With:	D [Bass]
Conducted by:	Herzebeth (e-mail)
Published:	05.06.2006

- Hello, I'm Francisco Eguiza from Metal Storm, you already know me and all so what about introducing yourselves? Explain the project to the people who is unfamiliar with it.

The Våld sound can be defined as brutal grindcrust. Nick Napalm started this all-star project back in 2002, gathering a group of musicians with different backgrounds. A Finnish punk legend called G.G. joined on vocals. Perhaps the most surprising member is drummer Kenzo, who usually plays fusion jazz! This is why he has managed to create a highly original and aggressive style of metal drumming particularly for this band.

I joined Våld on bass in 2004. That was when we started gigging actively since there had really been no permanent bass player before me. Nick plays all the bass on our first album Apoplexia Cerebria, you know!


-Finland is a country often related with Gothic Metal and all kind of melodic bands (and I do know Rotten Sound), is it hard for you as an extreme metal act to become "noticeable" inside or outside your country?

Finland is not a very big country, so it's possible to throw a lot of gigs in different cities. Our biggest problem has been finding our own audience. For example, we've thrown a lot of gigs together with local HC acts, and sometimes felt like the audience at those gigs doesn't really know how to handle us. Our music isn't HC, punk or pure metal, so in that sense it took some time before a group of Våld fans started forming. Boycott Your Life was our first major try on a more international front. Abroad I think Våld is now strongly associated with this album, which has a very distinct and personal sound to it.


- Let's talk about "Boycott Your Life" now; what do you really want to transmit with your music?

It's pure rage music. It's obviously very aggressive, but at the same time it never gets boring. We try to use the diverse musicianship inside the band to give the music some soul. Every one of us has our own approach to music, and our own playing style. I think that's one of the reasons that Våld manages to sound as Våld, and nothing else. The album is a package of the best 11 new songs we had before going into the studio. Nick writes all the music, and he writes a lot of songs. Many riffs and songs end up in the trash can.

Boycott Your Life is a tight package of rage, energy and different moods. It is also a personal landmark for the band, a kind of milestone of what we managed to create musically in the last year.






-Tell me about your lyrical content, I'm used to read stuff like "I want to fuck your fucked and rotten cadaver yeeah" whatever shit else; language is often misapprehended mostly when it means interpreting someone else's idea. Våld chooses to write about complex thoughts and opinions instead of common things, why? And what do you really want to express with your words?

G.G. writes all the lyrics, so I can't really speak on his behalf. But I think it's important to address issues of all sorts. I kind of respect bands who can sing about necrophilia, milk chocolate and nuclear war on the same album more than bands who are stuck on one lyrical theme, or one ideology, you know? Our lyrics often tend to address alienation of the individual from society. The music itself is so intense and aggressive that it leaves a space for the lyrics to go anywhere they like. G.G. obviously has stuff to say about the world around him, and the music gives him the possibility to express himself freely.


- How did the band visualize this album? Is it everything you really hoped it to be?

I think an album never comes out exactly as you had pictured it in your head, meaning you can't predict what will happen in the studio. But this one sure came out nice! It's recorded over only three days (less, if you count actual recording hours), so there was no spare time in the studio. But in general, the vision Nick and the band had for the album as a whole was pretty much fulfilled. We'd discussed track order and concept before going into the studio, so it was very clear to everyone what we were after. Some spontaneous solutions were made in the studio and during mixing, but I'm more than happy with the result!


- Have you received good feedback? How did the press and the audience react to this album? I read a great review of a cool guy named Herzebe?oh no wait that's me.

Yes, thanks for your great review! We were really positively surprised! The album has received only excellent feedback, which feels very good, like we've done something right! Many people have thanked us for the "no-bullshit" sound and attitude. Like I said, it's pure rage music!


- This kind of questions are annoying but what the hell, Våld means Violence in Swedish right? Why did you choose "violence" to illustrate your band? And another thing, what does the logo of a skull with blades and chains means?

The name stands for what the music sounds like! Brutal, dirty, mean and evil violence. We just wanted to create a spectacle that would transmit an image of ultimate rage, fear and disgust. On the cover of Apoplexia, a Russian soldier is getting his throat cut by a Chechen rebel. The picture is not a political statement by us, but rather an image of how fucking raw this violent world really is. Another reason for the name was that in Swedish, our mother tongue, the word for violence is used in many places - it is a part of the words for rape, assault, and many others. So it's a strangely frequently appearing word in the Swedish language? The logo is just a cool image designed by our friend Robin Backman. I could say some bullshit about "the visualization of violence" or some shit, but that would be pretty cheesy, right?






- You've released only 2 albums in your career; so far, which are the songs you love the most from it? The really memorable ones that will stick to you till the day you die and then make you think "Damn, it was so fucking great to play those songs"

I like all the songs, and my favorite Våld song switches every week. It's the whole experience of being in this great, unique band that's going to be memorable. The live shows, the albums, the people, the fans? This really feels like the best thing I've done in my life so far! One song that I've liked from the beginning, that I enjoy playing live every time, and that has a great message, is War.


- Are you really doing something (besides your music) to make this world a better place to happily live? Or you just write about revolution and then sit down and eat a lot of chocolate cookies while watching porn.

Now there's an interesting question. In my opinion, revolution and change can be made in so many different ways. The best solution isn't always to march in protest parades, join an organization or boycott McDonald's. I believe the small choices in every day life to be important as well. Some of my personal objects of protest have been refusing to serve in the army, making smart choices about consumption, and educating myself to constantly learn more about the faults (and history) of this world. Only when people on a personal level possess enough knowledge can they make significant changes as masses.

Right now, we are under a constant flow of information from different media, and we need to be educated enough to know how to handle it, one risk being blindness to propaganda. But music is also a powerful source of information, and can really turn heads. Ultimately, music should unite different people. Våld gigs are certainly a place for anyone and everyone to come and let out some steam and excess aggression! (Chocolate cookies and porn are fun, too!)


- Now a more serious question; personally and musically, how big is the difference between your old album and "Boycott Your Life", why?

As I said, Nick played bass on Apoplexia, when Våld still didn't have a permanent bass player. I love the songs on that album, too, especially the ones we still play live. But with Boycott, first of all I feel proud to have been part of creating such a great album with such a great group of people! Secondly, the music naturally feels more personal, as I feel I've contributed to creating what Våld sounds like today. In more general terms, Apoplexia has a rawer production, and the songs are maybe not as finished as on Boycott. This time I think we really managed to define a sound of our own. The album as a whole is also better planned and more mature. We'll see what our next album will sound like?!






- Let me do an experiment for this interview; I'll give you a bunch of words and then you'll honestly write whatever pops into your mind ok?

Government: Some are good, some are bad. Finland is politically very stable, so I'm not that emotional about it.

Music: Everything. Music is my life, my passion, my emotions, my love. No life without music.

Death: Eventually.

Lies: I've lied once in this interview, guess where!

People: There's a lot of us. Very different in some ways, totally alike in others. The answer to this would be the answer to world peace. (Easy, right? -Kill 'em all!)

Revolution: Necessary under some political circumstances.

60's: The Doors - thank you endlessly for existing! Jim Morrison is the greatest rock icon of all times.

The Beatles: Best band in the World. Ever. Period.

Freedom: Inner peace.

God: Tough one? A concept created by man for man. People have worshipped "higher powers" of different sorts throughout history. Most organized religions definitely have their downsides, and can be seen as leaving no space for a strictly individual outlook on life. However, the obvious need for something to see as holy (be it a god, an ideology or Jim Morrison), has prevailed throughout human history. God as a general phenomenon is in this way something very humane. I guess it's a common characteristic for the human species to create itself a religion or an institution of sorts, that can be used to seek comfort, seek answers, seek unity with one's own existence? Religion is bad only when it becomes an instrument of abuse.


- Well now my last question for you; you went on a big tour right? You are now with Treason Troops and apparently everything is going well right now. What is printed in the future for Våld?

We will definitely continue gigging actively, and as widely as possible. All I can tell you right now is we're going to release an EP with a few fresh tracks in the beginning of 2007, to promote the gigs for next spring and summer.


- Thank you very much for your time my friend; this is YOUR interview so please, for the readers and the fans (myself included), close this publication as you want.

First of all, thank you Herzebeth for the awesome review, and this great interview with interesting questions! For the fans: Thanks for the support, and keep digging that metal music!
Mosh or die!!!
-D.

Pictures taken from band's site