ARVAS

The by now established band in the metal scene Arvas is now preparing their second cd.
3 years after the debut "Ad Satanas Noctum..." whitch didn't quite get the attention it deserved considering it was 
a great debut album. Even though the main musicians are experienced & have been into the music scene for years. 

V-Rex is the engine behind it all and Fordervelse does the drums.
There has been several members in and out,but it seems like the mentioned ones are the permanent members.

I decided to have a talk with the main man V-Rex about the new album & the future.

You have now recorded your 2nd album,what can we expect & is there any working title so far?

-Well the music is quite different compared to the first album, obviously because we have developed even more over these three years both as musicians and myself as composer. Like the last album all songs are made in good advance before even planning any recordings of the songs.. 

These new songs are made right after the release of  the ''Blessed'' album. I made a pre production and that was it, they are all composed within a weeks time, and I haven't really been listening to these songs since I did the pre prod. 

The main difference from the last album is that the music is more catchy and very intense and fast, there are alot of different influences from the eighties thrash era etc. 

So this time the press will have something to compare us to, on the ''Blessed' Album where they couldn't. 

At the same time this is something unique in the genre and there are no bands in Norway who plays this kind of metal today, so hopefully fans of the genre will like this. 

The Working title now is ''Upon A Throne Of Satanic Worship''

I know you've had several members during the career,who contributes on this record,is it only you and Fordervelse?

- There has been some line up changes over the years now for sure, but they were only live members and not permanently involved in Arvas in any other way. 

This time we have a new live line up, and this time they all are playing on the album. So it has been pretty exiting having the whole band feeling again. 

But as always, me and fordervelse are the only permanent fulltime members in Arvas.

Did the recording process go as planned?

- Yes, all has been going as planned, however some delays in the process and unexpected problems has occured though.

One thing I've always wondered ,does the name Arvas mean anything special,how did you come up with it?

- The name does not mean anything at all, I just came up with the name and liked the sound of it and that's it really.

Do you have any plans to promote the new album with gigs,have you found a steady line up to play live?

- We are going to do some gigs as soon as the album is released, when and where is not quite confirmed yet.

Is all the material written by you,or does the other members contribute with something?

- All the material is as usual composed by me, and me alone. Fordervelse has arranged the drum tracks.

Nowadays when arists earn less money since the internet came & all along with it, what motivates you to continue your work?

- Motivation comes from our fans and those who appreciate what we do. We are nothing without them, this is all for the fans.

What's you favorite/most memorable highlight during the career?

You also do the vocals on the excellent swedish act Dødsfall witch is soon available with their second album,
can you tell us a bit about that?

- Dødsfall is a project I do vocals for and I really like the music the main man is creating, it is fresh and inspiring to work with. 

I only write lyrics and sings. It is always interesting and positive for an artist to work with different projects beside any main band. 

Cheers V-Rex.

Thank you for the good answers & good luck with the band & projects in the future!

Arvas will play live in Drammen Norway 22.07.12 Click HERE for more info

-Gravarson-

Be sure to check out Arvas at  Facebook

                                              Myspace

Gorgoroth

As most people probably know by now you are soon re-releasing "Under the Sign of Hell" With a new line up except you.
This will be interesting to hear,but what I & probably the readers wonder is the reason for this? Since In my opinion it was a great album.

- It's not that much of a new line-up. As back then, me and Pest did the roles as guitarist/bassist and vocalist. And Asklund did the drums. All the hows and whys of it being re-recorded seems to me irrelevant for most people to know. I wanted to do it. That should be reason enough.

And while where on it,are you working on new material & will it be recorded/prduced in the same studio as "Quantos.. " With Tomas Aklund ?

- Yes, we are and yes it will. It will be recorded, edited and mixed in Monolith Studio and it will most probably be mastered by Mads Lindfors at Cutting Room.

As far as I've noticed you've toured alot lately,how has the response been & does the audience seem to appreciate your latest album? *cause it seems that your fans are somewhat divided in their taste of albums, some like the 3 first albums & others.. You know the story. Like with almost every well known band.

- The response has been good. As for who likes what when it comes to what we have released during the years, I find it fully understandable that different people choose different favourites. I never aim to please everyone and to the degree our expression changes over time - I never think much about such matters. I am concerned with being as satisfied as I can be on the date of release. As for beyond that point the bonds with the album should better have been broken.

When I first listened to "Quantos..." I somewhat got the feeling of beein drawn back to the "Antichrist" era. A great album by the way. Was this something you wanted or did it just turn out that way & will continue in this direction?

- It turned out like this because it felt right. What the future will bring, the future will show.

How does the co-operation with Bøddel work out,did he quit Obituary to play as a full time member in or where there other reasons?

- you will have to ask him about these reasons.

During you're career in Gorgoroth,is there something you regret you didn't do?

-Yes, by all means. There are both things I regret I did not do and there are things I regret I did.

You've played on various records,such as Borknagar,Desecrator etc.. Are you active in any other bands now or do you fully concentrate on Gorgoroth?

- I was kind of tempted by the thought as little as a couple of months ago, as I saw an opportunity to join forces with another guy who once upon a time delivered a piece of work that made a mark upon the history of music as I know it. But I chose to keep my focus on Gorgoroth as I know there is more than enough work to get done with my band in order to get it to function on a somewhat satisfactory level.

You're running your own label "Forces Of Satan" witch is an an internet based label with digital releases,are there any chance that we'll be able to buy phsyical releases or do you see that market as dead?

- some physical releases, as you call it, are already released and can be ordered as we speak. Others have been licensed to Regain Records and Apocalyptic Empire.

This might be a stupid question ,but what do you look for when you sign bands,any special criteris?

- obviously there is. We do not do this as a charity project to help whoever out there getting signed. Above all: talent and willpower.

Ok,that's it for now.. Any last words to the readers?

-No..Not now.

Allright! Thanks for taking time to answer the questions. (The new recording of "Under The Sign Of Hell" is now available most places Ed.)