Interviews: Eld Varg

On this new occasion, we had the opportunity to interview the Metal band Eld Varg from Scotland. Check out the interview and follow this band on their FACEBOOK PAGE.

1. Where did you get the idea for the band name? You planned it, or did it just come out like that?

In the early days of the band, when I was just writing music for fun, which would end up becoming the first Eld Varg record, One Man Army, I needed a name to save it under on the computer. All of the bands I was listening to at the time (and pretty much now too) were Swedish. Grand Magus, Sabaton, Ghost, Amon Amarth, Wolf, etc, so it seemed logical to name it Swedish. Fire Wolf sounded good in English, so the translation to Eld Varg is where it landed!

2. Why did you want to play this genre?

I had always been drawn to heavy guitars and strong melodies, so combining the 2 was the obvious choice for the songs. Grand Magus was the main inspiration for this. The songs and writing have developed over the years, but the core elements of heavy guitars and melodic vocals remain to this day, and will continue on!

3. Did you know each other before the band was formed?

Andy and Micah knew each other from another band, so when I was forming Eld Varg into a full live band, Micah was recruited first on bass, and as Andy was looking for another project in the metal realm, he was drafted in.

4. Each band member's favourite band?

For myself, Grand Magus is the obvious answer. They inspired me to start Eld Varg and changed the way that I approached the guitar and songwriting.

For Andy - NOFX - my first ever gig was Gig on the Green, the Saturday (rock and metal day) of a weekend festival in Glasgow, at the age of 12. Having never heard the band, I saw them play live and was completely blown away. It’s what directed me towards a mostly fast and hard punk music taste in my teens.

For Micah, Mastodon would be near the top of the list. They just ticked so many boxes as I was growing up, and they had a big influence on my guitar playing; they’ve been a constant ever since. They’ve heavily returned into my music rotation since the untimely passing of Brent Hinds.

5. Who or what inspires you to write songs?

I think it’s just sheer passion for guitar and music. Most songs start with the main guitar riff and go from there. It’s just a lot of fun working on and seeing where a song goes from an initial idea. Lyrically, there are 2 sides to each song, the main theme of the song and the “Viking paint” over the top. And it’s fun to explore both of those and make them both fit into a song together.

6. Where was your last gig?

Our last batch of gigs was supporting Brave the Sea on their UK tour, which was great. We travelled to places we hadn’t been to before, played for a ton of new people, and made new fans along the way. Before that, we played at Call of the Wild Festival, which was incredible. A great festival, and incredible fans, we’d love to return someday.

7. Where would you like to play?

A tour across Europe would be great. We’ve had a lot of interest and fans in mainland Europe, especially Germany, so it would be great to make it there. And for festivals, Wacken and Bloodstock are definitely top of the list!

8. Who would you like to support?

In case it’s not clear yet, Grand Magus! Inspired the creation of the band from the start, so it would be great to head out on the road with them. They seem like a great bunch of guys, and have a great touring crew, who knows!

9. Who not?

We’ve supported many bands over the years, and have had an incredible time with most of them. But we supported a sizable band before, who shall remain nameless, who shouted at and belittled their road crew, and didn’t interact with us once. So definitely not any band that conducts themselves like that!

10. Have any of you ever suffered from stage fright? Any tips for beginners on how to beat that? 

I think there are always nerves to a certain extent beforehand, but we’re usually good to go after hitting that first note. One of our first gigs was playing to a sold-out Classic Grand in Glasgow supporting Florence Black, so that was quite a step up! I think the key to tackling any nerves is to have everything learned as if you could play it in your sleep!

11. What bands have inspired you the most?

Kiss inspired me to pick up a guitar in the first place. The stage show blew my mind as a kid! I then stepped into Metallica as I started playing guitar, so that took me down the metal path. Then the discovery of Scandinavian, especially Swedish metal, changed it all! I would say Amon Amarth, Wintersun, and Ningen Isu would be key influences these days. And of course, Grand Magus, I need say no more!

12. What's the weirdest thing a fan has ever asked you for?

I don’t think we’ve had any particularly odd requests yet, but we still find it strange when we head to a new city we’ve not played before, and people know us, all the words to the songs, and our names! At our first gig, I was gifted an origami dragon, which I still have on my desk!

13. What do you think of your fans?

They’re incredible. The support has been there from day one, from the very first gig. We’ve met many people across the country who support us, and it’s always amazing to turn up in a new city and see people wearing our t-shirts. This extends overseas, too. We get a lot of messages from people who are asking us to come and play in their countries. Germany is high on the list; Argentina has some really dedicated fans, too. We hope that we can get out to meet them all one day.

14. What do you think of our site?

It’s great. I’ve followed it for some time online, and regularly dip in to see what new music is on the go and find out about bands in more detail.

15. Something to add?

Thank you to everybody who has supported us until this point, and to everybody joining us on our journey to the release of our new album, Destroyer, in November. We’re working hard to travel far and wide to perform for you all, and we will hopefully see you on the road soon! And of course, thank you for your time and the interview!