Interviews

If you are one of those nerds who wants to know more about a band or an artist than just their records, then our interviews are right your thing! We feature an interview every week by a different artist and from a different genre. And now - enjoy and read, what some amazing artists have to say!

  • Interview with Givre (Canadian Black Metal, Eisenwald)

    24 Mar 2024 - Thorsten

    Black Metal from Quebec is a pretty relevant scene, if you ask us. There are many awesome bands from the only French-speaking region in Northern America such as Nordicwinter, Spectral Wound, Misere Luminis and many others, amongst them: Givre. Man what a band, maybe my favorite Canadian band at the moment. Nevertheless, one must admit, that we normally do not know that much about Quebec. We might know about Montreal as its biggest city, might know where it’s located and a few tidbits, but not too much. So we combined that lack of knowledge with an in-depth interview about Givre’s new record Le Cloitre, out on Friday via Eisenwald. There is so much to talk the record: The concept of talking about six famous women all connected to the Christian faith, the artwork, the roots of the lyrics but also the difference of their hometown Rouyn Noranda compared to Montreal, the importance of that village for their sound and the impact of the local scene there. As you can imagine, all of this made up for a pretty long interview with many topics to discuss and much knowledge to gather. Enjoy our 90 minutes with Givre!


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  • Interview with Thomas Meehan (Squid Pisser, Cancer Christ, GWAR and others)

    17 Mar 2024 - Thorsten

    It isn’t always fun to see what people really look like behind their masks, because sometimes they simply disappoint and are not scary enough (think of many wrestling fans) or not sexy enough (Kiss) or some other things. With Tommy Meehan that’s not the case - the guy is as hilariously funny as the masks of his project Squid Pisser. And he is now a (touring) member of a certain small masked extreme metal band from Virginia that you might have heard about - GWAR? On the eve of the Super Bowl (a few hours before kick-off) our head honcho Thorsten sat down with Tommy and talked about everything related to his new project - be it artwork, the live-band and much more including the question “Why the heck release two very closely related things on the same date?!?!” Enjoy our talk!


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  • Interview with arms and sleepers

    10 Mar 2024 - Thorsten

    Wanna hear an interview that I loved and hated at the same time? The conversation with Mirza from Arms and Sleepers was awesome. Deep and personal, funny and entertaining, technical and detailed. We talked a lot about Mirza’s latest record What Tomorrow Brings (out since March 1st via Pelagic Records) and how it is a reflection of his life and all the tragic things he encountered ever since leaving his home in Bosnia-Herzegovina. He has been playing shows as Arms and Sleepers for years now and has also been to the Ukraine in war times twice, once during the first Russian attack on Crimea, ten years ago, and also after the second attack that is still going on. Of course that experience also influenced his song writing and will do so in the future. Why I hated the interview? Because my connection broke down all the time, chopped up a lot of interesting thoughts and resulted in this only being an audio-interview. Nevertheless, this conversation is one of the most interesting I was allowed to do this year, so I hope you enjoy it despite the technical difficulties.


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  • Interview_special Foret Endormie Rhun

    03 Mar 2024 - Lucia

    A year ago, we started a series which, by its design, was hard to keep going so we were aware that there would be bigger gaps between the editions of this “series” but here we are now with its fourth installment - our “Bands interviewing Bands” - series. This time we have the pleasure of getting Aaron Charles and Jordan Guerette together, who play together in Falls of Rauros but who interviewed each other on their side projects - Aaron’s Psychedelic Black Metal project Rhûn and Jordan’s apocalyptic Chamber music ensemble Forêt Endormie. Of course, head honcho Thorsten also had a few questions for both guys but each came up with mighty cool questions for the FoR-bandmate. In our interview, we also talk about the importance of these projects for Falls itself, about Game of Thrones and Wheel of Time and about Stephen King, the literary icon of the guys’ homestate, Maine. Enjoy the reviews on both outfits’ recent releases as well as the interview!


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  • Interview with Crystal Coffin

    28 Feb 2024 - Thorsten

    Crystal Coffin is one of these bands that many of us can automatically fall in love with. A really good punch, some gnitty-gritty crunch and (maybe most important) something to say in the form of food for thought. A few months ago we told you about their latest record The Curse of Immortality and we are still so intrigued by the record that we arranged for an interview with Lenkyn about the record, the band’s history and much more, including the modern desire for immortality.


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  • Interview with GOST

    25 Feb 2024 - Thorsten

    We usually have guys here on the show, whose music is based on riffs and guitar work. But sometimes we also feature people with a slightly different approach. Interestingly, when talking to James from Gost it becomes clear that his songs, and therefore also the songs on his forthcoming new album Prophecy (out soon via Metal Blade Records), can be based on both, either a guitar OR some electronic work. He also explains a lot about the way he composes his tracks, his patience deficit, the way the mask he is wearing on stage makes it difficult on the one, but interesting on the other side. And he also proclaims a love for a certain kind of country music, which one might not expect him to have. All in all, a mighty interesting talk which maybe can sparkle the interest of some of you metalheads out there to give Prophecy a spin! Enjoy!


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  • Interview with Josh Graham (Guiltless, IIVII, A Storm of Light, and many more)

    18 Feb 2024 - Thorsten

    A few years ago, Chris (Heads., formerly also in The Ocean), Nic (Heads., formerly also in Eisenvater) and Felix (Hansen Band, Home of the Lame, live-keyboarder for Einstuerzende Neubauten) formed a new band which after a few days was named ZAHN and who struck us (especially Stephan and Thorsten) with their instrumental sound somewhere between Post-Punk, Krautrock (only in attitude), Noise-Rock and many highly delectable elements. Their first self-titled record already received high praise by our head-honcho, but their second record Adria even more so, both records are out via Crazysane Records. Therefore, of course we needed to get an interview with the band and Felix took an hour off (on a Saturday!!) and spoke with us about the band, the records being different stages of a love-relationship, the development of the band and the sound. If you want to know why Morricone is (again) a major influence on a band and much more, then you will enjoy this interview!


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  • Interview with Alexandros Anesiadis

    14 Feb 2024 - Thorsten

    We know that many music nerds out there like to gather knowledge and go down rabbit-holes so what would be better than let this be the basis of our special today? So here we go: A few months ago we gave you a book special for Alex’ Anesiadis’ book Heroes of the Metal Underground and as we think there is much more that we could talk about than “only” giving you an excerot from the book, we talked to Alex and are now very happy to give you this as our little Valentine’s Day Present!





    Alex, thanks for doing this! Can you tell me what exactly raised your interest in the heavy music in general ? American heavy-music as the second raw and American metal underground in the third row ? What made you go down that rabbit hole?
    Oh, thank you so much! It was actually a hard job to do it, but definitely intriguing. Well, my interest in heavy music in general derives mostly from NYHC and crossover-you know, bands like Agnostic Front, D.R.I., Cro-Mags, stuff that blew my mind when I was a kid. As for metal, what I found so amusing was the DIY aspect of the 1980s underground, independetly-released US metal bands. It must have been an extremely fascinating era to be a kid, living in the USA, and releasing your own music.
    >As far as I know, you’re a Greek descent. Do you see any special foreign elements in the American heavy-metal underground music ? Are there bands that are specifically “non-American” ? Are there any bands specifically trying to come up with ideas and sounds and soundscapes that aren’t American in your opinion?
    That was a question that I didn’t expect! Yeap, I’m of Greek descent (even though I have lived many years abroad). There are so many foreign elements in so many greatl American metal bands, and I will name some of them: Manilla Road (they had a huge affinity for Black Sabbath, Rush as well as UK progressive rock). Ruffians (like a Maiden/Priest proportion of 50/50). Brocas Helm (so many European 1970s rock influences). Cirith Ungol (obviously European-styled, even though their rockier tunes were based on the US 1970s rock). Street Child (mix Iron Maiden with Accept and there you go!). There were so many US bands that were influenced by European metal, and this somehow is reflected to one fact-they didn’t make it in commercial terms in USA.
    What’s underground for you ? How do you define it and where you’re drawing the line ? Is Metallica underground ? No. Have they ever been underground ? That’s the question we might have to answer in this context. If you could specify your definition of Underground?
    Well, I guess that being underground for me is based on releasing your first (or all) records in small labels (or in your label), driving a mini-bus to tour all over crazy places to play, releasing music that is non-commercial. Metallica were in the early 1980s the epitome of underground, however they are by no means considered to be an underground band post-Ride the Lightning (at Master of Puppets they were already huge). However, the definition of Underground relies on one word: Authenticity. And you can’t be authentic, when you have a huge major backing you up, and forcing you to release music that they consider to be profitable.
    Do you see the difference between the rural areas of the US or more urban areas of this vast continent ? Did you see any kind of parallels between certain cities and the differences ? For example, East and West coast ? Mid-America ? Did you see any specifications concerning those parts of the countries ?
    Huge differences. On East Coast, bands sound rougher, nastier, and I guess that this is due to the massive Hardcore/Punk scene that was thriving on that days. In Chicago, you can hear the sound of the wind in every band-they are all melodic but not cheesy, they have a melancholic mood. On West Coast-especially in California-bands sounded more professional, more controlled. And only in mid-America you could find bands like Destroyer, Salem’s Wych, Iron Cross or Crowhaven, bands with huge differences in musical terms, but all under the true, real metal tag.
    How difficult for you to get together all that information, the interviews ? Tell us about, how did you collect your material ?
    Chaos. First of all, I had to find a great majority of the bands that at least self-released one of their records. Then, I had to hunt down members or ex-members that were still alive. It was an eternal quest into a sea of information. To my mistake, I forgot to include around 350 bands, because they were lost in Word files (that were everywhere)-however you should expect them to be included in the second edition!
    After you collected your material, how long did the writing process take ? And how long did it take to work on this book ?
    It took me around 1 and a half year, but it was a daily process, since I’m on a Ph.D and on a FT job. A little every day. Overall, in was 3 long years.
    Did you experience any form of appreciation and, on the other spectrum, denial of your endeavour ? Did you find support ? What were your experiences ?
    Everybody was supportive and super kind! Actually, in all three books of mine, there was only one musician that was negative (and he banged his head against a wall when he saw that a book is actually out). Even more, I have only the best experiences to mention regarding chatting with, or interviewing American musicians. Some were so happy about that book, that even sent me presents (records, CD’s, t-shirts)!
    >What were the most impressive revelations you’d found while doing your research ? Or did the stereotypical WASP-image of the American heavy-metal find its confirmation ?
    The most impressive revelation was that there were so many East Coast bands that had connections with the Hardcore/Punk scene. And as far as I can say, the “stereotype of WASP” was maybe the exception to the rule! There were so many people in the underground interested only in creating great music, with great artwork.
    Which of your interview partners were most surprising for you ?
    Kenny Burcke of Destroyer, Rob Origlio of Street Child, Craig Berhost of Ruffians, Scott Beasley of Wombat, Cliff White of Shadow; the common denominator is that they exposed so much enthusiasm in the interviews.
    As this book came out via Feral House how do you feel being on the roster on the publication that is turning more and more and more being an epicenter of heavy/extreme/metal kind of literature ?
    Unbelievably happy. Feral House is one of the most notorious publishers in the world, regarding heavy/extreme music. But I’m also very happy that I also belong to Earth Island publications in UK-check them out, just amazing stuff released.
    What comes next for you ? What comes next to embark on ? Which journey do you wanna take ?
    I already started writing for a new book (that’s gonna be on melodic punk of 1990s, another great favorite of mine), that’s gonna be published on Earth Island, but I’m really slow…the Ph.D is killing me, and my FT work is extremely demanding-sometimes it even takes 13 or 14 hours a day. But I will do it. The plan is to finish my Ph.D, and drop the day job. Hopefully this happens soon!
    And a dream: to create a documentary out of my books.
    And of course, I can’t leave you without asking to name your top 5 American heavy-metal underground records of the 80s ?
    This is a question that can change daily of course! OK, here we go:


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  • Interview with Josh Graham (Guiltless, IIVII, A Storm of Light, and many more)

    11 Feb 2024 - Thorsten

    This week we somewhat go full cycle as we talk with the first person to give us an interview (a written one that is, or was back in 2021) - Josh Graham. The focus of our conversation is his new band Guitless with Sasha from Intronaut, Billy from Generation of Vipers and his bandmate from A Storm of Light, Dan. Interestingly, one of these guys was willing and keen to switch instruments and even funnier is the fact that the four guys haven’t been in one room at the same time. That again, naturally, has implications for their songwriting process. Their debut EP Thorns will be released via Neurot Recordings on February 23. We also talk about the name of the band and the question whether people are guiltless or not, so you see there is also some really deep talk going on here, which is a result of Josh being such an easy person to talk with and him giving such well-versed answers. We also talk about ideas for a tour which at first glance seems unlikely given the schedule of these guys, but as the first full-length is already in preparation nothing seems unlikely for Guiltless! Enjoy!


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  • Interview with Paint the Sky Red

    04 Feb 2024 - Thorsten

    Our 150th video of course demanded for something special, something broadening our horizons and so we were happy to broaden our knowledge of the scene in Singapore and Malaysia by talking to Singaporean heroes Paint the Sky Red whose new record Tamat (out via Moment of Collapse Records), and the title means “finished” in English. It is also to be their last record. Why? Well, the guys have a very good reason for that and we can be happy, because it does not imply the end of the band. How can that be, you ask? Well, you only have to listen to this short but really good interview with the guys! You will witness a band that is serious about their band but that also likes to laugh and give us a good impression on the Post-scene in (Southeastern) Asia. Enjoy the interview!


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  • Interview with Marthe

    31 Jan 2024 - Thorsten

    Marthe and her version of Black Metal meets Stoner Doom is a force that has an undeniable pull-factor, slowly taking you in and not leaving you until you are lost in her world full and always on the look for a way out of the downward spiral that we call life. Her full-length Further in Evil was proof of an artist who knows what she wants to say, doesn’t stray from saying it and that is anything but done. Having given life to this record she is now the radiant example of how to use music for your own cleansing, self-imposed healing. Therefore we are so proud to give you another special thing today - our written interview with Marthe!


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  • Interview_with_vaegtloes

    28 Jan 2024 - Thorsten

    Welcome to Part II of our Vægtløs - week! We promised you a lot for this week and we will keep our promise. We were very happy to talk with lyricist and vocalist of the band and admittedly this might not have been the happiest of conversations that we have had here on our VoS channel, this honestly ranks very high on our head honcho’s list because of the depth of this talk. “Enjoy” while you get to know a lot more about the depth of this record!


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  • Interview with Filip (Hexis)

    21 Jan 2024 - Thorsten

    There are some bands that take pride in playing 100 shows a year. Some 150. And there are bands like Hexis, who usually play somewhere around 200 shows a year. On more or less every continent. With tours that seem to take forever, their last one took them across the Americas, with only a few off-days here and there. We talked to Filip and got to learn a lot about their touring ethos and their general DIY attitude. How difficult it is to let go of control and some help from people outside the band. Who to trust and what these persons have to bring to the table. Enjoy this highly interesting interview!


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  • Interview with Thomas Alkärr

    14 Jan 2024 - Thorsten

    We always try to give you something different here on the VoS, so we are very happy to have this interview with Thomas Alkärr for you. Thomas who? Thomas is a scholar who has curated a very important exhibition in Oslo called “Bad Vibes” which focused on the Norwegian Black Metal scene of the early 90s and how it affected Norwegian society and how it was affected by it vice versa. In this interview we talk about the exhibition, the surprises Thomas encountered and also how the exhibition was laid out. Of course we also talk about the music, its sources, influences but also the effects it had on the global (Black Metal) scene. To make it clear, we also talk about the artist formerly known as Kristian and the crimes connected to the scene back at the beginning of the 90s, so if you do not want to listen us talk about those topics, you might want to skip this interview and enjoy one of our many other ones. At the end Thomas also has to through our infamous quickfire round which is centered around Norway and its bands, projects etc.


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  • Interview with Shipwreck Karpathos

    07 Jan 2024 - Thorsten

    Well, well, well - didn’t we tell all you American Post-Rock aficionados to check back soon with us? Anyway, we are incredibly proud to have Shipwreck Karpathos here on the show for our first regular interview of the year. The guys have released a miraculous release called Being Human a few weeks ago through A Thousand Arms and dunk!records one couldn’t be happier about it. It is one of these records which provides a lot of things to talk about and talk we sure did.


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  • Interview with Aaron Turner

    01 Jan 2024 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 9 - Aaron Turner (HydraHead Records, ISIS, Sumac and many many more) Well, haven’t we told you we wanted to start 2024 with a bang?! What could be a bigger bang than an interview with one of the reasons why all of this here started? A shared love for the music of Aaron Turner brought together some nerds a few years ago and this is like the core of VoS - so it was about time for this interview. However, we like to do things a little differently here and therefore we did not talk in too much detail about with musician Aaron Turner but much more with the (visual) artist Aaron Turner, whose work did not only grace many of the HydraHead releases but also many other artists’ records. His work is so influential, that by now you can find cover artworks that are clearly inspired by his work!Enjoy this interview and have a great 2024!


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  • Interview with Toby Driver

    31 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 8 - Toby Driver (Maudlin of the Well, Kayo Dot, Alora Crucible, Vaura, Secret Chiefs 3 and many more) Yes, you are seeing correctly, Toby Driver! We go out of 2023 with a bang! Toby Driver is one of these few artists who can connect Black Metal fans, Jazzers, Avantgardists and people from various other far-apart genres because he has that understanding of music that reaches beyond genres, sounds and structures. Something that some people might call avantgarde in the sense of “letting the song dictate where it goes” but for Toby that is not what the term stands for. And therefore we focused on that notion, that term - “Avantgarde”. In what turned out to be a totally improvised interview we found out a lot about it, in my opinion. Check out this in-depth interview with Toby and remember - we go out with a bang, we go in with a bang, so be sure to check back tomorrow!


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  • Interview with Steve von Till

    30 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 7 - Steve von Till (Neurosis, Harvestman, Neurot Recordings) As we said before, we want to give you something special in this run of interviews and this interview with Steve von Till is really something special, because Steve sat down and thought for himself which ten records could define Neurot Recordings best for him. And he came up with a really mighty list: Great Falls, Deafkids, UFOMAMMUT, YOB, Amenra, Kowloon Walled City, Grails, Justin K. Broadrick’s FINAL, Vágtázó Halottkémek and Zeni Geva! What a list! We talked about these records and also used these as starting points to talk about other Neurot releases and artists! Enjoy this interview and make sure to come back tomorrow for another amazing interview!


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  • Interview with Neill Jameson (Krieg)

    29 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 6 - Neill Jameson (Krieg) There are people and bands that everybody within a certain scene knows. Everybody knows ISIS when it comes to Post-Metal, just like you know the Neurosis guys when you are into Dark Folk, as well as Toby Driver when you like Black Metal with an Avantgarde Twist. When you are into American Black Metal with a lot of history you will surely have come across the name Neill Jameson because he is one of these key figures of USBM as he is the mind behind Krieg, one of the seminal bands in the genre. Sometimes controversial but never delivering records of a bad quality and that is also true of Krieg’s latest record Ruiner, which came out a few months ago and which is a certain tabula rasa record. So, obviously we had a lot of reasons to sit down with Neill (and his cat) to talk about all these things and of course also Black Metal in general. Enjoy this one and make sure to check back tomorrow for another legend!


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  • Interview with Einar Guðmundsson (Fortið)

    28 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 5 - Einar Guðmundsson (Fortið)

    Talking to Einar Guðmundsson from Fortið is quite different from what one would expect when talking to a guy from the Big White North aka Iceland. Einar is surely not one of these quite Norsemen, who barely open their mouths. No he is quite open about many things, for example about the fact that Fortið’s latest record Narkissos is based in quarrels with one person he and his family encountered in the last few years. Or to what extent he is a political person and which side he would take. The epic nature of his songwriting and how the latter might change because of a band member taking one more responsibilities. We also spoke about soundtracking, what Einar would love to do at some point. That and much more can be found out, when listening to this interview! Enjoy this one and be sure to check out tomorrow for another Black Metal hero!


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  • Interview with Gustav Jorgen (Spurv)

    27 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 4 - Gustav Jorgen Pedersen (Spurv) Brefj​æ​re by Spurv. A record like a mammoth-like mountainous superb soundscape. Most people who have listened to the record are gently overwhelmed by it because its sound is wonderfully melancholic and still sparkling like an icey diamond from beyond the Arctic circle hewn out of the mountains and then frozen in the waters surrounding Tromsø. Many people have placed this record on their lists for 2023 and well, righteously so: There is a lot of luminiscence in the tracks on the record and that surely has to do with the concept behind the record which is a communication between “participants” that usually cannot speak. We spoke with Gustav about the influence of the nature around him on the music, the concept behind the songs, the staging aspect of it all and much more. Enjoy the interview and do not forget to check out our first three interviews of this marathon and to check back tomorrow!


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  • Interview with Will Putney (END)

    26 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 3 - Will Putney (END, Better Lovers, Fit for an Autopsy)
    You all know that we here at have a heart for more than one genre, so we have had Post-Metal and Drone Metal in this marathon and what else could be next than an interview with Hardcore-Metalcore workaholic Will Putney? The guy has been an awesome person to talk to as he was very open and had a lot to say about END, their new record The Sin of Human Frailty, (upcoming) tours, Better Lovers, the Tri-State-Area scene and much much more! Don’t be surprised if you come across a guy who’s well-versed in his music knowledge (across many genres) and who is also very clear about what he can do and what not. So enjoy the interview and make sure to check back tomorrow to find the next interview!


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  • Interview with Aidan Baker (Nadja)

    25 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    VoS-Interview-Marathon 2023 - Day 2 - Aidan Baker (Nadja)


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  • Interview with Robin Staps (The Ocean)

    24 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    Prolific and proficient! That’s surely something one can say about Robin Staps, his band The Ocean and his label Pelagic Records. We have not only reviewed a lot of records out via Pelagic Records (for example the latest releases by Saver, Arabrot, Mono, Jaye Jayle or JeGong), no Simon has also reviewed the last The Ocean record Holocene (you can check out his review here). But one thing that we must also know about Robin is that he is a man with a lot of interests and as it is always interesting to be interested we were really happy to interview him and kickstart our Xmas-to-New Year-interview marathon!


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  • Interview with Briqueville

    17 Dec 2023 - Thorsten

    Over the last couple of years, we have witnessed many great new Doom bands. But rarely has one hit as hard as Belgian-based BRIQUEVILLE which has by now released several records through Pelagic Records. They might be the slowest, doomiest band on the roster, but they’re surely one of the most intriguing, densest and simultaneously most refined, most intricate bands in all of Europe. As we are always interested in presenting you something different and unique we are more than happy to give you a premiere - this is the first interview the band has ever done that’s not written! However, we of course kept the anonymity of the band member we spoke to. We touched on the new record, the development of their sound and who is under the hoods, there’s one answer that’ll surprise you, for sure! Enjoy!




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