usually while walking. When he picks up the instrument intending to write, nothing comes. The ideas arrive on their own. "I tend to 'hear' a riff in my head and then I record myself (in the middle of the street) by singing that part on my iPhone," he says. Back home, he picks up the guitar and replicates what he heard. "It works out pretty well."

For the recorded songs, the band went into a professional studio — a relief, Kozjak notes, because it meant he didn't have to manage the technical side of production himself. The gear he brought in: his Squier Stratocaster equipped with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails bridge pickup, an Orange amplifier, his Orange cab and a Laney VH100R guitar tube amp. His bassist contributed their own guitar. The drums were a generic set.

The band had already released singles by the time this interview was published. The album was set to follow after the summer, timed for when, as Kozjak put it with characteristic directness, "all the Croatians have come back from the sea."

You can follow Kozjak on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and Apple Music.

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