Greetings
Here is a new interview done with the one-man band Nordland who recently released their newest cd "Songs Of Regression" put out by the mighty labels Black Plague Rec. and Metallic Media.So if your a fan of pagan black metal with some very well played black metal with some atmosphere then do yourself a favor and buy the cd or digital copy today
Regards
Patrick
fiendformetal@live.com
Interview with Vorh vocalist and all instruments of Nordland done by Patrick
1.Hails Vorh how is your week going so far? Please introduce yourself to the readers? When did you get the idea to start Nordland?
Greetings Patrick, my week so far, same old shit! Trying and avoid the endless swarms of human detritus!
I am drunk right now, so everything's good! I am the fool who likes to write songs about things few people care about. As far as Nordland is concerned I started it about 4 years ago out of frustration and desire. Some of the songs existed before that but they had no place to call home.
2.How did you come up with the name for this band?For the readers who have never heard Nordland's music how would you best describe it?
Nordland the name was part of the concept for the first album. I wanted a name that represented a place. I wanted the listener to go to that place when they are fully involved with the music. I think it helps with the immersion of losing yourself for a brief period. At least that's what I do when I listen to the stuff I'm into, and that's what I try to achieve also with Nordland. The music? I don't know, it's changed over the 3 albums. The debut was fairly primitive, it has expanded and grown I think. I think alot of non-metal influences are coming out now, but coming out metal!
3. Vorh you are the sole member of this band why did you decide to keep it a one man band? Have you ever thought of adding more members to play live or is Nordland strictly a studio project?What do you feel are the advantges and disadvantges to being the only member in the band?
It is a one man band because it is easier to be in the creative process alone, the results are more pure or less diluted I think. The disadvantages are that if you are not careful your song writing can become stilted because you inevitability fall into patterns of doing things in certain ways and that can lead to dead ends. I have to be hyper critical about everything or it will quickly become boring. I have been in bands before and only one or two of the people you work with have any desire to push things out of the mundane. Most are concerned with looking cool, something which I don't give a shit about.
4.If you had the opportunity to work with any musicians{past or present} who would you like to work with and why?
I don't know, people I admire in music across different genres. Even people you admire can be a pain in the arse to work with! It would have to be someone with similar ways of doing things.
5.Nordland just released their new cd "Songs Of Regression" through the great labels Black Plague Rec. and Metallic Media Prod. how did you come in contact with these two labels?
It happened really quick, I contacted Metallic Media and before I knew it Black Plague where on board and things got rolling. Two awesome labels to deal with and the CD came out great, so I'm happy with that. I hope to work with them again in the future.
6.How long did it take you to write and record the songs for the new release?Where do you usually draw inspiration for the lyrics?
It took awhile. I don't know exactly because I do it in stages maybe I'll have a week of writing then not write for 3 weeks I can sit and try and write something then the next day think its shit and delete it. If I kept everything I wrote it becomes a hindrance so I have to edit myself quite harshly. I don't know how to describe it really I just get a feeling something is right or not quite right or total shit, even though I kept some of the stuff I don't think is that great in a song, anything else I try to replace it with sounds worse! Its like overworking a painting you have to get a feel for when something it finished and leave it alone on move on. But that is why I keep trying to improve my writing. Lyrics mostly come after the music is finished. They are mostly concerned with paganism and reading the signs we are given every day, which most people don't see any more.
7.Vorh you handle the vocals when did you become interested in singing/screaming? Do you do anything special to keep your throat/voice healthy?
I think my vocals have improved since the first album. I can control them better and get different tones and light and shade in them now. I quite like doing them now whereas before I didn't . I wanted to add more variety on 'True Cult' but didn't have the ability. It's something I definitely have to keep working on because its not that easy to get the variation in the harsh vocal style. I think it can become a little monotonous if you don't try and vary things from time to time.
8.Who are some of your favorite vocalists?
Peter Hammill, Derek Shulman, Nicklas Barker, Jon Anderson, Quorthon, Attila Csihar, Grutle Kjellson, Paul Di'anno, Sandy Denny, etc etc.
9.you also handle the guitars for the band when did you become interested in playing the guitars? Are you self taught or did you take lessons when first learning?
Back in the mists of time when I was about 14 or around there. I started on Bass then moved to guitar later. I used to try learn classic Rush stuff like Hemispheres, YYZ etc also early Maiden bass lines like Phantom of the Opera and also thrash stuff. I was always good at learning stuff by ear pretty quick, I would sit and learn whole albums by ear. Try and get every little thing right. I don't do that anymore it's just how I learnt to play. I just used to play along with loads of metal and prog stuff basically. If you just stick to one style of music it can become boring I think and you don't pickup different way of doing things.
10.Who are some of your influences/favorite guitarists? Besides the vocals and guitars are you currently playing any other instruments? Are their any instruments that you would like to learn to play?
I'm more interested in the output of a band rather than a guitar hero type, that doesn't do much for me to be honest. Arrangement, dynamics and atmosphere and the way a song is constructed is way more interesting to me. I can sit and listen to a piece of music and be amazed at really small things in a song. No other instruments at the moment but I would like to be able to play piano, I just like the purity of it.
11.What does black metal mean to you?
Well the type of Metal that means the most to me is the stuff that conjures a connection to something thats been lost. A tradition of songs which is about the connection to others of similar mind. Personally it keeps me in touch with the primal and holistic ways of connection to the earth. I guess I'm a bit of a hippy! I'm not really interested in the 'we're really evil and love Satan brigade'. Satan is a Christian construct, something which I have no interest in, Christianity is an over inflated, self serving belief . I can't see a justification to promote evil for evils sake, it's pointless.
12.Vorh you live in the U.K what is your opinion of England's black metal scene?
Very Strong at the moment, loads of established bands like Winterfylleth, Fen, Wodensthrone, Forefather, The Meads of Asphodel, and a load of others forging a path, Funeral Throne, Verdelet, Written in Torment etc etc and Nordland of course! I think the UK has and is establishing a strong scene now. I don't know every new band or project. I like what I like and thats it!
13.Who are your all-time favorite U.K bands? Are their any new bands you feel the readers should check out soon?
See Above! I am into alot of stuff that people into Pagan/black/whatever metal would probably laugh at!
14.Besides Nordland are you currently working with any other bands or solo projects?
Not right now.
15.Thank you for taking the time to fill this interview out do you have any final words for the readers?
Thank you Patrick and to all the folk out there who have supported Nordland so far I am very grateful.
Label Contacts
Band Contact
