Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Interview with Romuvos done by Patrick On 6-8-16

Hello
Here   is  a  new  interview with the  one-man  folk/metal  inspired  band   Romuvos   from Lithuania/Israel   who  recently  released their  second  cd   "In  Front  Of  Destiny"  through  "No Colours Rec."  so  if you  enjoy  folk  music  then  defintly  give this  band  a  shot  and buy the  new  cd.
Regards
Patrick



Interview  with   Velnias   vocalist  and  instruments  for   Romuvos   done  by   Patrick





1.Hello   Velnias   how  are things  going  with  you  these days?  Please   introduce  yourself  to  the  readers?


Hails brothers and sisters, these days I live in Israel with my family, I was 6 years old when I left Lithuania at times where it was part of the soviet union, my family had to leave and moved to Israel, hehe yeah very different country indeed! Since then I am visiting once in a while, learned a lot from my grandparents and my parents about the Baltic area and till these day I have this longing for my past and what I feel and call home. I use my music to keep this urge alive and close to me, for feeling as much as connected as I can, through the music I can express my feelings and my history and tradition that I grow up on. I am 34 years old, father of my two little twins, married.





2.When  did you  first  become  interested  in  playing  music  what  were the  first  instruments  you  learned  to  play?


At the age of 14, I was sick and it was winter and raining outside, I played my video cassets that I was collecting by recording head bangers ball MTv show of metal and such, “The Forest Whispers My Name” by cradle of filth played, I was so fascinated by the sound of the keyboards and how they played such an important roll by delivering such a great atmosphere to the music. I called all my friends asking for a keyboard, started to play in few bands, mostly black metal bands, made few ambient solo projects and few years ago started the Romuvos project, music that I always wanted to do.





3.Did  you  take  lessons  when  first   learning to  play  the  instruments  or  are  you  self-taught? Are their   any  instruments  that  you  would  like to   learn  to  play  one day  if  yes  what  instruments  would  you  like to   learn?


I am self-taught, it is just the way it went, would love to know how to play many instruments, mainly drums, and many folk instruments like Kankles(Lithuanian plucked string music instrument) and Birbyne it is a kind of flute.






 4.What   gave  you  the   idea  to  start  the  band Romuvos?  How  did you   choose  the  name  for this  band and  does  it  have  a  special  meaning?



Well, first of all it was the folk metal issue that was waiting to burst out of my brain for many years, and finely I got the time to do so, what is better to just use it for my longing to the Baltic area and the pagan traditions and even better is to use the most suited name that can be, Romuva is the Lithuanian and Baltic people pagan traditions before Christianity took over, it is a great wide religious knowledge to obtain and very interesting pagan point of view.  





5.Romuvos    is  getting  ready to  release  the  second  full-length  cd  "In Front  Of  Destiny".How    long did  it take  you  to write the  music  for  this  release?

It took few months to get all the songs written both the music and the lyrics. It was already recorded and ready to release, I have contacted Steffen from No Colours  and told him that I would like re-record it with real drums and get musicians and do it in a better production, so I have contacted few of my friends asking them to join and make Romuvos a full band that can go also for live performance. We have re-recorded almost everything and once it was finished I was way more happy with the result, you can hear the difference between the debut album to this one.





 6.Where  do  you  draw  inspiration   for  the  lyrics  and  what  are  some  topics  you  write  about  of the  new  cd    "In Front  Of  Destiny"? 


This is a concept album, telling the tale of a group of Baltic men going for a quest and travel for far lands and seas, discovering new traditions, new ways of life and knowledge. Their journey reveals many aspects that combine paganism way of life with other point of views, though mainly most of the songs mark the Lithuanian gods and traditions and in some I use old folk songs like “The Return Back Home” which is “Grissim Grissim”, an old campfire folk song.




7.Have  you  ever  made  a  video  for  any  of your  songs?  Are their  any  plans  to  do  one  for  any  songs   off the  new cd?  If  yes which  song  would  you  like to  see  made  into  a  video?

No, I haven’t made any video, we have plans to do so in the future though I cant say when or for which song, haven’t thought about it yet.





8.If  you   had the   opportunity  to  work  with   any  musicians{past  or  present}  who  are  some  you   would  like to  work  with?


Wow what a question! Well, without much thinking! Falkenbach, Summoning, Mortiis, Bathory!! The list can go on ;)





9.Besides    Romuvos   are  you   currently   working  with  any  other  bands  or  projects? If  yes  please  tell  the  readers  about  them?


No, besides Romuvos I don’t have any musical projects, I think that I just wont have the time and dedication for it in the near future, maybe later on in few years, probably more BM style.







10. Velnias   you  live   in   Lithuania    what  is  your   opinion  of  Lithuania's  folk,metal  scene?

So as I have mentioned these days I live in Israel, but I will answer it for both scenes, the Israeli and Lithuanian one.
In Israel the scene is at its prime, many great bands come to play here, you have Fear Factory, Paradise Lost, Sabaton, Mayhem, Marduk, Raphsody and many many more, the crowed is kiking ass, many come to those shows and there are few metal pubs and clubs in Tel Aviv(main city).
There are many talented bands here as well, Pray For Nothing, Desert, Orphaned Land, Ferium, Winter Horde, Eternal Decay. Most of the people here in the metal scene are deep into it and take it very serious.
In Lithuania, I think it is bigger, you have great gigs as well and the Lithuanian bands are very good!
Obtest, Lucifer, Ha Lela, Zpoan Vtenz, Žalvarinis, Peorth. 






11.Who  are  your  all-time  favorite   Lithuanian   bands  and  artists?Are  their  any  new  bands  you  feel  the  readers  should  watch  out  for?


Žalvarinis, Obtest and Gyvata which is traditional folk band.








 12.Besides the   new  cd   "In Front  Of  Destiny"    do  you   have   any  other  releases  or  merchandise  for the readerds  to  buy  and  if  yes  where can  the readers  buy  it?

First of all, you can buy the album from me, not many copies left though I can sign on it.
Facebook: Romuvos Velnias. E-mail: Romuvos@gmail.com

The Romuvan Dainas LP limited to 200 copies will be out on june. So be aware as well! 
In the future I would like to release Infront Of Destiny T-shirts as well. Will publish on the Romuvos page on FB.





13.When  not   working  on   new  music  or  band  business   what  do  you   like to  do  in your  free time?

I paint, the paintings on both albums are mine, and I paint with oil and acrylic as well, mainly abstract things.
I love sport and work out 1-2 times a week, like to feel my body and feel alive, and I love the sea, and now I will surprise you buy I ride the waves, surfing is a big passion of mine, started when I started to play music at the age 14, I love to just be there in the sea at winter when the dark clouds are above me and rain pours down, out alone   in the waters where no one can reach you, you and mother nature are dancing together, so much patience and so much instincts are involved, it is something that is hard to explain but worth dying for!






14.Thank  you   Velnias   for  taking  the  time  to  fill  this  interview  out.Do you  have  any  final  words  for your  fans?

Stay metal, be proud, don’t judge and never…never be a fucking missioner!!
We all shall sail to our freedom and find our glory shining through the mist and cold vast void called life.
Hails!


                                                                    Band   Contact
                                                      https://www.facebook.com/romuvos/?fref=ts
                                                                     Label  Contact
                                                           http://www.no-colours-records.de/