bio - INTERVIEWS
INTERVIEWS
Winterlore Interview
Wintergeist. The band’s mythic ‘luck’ that has something weird and unexpected happen to us at every turn or creates conflicting schedules and problems with every attempt. This is kind of the inside joke in Winterlore, but it’s how we’ve operated thus far and we've always had spurts of great activity to propel us onward. Currently school, work, and living out-of-state are keeping things quiet, but eventually we’ll right back in the thick of it.
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> 2.In May you had released a new album, how would you describe the musical sound that is presented on the recording and also how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
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A good description of the album is that it’s 90s stylized black metal with a touch of epic interwoven throughout. There is, of course, more modern affectations to the album as well. We wanted the music to come across as audible, but raw, atmospheric, yet flowing and interesting whilst trying to keep it dark and gritty. Ultimately, we build around some riffs we dig. We did lose a little bit of the drums and some other dynamic elements in the master, but are still proud of the final release. Winterlore compared to Four Swords... is more mature and shows more care in the recording stages to augment the riff-storm that ensues when listening to the album.
> 3.On the older material you had used more folk instruments and keyboards and the newer material is more raw and guitar driven, what was the decision behind going into this musical direction?
The presence of synths and folk instruments is about the same; mostly, we used what felt right. There is 1 flute part instead of 2 and no jaw harp this time, but there are more synths on this release. The synths are just more subtly used this time around. We feel they can add something to the album, but we wanted the songs to be able to stand by themselves without them, for gig-playing purposes and for personal preferences.
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> 4.Can you tell us a little bit more about the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer music?
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There are definitely two major themes dominating the lyrics in the album. There is present a dark and epic fantasy tone and an anti-religious stance. The latter is usually intertwined within the former. A couple of the songs had working titles taken from the Horus Heresy universe. ‘Old Night’ in Ice of Old Night gets its origin from this and so too do the first couple lines in the album.
> 5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Winterlore'?
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We were not going to just be another band named after a demon and we had clear European metal interests when nearly all the USBM bands at the time only desired to be fast, sound the same, and have very generic riffs. So we thought long and hard and bounced ideas off one another for a few days until Winterlore was offered up. When suggested, that was unanimously agreed as a perfect and fitting name that rolls off the tongue. It very much still encompasses the image of the band, one of frozen evil.
> 6.Out of all of the shows that you have played over the years which one did you enjoy the most?
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We definitely enjoyed all our shows but for one (an electronic kit with no monitors is a shitty surprise we would do without experiencing again). It always managed to snow intensely and out-of-nowhere on the nights of our shows, even late in April. We also had a great road trip as a band to play in Denver and see the scene outside of our hometown.
> 7.Do you have any touring or show plans for the new album?
None as of yet.
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> 8.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your newer music by fans of black metal?
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Pretty good so far. Perhaps a little quiet but the responses are well enthused and global.
> 9.What is going on with some of the other bands or musical projects these days that some of the band members are a part of?
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Thorolf’s project Ered Within has a second release fully recorded and has material recorded for another project, but must await some free time from school to see them finalized. Nortaath has released an electronic album under the artist title of City at Worlds End and is working on some gaming music/sounds. R.Sodomizer has been in multiple bands here, most recently Odium Totus; Thorstien was vocalist for death metal band Malignant Inception.
> 10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
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Wherever it heads, you may expect to hear riff-driven metal that is inspired by what we like.
> 11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your newer music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
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One that stands out would be Sargeist; we really love how the music flows, is interesting and encapsulates the perfect black metal sound (Let the Devil In). Some others stand out, like Ulvegr, Numen, Angantyr and some other atmospheric black metal outfits influence the writing. Some of our favorite bands that we all love and any list would be incomplete without mentioning are Darkspace, Walknut, and again Sargeist. Still enjoying classic acts of the 90s and some of the great atmospheric offerings that permeate the current period. A few other great mentions would include Sünhopfer, Gratzug, Kataxu, Evilfeast, Darkenhold, Goatmoon, Paysage d’Hiver, Inquisition, Darchon, and Darkeater to name a few.
> 12.How would you describe your pagan and anti christian views?
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None of us have any actual pagan views; when we were younger we sang about Norse mythology because it interested us and, indeed, is still interesting lore. And we are more than anti-Christian, we are anti-religious. We see how religion shackles humanity and we look to science and logic. Winterlore uses a symbol (rune) that represents ‘Odinism against Christianity’ to show a glorious fiction revolting against the feeble, yet strongly supported, fallacy that is Christianity.
> 13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
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Let us not heed this PC infiltration and distraction that has beset black metal and continue pursuing the paths of our desires.
Hails and Thanks!
Interview with Winterlore
Interview done by: Daemon Black
USBMS would like to thank Winterlore for their time.
1. Before we get started can i ask you to introduce your self and the members of Winterlore to our readers and also give us a brief history of how and when Winterlore was created?
Winterlore consists of Thorstein on vocals/bass, Thorolf and R. Sodomizer on guitars/vocals and Nortaath on drums. Winterlore has been a project that has been off and on since 2005, we have had the same 3 band members for the majority of that time frame while the fourth member slot has always given us trouble.
2. you guys took a 5 year hiatus from the band, what was the driving force behind starting up Winterlore again in 2010?
I think we all just got the itch and time to be playing black metal as a band again. That and with a new member joining the ranks (now departed Helgrim) helped revitalize the energy and song writing going into it.
3. Were any members involved in any other projects while Winterlore was on hold?
Thorolf has been working on a solo project entitled 'Ered Wethrin', which will hopefully see a release by years end via Northern Silence. Thorstein had a solo project Mørkvinter that he recorded a demo for. Nortaath has one solo project entitled city at worlds end that was self released.
4. Can you explain to us what the lyrical concept of Winterlore's music is and who is behind the creation of the lyrics for the band?
Four Swords Against the Pious says a lot about the anti-religion aspect of our lyrics. We also have the more fantasy based lyrics that conjure darkness, solitude, war, winter's lore, etc. The members of Winterlore wrote all lyrics except for 2 songs written by a friend Bill Drew.
5. You guys recently added a new guitarist, how has the addition worked out so far, and how has it change the sound?
The addition has been great! The sound hasn't quite changed as he hasn't been able to write for Winterlore as of yet, but R. Sodomizer tends to be a quick learner and will undoubtedly leave his mark with the band's next release.
6. Winterlore has played a decent amount of shows in its tenure. Can you tell us which show in particular has been the most memorable thus far for the band?
Probably our CD release show. We summoned hefty a winter storm (literally) that night as we have on almost every show we've played. Our albums initially had technical difficulties in the printing process so we unfortunately couldn't sell them at the release show. Two of the four bands dropped off and combined with the snow, the turnout was surprisingly good despite the circumstances.
7. Give us some insight about what a person who has never seen a Winterlore live performance could expect from one of your shows?
Expect to hear something you wouldn't otherwise get in the states. Winterlore brings an energetic vibe, a great live sound and a refreshing Scandinavian writing style to a nihilistic black metal filled country.
8. Currently you guys are signed to Slaughterhouse Records, How did this deal come about and have you guys been satisfied with the relationship and the promotions for the CD?
J.R. Torina/Slaughterhouse records has been a great relationship that goes back beyond Wintlerlore days to a now out of operations metal shop 'The Abyss'. Slaughterhouse records is growing and we hope its future as with Winterlore's is strong.
9. Winterlore performs live in full corpse paint, What is your opinion on the importance of this tradition in Black Metal?
Corpse painting is in-line with the anonymity we present using aliases. Since we were youngsters, it has helped give a certain darkened feel, which helped the energy of the band. As the craze over corpse painting has died out a bit, we find all the more reason to continue the tradition.
10. Can you tell us which "Metal" bands had the biggest impact on you guys growing up?
If we are keeping it simple: Darkthrone, Burzum and Bathory were a huge part of Winterlore's reason for existing. We all had other bands and other musical pleasures of course, but we all took cues from the aforementioned bands and there was no stopping us once we had the mindset to play black metal.
11. Is there a certain band or person that inspired you guys to become Black Metal artists and play this type of extreme metal?
We loved the older black metal of Burzum and Darkthrone as mentioned previously, so once Nortaath introduced the idea of doing black metal to Thorolf (and leaving an at the time current death metal band) we were hooked. After a couple songs were written and had been rehearsed for a while, we introduced Thorstein to the material and we immediately started working on our demo; “Fire and Ice Upon the Throne of Might”.
12. How is the support for (Metal, Black Metal) in Utah, Is there a decent turnout at the shows and do local people get involved in spreading the word about bands?
Salt Lake City isn't a metropolis of a city, so turnout is bound to be less than 50 for a show; but is known to hit over 100 or more. When Winterlore plays, the turnout seems to be above average due to the fact we don't play out frequently and our music and presence is something different for the local scene. Despite the size of SLC, its a very tight scene and the word of mouth is very large.
13. How has the overall feedback worldwide been concerning Winterlore's music, Have you garnered more interest from any certain country in-particular?
We have gotten great feedback worldwide from the people that have heard us. Eastern Europe in particular has shown quite a large interest in us. Despite the old age of the band, our discography is still in its infancy. We hope with the attention we have gained from our first full length, we will have a wider reception surrounding our next.
14. Before we finish up this interview, tell our readers what they can expect from you guys in the future? and give us any final words you would like to add about Winterlore?
Currently we are nearing the completion of the writing process for our second full-length. We are starting recording in November this year and we hope to have an early spring release. Our second album will have the classic black metal sound while moving the progression of our music forward with new elements we think fans of the genre will appreciate.
