Urväsen Interview

 1For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the solo project?

Urväsen is something I've been wanting to do for quite some time, but I haven't had the opportunity to record it until now. I've mostly worked with other people previously, but I wanted full control over Urväsen.

2.In October you had released an ep, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?

It's basically music that I would like to listen to myself. I like longer songs that gives me the chance to get in a certain mood. For it to work I think that songs have to stray from a traditional structure, so that was my aim. Regarding inspiration I'm a big fan of Roman Saenkos various bands.

3.A lot of your lyrics cover heritage and anti-globalization themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in these topics?

They are connected, at least in the sense that I think of them. I'm Swedish so I'm writing about my heritage. Like most Swedes my family have a rural background. That means a strong connection to the land and nature. The lyrics to Fåror contains a lot of those thoughts on being connected to the ground, a link in a chain and very much a part of those that came before me.

Globalization is a force that very much works to break that bond. At first it was on a material level. Small scale farming became economically infeasible so people had to move to the cities to survive. The bond didn't break because of that but the material conditions changed.

Later on there was a push to promote rootlessness. Being unbound was seen as desirable while being rooted in a place was seen as old fashioned and backwards. This seems to be the norm now. A lot of people seem to be oblivious to what they're giving up for the illusion of being unbound. To me it looks similar to when indians sold Manhattan for a bunch of cheap pearls.

4.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Urväsen'?

I don't think it's possible to translate it properly but the prefix Ur means original or first, like first men would translate to urmänniskor. Väsen is creature or being. In swedish väsen is usually used to describe mythological beings. So Urväsen means original beings, similar to HP Lovecratfts Great old ones. It's both a reference to those who came before us as well as the mythical past that shaped us.

5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the ep cover?

It's a photo from where I'm from. There was a man across the river from our family farm who bought a camera in early 20th century. Since no one else had a camera he became the photographer for the villages close by. 

6.With this project you record everything by yourself, are you open to working with other musicians or do you prefer to work solo?

Urväsen will be a solo project for a couple of reasons. I have previously worked with others and played in bands and if time permits I will probably do it in the future as well.

7.So far very little is known about the project, do you prefer to keep a lower profile?

Yes, I like to keep a low profile. It's not some big secret who I am and my friends know that I'm behind Urväsen. I just don't see a point in being public about it. 

8.Currently you are unsigned, are you looking for a label or have received any interest?

I set out to release Fåror myself, but I have been approached by labels with discussions of releasing Urväsen material through labels.

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?

Fåror has been well received. As I release it myself it's not widely distributed, but black metal was never about quantity.

10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician during the future?

A full length will be out sometime 2024. I will start recording in a couple of weeks, but due to time constraints I'm not sure how long the recording process will take. As for the future in general I will try to deeper explore the themes of Urväsen.

11.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?

Regarding metal, since I'm swedish I grew up on death metal. Dismember, Unleashed, early Entombed and that kind of stuff. Older nordic and french black metal has also been an inspiration. Traditional swedish folk music has also been a huge inspiration. There's a melancholic mood to some of the folk songs that I enjoy. But I like music in general so I find there are interesting artist in most genres.

For recent stuff I really like the new Kaevum album. The Blutschwur album is also one of the best new albums. Faidra just released a new album that seems good. I listened to it a couple of times, but I usually listen to a select few albums a lot so we will see if the new Faidra album is good or great. 

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

Look backwards and inwards. We are but a branch on a great tree.

https://urvaesen.bandcamp.com/album/f-ror