A band that’s been holding the torch high for the more brutal side of swedish death metal is definitley Volturyon. Their groovy riffs that gets stuck in your head together with violent lyrics and an absolute onslaught of crushing metal has got Volturyon their own slize of the swedeath cake. The band is in full speed on creating a fourth full-length album (with the EP ”Human Demolition” being released digitally in 2014 in between ”Coordinated Mutilation” and “Cleansed by Carnage”) but the road here haven’t been smooth sailing. I talk with the founder, and drummer, of Volturyon Christian Netzell on the history of the band, the present and future as we uncover some truths like where the name comes from and when will we get more information on the upcoming album!?
How did Volturyon start and what’s the main influences?
-Me and Johan Gustafsson (guitar) started the band back in 2005. I guess the main influence is the late 90’s American death metal scene. Both me and Johan listened and still listens a lot to bands like Nile/Deeds of Flesh/Dying Fetus. Nowadays inspiration maybe has changed a bit since Andreas Olander (guitar) and Oskar Pålsson (bass) has contributed with more and more songwriting. The main thing I guess is that we try to make good death metal songs without overshine them with technicality. I think the groove has been and still is one of the most important ingredients when we create music.
Volturyon started as Contortion in 2005 but eventually changed the name in 2007 to what it is today. Why did you decide to change name back then?
-We simply noticed that there were another band out there called Contortion so to avoid confusion we simply changed our name to Volturyon.
Where did you get the name Volturyon from?
-It’s made up. I think we had the word Vulture and then spinned of from there and came up with Volturyon.
You had Alexander Högbom as vocalist for quite a few years who now sings in October Tide and Demonical. Was it a mutual agreement that you saw coming or was it a big blow when he left?
-It was definetly a mutual agreement and something we discussed with Alexander for a while before the actual “break-up”. So the whole thing went really smooth without complications.
Speaking of vocalists you put out your search for a new vocalist on social media back in 2017. What made you go this route when looking?
-I think that social media is a great tool for these kind of things. We simply did this to have the opportunity to get the best replacement for Alexander available. After receiving the candidates we had a live audition where we finally picked Mikko Voutilainen to do the job.
It seems to have gone really well seeing you got Mikko Voutilainen who, going from the vocal covers, is a great fit for the band. Does Mikko live in Sweden or how do you guys operate otherwise as a band nowadays?
-Yeah it’s working really great with Mikko! With him living in Finland and me recently moving to Norway we are a bit spread out these days. But so far it’s been working great I think! As we are in the middle of making our new album right now everyone is busy rehearsing and polishing their contribution to the album. It’s all about online conversations and sending files back and forth really.
I know we are all dying to know, when will we get more information on the upcoming album!?
-We are half way through the recording of the new album with drums and guitars already tracked. Bass and vocals will be recorded as soon as we have schedules worked out for everyone involved. As we did on our last album “Cleansed by Carnage” we will record all instruments for our new album in separate studios. This is a great solution for the situation we’re in and it worked really great last time!
What song do you like playing the most live?
-The one that’s been more or less consistent in our live set since back when it was released is “Bloodsoaked solution”. Basically because it works great in a live environment and we all enjoy playing it.
Is there any festival you haven’t played yet that you’re dying to do one day?
-There are tons of cool festivals we haven’t played at and that we would like to attend. Brutal Assault in Czech Republic and Hellfest in France would be two candidates for sure!
When we are at the live subjects, what’s the craziest tour memory you have?
-Well there are a few! Maybe when we almost got stranded after attending the NRW Deathfest in Germany 2008 due to a flat tire and a lack of a car jack. You may be amazed by how inventive a bunch of over intoxicated metal heads can be. Or when we slept in an apartment totally free from furniture in Glasgow, Scotland. Another epic tour memory is when we left the venue at Brutz and Brakel festival in Germany in 2011 with half of our equipment stacked backstage at the venue due to a free bar all night long.
How does the future look for Volturyon? What plans do you have for 2019 and 2020?
-As I mentioned earlier we are in the middle of recording our new album right now so main focus is on that. After the album is released we will try to get some tours and gigs to promote our new music. If we’ll receive an attractive gig offer before the album is completed we will of course do everything we can to make it happen!
Three quick questions to finish the interview!
Favorite beer?
-Almost any kind of IPA makes me happy.
I’m really into discovering small independent breweries. The beer market has exploded the last couple of years so a lot to discover out there!
Favorite album?
-Morbid Angel – “Covenant” and Emperor – “Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk”.
I listen to a lot of different stuff so hard to name just one because it sort of changes from week to week. But these two are always among the greatest!
Favorite movie?
-Evil Dead 1-3!
Hard to pick just one from the trilogy because they are all awesome in their own way.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer these questions! Any shoutouts?
-Cheers for showing interest and watch out for our new album!
The Metal Gamer 