photo ©Jolanda Siemonsa
(Our old friend Ben Manzella returns to NCS with the following interview of Rune Eriksen. The focus is on Vltimas, whose new album EPIC is set for release on March 15th by Season of Mist.)
While there are still a few weeks until Vltimas’ fittingly titled next LP, EPIC, is released, I’m grateful to present this brief conversation with Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen. After editing it for clarity and reading over his answers from our email exchange, I only wish we could have met in person for this conversation. He offered plenty of info, I think, for the few questions presented here.
If you have yet to pre-order EPIC through Season of Mist, the time is now. This rollercoaster of personality in recorded form hit me like a train from the first listen. The creative trio of David Vincent, Flo Mounier, and Rune is hard to match and even describe. They have crafted an extreme metal record that will stand out not only in the year 2024 but in general, and I would not be surprised to see it on many year-end favorite lists. EPIC is due for release on the 15th of March.
Thanks so much for taking the time with my questions as well as working on EPIC. It is an exciting record that takes from facets throughout extreme music that are equally enticing on the surface and even more so when you spend time listening intently.
What was the overall process of EPIC like for you? Each song seems to have a unique feel or personality while presenting an engaging and cohesive record.
Rune: Well, honestly, we started working on this record already back in 2019, shortly after our summer run back then, so I guess you can say that this record has been in the pipeline for quite some time. Also, if it weren’t for the worldwide lockdown, we’d probably have recorded the album in late 2020 or so, which was the original plan.
In light of this, I guess it’s fair to state that the overall mood of the songs changed slightly, from being a tad more “aggressive” to getting bathed in a certain melancholy due to the above-mentioned reason, the lockdown. And I also think that this lengthy, unhealthy break, resulted in us forging the most characteristic and unique songs that we could. The most memorable ones as well. Having this much time to philosophize on the material makes certain ideas and riffs weed themselves out, if you get my point. Only the strong ideas remained.
For the actual writing process, things unfolded pretty effortlessly as usual. I have a million riffs in me so that is the easy part, to be honest, and also jamming with David and Flo is always a rewarding experience. We have a plethora of options and nothing goes untested. I guess, and as I touched upon earlier, the hardest part was actually getting together, as it was literally impossible to get across the Atlantic during those 2 years.
Do you feel your playing style shifted or changed while working on this record?
R: Not really, I guess it was more about exploring different, more melodic ideas than what we did on SWMI, and thus tying in my past to a greater extent than before as well. You know, both David and I are very old school in our musical approach. We are both fans of the ’70s era as well as some good old Heavy Metal from the ’80s. Personally, I am a huge fan of the Headless Cross and Tyr-era records actually, and those albums are still my go-to records when listening to Black Sabbath today.
A fun fact: I clearly remember my first audio meeting with BS. It was the song “The Shining” from The Eternal Idol record and it was played on a Swedish radio show I used to listen to in my youth. I grew up in South East Norway, bordering Sweden, so we had both Swedish radio and TV back in the days. Either way, the year was 1987 and I remember it like it was yesterday. Never looked back.
I guess my point in mentioning all this is that the older I get, the more I look back to where it all began. I have done so much dissonant music in the past that it feels like a relief, an awakening perhaps, to go the more melodic route. And I guess this aspect is more audible on EPIC than it was on the debut album. Full circle. Close to it, anyways.
photo ©Jolanda Siemonsa
Did the writing process change at all with the addition of Ype TVS and João Duarte or did they join the band after EPIC was already written?
R: Ype joined the band during the recording of EPIC, whilst João is still a session member. Ype plays bass on this album but did not partake in the creative process. The writing process has always been done between the core members David, Flo, and myself.
Do you listen to music at all when writing records or do you prefer focusing on the material and quieting the outside world as much as you can?
R: I always listen to music but I don’t think it affects me that much, at least not in the overly obvious way. These days, as in most days, I usually listen to totally different stuff than what I compose anyway. I hardly listen to extreme music at all actually, early ’80s metal, sure, but hardly ever more extreme than that. If I do, it is some classic Black metal (aka Bathory, Celtic Frost) or ’80s Thrash Metal (Vio-Lence, Heathen, Sacred Reich) and it would always be in a more lively setting, such as having a few beers and doing barbecue or whatever.
But usually, I am on the far opposite end of the spectrum when it comes to music these days… Be it Celtic music, medieval music, or even some ambient jazz or whatever, you know, music that can promote thoughts instead of overshadowing them. That’s how I feel about extreme music to begin with: It just takes too much attention and it also puts you in a certain mindset. Since I compose music 24/7, that’s the last thing I need. I need an “open canvas,” otherwise my voice won’t be heard.
Are there any plans for Vltimas to perform live in North America?
R: Well, we have signed with Chicago-based FM Music Management now, so hopefully they can pull something out of the hat for us. It’s a huge and important market obviously, so it’s kinda weird that we haven’t toured there already. But yeah, I really hope we can get something done by early 2025. 2024 seems to be focussed on Europe again, and also a possible South American run. But yeah, I sure hope we can get a decent tour in the States done sooner than later.
Pre-order:
https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/VLTIMASEPIC
https://vltimas.bandcamp.com/album/epic
Pre-save:
https://orcd.co/vltimasepic
Vltimas:
https://www.facebook.com/VLTIMAS/
https://www.instagram.com/vltimas/