interview with From The Vastland
What´s the name of your band? From The Vastland
What made you call the band "From The Vastland"? It has some reasons but the most important are, I am from Iran(Persia), one of the biggest empire in ancient time and on the other hand I see the Black Metal music like a land without any borders in the world so, I called my band "From The Vastland".
How was the band formed? it was about 4 years ago when I decided to work on my very personal and special music project after more than 10 years activity in Black Metal scene...in this project everything is related to my inner feelings...
Can you tell about your band? I started to record my music as a Black Metal one man band project in 2010, my first album "darkness vs. light, the perpetual battle" released by "Arx Production" and "A5 Prod" the Ukrainian label companies in 2011 but after 2 years my second album "Kamarikan" released by great Norwegian label company "Indie Recordings" and after that I had chance to work with professional and great musician like "Vyl" (Keep of Kallesin/Gorgoroth), "Tjalve" (Den Saakaaldte/Pantheon I/ 1349) also Destructhor (Morbid Angel/Myrkskog) and "Terje" (Chton/Khonsu)...
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? Since it is my personal project so, I am the main member of the band but In this time it is my pleasure that I am working with Vyl and Tjalve and we just finished recording of the new album of "From The Vastland"
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? Well, I had many dreams for my music project and still I have..! I just listened to call of my soul, something from inside...but making a good music, working with other musicians, playing live on big stage, releasing the albums (and many other things..! ) are always are my ambitions.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? It is Norwegian Old School Black Metal. Something like early 90's BM music.
Where was your first gig? At inferno Festival ( Oslo - Norway ) 2013
Where was the latest gig? Actually playing at inferno Festival was the first and the only until now..!
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write all of the materials of the albums.
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? I always like to know about the weak points of my music to solve it and make a better music. I think the good things about the band is I want to make real music with passion and art in its heart. we are a Black Metal band.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? Well, for me picking a music style that I wanted to work on it was not something that I want to choose it..! because it is my passion so, I never thought that I want to work in any other genres as a main project.
all of my lyrics are about ancient Persian history, myths, legends and etc. there are a lot of epic stories in ancient Persian(Iran) history and that are proper for Black Metal...battles between good and evil, darkness and light and etc..!
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? I write all the materials but for sure when we want to record the songs every ones put his feelings and profession on his part to make that better, finally we work together.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? Yes, actually I had another band wich is called "Sorg Innkallese" and I had 11 albums with that band also I made 2 albums under the name "From The Vastland" until now: - Darkness Vs. light, the perpetual battle 2011, - Kamarikan 2013
Do you have any clips on YouTube? Yes, simply you can find some of the tracks, promotion video and etc. of the band on youtube also I put all of the links on official website of the band.
How old are you?/What got you started in music? I am 35, well, I grew up in a family who my parents were fan of Rock music so, I was familiar with some kind of rock music like Pink Floyd, Camel, Eloy and etc. and after some years when I was in teen ages I found myself as a serious fan of metal music and then step by step I went further...!
At what age did you start playing? It was too late..! around 22
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? Actually as I told you for me the playing at Inferno stage last year was the first and only but you know the band members are professional musicians and they have tons of experience on stage with many bands like Morbid Angel, Keep Of Kallesin, Pantheon I and etc.
What year was the band started? 2010
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? In this time I am working to see when we can be ready for doing a gig and Probably we will play somewhere in Norway again but I really like to play in some European countries like France, Germany, Poland, Sweden and Finland.
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? As a live concert I think that was a special Satyricon Show with "Nocturno Culto" and "Snorre Ruch" as guest members...one of the best...
Is it always the same songs live? No, we have plan to play songs of the new albums.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? Releasing the new album that we have recorded now also doing a live concert.
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Well, I think it is all about the energy and your inside feelings when you want to play on stage. doing good rehearsing before the show also preparing yourself mentally makes you be ready to do your best with full of your energy on stage.
What are your goals with your music? I always have big dreams for my music/band in my mind. I want to be somewhere in top, I really like to be better day by day, it is something that is really important for me. I want to continue my way in music and make a good music, work with great musicians and play on all international stages. the quality of art/music is really important for me.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? Since this is my passion so, I was really serious from the first day that I started to work on my music.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Well, I really like Old School Back Metal and you know you can find really great BM bands in early 90's so, I prefer older bands however, these days you can find really good new bands from all around the world...so, I can say both of them, it depends...
What are your sources of inspiration? good music and Nature..! actually except music, nature is one of the most inspirational source for me. I always trying to keep myself close to the nature. this is something that I need..! it makes me refresh, prepared and ready to make music...it is like an eternal source...
What's the first step when making a new song? Normally it starts with a riff, actually first I have an idea to what kind of song I wanna write for example something with fast starting or clean guitar etc. then I start to work in some main riffs then I extend them and make them bigger and more complete.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? That is a serious problem that we face with it nowadays...people prefer to download music or even stream it on some websites instead of buying physical release. you know because of digital stuffs it is now easier and cheaper but it makes a serious problem in the near future because if you don't support your favorite musician with buying their physical release then they can't continue their works and make a good music for you...
What would be your dreams for the band? Having an album somewhere in top of the international metal charts is just one of my dreams..!
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Beside Black Metal I really like to listen to some Neo Folk/Classical music.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? If something happens and keep me away from music..!
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? Actually there is no fear, just normally you have a little stress and you know that is a good thing because it is helpful to concentrate and focus on your playing also it run more adrenaline in your blood..!
Have you been part of any other projects? Yes, I was involved with some other metal projet of my friends before and helped them in different ways like artworks, studio works, lyrics and etc,.
Have you been in any other bands? Yes, I had another black metal band which is called "Sorg Innkallelse" and we released 11 albums.
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? I am a web/graphic designer, actually web/graphic designing is my job also my interest.
How important are your fans? I always like to have contact and good relation with my fans, it is really important for me to get their feedback because it is always helpful. it gives you more energy, motivation and power to continue your way also it is helpful to understand about the weak points of your music.
How often do you rehearse? Normally playing guitar and working on my music is part my everyday life.
Where do you rehearse? Most of my rehearsings are in my home but sometimes I go to the studio with my friends.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? "Kamarikan" and "vortex of empty cosmos"
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? I saw really good shows from famous bands...if I want to mention to some of them I can say I liked "Behemoth", "Taake" and "Satyricon" live shows...
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? I think the most important thing is passion about the music...you know, it is enjoyable when you play at live concert or when you release your new album but I think passion is the only thing that makes you serious to fight with all of difficulties for your music also it gives you motivation to keep it and never give it up...
Do you have any webpages?
What made you call the band "From The Vastland"? It has some reasons but the most important are, I am from Iran(Persia), one of the biggest empire in ancient time and on the other hand I see the Black Metal music like a land without any borders in the world so, I called my band "From The Vastland".
How was the band formed? it was about 4 years ago when I decided to work on my very personal and special music project after more than 10 years activity in Black Metal scene...in this project everything is related to my inner feelings...
Can you tell about your band? I started to record my music as a Black Metal one man band project in 2010, my first album "darkness vs. light, the perpetual battle" released by "Arx Production" and "A5 Prod" the Ukrainian label companies in 2011 but after 2 years my second album "Kamarikan" released by great Norwegian label company "Indie Recordings" and after that I had chance to work with professional and great musician like "Vyl" (Keep of Kallesin/Gorgoroth), "Tjalve" (Den Saakaaldte/Pantheon I/ 1349) also Destructhor (Morbid Angel/Myrkskog) and "Terje" (Chton/Khonsu)...
Where are all band members from?/Who does what in the band? Since it is my personal project so, I am the main member of the band but In this time it is my pleasure that I am working with Vyl and Tjalve and we just finished recording of the new album of "From The Vastland"
What was the ambitions of the band when you started? Well, I had many dreams for my music project and still I have..! I just listened to call of my soul, something from inside...but making a good music, working with other musicians, playing live on big stage, releasing the albums (and many other things..! ) are always are my ambitions.
Could you explain your music to someone that haven't heard you? It is Norwegian Old School Black Metal. Something like early 90's BM music.
Where was your first gig? At inferno Festival ( Oslo - Norway ) 2013
Where was the latest gig? Actually playing at inferno Festival was the first and the only until now..!
Who writes your songs?/Who writes the music who writes lyrics? I write all of the materials of the albums.
What's good/bad with the band?/What genre do you feel you are? I always like to know about the weak points of my music to solve it and make a better music. I think the good things about the band is I want to make real music with passion and art in its heart. we are a Black Metal band.
Why did you pick that particular style?/What are your songs about? Well, for me picking a music style that I wanted to work on it was not something that I want to choose it..! because it is my passion so, I never thought that I want to work in any other genres as a main project.
all of my lyrics are about ancient Persian history, myths, legends and etc. there are a lot of epic stories in ancient Persian(Iran) history and that are proper for Black Metal...battles between good and evil, darkness and light and etc..!
Do you write your own material or mainly covers? I write all the materials but for sure when we want to record the songs every ones put his feelings and profession on his part to make that better, finally we work together.
Have you made any albums?/If yes what are they? Yes, actually I had another band wich is called "Sorg Innkallese" and I had 11 albums with that band also I made 2 albums under the name "From The Vastland" until now: - Darkness Vs. light, the perpetual battle 2011, - Kamarikan 2013
Do you have any clips on YouTube? Yes, simply you can find some of the tracks, promotion video and etc. of the band on youtube also I put all of the links on official website of the band.
How old are you?/What got you started in music? I am 35, well, I grew up in a family who my parents were fan of Rock music so, I was familiar with some kind of rock music like Pink Floyd, Camel, Eloy and etc. and after some years when I was in teen ages I found myself as a serious fan of metal music and then step by step I went further...!
At what age did you start playing? It was too late..! around 22
How old were you guys when you first stood on stage? Actually as I told you for me the playing at Inferno stage last year was the first and only but you know the band members are professional musicians and they have tons of experience on stage with many bands like Morbid Angel, Keep Of Kallesin, Pantheon I and etc.
What year was the band started? 2010
What places will you be playing in in the imidate future? In this time I am working to see when we can be ready for doing a gig and Probably we will play somewhere in Norway again but I really like to play in some European countries like France, Germany, Poland, Sweden and Finland.
Witch band is the best you´ve seen? As a live concert I think that was a special Satyricon Show with "Nocturno Culto" and "Snorre Ruch" as guest members...one of the best...
Is it always the same songs live? No, we have plan to play songs of the new albums.
What are the plans for the rest of the year? Releasing the new album that we have recorded now also doing a live concert.
How do you get psyched up for a gig? Well, I think it is all about the energy and your inside feelings when you want to play on stage. doing good rehearsing before the show also preparing yourself mentally makes you be ready to do your best with full of your energy on stage.
What are your goals with your music? I always have big dreams for my music/band in my mind. I want to be somewhere in top, I really like to be better day by day, it is something that is really important for me. I want to continue my way in music and make a good music, work with great musicians and play on all international stages. the quality of art/music is really important for me.
When did you decide to go all in for the music? Since this is my passion so, I was really serious from the first day that I started to work on my music.
Is it easier to get your inspiration from older bands or from bands more modern? Well, I really like Old School Back Metal and you know you can find really great BM bands in early 90's so, I prefer older bands however, these days you can find really good new bands from all around the world...so, I can say both of them, it depends...
What are your sources of inspiration? good music and Nature..! actually except music, nature is one of the most inspirational source for me. I always trying to keep myself close to the nature. this is something that I need..! it makes me refresh, prepared and ready to make music...it is like an eternal source...
What's the first step when making a new song? Normally it starts with a riff, actually first I have an idea to what kind of song I wanna write for example something with fast starting or clean guitar etc. then I start to work in some main riffs then I extend them and make them bigger and more complete.
How do you feel about the downloading of music instead of buying albums? That is a serious problem that we face with it nowadays...people prefer to download music or even stream it on some websites instead of buying physical release. you know because of digital stuffs it is now easier and cheaper but it makes a serious problem in the near future because if you don't support your favorite musician with buying their physical release then they can't continue their works and make a good music for you...
What would be your dreams for the band? Having an album somewhere in top of the international metal charts is just one of my dreams..!
Besides your own music, what genres and bands do you listen to? Beside Black Metal I really like to listen to some Neo Folk/Classical music.
What would be your greatest fears for the future? If something happens and keep me away from music..!
When you are on stage, what do you fear most then? Actually there is no fear, just normally you have a little stress and you know that is a good thing because it is helpful to concentrate and focus on your playing also it run more adrenaline in your blood..!
Have you been part of any other projects? Yes, I was involved with some other metal projet of my friends before and helped them in different ways like artworks, studio works, lyrics and etc,.
Have you been in any other bands? Yes, I had another black metal band which is called "Sorg Innkallelse" and we released 11 albums.
What do you work with outside of the band and the music? I am a web/graphic designer, actually web/graphic designing is my job also my interest.
How important are your fans? I always like to have contact and good relation with my fans, it is really important for me to get their feedback because it is always helpful. it gives you more energy, motivation and power to continue your way also it is helpful to understand about the weak points of your music.
How often do you rehearse? Normally playing guitar and working on my music is part my everyday life.
Where do you rehearse? Most of my rehearsings are in my home but sometimes I go to the studio with my friends.
Name 2 of your own songs you like at the moment? "Kamarikan" and "vortex of empty cosmos"
What do you feel is the best live band you've seen? I saw really good shows from famous bands...if I want to mention to some of them I can say I liked "Behemoth", "Taake" and "Satyricon" live shows...
What drives a band that isn't all that famous and renowned to try to make a living on their music and to keep playing? I think the most important thing is passion about the music...you know, it is enjoyable when you play at live concert or when you release your new album but I think passion is the only thing that makes you serious to fight with all of difficulties for your music also it gives you motivation to keep it and never give it up...
Do you have any webpages?
www.fromthevastland.com
www.facebook.com/fromthevastland
www.myspace.com/fromthevastland
How do you view the music industry of today? During past years we saw so many good things that happened in music industry for example easy access for people to make music with digital stuffs also social media and websites are really helpful to spread your music but you know everything has both good and bad sides...so, I think there was some negative things with new wave of media streaming and etc. in music industry but after all I think real and good music will find its own way again...
What advice would you like to give other bands? Just keep up their good works, think to the value of real art, make a good music and don't follow the commercial waves...
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? Falling in non-creative circle and going a wrong way.
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? The good thing about playing at club is you can play a lot of time and it makes you to enjoy yourself and you are close to people but I think after a short time it makes you to stay at a level and it will be like a barrier to improvement...
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Old school, dark and stormy with a sadness in its heart.
Do you have anything to add? I just wanted to say thanks to all of people, friends and fans that support me, they give me energy to continue my works in music, It is highly appreciated.
www.facebook.com/fromthevastland
www.myspace.com/fromthevastland
How do you view the music industry of today? During past years we saw so many good things that happened in music industry for example easy access for people to make music with digital stuffs also social media and websites are really helpful to spread your music but you know everything has both good and bad sides...so, I think there was some negative things with new wave of media streaming and etc. in music industry but after all I think real and good music will find its own way again...
What advice would you like to give other bands? Just keep up their good works, think to the value of real art, make a good music and don't follow the commercial waves...
What are the biggest obstacles for a band? Falling in non-creative circle and going a wrong way.
What is best/worst with playing the clubs? The good thing about playing at club is you can play a lot of time and it makes you to enjoy yourself and you are close to people but I think after a short time it makes you to stay at a level and it will be like a barrier to improvement...
How would you describe your sound in one sentence Old school, dark and stormy with a sadness in its heart.
Do you have anything to add? I just wanted to say thanks to all of people, friends and fans that support me, they give me energy to continue my works in music, It is highly appreciated.