Napalm Records Artist Heidvolk Interview is up

Heidvolk Interview

by Rowan

1. For those of us in North America tell about the proud history of Heidevolk ..
ROWAN: There are still people unaware of us? Well, lets change that. Heidevolk started out in 2002 as a band that wanted to combine choir like vocals with folk metal. Through time this resulted in a original style of pagan folk metal with two clean, male vocalists (with the occasional grunt an growl of course). For 5 years we did everything on our own but in 2007 it was time to expand so we joined a label. Now after 4 full length albums, 5 European tours, lots of festivals it is time to cross the atlantic for the first time for the PAGANFEST AMERICA tour.

2. You have been working with Napalm for yrs how did you come to work with them and have they made the band proud..
ROWAN: Yes, we started at Napalm in 2007 after we released the WODAN HEERST MCD. At that point Heidevolk just needed a label as we were growing faster then we could cope with ourselves. It was the time that I was the best customer at the post office, sending CD's and T-Shirts around the world. So this was something we couldn't maintain anymore. When we decided we needed a label Napalm already approached us.
In my opinion Napalm is doing a really good job in promotion and distribution and that is what a good label should do. In our creations: music, lyrical and visual we are very autonomic as a band and they let us have that freedom.

3. Your sound to me is a mix of Viking, Folk and Thrash metal. Were you influenced by bands like Falkenbach, Thryfing or Mithotyn?
ROWAN: Those bands are in almost all of our CD collections. So, yeah I guess they have been an influence. I remember when Thyrfing released their first albums, at first I thought it was funny and different but after a while I felt it was refreshing and I got quite hooked on it. At the time Heidevolk was forming all were determined to start a pagan folk band. The bands mentioned weren't the only influence of course. When you listen to our music you can hear a lot of different style influences. This derives from the diverse taste of music within our band. Truth be told Heidevolk was always more about metal then folk, we use folk influences because we like it and it tells the story we like to convey.

4. Your video for "Als De Dood Weer Naar Ons Lacht"  is very impressive how did it come about and is there a deeper meaning behind it ?
ROWAN: The story behind the video covers part of the concept on BATAVI. It is the part where the BATAVI warriors revolt against the Roman Empire. Essentially it is a quest for freedom for the main character in the video, although he dies at the end.

5. Will Heidevolk be coming to North America for any shows or tours in 2012?
ROWAN: Well, because of our lazy asses we are in 2013, and i can tell you: yes, we will cross the Atlantic this spring. We'll be playing the PAGANFEST AMERICA tour along with our friends from Ensiferum, Tyr, Trollfest and Hellsot. Tourdates are already up on our website.

6. Being from Netherlands and not Scandinavia or Germany to you feel your Heathen side/sound comes from a different path?
ROWAN: Being all germanic countries and cultures the roots derive from the same well although there are slight differences of course. In our country the gods have different names and also their character is a bit different from the Northern cultures. We have some interesting facts about mythology on our website, you should check that out.

7. Is there a running theme on Batavi or just a collection of stunning epic metal tracks?
ROWAN: I would definitely say it has a running theme throughout the album as it is a concept album about the BATAVI. A tribe originated in Germany that traveled to the part of the Netherlands where we are from. The story takes place during the reign of the Roman Empire. From first song to last it takes you through their search for a new home, the settling in the Netherlands, the alliance with the Roman Empire, the service in the army of the Roman Empire and eventually the revolt agains the Romans.

8. Your website http://www.heidevolk.com is impressive do you feel a band need a good website in 2012?
ROWAN: Yes, in fact we restyled the whole thing and added some social media feeds. Nowadays the social media are a great way to communicate with fans and other people that have interest for the band and its concept. So a website is important, though social media are equally or more important nowadays.

9. Are the Members are fans of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Google +) , Internet Radio, Digital music and Webzines or do you like more traditional promotional needs?
ROWAN: Wow, that is a lot of media you are naming there. It depends on our individual characters. Some of us are to be found on Facebook every day, others have a hard time logging in once a week. Speaking for myself, I like to be a bit up to date on these matters so you can definitely find me roaming the world wide web.
To be honest i just discovered internet radio, i'm more of "listen-to-the-whole-album-man" myself but I bought a device that also plays internet radio. This proves to be a great way to discover new bands and music. I think webzines also add something to that.
Now, digital music is a subject that is more difficult. I suspect you are revering to MP3s etc. I have a descent music collection (CD's) and i remember of each and every album where and why I bought it. I always read the whole booklet, delve into the artwork lyrics etc. Add to that the difference in quality of a CD vs MP3 when listening to it on a descent sound system. These things combined make it a yet unmatched product. I think when digital music can equal that experience you will find me downloading (legally of course hahaha). Until that I will buy CD's which are almost always about the same price as digital downloads. I'll rip the CD's to listen to them on my iPhone when traveling.


10. If someone that never heard Heidevolk how would you explain the band to them?
ROWAN: A bunch of stubborn crazy dutch men that picked a cool hobby, hahaha. Well actually, that is basically the story. It is still a hobby. Although it is a big, time consuming hobby, we all work 5 days a week next to Heidevolk.
We write about the things we like and inspire us. We started out with songs about mythology, nature, drinking (especially the first CD) and historic events. Nowadays, things are a bit more grown up and sophisticated.
So put the above metioned background in a blender, add to that: Folk, Heavy Metal, a bit of Black and Death, some Thrash (metal), stir it and top it off with dual clean vocals and tadaa Heidevolk.

11. Heidevolk have had a very stable lineup for many yrs is that important for the bands sound and growth?
ROWAN: It is, each member has its own influence on the sound, so the more stable the line up the steadier the sound. Of course we evolve as persons and musicians and gradually our sound gets a bit more sophisticated. For growth it is very important to all have kind of the same vision on how things should become. If we're not on the same line then there is a problem. Sebas, one of the founders of the band left us, it was his own choice. He was gradually moving on to something different then Heidevolk and it has been a good decision for him to leave. Now he can focus on other musical projects.

12. If a major label offered the band a contract would you do so or is the indie scene a better place for bands like Heidevolk?
ROWAN: We're quite happy with the indie scene although I still think there are lot more that would enjoy Heidevolk that we do not reach now. It has always been a thing of us to appeal to a lot of people during a mainstream festival. There a lot of people who love to hear this kind of raw music, just not only this music. Being on a indie label those people are harder to reach.
But the again this is not the main goal of Heidevolk. Ours is to create the music we love and share this with as much people as we can. Although I would love to live from music, Heidevolk is not the vessel for that. We would have to make choices that we rather don't. I mean, how commercially successful is the combo singing dutch and making metal? I think both are not the right choice if you want to hit it "big". So yeah, quite happy with an indie label although we would of course always consider a major offer. Just don't expect us to throw over the wheel for that and move to Rap or R&B hahaha.

13. What is a live show
ROWAN: Dude, are you serious? You should come to our show! I think a show well played is when you feed the crowd with energy from the stage and they return it by going absolutely crazy. So, both band and crowd having a good time. This is something you'll see with Heidevolk, we're not only there to entertain but also to be entertained! So check out one or two of our shows during PAGANFEST AMERICA 2013!

Thank you very much for the interview and the original questions!