Interview with VARNHEIM

!!!BLACK METAL FROM POLAND!!!

Welcome to the FILTHY DOGS OF METAL Webzine.

Tell us a few things about VARNHEIM (Members, Starting Year etc).
We started the band in December, 2012. We had some ideas left from the previous project but they were different, more aggressive, from what we played before so we decided to start from scratch. We didn’t start as a black metal band since we came from different musical backgrounds but we gravitated more and more towards this kind of art. VARNHEIM consists of 4 people now but at first we rehearsed as a 5-piece with 3 guitarists (kind of like Iron Maiden), however it turned out it didn’t really work well and after 4 or 5 months from starting a band one of the guitarists quit. From that moment we played as a 4-piece only had one line-up change in the fall of 2023, just before the recording of „VOID”, Wojtek, our current bassist, joined the band and replaced Sebastian K.

You have recently released your album ''Void''. What is the feedback from your audience as well as from the press?
The feedback is really good, both from the audience and from the press. We have received many messages from either from our colleagues or people we’ve never met telling us that in their opinion this album is a masterpiece and something they admire and frequently come back to listen to. We can openly say that it has beaten “Aura” in reception, we can clearly see it. It was possible also due to our label, Godz ov War, who has helped us a lot, and from what we’ve heard only a few vinyls are left (as of writing this answer, they might be already gone).

The cover artwork has a dark atmosphere! Tell us a few things about it.
The idea for artwork cover came at the very beginning along with the title for the album actually. Of course, during the creation process it evolved slightly towards what can be seen on the actual cover but the main concept remained unchanged. We had some disturbances in the making of the cover, the approach of some of the persons we contacted to create it was very questionable. In the end, we contacted Tomek Dobrzeniecki (who you might know from the old polish band Hazael, also from our hometown) and since we know each other quite well from that point on the creation process went really smooth. The result of it is what can be seen on the release. The idea of what the title and artwork should be came from our drummer. He likes what can be called a “wordplay”. The title is mentioned at the very end of “Aura V” from the previous album in the words “embrace the void within”, these actually are the last words of the record. He also drew very rough sketch for the cover during the same rehearsal when he explained his idea for the title, it had contained this titular void in the middle and a chalice below, kind of resembling the void-like communion wafer.

And what about the lyrics?
The lyrics were a bit of a struggle. They were also done by our drummer, all of them actually, but there is always a dilemma: whether to write in English or in Polish. English is much easier to sing and, despite not being our first language, easier to word, much more flexible. However, with this record we decided to leave the lyrics for 2 songs in Polish (they were to be translated initially) since they came out so naturally and organically that we were afraid that translating them might do more harm than good. We are very glad we decided to do so because Patryk’s voice in the studio turned out to be even more aggressive in our native language, feels natural and serves perfectly for the songs. Plus, despite the fact that Polish black metal is a kind of worldwide phenomenon nowadays, Polish language still sounds a bit mysterious. We do not want the lyrics to be subpar to the music so it always takes a while to come up with the right words. They have to feel coherent with the character of the song, that means we compose the album and riffs before writing any lyrics – music is our main goal. As for their meaning, we will not explain nor disclose what the author had in mind – we have fun discovering others’ lyrics and different meanings so we do not want to take that from others.

How did your cooperation with Godz Ov War Productions occur? What do you prefer, Label or DIY and why?
After recording our second album “Aura” we decided to look for a publisher to better promote our music, the band, have the opportunity to play more concerts as well as bigger and better quality concerts. Additionally, financial relief was needed. Producing Aura took a big toll on our personal pockets. We set ourselves the goal of releasing Aura on Pagan Records or Godz Ov War Records, but it quickly turned out that “Aura” was not what these labels were looking for at the moment. Some time later we got a proposal to play a concert in Bydgoszcz at the “Wiatrakowa” club as part of the 15th edition of “The Last Words of Death” organized by Maciej Fluder. It so happened that “Greg”, the owner of Godz ov War, was also setting up his shop at this event. We set up our merch next to Greg’s shop and went to get ready for the concert. After the gig we went up to see if anything was happening at our stand, and every now and then there was a photo, a high five, or a request to sign the CD. The interest in our stand was so big that when the dust settled Greg asked us to send a few copies (I think 10) of the “Aura” CD to his shop to check if there was any interest. In this way, Greg soon received 150 copies of the Aura album and we can say that this is how our adventure with Godz ov War and our acquaintance with Grzesiek “Greg” began. So right after the recordings of “Void”, Godz ov War was the first contact where we sent a demo and started the official cooperation on that album. A label definitely allows you to promote yourself in some way and gives you a chance to reach a wider audience. It also relieves you of the burden of producing merch, allows you to work freely on the next material, and not deal with shipping and writing with people who want to get a T-shirt or a CD from you. Smaller labels are often a goldmine of very good quality music. Greg and his Godz ov War are a great example of this. His label produces bands such as Gruzja and Odraza, which are currently the top in Poland when it comes to extreme music. For us it is a new experience and a kind of adventure to be able to work with someone like Greg. Will we work together again in the future? Time will tell, but we hope that this will not be our last joint release.

Is there any funny or weird story from the recordings or from your live shows that you would like to share with us?
There are plenty from both the studio and gigs but most of them shall remain our private memories. However, one weird thing from our shows we can mention is that we played first shows instrumentally only, without vocals. As it was mentioned before we played with 3 guitars at the very beginning but we didn’t have a singer and once the 3rd guitarist left, that situation didn’t change. After a few gigs with no vocals, Patryk decided to give singing a try and the rest is history.

What are the differences between ''Aura'' and ''Void''?
Aura is a more trance-like album, the atmosphere is building from the beginning. Many riffs repeat and loop. Additionally, Aura is slow and compositionally quite simple. The tempo usually remains the same for the whole album. Void is a kick in the face from the beginning. The riffs, rhythms and tempo change quite often. There's a lot going on on VOID in terms of compositions.  Aura is way darker than the VOID.  Aura lacks the punch that you can find on VOID.

Do you prefer Vinyl, Tape, CD or Digital Format and why is that?
On the one hand, the digital format offers the possibility of enjoying music everywhere, but on the other hand, physical media have their own depth which opens up to the listener with the right loudspeaker equipment. on a day-to-day basis anyway, we all use streaming services if we want to listen to something. if only to pass the time on our way to work. History has come full circle and Vinyl has returned to favor. Not only because of its unique sound, but also for collector's reasons. We can also see this in our sales in the Godz ov War store. At the moment we sell more Vinyls than CDs.

Your music style is Black Metal. Which are your main influences (Favourite Artists / Bands etc.)
If we were to name our biggest band inspirations it would be Mgła, Behemoth and Kriegsmachine. although to be honest this is a moot point, as everyone has different preferences in the black metal semi world. Certainly, smaller, underground bands from Poland had a big influence on our work - for example Mord'a'Stigmata. But it's interesting to note that we also all agree on our great affection for techno and raving.

Which things do you think a band should sacrifice in order to succeed? Have you ever sacrificed anything in your life for a better future for your band?
Above all, everyone in the band has to sacrifice time that could be spent on education, work, developing a relationship or even starting a family. I think each of us has incurred the opportunity cost of developing our passion.

Describe your ideal live show as a performance band. Have you already experienced that?
We go out, play our music and simply encourage people to have fun in front of the stage. We never put on corpse-paint, dressed up or tried to stand out in any way. The only thing we pay attention to is the lighting and its color. When performing Aura live, we often used only the color blue on the stage.

What do you think about the rise of AI in music production?
We’ve heard the music created from scratch by AI and It doesn’t sound good.  There ere are areas in which AI works. However, when it comes to the music it doesn’t sound deep and it sounds a bit as If was recorded by children. There’s a lack of maturity and coherence in the music created by AI.

What attributes do you think that a new Black Metal Band should have in order to gain identity and be unique?
I think such a band should first and foremost have the desire to break out of a particular genre canon. Also, they should want to experiment with music, and black metal, against all appearances, has a lot of potential to shatter old conventions and create new ones. An example would be the Ukrainian "White Ward", who add elements of dark jazz to their black metal. We also try to embellish our black metal. On "VOID" there was a trumpet in the intro to "Inwards" and orchestration of the same trumpet played by the same person in "Downwards". We don't do it by force. It all comes naturally. The trumpet on "VOID" was a coincidence. We came up with it in the studio, when we were recording.

Do you believe that Digital Platforms help the new Black Metal Bands? Which, do you think, is the ideal way for a band to promote its work?
Considering the numbers and statistics we have access to, the social media and streaming platforms allow us to reach new listeners.In the past, bands didn't have the access to such tools, but the number of bands and the possibilities of recording were completely different. Is it the ideal way? At the moment we think so.

From your experience in the music industry, what would you tell to a new black metal band  to avoid or what to do?
I think it's best to avoid copying and ripping music 1:1. It is also worth avoiding kitschy outfits. If it comes to what you have to do, be patient and show up wherever you can. Sometimes you have to play a few bad shows to be able to play better ones later.

Tell us a few things about the New Underground Metal Scene in Poland (Bands, Fanzines, Webzines, Metal Clubs etc.)
If it comes to the bands, here are few that we shared the stage with and they are worth checking out: Gołoledź from Zielona Góra, Zmarłym from Końskie, Garota from Szczecin, Sacrimonia from Warsaw and Kingdom from Płock/Gdańsk. One of the main places that is worth going to is VooDoo Club in Warsaw. The club is divided into two separate stages, so usually if there is a concert on one, the other is some kind of rave or goth/metal party. As for the second scene, they have a great sound engineer and lighting guy. The next one is Wooltura in Lodz. The sound engineer (Kuba Sawicki) is very talented dude, he definitely knows what he’s doing as he’s the guitarist himself and he works in the studio. Another name that comes into my mind is Maciej Fluder. The guy who started a series of shows called "The Last Words of Death" in Bydgoszcz. What he does is a world class. The last person is associated with the Kutno, Gostynin and Plock scenes - Marek „Maras” Kurnatowski. A guy who cut his teeth on doing concerts. Two years ago he organized a Nile concert in his small hometown.We've played at his events a few times and every time everything has been spot on. Working with him is a pure pleasure. There's a guy who records album reviews on a YouTube. He’s called Northazerate and he also does an excellent job promoting the underground bands.

What does Black Metal means to you? And give us 10 metal albums that run in your veins.
I think the top ten would be: Black metal means life to us. Here are top 10 black metal albums:
Martwa polska jesień by Furia
Rzeczom by Odraza
Esperalem tkane by Odraza
The Satanist by Behemoth
Exercises in Futility by Mgła
The Suns of Perdition - Chapter I: War, Horrid War by Panzerfaust
Enemy of Man by Kriegsmaschine
Apocalypticists by Kriegsmaschine
The Dreaming I by Akhlys
Mirage by Gaerea

Do you know anything about the Hellenic Metal Scene?
We know a few bands, although the most famous and recognizable to us is Rotting Christ. The album that got us into Rotting Christ was Κατά τον δαίμονα εαυτού.  We also shared the stage with Amongs Ruins in Katowice.

What are your future plans?
For now, we want to focus on promoting VOID. We are planning concerts for the fall and winter of this and next year. We have also already started working on the next album and have provisionally booked a studio for next year to avoid what we did after the release of Aura - we don’t to have such a long break between VOID and the new release.

Thank you very much for the interview & keep up the good work!

By Steve the Filthy Dog.

VARNHEIM CONTACT:

https://www.facebook.com/varnheim/

https://www.instagram.com/varnheimband/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/4N77iNHqER11LGqeUUsqnt