1. Valosta Varjoon was born around the year 2016, we may be talking about a one man band, what pushed you to create Valosta Varjoon? Why did you choose this name and what does it refer to?
Yes, that is correct. Valosta Varjoon was founded by myself as a one-man band in 2016 after a private stroke of fate. The name is Finnish and means "from light to shadow". Since I was listening to a lot of Finnish Black Metal back then and I felt mentally like I was being pulled from the shadows into light, so I chose this Finnish name. But for me it was the best therapy in order to recover from this experience.
2. Not only does Valosta Varjoon spend his time as a musician, but he is also present in projects like Nachtig or Cosmic Burial. How do you deal with priorities when it comes to taking time for each of these projects? Is there a good line? differentiated between these bands and how do you approach the composition and recording processes in each of them? How would you explain the main differences between these projects in terms of styles?
There are hardly any differences in the recordings. For Valosta Varjoon I only do the songs and the lyrics. Sturmwolf takes care of the recordings and the ideas for the lead guitar and the bass guitar. This gives me a breath of fresh air and takes away a lot of work so that I can continue to concentrate on Nachtig, Cosmic Burial (and meanwhile two other projects). The lyrics mostly deal with different things, with Nachtig it's mostly about personal experiences, nature and the aversion to human life. Cosmic Burial is a purely instrumental project and the lyrics by Valosta Varjoon are mostly about alcohol, sex and myths from my hometown. Other differences can also be heard musically. Nachtig is more of an atmospheric and depressive Black Metal project, Cosmic Burial is (in my eyes) not Black Metal but more of Cosmic Rock/Metal. I don't set myself priorities. If I have a good riff in mind, I decide relatively spontaneously which project it is for. I seek a lot of inspiration, especially with Nachtig and Cosmic Burial in nature and on warm summer nights when I look at the night sky.
3. Valosta Varjoon's third album is entitled Boarisch Grattlig and it has just been released. How have you faced the process of writing and recording this new album? What has the figure of guitarist Sturmwolf set aside in this process? What brands of instruments have you used in the process?
The process of the album was no different than the previous ones. I usually already work on an album, so when we released "Das Flammenmeer" back then, the "Boarisch Grattlig" songs were almost finished. When I've finished the songs, I'll send them to Sturmwolf and he'll add lead guitar and bass to the songs. We complement each other well and when Sturmwolf writes a lead guitar for it, he sends me his ideas and I'm always very happy with them. The lyrics for the album came about overnight over a few bottles of beer and it was also recorded with the hop drink by my side. The songs were recorded with an ESP guitar and a bass by Cort.
4. In the sound of "Boarisch Grattlig" there is a fundamental weight of a black sound, let's say a primitive one where styles like punk or rock can become an influence, we can even talk about a tone between the folk or the pagan that emanates of the compositions, at some point sounding like Nargaroth, how would you describe the sound of the album for those who haven't heard it yet? What bands and styles are an influence when it comes to composing?
The album's name means "Bavarian Antisocial" and I think everyone who hasn't heard it can get a better idea of what it sounds like with this title. Me and Sturmwolf have a lot of different favorite genres that have all been mixed into the sound a bit. From punk to heavy metal, everything is in there. Because we listen to many different genres and try to bring them into our music, I no longer call our music Black Metal but rather Drunk'n'Roll, that suits us better because for us a Lot of people in the German Black Metal scene are just a pool of pseudo-elitist and embarrassing idiots.
5. In your lyrics there is room for different themes, however it is striking that you address issues related to the history or paganism of your region of origin, how important is Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz for you when it comes to influencing your sound and lyrics? Do the lyrics fit the music or vice versa?
My home is very important to me because it made me what I am today. I like living here, you can see many historical places with a lot of historical background and it's exactly these stories that I want to bring closer to the listeners. I do think that the music suits the lyrics because there is a certain atmosphere in every song about legends and myths, more so than in the songs with a different theme. Also, Bavarian culture is known for beer and beer drinking, so the other songs fit the music well too. In the sense of sex, drugs and rock'n'roll haha.
6. There is not much information about where the recording, mixing and mastering of the album took place, could you shed some light on this question?
The album was recorded old school at home. We had a session drummer called Werewolf "Kowalski" who also recorded the drums at home. We sent the individual tracks to the producer (Deathroned Productions) who then sent us the finished songs. We've done it this way on all the albums and think it´s the most effective this way as you can record whenever you have time without wasting your time in the studio.
7. Who designed the album cover? What does it represent and how does it relate to the content of the album?
The artwork was drawn by a friend of Sturmwolf. You can see a Bohemian lion with a traditional Bavarian hat, a cigar in his mouth and a beer bottle in his hand. With the other hand this lion carries the Bavarian flag. It is supposed to represent us in Bavarian society in a way. We have always swum against the tide and in the arch-catholic Bavarian society we have always been the black sheep. In an "anti-social" way, this cover shows what the listener can expect when listening to our album. We spit in everyone's soup and give the middle finger to society.
8. You have always kept a close relationship with Finnish black metal, either writing your lyrics in fine or even with a style that at certain times reminds us of Finnish melodic black, why these Finnish influences in your proposal?
As mentioned above, when I started Valosta Varjoon, I almost only listened to Finnish Black Metal, so the scene in Finland has always influenced me. Meanwhile I would say that we are trying to create our own sound more and more. I personally think that the sound of Finnish Black Metal can be heard in too many bands now and since we don't want to go with the crowd but strive for our own way, we are changing our sound more and more now and in the future.
9. For the edition of the new album you have worked with Folter Records to the detriment of Purity Through Fire, why this change when it comes to editing the album with another record label?
A band changing labels for a new album is nothing new anymore. We just wanted to bring a fresh start and a breath of fresh air to our music. Also, the man behind Folter Records runs my favorite festival "Under The Black Sun" and it has always been a wish of mine to play there and release my music under his label. This might now be easier. In addition, in recent years we have often been excluded from concerts because PTF unjustifiedly has a bad reputation in Germany and we found ourselves on a political side with which we absolutely do not feel comfortable and cannot identify with. In order to realize my dreams and to distance ourselves from the politics, we decided to apply at Folter Records.
10. It is striking that despite only being two members in the band, you have recruited other musicians to take your proposal live. Were you always clear that offering concerts was something necessary for the band? Is it very difficult to make yourself known by proceeding from a place like Neumarkt in der Oberpfalz? What can a fan of yours expect from one of your concerts?
It's not necessary to play concerts, but we enjoy it, so I've always wanted to bring my music closer to the listeners. In the Neumarkt area, it is actually difficult to become well-known because the scene in Neumarkt is very small. However, we already had a performance in Neumarkt and the surrounding area (Regensburg) where we were able to win over many fans from the area. I hope there will be more concerts in that area in the future because the concerts here in Bavaria were a lot of fun. The fans can expect us to do live exactly what we sing about. We are very authentic on stage, sometimes we drink a beer or too many before the concert, but without losing our professionalism. Since we have only received positive feedback so far, I also think that the listeners in front of the stage enjoyed the shows as much as we did.
11. How were your beginnings in music: first concerts you attended, first albums you bought? What event in your life pushed you to want to be a musician?
That's a long time ago since I grew up with metal and rock music since I was a little kid. I think I got my first CD when I was 5 years old and it was a Scorpions CD. My first concert was Iron Maiden when I was 13 years old. I got into black metal a year later and the first CD I bought back then was Carpathian Forest's Morbid Fascination Of Death. What brought me to make music in life was the stroke of fate mentioned above. I didn't want to sink into self-pity and depression, so I bought myself a guitar and within a few weeks and hours of daily practice, the first demo "Von Licht zu Schatten" saw the light of day.
12. What album represents for you the essence of black metal? What last albums have you bought?
It's very difficult because there are many albums that represent the essence of black metal. Back then as a teenager I was very enthusiastic about Darkthrone's Under A Funeral Moon so I would choose this album because it represented Black Metal for me personally. For Sturmwolf it was "Under the Sign of the Black Mark" by Bathory. My last CD or tape that I bought was "Deathlust" by Hässlig from Spain.
13. Thank you very much for taking the time to answer these questions for Black Metal Spirit, if you want to add something for Valosta Varjoon fans this is the place. I hope the questions are to your liking.
We would also like to thank you for your interest in an interview. Thanks to everyone who has been supporting us recently or for a long time, see you in a pub near you!
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