WITCHAVEN (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What’s WITCHAVEN currently up to?
Hello, At the moment we are working hard on releasing our sophomore album. We are finishing up the writing process and we will be heading into the studio in the next few weeks. We plan on shopping it around to find the right label and distribution to do the release. Once the album is out we plan on touring the United States again, and possibly making a trip to Europe.
– First of all; could you please make some history of the band?
The band started back in 2006. We released 2 demos ; Black Thrash Assault and Vehemence of Attack. After some line-up changes and a few more releases we started touring in 2008. After we gained some experience we finally self released our debut album Terrorstorm in 2010. We have continued to tour and we also had a few more line up changes since then.
– And why did you pick the name «Witchaven»? Both its origin and meaning.
The reason I chose to use the name Witchaven was because we intentionally wanted to use the name “Witching Hour” and only do Venom covers. Later we came to find out that there already was few bands with the same name. So we opted for Witchaven because it sounded similar to Witching Hour.
– Your debut album, «Terrorstorm» got fantastic reviews; did you expect such success as you knew you did a good album or, as it was your first effort, was kind of a surprise?
It was a surprise to us on how many people enjoyed the album. We greatly appreciate the positive reception. But we felt confident with some of the songs on the album .Even though it was a surprise that it did so good, we did have high hopes that it would be received well because of the hard work we put in to making the album.
– Metalhit has released a new CD edition of your debut album in digipack format. Was this your decision? And what can we find in this new pressing we couldn’t find on the original version?
Yes we came in contact with Metalhit because of our friend Mike Abominator. We talked to Mike Reddick of Metalhit about the release and it came into fruition.We are excited about the release because it is the first official and proper release in North America.On the release we use the cover art from our vinyl release with Sweden’s Blood Harvest. The original art was a photograph of a small child who had his head severed from his body by his mother using an angle grinder.
– And why did you change the cover artwork?
We wanted to make the original pressing special. We knew that with the original art, the album would not get very far because of the graphic content. Also the art that was done by Sickness666 was so good that we decided to use it as the official art work for every release after the original.
– With the, let’s say, ultimate release of your album; what are your goals?
We hope that with the release on Metalhit that the album can continue expanding and spreading amongst the metal underground. But i will admit that right now our complete focus is in making the next album even better.
– And for all those who may now get into the band thanks to this «re-release», how could you describe «Terrorstorm» in just 3 words?
Blackened D-beat Thrash
– Erik Sneve joined the band just a few time ago; what has he brought to the band? And what prompted Jerry’s departure?
I feel that with the addition of Erik the band has new life. When me and Jerry used to do solos we would trade off and our style was more like slayer. With Erik in the band now i have stepped down from doing any solos and started focusing on writing better riffs. Erik’s skill on lead guitar is far more superior then mines. This is exciting because now we can write in a style we have never been able to reach before. Instead of our solos sounding something like slayer our style will be more like Chuck Schuldiner’s Death or Andy Larocque of King Diamond. The reason Jerry left was because he started to pursue a professional career and he had to go to school full time.
– In your music we can find elements from Black, Thrash, or even Punk and Crust so, what are your main musical influences?
Our main influence will always be Thrash, but we do enjoy Finnish black metal like Behexen and Horna. At the same time our passion for punk bands like Broken Bones and Wolfbrigade will always be apparent in our music.
– And how do you use to write? How do you blend all those details from different music styles?
We usually come up with ideas and try to blend them in together as best we can. But we write our music like a book or a movie. We try to incorporate different emotions and feelings. The only way we see we can do this is by bringing in different sounds and influences into our music.
– I read earlier your career your lyrics dealt with satanic subjects and stuff like that, and now you are covering political issues. Why such change?
The reason is simple, we are truly a punk band at heart. We started using the satanic themes at first because we wanted to keep with the same tradition as our influences like Venom and Bathory. As time progressed i started realizing that i had no passion behind these false words. So i started to write about real issues i deal with everyday. In my world i deal with poverty,social injustice,totalitarian police, and worst of all the court system that has sent me in and out of jail. These things are more real to me than singing about some christian fairy tale.
– So as you worry about society; do you think due to free downloads bands, and you guys in particular, are loosing money or getting more fans? Elabore a bit on this.
We live in a different age. A bands success is no longer determined by how many sales they can make. In this day in age it is best to allow people to hear you music and download it as much as they can. Because if people are familiar with your music they will come out to shows and support in other ways like purchasing Vinyl,Patches,T-shirts and Posters. These physical items and the joy of watching a live show will never be replaced by technology or the Internet.
– Now that the year has just ended; could you please tell us what are your 3 favorite albums released in 2011? And the worst one?
Power From Hell – Lust and Violence
Speedwolf – Ride with Death
Vektor – Outer Isolation
The worst album of 2011? Hmmm I’m not sure.. I try not to listen to rubbish.
– And finally, what are your near-future plans? Do you have any new material written or in mind?
Like i said before we are working hard on releasing a second album early this year. It still sounds like Witchaven but i feel like we might have finally found our own character and sound.We are incorporating heavier accents of crust punk and black metal. My vocals will also return to the way i would sing in the first demos.
– That’s all form my side, thanks again for taking the time. Now if you want to add some final thoughts; last lines are all yours.
Thank you so much for the interview. For more information on the band and our releases visit us at facebook.com/WitchavenOfficial or youtube.com/WitchavenOfficial
Thanks again
-Henry Montoya –Vocals,Guitar
