Hail Volniir and thank you for answering my questions. You are gearing up for a UK mini tour with Andracca and Sidious. Are you ready and prepared? Is this something you've done before or your first time touring?
S.V. : Hails to you and thank you for your time. We are ready and eager to get back to the stage. Preparations are ongoing, there is a lot of work that is going on behind the scenes to ensure everything is in place. We’re no stranger to live shows but this will be our first official tour.
Will there be a set headlining band for this tour or will the three bands alternate who headlines each show?
S.V. : It’s a co-headlining tour between ourselves and Sidious. We will take two dates each as the final act but in terms of set times, they will be equal in length. Andracca will be our main supporting act for the entirety of the tour.
You are playing in four locations. Cardiff and Liverpool book end the tour, and in between Ipswich and Banbury. Which do you feel has the potential for the most extremity and carnage?
S.V. : It’s hard to say, as these are all locations we have yet to play. Cardiff has regular Metal shows that seem to turn out well & I’ve heard from peers that Banbury has great potential but only time will tell.
On the flip side of the last question, what Can these four locations expect from a Volniir live attack?
S.V. : The same as always. A violent spiritual awakening through Death Worship.
Tubal-Qayin : Intensity, honesty, passion and four men on a march to shatter the rules of what black metal "should be".
You are also opening the Saturday of Reaper Festival. I look forward to seeing your set. How did the opportunity to play Reaper come about, and which bands are you looking forward to sharing a stage with?
S.V. : We had seen Reaper Agency announcing a slew of great events, and we expressed our interest in working with them. A few weeks later, they reached out with the opportunity to open Reaper Festival. Personally I’m looking forward to sharing the stage with Hellripper, and for those attending the Sunday, I’d highly recommend Abduction, The Infernal Sea & Necronautical.
Tubal-Qayin : I've worked with the main person behind Reaper Agency a couple of times in a previous band I was in, so I know him from that. I'm keen to once again share the stage with friends of ours such as The Infernal Sea, Abduction and Necronautical.
You released your debut album, 'All Hope Abandon' last year. Now the album has had a chance to get out there and you've had time to reflect, how do you feel about your debut opus?
S.V. : I feel the same way as when I first completed the album. Proud & Satisfied.
Tubal-Qayin : I'm proud and happy with the work we created at the time. I have no qualms, but the sophomore release will be even more powerful.
Azrael : To this day, I would still happily cite it as some of my best recorded work, I’ve released a lot of albums in my time as a musician, but 'All Hope Abandon' really stands out for me as it was my peak performance at the time, and since then I’ve only been working to improve upon what I did on that album.
Skogen : In my case, whilst I provided my equipment for recording I didn’t play on the album due to the timing and circumstances of my induction into Völniir, but I have been blown away by the positive response. A huge amount of work went into its writing, recording, development and release and it shows in the final product. I am incredibly proud of what my bandmates have accomplished and seeing the fruits of that labour, and it has made me very excited, inspired and driven to lay down the low end and make my mark on our next release.
Have you had much feedback from mags, zines and fans on the album? Any particular comments stick in the memory?
S.V. : The overall reception has been quite positive. I have read the reviews and I have had many encouraging comments from my peers. Nothing in particular sticks with me as I tend not to dwell too much on what others say about the album. I appreciate the praise and the criticisms, but how I feel about it is all that matters to me.
Tubal-Qayin : All feedback we seemed to have received thus far is positive, which shows that we're doing something right and ticking people's boxes. I'm sure others have other things to say, but what matters most is that we as the creators are happy with it.
Azrael : All the reviews and feedback I’ve seen have had an overall positive vibe, which of course is something that everyone hopes for. Not a great deal of comments stick with me as I try not to focus too much on where I’ve been, and only where I’m headed next. Ultimately as long as we are enjoying what we’re writing and what we’re doing, any positive feedback is all just icing the proverbial cake.
Skogen : For me, I think what has the biggest impact for me personally is feedback we have had from people we do not know. It is very easy to big up your friends and so it can be difficult to get truly honest feedback from them, but to see the positive reviews and comments from fans and reviewers that we aren’t acquainted with has been very satisfying.
What can you tell me about the lyrical concepts that run through the album? From what I've heard and read you tend to shy away from the usual BM clichés and focus more on spirituality and self worth/empowerment?
Tubal-Qayin : I simply write about what is most important to me and my own personal beliefs and experiences. Black metal is riddled with clichés and we're far from completely original, but we're doing what feels natural and honest to us: we follow no rulebook, we don't worship and yearn for the 90s and we don't try to be what we aren't. We listen to everything from metal to punk to prog to jazz, but we just ride the steel and write what sounds Völniir-worthy. Black metal is supposed to be a war on rules. Fuck the rules.
As a band you appear to be very image conscious. How important is the image of the band and how do you try to match your image with your art?
S.V. : Imagery is quite important. The images we use mean something to us & the art we create. They represent us and they send a message.
Other than the tour next month and Reaper Fest, what plans do Volniir have in store over the next 12 months? Anything interesting you can divulge?
S.V. : We have another show coming up with Stahlsarg & Tableau Mort in November. There are always more shows in the pipeline, but nothing we can discuss right now. We’re working on new music in the background, but that will rear its head in due time.
That's all from me. Thanks again for taking the time to speak to me. The final words are yours.
Tubal-Qayin : Kill your idols.
** To listen to the mighty Volniir click HERE **
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