VANIK: Crafting Horror Rock on the Road

In this interview, Vanik takes us behind the scenes of his latest album, IV, exploring a creative journey inspired by horror, life on tour, and the grit of DIY production. Known for weaving horror aesthetics and intense punk-metal energy, Vanik shares how relentless touring shaped the raw, immediate sound of the album, recorded entirely on the road. From slasher movie influences to the power of capturing music in the moment, Vanik reflects on his unique process, the live performance’s electrifying transformation of his music, and his bold plans for the future. For fans of atmospheric, spine-chilling rock, this interview offers a glimpse into the dark heart of Vanik’s creative lair.

-Hi, first off thanks for answering to our questions. How’s everything doing in the lair of Vanik shortly after the release of “IV”?

Great! Organizing all my ideas and going to start knocking things out one by one.

– With Vanik’s roots heavily influenced by horror and Halloween aesthetics, how do these themes evolve or shift in your latest album? Are there specific horror motifs or movie references that played a major role this time around?

This one was a little more inspired by how I have been feeling over the past year or so. With being on the road so much and not having much time to work on all my personal music, I wanted to do this whole record on the road and capture feelings during that time. So every twist / turn or event that was happening around me, got jotted down in some sort of way. That being said, metaphorically, I twisted the stories and themes to give off a horror vibe while still retaining my personal feelings and experiences.

– In previous albums, you’ve incorporated a raw, fast-paced style reminiscent of punk and classic heavy metal. How do you balance aggression with the desire to tell a story or build an atmosphere? Do you feel this album strikes a new equilibrium?

punk and classic heavy metal just feel right to me. Punk, being the unhinged derailing train effect as far as energy goes, and metal being my primary form of rock n roll as far as how I approach the guitar and song writing. When I do an album it has to work well in a context. so I make a big point on finding the right songs that work together from track to track. This one was done differently because It was not recorded in a normal studio. This was the first album I had done where I didn’t book time to record it. I carried my mobile rig with me everywhere and recorded any time I got the chance. It was important to me to capture the moment. It’s easy nowadays to go back into a recording, edit it or revisit something if it wasn’t played as well as it should have been played. I wanted to let go with this one and get the original idea down and take it for what it is. I could have easily waited another couple months until I got home and finished the record in my own full format studio but the end result wouldn’t had the same feeling. Better or worse, the moment that was seized was the exact vibe I was feeling at the time.

– You’ve mentioned watching films like Friday the 13th to inspire your songwriting. Are there other unconventional sources or routines that contribute to your creative process?

Oh yea! Those movies are a great starting point. I love characters, whether  they are slasher characters, universal monsters, paintings or anything the symbolizes someone who carries a story, I’m all about it. Horror movies are my favorite so those concepts are always appealing to me. We all have      things that happen in our lives that we can relate to the characters in  these films. I am using real life events but twisting the stories using these   movies as the main influence. I don’t really have unconventional routines for this process. I just let the feelings flow.

– Your music conjures imagery of haunted houses, nocturnal journeys, and forgotten places. Is there a particular landscape, real or imagined, that you often picture while creating Vanik’s sound?

It could be a quote from a movie, a picture I stumbled upon, or anything inspiring. I try to keep it fresh as new things happen every day. Its always different in this regard. For this new album, I wrote most of it while I was on tour with midnight in Europe, Australia, Asia and US. So the landscapes were my sheets of paper along with the entire BS that was happening around me within the tour. Believe me, there are enough horror stories that happen on the road that I could write 20 albums for.

– Given your approach to crafting “soundtracks” to eerie, dark stories, how do you envision listeners experiencing your album? Do you see it as something they might listen to actively, or as a soundtrack to their own horror-inspired settings?

Coming back to the word «Context». I write so much music. soooooo much music. If I’m not writing an album for either one of my bands I’m performing with, I am writing TV and film music. So I’m always thinking about, how is this going to be heard?  Does this film support a specific scene or do I leave it open for people insert their own vision to it? I do both heavy rock albums and soundtrack stuff because contextually I will make it work for the format. For example, a full format metal album my listeners love vinyl. I feel their experience is going to be sitting down, cracking a beer open, smoking a doob or watching some imagine on the screen. The Vanik’s sounds of samhain stuff is more used when people want background music for halloween averments or for focusing etc. Most people who listen to this stuff stream it or listen to the cassette versions I put out. I like to have a similar packaging style as the 80s Halloween cassette tapes we had in America.

– With a background in several different bands, you’re used to the energy of live performance. How does playing live with Vanik compare to recording in a studio, where you have complete control over the atmosphere?

I love playing live! One of my most favorite parts. Its when songs really come alive. When I write a song, record it, mix it then go to start practicing it live, it really gives a new perspective of it. It’s like walking for the first time. I love both processes, however, they are both essential and I have a different level of pressure in each of those environments. In the studio that’s where you use the creative juices. Even if I’m recording for a song I didn’t write, coming up with something on the spot is so rewarding and after you record it and learn it to play live, it plays itself and gives a life of its own.

– A lot of your work has a DIY feel in the best sense of the term. When putting together this album, were there moments that particularly challenged or pushed you to experiment in new ways, whether in production or instrumentation?

Oh yea! Even though there had been other songs or singles in my catalog where I played everything, this was the first VANIK album where I played drums on it completely. So it was a challenge as I’m primarily a guitar player. Not only did I play them, I engineered every aspect of it and got all the sounds by myself. I didn’t have another engineer around to help me move mics, someone else dial in a tone while I play or anything like that. This part of the production was done in my basement at my house in-between tours. I would write a bunch of riffs and vocal lines on the road and then when I got home I would lay down drums afterwards. So in many ways this was done backwards from what I am normally used too. I fucking looooooove challenges. Once I start feeling comfortable I don’t feel right. I like to always dig deeper into the production or whatever. I’m not a lazy person. I don’t like to give up, but I need to exercise my mind otherwise I will be miserable.

– This album has a lot of fast-paced and raw elements, yet some of the music brings a nostalgic and even cinematic feel. Do you think this is a nod to certain eras of music or a way to blend genres you’ve enjoyed over the years?

I do a lot of writing for TV and film so the epic sensibilities of that type of music carries over I would imagine. As a fan of soundtracks and orchestral music, naturally they will weave their way into the hard pounding rock stuff. I think my grand vision of VANIK is beyond what I am capable of. One day Ill be able to come close to the grand epicness of the live experience, it’s just going to take a lot of time and work. I am up for it though!!

– You’ve spoken before about the concept of creating music quickly, which brings a certain urgency to the sound. How does this approach affect your connection to the final product, knowing that it captures an immediate burst of creativity?

The feeling of «urgency» is so important to me! I view rock n roll this way as that’s what I have seen and love about the artists I’m inspired by. I think metal especially has gotten to «safe» in recent times. So if there isn’t any sort of struggle in the music or performances, it just doesn’t work as well for me (in rock n roll). We all have defects and that’s okay. So the only way I can use «urgency» to my advantage is by giving myself a defined deadline. This way I can make sure I’m in the moment at the edge of my seat wanting to capture that thing that first spews out. Once that happens, I know when to move on. I’ve gotten better over the years excepting this.

– Finally, if you could create a «musical horror story» that listeners could immerse themselves in, complete with visuals, what would the main story or concept be? How might the narrative blend with Vanik’s distinctive music style?

I am currently writing a movie with music to go along with it so this will come to reveal itself soon! But the story I have in mind isn’t complete within a (1) 1:20 hr movie.

-That’s all from our side. Thanks again for answering to these questions. If you’d like to add some final words; it’s your turn.

I have been putting the VANIK band off to the side for some time now but my plans as of October 2024 moving forward are to continue and have multiple releases per year!