VREID is a black metal band that came into being after Windir broke up, following the death of lead singer and founder Valfar. The band was formed in 2004 by three former Windir members and a new guitarist; Ese. Ese had been a close friend of the Vreid members for years, and he was co-engineer on Windir's ‘Likferd’ album. Translated from Norwegian into English, Vreid's name means "Wrath".

Although VREID incorporate many elements of Windir's music, they have fused the desolate atmospherics of black metal with thrash metal to create an original sound. They released their first album, ‘Kraft’ in 2004. Hváll was responsible for writing most of the material for the debut album. The music is a natural continuance of the music Hváll has written for Windir & Ulcus, but it has its own personal sound. VREID’s second album, ‘Pitch Black Brigade’, was released through Tabu Recordings on March 27, 2006. The band released their third album, ‘I Krig’, through Indie Recordings on June 4, 2007. With this album they took a major step forward, once again working with the guys that signed VREID in the first place, this time on their new Norwegian label Indie Recordings. This album is based on a poetry collection by Norwegian resistance fighter Gunnar Reiss-Andersen. The theme of the album is the Norwegian resistance during WW2. Musically VREID expanded their sound by incorporating many elements from Norwegian folk music. VREID’s music was once dubbed as “Black & Roll”. The album received raving reviews, sales increased and VREID continued to play many shows.

Hváll started writing their 4th album during the autumn of 2007. The pre-prods were done during the winter and on the Norwegian liberation day, May the 8th, they started the recordings of their new album ‘Milorg’. Drums were recorded at Subsonic Studio, while the rest of the album was recorded and mixed at Hváll’s own Studio 1184. The album in its entirety was produced by the band itself, while the mastering was done at Studio 210 in Berlin. The production of this album is bigger and warmer, just as the music itself has expanded to an inferno of extreme metal. The band sounds a lot more mature and atmospheric, yet more raw and powerful on this album. VREID have continued their history based lyrics, this album was named after the WW2 Norwegian resistance group MILORG ( MILitary ORGanization) and is a tribute to their work.

Furthermore, VREID will team up with KAMPFAR for a co-headlining European tour, dubbed “A Skogstur In Central Europe 2009”, in February. Support on the trek will come from ISKLAD.

Jarle "Hváll" Kvåle (bass) of VREID was available to answer some questions. Here you can read what he had to say to the readers of Metal-Experience.com

You started ‘Milorg’ in August 2007, only 3 months after your previous album 'I Krig' had been released. Did ideas keep popping up so that you just had to write them down or was it more of a careful composing thing?

I have ideas for new music continuously roaming in my brain. There is always a riff or a melody popping up. I let these ideas evolve for a while, and then put them down as ideas for songs. When I have enough ideas to see contours of an album, I start making pre-prods.

How much time did you spend on the songs?

A lot, I have no idea. I work on these songs on and off, but there is barley a day going by without me working or thinking of something concerning the songs.

What comes first, lyrics or melodies?

I start with them separately, and later I let them melt together. So that might differ from song to song.

What were the goals you had in mind when you started to record ‘Milorg’, any elements you definitely wanted to have on the album

I wanted to make it more diverse. Faster when faster, heavier when heavier and darker when darker. I also wanted the sound to be natural and real, very much inspired by productions from the 70ts.

What is the utmost important ingredient for a song according to you?

Music?  J . Impossible to answer.

Could you please describe the implications of the title ‘Milorg’, what does it stand for and is there a special meaning behind it?

Military Organization. Milorg was the name of the Norwegian resistance movement during WW2.  The album is a tribute to their battle for our country. These young people organized themselves, and with support from the allied forces they were able to carry out massive sabotage actions against the German war force that was occupying Norway.

The song “Blücher” refers to the German battleship that was sunk by the British navy, or at least I assume it does. Why did you include this theme while the album is about the Norse resistance organization?

It was sunk by the Norwegian military. This was the most famous Norwegian act of resistance during the invasion of Norway in April 1940.
 

How did the recording process proceed this time, did you work differently than on previous albums?

Well, all was down to ourselves this time, and it meant a lot more work, but also total control of our own product. We had to make all decisions by ourselves, and  it felt very liberating.

You did most of the production work yourself, how did you know which sound you wanted to achieve?

I had a vision of how I wanted this to sound. through hard work and time we realized that vision, but of course the result was colored by the the long process of recording. This is a constant process of learning.

If Vreid ever stops, you should start a producing career because the sound is one of the best I've heard!!

He, he that’s good to hear. But I hope Vreid continues for a long time.

Why did you decide to put two instrumental songs on the album?

To set the atmosphere for the album.

Do you have any favorites on the album?

Differs from day to day, but I must admit that I am quite proud of the title track.

Have you received any feedback on the album yet?

Yup. Lots of interviews, and great reviews. People really seems to embrace the album.

Are third party opinions (press, fans, etc.) on your music important to you? Or are your music and band the only things that matter?

I am always very curious to see how people react to a new album. I guess most people like it when people appreciate their work.

Overall, are you pleased with the outcome of the songs or would you have liked to have changed anything in retrospective? Which element on the CD are you most proud of?

I am very satisfied, but it is still too early for me to judge the album. I am proud of the wholeness of the album; music, lyrics, production and artwork. It feels like the strongest product I have ever released.

Which song is your favorite one to play live? Which song do you find is the most challenging one to play live?

“Pitch Black”, “Raped by light” & “Svart”  is always a blast. “I Krig” is the most challenging, but it is also maybe my favorite when it works 100 %.

Who are your greatest influences - both in terms of composition, as well as your guitar playing?

Grieg, Alice Cooper, James Hetfield & Chuck Schuldiner. That would be one hell of a band.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of things that motivate you in your writing, your poetry, and your lyrics?

Historical books, movies, pictures & sights. Outside walking in nature and travelling are other things that trigger my creativity.

With all the touring and four albums under your belt, how far has Vreid surpassed your original dreams and what would you say is the most rewarding part of being in the band?

My main goal is to be able to write music and work as much as I want with it. At the moment I have that freedom, and I hope to keep that.

What were the highlights and low points throughout your career?

The highlight is getting my own studio and to be able to work with my music whenever I want.  The low point was the end of Windir as an active band.

Which album has been your biggest musical influence, one that made you think “this is what I want to do!”?

‘Master of Puppets’.

What is your opinion on the metal scene these days? What do you think about the overload of bands at the moment and is there anything missing in the scene?

Overloaded indeed, but still many very good bands out  there. I tend to stay with my classics in the long run though.

What can we expect from Vreid in the near future?

Hard touring for 2009.

Where do you see the band going within the next 5 years, and where do you see the band’s musical direction going for the next album?

We will develop what we have been building over these 5 last years. How it will sound? The only thing I can assure you is that it will not be rapJ

Are there already ideas for the next album's lyrical concept? I assume there are still enough stories to tell about WW2.

There are ideas, but it’s too early to tell. It is not unlikely that some of the lyrics will be rooted in WW2 events.

Can we expect another Vreid release next year then?

I see it as a fair chance that we will release a fifth album late 2010.

Any last statement?

Check out the album and spend some time with it. Hopefully we will see you at one of the shows this year.

Thanks for your time.

Current Line-Up :

Jarle "Hváll" Kvåle - Bass

Jørn "Steingrim" Holen - Drums

Sture Dingsøyr - Vocals, Guitar

Ese - Guitar

Studio albums :

Kraft, (2004)

Pitch Black Brigade, (2006)

I Krig (At War), (2007)

Milorg, (2009)