We Sat Down With Zelda Metal Band Master Sword to Talk About Life, the Universe, and Everything

Kojo: People really seem to be enjoying the album, which is a huge relief after how long we’ve been sitting on some of this material. It gets to the point where you are almost sick of hearing the songs when you’re in the process of recording and mixing. But I do feel it is our strongest work, so I’m glad that the fans seem to think so as well. Even my family likes it! Haha.

Matt: I feel like the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. I was at MAGFest (Music and Gaming Festival) last week and I had so many people coming up to me saying how much they were enjoying the album. That felt amazing. I can’t really say whether it surpassed my expectations or not, though. To me this album is an improvement in every way from The Final Door, but I didn’t know if our fans would feel the same way.

The only thing I was maybe concerned about was the fact that we pulled back a lot on using actual Zelda motifs from the games. It was a conscious choice after we saw that “Hero of Time” (an original song from our album The Final Door) seemed to be the standout track among our listeners, but a whole album of complete originals? It was a risk. It seemed to have worked out, though!

ZD: What track are you the most proud of from the new album? Not your favorite, necessarily, but one you are so pleased with the effort and outcome?

Kojo: It’s hard to choose, but maybe the track “Shadows of the Mind?” It’s a somewhat unusual track for Master Sword (as are several others on this album), and originally the middle section after the second chorus was completely different. I think the song came out much better after we reworked the bridge, and I’m proud of my guitar solos over the various genre and tempo changes in the final version of the song. Also, fun fact, aside from the aforementioned newer middle section, most of this song was written in 2018 shortly after I joined the band. I believe it was the second demo I shared with the band after joining.

Another track I’m proud of is “Dance of the Demon,” a track where the speed of the song presented some challenges when recording, but we managed to make it work. I think Lily’s powerful vocals and Andy’s steady drumming really drive the chorus home as one of the best choruses on the album, on an album with lots of great choruses. I am especially proud of the harmonized leads following my guitar solo.

Matt: Tough question. I’d say for me it’s between two tracks, the two longest tracks actually, and that’s “Dance of the Demon” and “Son of Stone.” Long tracks are difficult in a lot of ways. Compositionally, you really need to put in the effort to make these songs interesting so people will actually listen all the way through.

I don’t set out to make long songs, per se, but just write until I feel like the song is done, trimming and adding new sections along the way if I think it needs it. Then you’ve got the matter of recording and mixing them, which takes way longer than other tracks. Sometimes it can be frustrating, but I feel like we hit gold with these two. “Dance of the Demon,” especially, that was a group effort similar to “Hero of Time” from the last album. I think (or maybe just hope) that it will become a fan favorite, but we’ll see.

“Son of Stone” was different. I don’t feel like the rest of the band was especially interested in it when I brought it to the group, and I was tinkering with instrumentation for it long after all the other tracks were complete. It really was my baby, although I have to give credit to Lily and our guest vocalist Liz (Elizabeth Webb), their vocals tie the whole thing together. I haven’t asked what they all thought of the final product, but I do hope they like how it came out. It’s also the one song where I perform all of the lead guitar, so I’m proud of that fact. Stylistically, this song has the “Matt Farkas” stamp on it way more than all the other tracks.

ZD: Share a story of making the album, any story. Your favorite, something funny, something that you never imagined happening, but you’re glad it did, any story.

Kojo: During our last recording session in the studio for this album, I suggested we call in our previous bassist Shawn to record gang vocals with us and the fans (for the song “Child of the Night”). Luckily, he was able to make it in to the studio, and it was great to have him on the album in some form even if he wasn’t in the band anymore at that point.

Matt: I think my favorite day was when we had Kickstarter backers Robert and Adam in the studio to perform backing vocals. We got to hang out and having guests in the studio completely changed the band dynamic for the better. It was way more relaxed.

ZD: What lessons did you learn from album development that you will carry with you into future projects?

Kojo: On this album we recorded almost everything in the studio together, instead of like before where only drums and vocals were recorded in the studio. I think us all recording together, and coaching and giving feedback to one another during the process resulted in a product that “gelled” together better than the previous album. Personally, I feel that the precision of my timing improved significantly as a result of this process as well.

Matt: Keep your eyes on the bigger picture and don’t get too hung up on certain details, especially if you’re working in a group. Not everyone is going to agree on every musical choice, and that’s okay. I feel like maybe I pushed everyone else a little too hard, and while some of the changes I suggested I still believe were right for the songs, others that I wanted ended up being the wrong choices (which were thankfully vetoed by everyone else). Eventually, whatever choices end up being made, whether you were for them or against them, become a part of the song and you get used to them. Most of the time. Haha. In the end, it’s not worth burning bridges over.

ZD: Obligatory obvious question: what’s your favorite track from Toying With Time and why?

Kojo: I think all the tracks hold up incredibly well, so I could easily pick several of them as my “favorite,” but if forced to choose maybe I’d go with “Child of the Night.” It’s a musical theater-inspired track that started from spooky vocal melodies and lyrics that we then crafted a song around. I think Andy’s creative drumming really brings something special to this song. We also got to record together with fans in the studio for the gang vocals.

Matt: The title track (“Toying With Time”) is a real banger. Our Kickstarter backers voted that one as their favorite by a wide margin, and taking a step back from the album and listening with somewhat fresh ears, I can see why.

But my favorite is “Dance of the Demon.” It’s the best song we’ve ever written, in my opinion. So much energy, great vocal hooks, one hell of a guitar solo from Kojo, and just an amazing middle section build up. It’s got everything.

ZD: What lesson would you give to all aspiring artists from making Toying With Time?

Kojo: I would tell aspiring artists that making music is a lot of hard work, it takes a lot of time, and you rarely make money from it (especially if you’re doing something as niche as we were), but as long as you are passionate about your music and you feel proud of the end result, it feels worth it. Also, if you’re working in a group setting like a band, keep in mind that compromise and diplomacy will be necessary, and don’t get too precious about things. It’s a team effort.

Matt: Besides the advice I talked about above, be persistent. Art takes time, money, and passion. Good art can’t be spit out overnight. You’re also probably not going to make the best album of your career on your first go-round. Don’t lose hope if you can’t create gold right away, just keep improving your craft. Be analytical and know what your weaknesses are, so you can improve on them or get help from others where you need it.

ZD: What’s your favorite memory from your time as Master Sword?

Kojo: I think my favorite memory might be when we got to play PAX West in September of 2021. Due to the pandemic, we hadn’t played live since March of 2020. We got to play at the Paramount Theater in Seattle, and while I think we were a bit rusty we still put on a good show and had a great time. Thank you so much to everyone who came out to see us live over the years. I definitely think playing live is one of the best parts of being in a band. Also shout out to our show in Montreal, Canada, in July 2023. That was a great send-off show for the band with a great crowd and energy.

Matt: Gotta agree with Kojo here, it’s performing at PAX West in 2021. We’d never played a theater like the Paramount, we’d never been treated so well by organizers (no shade on the other festivals and cons that have hosted us, PAX just went the extra mile), and the band was in high spirits. It was also our first time in Seattle and we had a lot of fun together outside of the event. I think all of that showed in the concert footage and photos we got from the show. That was peak Master Sword.

ZD: What were some of the silliest or funniest experiences you had in the band?

Kojo: During the pandemic we did a couple of livestreams where people could chat with us and ask questions. At one of those, we all had maybe a few too many drinks, and it was hilarious, but we decided to take down the VOD afterwards. The people who were there for that live got a special treat, I suppose.

Matt: Agreed again. It was a fun idea on paper, but we definitely got a bit too toasty/silly and Lily pulled the plug on doing that more in the future. Some things are best left to the fans’ imaginations. lol

ZD: Tell me about something impactful that you learned about making music, something that you never would have imagined being meaningful, but it was.

Matt: I feel like writing music together with someone is a bonding experience that really can’t be replicated elsewhere in life. It’s very personal. Intimate, even. You’re creating something so powerful together out of nothing. People will be listening to these songs for years to come and they only exist because a handful of people decided to collaborate and share their artistic visions together. Even if the situation is ultimately untenable, I do think the results speak for themselves. I’m immensely proud of the work we were able to do in Master Sword, this and every other one of our albums exists because of collaboration. Not that it’s the only way to do things in the realm of music, but had I released Master Sword songs on my own it wouldn’t sound like the Master Sword we know. The same with any music other MS band member releases. It only feels like Master Sword when we work together. Unfortunately, bands always have a shelf life and ours was shorter than I hoped for.

ZD: Brag about your new projects! What are you doing now? Where can we find you?

Kojo: You can find me (and Andy as well) in the new band All Fractions! We are doing a proggy post-rock + metal sort of project. Our first EP, “Reassemble,” is available on all streaming apps, and our Bandcamp (All Fractions Linktree for links). My solo project, Karma Houdini, should also have some new cover songs and original material dropping sporadically throughout 2025. I don’t use Twitter/X anymore really, but you can follow me for free [on Patreon].

Matt: Still working on getting our fans’ Kickstarter rewards out, as well as merch purchased on Bandcamp. Even though the band has split, the machinery behind the scenes still has to go on for a bit longer. I do want to create some new music soon. I have ideas forming. But nothing concrete quite yet. Hopefully soon!