Interview with Winterlore

                               
                                                                       





Interview done by: Daemon Black







USBMS would like to thank Winterlore for their time.
 






1. Before we get started can i ask you to introduce your self and the members of Winterlore to our readers and also give us a brief history of how and when Winterlore was created?














Winterlore consists of Thorstein on vocals/bass, Thorolf and R. Sodomizer on guitars/vocals and Nortaath on drums. Winterlore has been a project that has been off and on since 2005, we have had the same 3 band members for the majority of that time frame while the fourth member slot has always given us trouble.

2. you guys took a 5 year hiatus from the band, what was the driving force behind starting up Winterlore again in 2010?












I think we all just got the itch and time to be playing black metal as a band again. That and with a new member joining the ranks (now departed Helgrim) helped revitalize the energy and song writing going into it.

3. Were any members involved in any other projects while Winterlore was on hold?














Thorolf has been working on a solo project entitled 'Ered Wethrin', which will hopefully see a release by years end via Northern Silence. Thorstein had a solo project Mørkvinter that he recorded a demo for. Nortaath has one solo project entitled city at worlds end that was self released.

                                                                     

    









4. Can you explain to us what the lyrical concept of Winterlore's music is and who is behind the creation of the lyrics for the band?














Four Swords Against the Pious says a lot about the anti-religion aspect of our lyrics. We also have the more fantasy based lyrics that conjure darkness, solitude, war, winter's lore, etc. The members of Winterlore wrote all lyrics except for 2 songs written by a friend Bill Drew.

5. You guys recently added a new guitarist, how has the addition worked out so far, and how has it change the sound?














The addition has been great! The sound hasn't quite changed as he hasn't been able to write for Winterlore as of yet, but R. Sodomizer tends to be a quick learner and will undoubtedly leave his mark with the band's next release. 

6. Winterlore has played a decent amount of shows in its tenure. Can you tell us which show in particular has been the most memorable thus far for the band?


















Probably our CD release show. We summoned hefty a winter storm (literally) that night as we have on almost every show we've played. Our albums initially had technical difficulties in the printing process so we unfortunately couldn't sell them at the release show. Two of the four bands dropped off and combined with the snow, the turnout was surprisingly good despite the circumstances.

7. Give us some insight about what a person who has never seen a Winterlore live performance could expect from one of your shows?






















Expect to hear something you wouldn't otherwise get in the states. Winterlore brings an energetic vibe, a great live sound and a refreshing Scandinavian writing style to a nihilistic black metal filled country.

                                                                        












8. Currently you guys are signed to Slaughterhouse Records, How did this deal come about and have you guys been satisfied with the relationship and the promotions for the CD?




















J.R. Torina/Slaughterhouse records has been a great relationship that goes back beyond Wintlerlore days to a now out of operations metal shop 'The Abyss'. Slaughterhouse records is growing and we hope its future as with Winterlore's is strong.

9. Winterlore performs live in full corpse paint, What is your opinion on the importance of this tradition in Black Metal?


















Corpse painting is in-line with the anonymity we present using aliases. Since we were youngsters, it has helped give a certain darkened feel, which helped the energy of the band. As the craze over corpse painting has died out a bit, we find all the more reason to continue the tradition.

10. Can you tell us which "Metal" bands had the biggest impact on you guys growing up?














If we are keeping it simple: Darkthrone, Burzum and Bathory were a huge part of Winterlore's reason for existing. We all had other bands and other musical pleasures of course, but we all took cues from the aforementioned bands and there was no stopping us once we had the mindset to play black metal.

                                                                












11. Is there a certain band or person that inspired you guys to become Black Metal artists and play this type of extreme metal?














We loved the older black metal of Burzum and Darkthrone as mentioned previously, so once Nortaath introduced the idea of doing black metal to Thorolf (and leaving an at the time current death metal band) we were hooked. After a couple songs were written and had been rehearsed for a while, we introduced Thorstein to the material and we immediately started working on our demo; “Fire and Ice Upon the Throne of Might”.

12. How is the support for (Metal, Black Metal) in Utah, Is there a decent turnout at the shows and do local people get involved in spreading the word about bands?


















Salt Lake City isn't a metropolis of a city, so turnout is bound to be less than 50 for a show; but is known to hit over 100 or more. When Winterlore plays, the turnout seems to be above average due to the fact we don't play out frequently and our music and presence is something different for the local scene. Despite the size of SLC, its a very tight scene and the word of mouth is very large.

13. How has the overall feedback worldwide been concerning Winterlore's music, Have you garnered more interest from any certain country in-particular?


















We have gotten great feedback worldwide from the people that have heard us. Eastern Europe in particular has shown quite a large interest in us. Despite the old age of the band, our discography is still in its infancy. We hope with the attention we have gained from our first full length, we will have a wider reception surrounding our next.

                                                                    












14. Before we finish up this interview, tell our readers what they can expect from you guys in the future? and give us any final words you would like to add about Winterlore?




















Currently we are nearing the completion of the writing process for our second full-length. We are starting recording in November this year and we hope to have an early spring release. Our second album will have the classic black metal sound while moving the progression of our music forward with new elements we think fans of the genre will appreciate.

          For band contact and info visit

          https://www.facebook.com/winterlore

          http://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Winterlore/58061