1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
The band’s inception goes back to 2021 when I was in the army. We just took some riffs from my solo project and tried to put some drums and bass in the background. In the summer of 2021 we started taking things more seriously, especially when it came to the songwriting and ended up with Warhorn. The image of the band and music revolves around the events of Estonia’s past, especially the more significant ones in recent times like wars, revolutions, mass deportation etc.
2.So far you have released a demo, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical style that you went for on the recording?
Musically we want to accommodate that sadness, depression and oppression into our music with melancholy leads and screeching or mellow clean vocals. Since I’ve always wanted to mix clean singing and guitar parts with black metal, this kinda was the culmination of that.
3.Your lyrics cover the history and wars of Estonia, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?
Since I have MA in archaeology, the history of Estonia has always been near and dear to my heart. The first period of independence and especially WWII are still somewhat talked about in family circles and they remain in our collective memory, which was most likely the main reason for choosing to write these kinds of lyrics.
4.Originally the band was called 'Sauthaz', what was the cause of the name change and also what is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Vare'?
Well we had to choose the first name, right. It had nothing to do with anything and just sounded cool, since almost all of the band members were somewhat interested in Germanic mythology (Sauthaz, meaning grave). Since we adopted the Estonian thematic, we had to come up with something related to our history. Therefore, we started looking and came across a sacrificial site term, called “ahervare.” Since it was a bit longer and quite a mouthful we just changed it to “Vare.”
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the demo cover?
I had a rather similar idea with the artwork since starting writing the songs - it represents the “journey eastward” which quite literally is the album name in estonian. The picture is about concentration camp workers building a railroad in the deep winter, which seemed to capture the essence quite well.
6.Has the band done any live shows or open to the idea?
No, we haven’t done any live shows due to me being abroad since the beginning of November but we are definitely open to the idea of live shows if the opportunity arises and everyone is in close proximity to each other.
7.The ep was released on 'Warhorn Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
To be honest, the bassist and the drummer met Patrick on a fateful day in McDonalds. Afterwards the main objective for the band was to finish up the demo and send it to Warhorn who accepted us with open arms after quite a hassle with trying to restructure/redo songs.
8.On a worldwide level, how has the reaction been to your music by fans of black metal?
Mostly quite mixed, we’ve gotten some really good but also average feedback
9.Are any of the band members currently involved with any other bands or musical projects these days?
Yes, our lead guitarist is actually in quite a famous Estonian band called “Tankist,” drummer is also in another project called “Hasswald” and bassist in a somewhat known black metal band called “Kaev.”
10.When can we expect a full length and also where do you see yourself heading into as a musician in the future?
Hopefully in a year or 2 but it depends if I’m able to compose music when being abroad and trying to get a PhD.
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?
Most of my influence is most likely from Burzum, stereotypical as it is, but still. MGLA is definitely the runner up since their melodies and the way they make melodies really hits home. Funnily enough most of the recent influence has come from a band called Sleep Token, which I’m also listening to most nowadays. For some reason these modern metal bands like Vildhjarta are really strongly affecting my music. Even Polyphia has managed to become a major influence these days. When it comes to black metal, from the bigger bands, I’m quite fond of MGLA, Drudkh, Marduk and Batushka but also from lesser known ones, Kanonenfieber and Ulvik (track named “Baaltis” for some reason really stuck with me)
12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
I thank you for this opportunity you have provided me and my band. Hopefully we could be able to have a 1 on 1 interview via the web in the future when the possible full release is coming out, since writing just isn’t the same :)
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