Lachryma Christi: Interview with Vreid (NOR)

Following the death of Valfar, singer and founder member of Windir, the remaining members formed Vreid, in 2004. Vreid ("Wrath" in English) are a Norwegian Black Metal band. Or as they say, Norwegian Black'n Roll!
Lachryma Christi had the chance of asking a few questions to Steingrim, drummer of the band since the very beginning.
Vreid released their latest album (V) last year and they will be playing in London (Underworld) on the 4th November 2012. If you are on British ground, don't miss it, that will be their last show on V.

Vreid means "Wrath" in English, is that right? Why the name Vreid?

Yes, that's correct. The name "arose" during the months after Valfars death in 2004. I guess it just reflects what we felt like at that time.

Can you tell a bit of the story of the ending of Windir and the beginning of Vreid?

After Valfars death we never had any intentions continuing with Windir, but still we felt we had to continue playing music. So when we formed the band it was a combination of "We will never stop playing!" and "we'll show them!". We started recording during the Spring of 2004 and the debut was released during Autumn the same year.

How did the idea of mixing Black Metal and rock from 70's and 80's come from?

We felt like going back to "our roots" so to say. We've always been fans of 70's and 80's rock (+ metal, trash and so on), so it felt natural to begin there and combine this with more extreme music. We also wanted to make something different - to give the band an own identity.

What do you mean with V as a name for the latest album? Was it only because it is the fifth album or is there any other meaning?

Well, the obvious answer would be this is the fifth album. There are also some other meanings to the title as well, I'll leave that up to you to figure them out :-)

What bands have inspired you the most along the time?

Old classics like Johnny Cash, Iggy & The Stooges, early Alice Cooper, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, 80's metal like Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer and later on Sepultura and Death to name a few. And of course the classical Norwegian Black Metal as well.

Is there any band in special that you would like to tour with? Why?

For me personal that would be Metallica, but that's not very realistic.. No, I'm not sure here. We've been lucky during the years and got to tour with a lot of good bands, who also have become our friends.

Is any of the members of Vreid playing in any side project?

Strom is also involved in Mistur. The other bandmembers are old and stubborn and not willing to contribute to anything else.. Ha ha!

What was your most remarkable show so far? Why?

Ohh. Hard to pick one specific, but Wacken is always a special one. The atmosphere at Wacken is magic, that being on and off stage. Wacken 2011 maybe?

How do you see the Black Metal scene worldwide nowadays? There is a lot of controversy, many people say that there is no "scene"anymore. What do you think of that?

Difficult to say really. I'm not the biggest and most enthusiastic follower of the scene. I think there is a scene, but I'll leave it up to other more competent people to answer how it is..

If a foreigner asked you for a good city/place in Norway for a better knowledge of the Black Metal community in Norway, what would you suggest?

Both Oslo and Bergen are important cities i think, but if I have to pick one to visit I would recommend Bergen because I think the city is better music-wise (quality).

Vreid will be playing in London in November this year. What can your british fans expect of that show? What do you also expect from that show?

We're planning on something different, and I hope we'll be able to do just that. At the moment we're working on different ideas. It will be the last show on the "V"-album, and as I said - hopefully it will be special!

What is in store for Vreid? What is about to happen in a near future?

We're playing the "Wolfzeit"-festival this weekend, and we're touring Europe from 11th of September (11 dates). And in between the tour and the UK-shows we're working on the new album (to be released next year).

Anything else you would like to say to Vreid and Black Metal followers?

Thanx for your support, keep following Vreid and extreme metal in general! To quote the genious Chuck Schuldiner: Let the Metal Flow!