⁃ We are 4 guys who plays melodic doom/death metal with some black metal elements. It has always been a struggle to explain our style with all these different elements but internally and to friends we call our music Nature Metal, which describes our desired concept, nature and folklore. The band was formed in the late 2017 and we started to work on our debut album very early. Our new bassist and vocalist Jonathan joined the band in Mars 2018. Our first album which we released on the 1st of February this year is a concept album about scandinavian folklore. As previously mentioned It’s a theme through the whole album which we want to explore and internalize as our main ”atmosphere”.
2.So far you have released one full length, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style you went for on the recording?
⁃ The plan wasn’t acctually to record a whole album and release it as an album. The idea from the beginning was just to record our tracks just for fun and to learn more how the recording process are and try to do it all by ourselves. Robert, our guitarrist, vocalist and main songwriter had some really good demo tracks and riffs which we put together. When the first track was recorded we sent it to our friend Rickard Törnqvist (Svartkonst) and after we heard his first mix we realised that he was the perfect guy for the job and that everything sounded so much better than we thought it would. From that moment everything became quite exciting for us. We didn’t really focus on any specific genre in the beginning, but we all agreed that it would be quite slow and melodic.
3.Your lyrics cover Scandinavian Folklore themes. can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
⁃ We wanted a concept and the first song that was completed was about 'Skogsrået' which is a female being, a watcher of the forest, in old folklore. It woke a strong interest in all of us, so we decided to use that theme. We have grown up very close to nature and have heard the stories then and then since childhood.
4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Ulfven'?
⁃ 'Ulv' is an old word for wolf and it can also mean werewolf. We thought it was a name that suited us very well considering what our songs are about. It also sounds ”dense” when you say it, it rolls of the tounge!
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
⁃ The cover of ’Folklore’ is a photo taken in the woods. Our song ’Nocturnal Watcher’ is about a mytholigical creature in swedish folklore called Kyrkogrimmen, which holds the shape you see in the back of the cover.
6.What are some of the best shows that the band has played so far and also how would you describe your stage performance?
⁃ We haven’t played any shows yet so it’s hard to answer that question. When the idea of recording an album emerged, we put all our focus on it. After the release of ’Folklore’, the idea was to play live as much as possible but we went through various things, both as a band and privately, that made us unable to do it. We have a lot of different ideas to further enhance the atmosphere in our performance when we play live. So stay tuned, we’re really hyped, rehearsed and ready for a live show!
7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the future?
⁃ Yes, we have. Nothing is nailed at the moment, but we will reveal more about that soon.
8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest/
⁃ We are looking for a label at the moment. We have received some offers but we have either not been interested or the other part has stopped replying/drawn themselves out of it. It has been infuriating to say the least!
9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of melodic death and doom metal?
⁃ The reactions has been so much better than expected. If the people who like the album is fans of melodic death and doom metal it doesn’t matter as long as people like the music. That said there has been some minor bitter reactions from people who think metal and its genres is some static thing that has to be the same as its origins. Mostly these ”true” metalheads are doom and black metal fans, but we have not given it much thought. One funny comment we got on YouTube was from a true doom fan who said ”The music is great but THE VOCALS SUCK”. We thought it was quite funny.
10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
⁃ Time will tell. We have a lot of ideas that we want to make real, but it’s really hard to tell what the future will look like, but we will continue the journey with ’Ulfven’ as long as possible. We love doing this.
11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
- The big ones that have inspired us throughout former bands and this one would probably be Opeth, Bloodbath and Gojira. Others would be bands such as Katatonia and Ereb Altor. Music styles that inspire are mainly black and death metal of course but we listen to a lot of different things internally. Sometimes some of us blast Bloodbath through the speakers one moment only to put on some Modern Pop, RnB and old rock classics in the next. We think it is important to listen to more than just metal because you can easily get stuck in the same patterns, which can kill your creativity. We will not cover Hit Me Baby One More Time anytime soon but a melody or a groove here and there from completely different genres can definitely inspire a brutal metal track.
12.What are some of your non musical interests?
⁃ We live very different lives and do very different things outside ’Ulfven’ but music is luckily the main interest. Other than that we enjoy nature, cooking food, hanging out or having a few drinks. Preferably all at once!
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
- We invite people to follow us on Instagram and Facebook! We post band updates, write some swedish poetry and currently we’re releasing some folklore-inspired artwork made by Sofia Hultqvist. All in our style.
We are currently working on something that we hopefully will reveal later this year, it will be ’Ulfven’ in its essence. A bittersweet, brutal and beautifully dark journey through the unknown. Thank you for having us!
No comments:
Post a Comment