Greetings! It’s Taylor Ayers (AKA Renee Revolver) with Metal Southern Belles Media. My interviewing ventures are about to level up with my upcoming podcast, The Metal Phone. The conversations with Rock and Metal musicians will live on – in the form of phone calls. But firstly, I have a few more written interviews to bring to you. The one for this week is with Power Metal band, Vulpecula. From the world of a far off star, Noah, Fridolf, and Jack descend to discuss the band’s latest single, the to-be-released EP, and the magic that powers Vulpecula…
MSBM: Hey, guys! Let’s get right into it! How did you get started as a Power Metal vocalist, Noah?
Noah: Hi, Taylor! Thanks so much for giving us the opportunity to answer some burning questions! So, I really only started singing Power Metal 2 years ago. I sang pop-styled music for many years, but I’ve always been jealous of Power Metal singers; so I took it upon myself to learn how they get that range!
MSBM: In my opinion, your pop-esque, Power Metal would be perfect for an anime soundtrack! Maybe there IS some anime influence? Regardless, what exactly made you want to go with this particular sound?
Fridolf: I used to work on a lot of anime projects as a songwriter. I’m not a huge fan of anime, but the experience has definitely affected our music.
MSBM: That’s pretty damn cool, actually! I knew I was getting some anime vibes. Also, what does “Vulpecula” mean?
Noah: So, Vulpecula is latin for “Little Fox”. Though, we named the band after the little-known star system! We like space stuff!
MSBM: Love it! This may be irrelevant, but as a big Star Fox fan, I appreciate the fox and space combo, haha! Anyways, what bands contribute to influencing Vulpecula?
Noah: Oh, I’m sure we will have multiple answers to this, haha! For me, I like to take inspiration in my vocals from Northtale, Majestica, and of course, Twilight Force.
MSBM: Very nice! So, your band recently released a single entitled, “Crystallite Dream”. What can you tell me about this song?
Noah: “Crystallite Dream” was actually intended to be part of a professional anime project that Fridolf was working on. He sent me the song one night, and I told him that we needed to turn it into Power Metal, and so it was!
Cover art for Vulpecula’s single, “Crystallite Dream”.
MSBM: That’s awesome! Since unleashing this anime, Power Metal conflated tune, what is next for Vulpecula?
Noah: Next up for us is releasing our upcoming EP, ‘Under The Starlit Sky’! Comprised of 3 songs, the EP will take the listener through a magical journey, filled with soaring vocals and impressive solos with plenty of Japanese goodness!
MSBM: Since we are on the topic of this magical EP that’s approaching, where does Vulpecula’s lyrical inspiration stem from? What does the band write about? I assume it’s pretty space-y!
Noah: So, we have started building a story for our album that we have planned that our upcoming EP is part of. The story involves two lovers that are seperated and sent to a magical land in the stars. The couple lost their memories and are trying to find their way back to each other. There’s plenty of magic, dragons, and creatures as well though! We joke around and call it romance metal sometimes, haha!
MSBM: That sounds absolutely fantastic! And I think “romance metal” might have a ring to it, haha! Now, on to the next question. If you could collaborate with any other artist, who would it be?
Jack: If I could collaborate with any artist it would be Twilight Force, but I’d be happy to do stuff with anyone whose music I like!
MSBM: There’s so many awesome artists out there to choose from. The possibilities are truly endless! But it would be amazing for Vulpecula and Twilight Force to link up! Before we wrap things up, I want to ask something a little silly. Referring back to the debut single, what anime do you think it would be the perfect theme for?
Fridolf: I love Biohazard! So, why not that one!
MSBM: Great choice! Lastly, What platforms can the readers visit to follow Vulpecula’s journey?
Noah: Anybody can listen and follow us on Youtube, Spotify, Apple Music, Facebook, and Instagram!
Greetings from Metal Southern Belles Media! You’re just in time for another Metal AF interview. Jack Stanley joins us from the UK to discuss his Power Metal band, Viirtaan Rise. Recently emerging, but rising as fast the sun, there’s something epic on the horizon…
MSBM: Hello, Jack! It’s awesome to have the opportunity to speak with a musician out of the UK! It’s to my understanding that Viirtaan Rise is a new band on the scene. How did you the band get started? Also, how did you get into music yourself?
JS: Hello! Thanks for having me on. It’s an honour to be here with you on Metal Southern Belles Media. Yes, we are a brand-new band on the scene, just released the first single. But more on that later! The idea of starting a Power Metal project has been on my mind for several years now; it was just a case of finding the right time. I met Ryan Thomson (vocalist) via a (yet-to-be-recorded) cover with Marius Danielson (Legend of Valley Doom), and he loved the idea I had of this project set in Viirtaan, filled with lore and power and Metal! So, he came onto the scene in 2021 and we worked sporadically, but over the summer we both realized it was the right time to get this off the ground. So, we knuckled down, and here we are! As for my start in music, when I began secondary school, I started learning the oboe, and playing in local orchestras and windbands. That was my introduction to playing music and enjoying it. I was also a diehard AC/DC fan, and I was always trying to play their songs on my first guitar, so a mixture of guitar-driven Rock and orchestral symphonies is how I got started.
Jack Stanley (Credit to @elinedrs on Instagram)
MSBM: Fantastic! I was in my high school band as well. But I never pursued music further. Despite of music’s great importance to me, I don’t think I have the musical “vein” like you and Ryan do haha! You two are very talented and I’m eager to hear more from this new band. Now, let’s get into the specific details about this fresh project. Viirtaan Rise is a Power Metal band, as we’ve stated. What drew you to this particular genre? Who influenced you?
JS: Yes, we certainly are. I’ve always loved Power Metal, dating back to Sabaton’s ‘Coat of Arms’ album, when 12-year-old me first discovered Metal. In terms of what drew me to this, I’ve already spoken about being in orchestras all the way through my teenage years, so to a degree the heavy symphonic stuff felt comfortable to me. As for the Power Metal side, the major key choruses, driving beats, everything that makes it Power Metal, I just identify with! Talking about influences, I would say Twilight Force and Dragonforce are my two biggest influences. The fast drums and major key chorus’ of Dragonforce mixed with the Disney-esque orchestration and high vocals of Twilight Force are what I think about when I write!
MSBM: Having a background in orchestra and a love for Metal sounds like the perfect combination to create some badass Power Metal! Speaking of Power Metal, what is that scene like in the UK? Does it have a strong presence there?
JS: The Power Metal scene in the UK is thriving! We’ve got bands like Fellowship, Battle Born, Sellsword (and Viirtaan Rise haha), and they’re all killing it at the moment. We’ve also got the Power Metal Quest Fest, which showcases some of the greatest upcoming bands in the UK. It really is a thriving community where everyone just knows everyone. It’s very friendly.
MSBM: That is awesome. I’m glad the genre is alive and well and has a strong sense of community. I feel that Power Metal is more prevalent overseas than in The States, but I can say that the Metal community as a whole is large and flourishing here and beyond. It’s an amazing thing to be a part of. Getting the focus back on your band in particular, what does “Viirtaan Rise” mean exactly?
JS: I wish I had a really great answer to this about Viirtaan rising up and destroying the bad guys. How Power Metal would that be? However, there’s a track on the upcoming record called “Dawn Over Viirtaan Rise” (spoilers haha), it’s just about the sun rising over this magical world called Viirtaan, and we thought that’s a beautiful way to name the band!
MSBM: “Viirtaan” is such an interesting word, so I had to ask about it! It definitely makes a unique band name, that’s for sure! So, Viirtaan Rise just released a debut single entitled, “Apocalyptic Skies”. What can you tell me about this song?
JS: “Apocalyptic Skies” is a song I wrote about a year ago. It tells the story of a group of knights fleeing the city after they were caught by evil spies. The city is burning to the ground in the enemy’s vain efforts to catch the knights, and the song captures their emotions as they escape and look back towards the smoke. Which may sound a little weird without full context, but thus is the way of a concept record! The brilliant artwork by Kenji Mishima captures this essence with the knights in blue holding evil wizards, orcs, and dragons at bay as they burn down the city. We tried to capture the essence of this story in the music as well, particularly in the instrumental sections. Quiet, melancholic solos lead to frenzied chaos to then be somewhat redeemed by the keyboard and guitar solos after. Speaking of keyboard solos, the keys were performed by Johannes Skyblazer, who I’ve known for years now. I regularly get stuck in with his Skyblazer project (which is worth checking out), so it seemed an obvious choice to ask him to help with the keys!
Artwork for Viirtaan Rise’s debut single, “Apocalyptic Skies”. (Credit to Kenji Mishima)
MSBM: That’s an epic tale! I think the artwork and song itself does capture it quite well. Now, what can be expected since this release?
JS: Well, the next thing on the agenda is to work on a follow up single to be released early next year. However, the plan is to release a full-length album! The whole story of Viirtaan is a concept I wrote, and the songs all come together to tell the story, like Rhapsody’s ‘Emerald Sword’ saga!
MSBM: Very, very cool! I’m interested in where this auditory tale is going to take us next. It’s definitely going to be epic! When it comes to writing and recording these songs, what is the process like for you?
JS: For me, the songwriting process has been a bit of a learning curve. I have always written my songs in full orchestrated notation, even down to the drum fills. Which as you can imagine takes a very long time… So, I made the move to writing directly in the DAW using plugins. It still takes a long time to track the drums this way, but it’s much easier to write/record and track orchestrated parts, and all the guitars (etc) can also be done easily. The recording process was fairly simple. I tracked the drums and recorded the bass and my guitars. I then did backing vocals and orchestration. Ryan recorded vocals with me via a zoom session and his guitars himself. Johannes did the keys himself in Sweden and sent them over, and then Gisha did the mixing and mastering (and additional orchestration) at his place. Very much an online thing, but that’s the joy of modern technology; you can do it that way and be fine!
MSBM: Thank you, technology, am I right? Haha! It truly does wonders for musicians like yourself and I’m very appreciative because the more music in the world, the better! As I stated earlier, music is very important to me. So, I really enjoy going to concerts! You’ve obviously played some shows before. But not with Viirtaan Rise just yet, I assume? What do you enjoy the most about performing?
JS: Yes, I’ve played shows a lot haha. Not with VR yet, but I’ll tell you more about that later. My main shows at the moment are when I’m out with the cover band (named ReRun), which are really great fun. We gig across my home county of Kent, UK. My favourite thing about performing is hard to pin down. I think it’s the feeling of knowing that the band is super tight, and that the people in the audience are getting a kick out of the music. I find that inspires me to put on a show, play as well as I can, and to enjoy it I as much as I can.
MSBM: I feel that indescribable energy, emotion, and connection at concerts is what it’s all about! What is the best concert you’ve ever been to? Is there a particular moment from it that sticks out to you the most? This can be from a performer’s or a viewer’s perspective, or both!
JS: Oh wow, now I have to think! Can I name a few?
MSBM: Absolutely!
JS: Status Quo at Bluebell Hotel, Burton Agnes in 2015 – Status Quo is one of my all-time favourite bands, and I was on the 3rd row. It was electrifying, but even more special because that’s the last time I saw Rick Parfitt before he passed in 2016. Power Quest Neverworld at the Garage 2019 – the ENTIRE ‘Neverworld’ album, tonnes of special guests, and friends made who I still see and speak to. This will always be a beautiful night in my memory. Lynyrd Skynyrd Manchester Arena 2019 – When they played “Free Bird”, it was my favourite moment ever, so pure and beautiful even 50 years after it came out. Last one is the entire of Sabaton Open Air 2022. My first time in Sweden and the entire festival changed my entire outlook on life, and really inspired me to push on and get VR off the ground.
MSBM: Good choices! Since you’ve been so inspired with Viirtaan Rise, where do you see the band being in the next year?
JS: Another great question! In a year’s time, we hope to be able to hit some of the local festival scenes here in the UK! We’ll hopefully have the full record out, a few covers perhaps, and most importantly, a full line-up. But yes, places like PMQF, potentially small stages at Bloodstock we are hoping to hit, just to get the name out and more widely known. However, the current line-up is me and Ryan, so we will need to hire some more! So, if you are reading this and want to join an upcoming Power Metal outfit, then get in touch!
MSBM: You read that right! Viirtaan Rise is hiring! Get at them if you’re interested! By the way, where can the band be contacted and kept up to date with? And where will all music be available?
JS: In terms of socials, we have Facebook, Instagram, and will soon have (at the time of writing), a YouTube channel too, which we will post about when we make it. We can also be contacted at ViirtaanRise@gmail.com for enquiries. Music will be available on all major streaming platforms and YouTube! Currently “Apocalyptic Skies” is on Spotify, Deezer, Apple Music, and YouTube Music. Thank you very much for having me on for this interview, hopefully if you are reading, then you are inspired to check out Viirtaan Rise! There’s a lot more coming, so stay tuned and watch this space!
Viirtaan Rise’s debut single, “Apocalyptic Skies”.
Hello, and welcome to Metal Southern Belles Media! Here, you’re guaranteed to find awesome interviews with awesome musicians in the Rock and Metal atmosphere. Let’s get to rockin’ and rollin’! Today, MSBM is joined by Energema vocalist, Ryan Thomson! (We also get a little insight from guitarist and main songwriter, Nico Waldo!) This Melodic Power Metal band consists of members from Scotland and Columbia, a unique combination, making a unique sound. When you hear their songs, you get an indescribable sensation of a strength so intense that you want to march straight into an ancient battle for a mythical world. Now, let’s advance forward and get into the mystic details behind Energema!
MSBM: Hey, Ryan! I hope you’re doing well today. Since we are on the subject of you, how did you become a singer? (Are you self-taught, does someone in your family sing, was there a particular vocalist that stood out to you and influenced you?)
RT: First off, thanks for giving me the opportunity to do this interview! I got started singing around 5 years ago or so, but I’ve always been into playing music and playing various instruments. I’ve been playing guitar for 17 years now, but I’ve made the change to become more of a singer. I was really inspired by the Power and Symphonic Metal singers like Fabio Lione, Daniel Heiman, Roy Khan, Yiannis Papadopolous, etc. All of the really hard, crazy high, powerful vocals is what excites me about singing the most. Sadly, no one else in my family is really a musician, so becoming a musician was mainly self-motivated.
MSBM: You’re welcome! I’m honored to be given the chance to speak with you! To have only been singing for a few short years, you’re really good! You must be a natural. So, you are a “newer” member of Energema, correct? How did you join?
RT: Yes, that’s right. I officially joined Energema on September 5th, so it’s still pretty fresh. They had an audition call for a new vocalist some time in August, but I found out about it on the last day of the deadline. So, I didn’t have time to audition, but I sent one of my covers in and they liked it so much they decided to extend the deadline for me, which I was super happy about haha. So, when I sent my audition in I got the part.
MSBM: That’s awesome! It’s like it was meant to be. By the way, Energema is an interesting word. Is there a significance to it?
NW: “Energema” is a Greek word and refers to the energy of creation or creative force. We think that our universe is very big and complex and behind it, there must be an architect…. Nothing is a product of chance.
RT: I find it very interesting. Although I personally don’t hold any religious beliefs, I fully respect it. And as musicians, we create our own magical worlds. A lot of our lyrics are influenced by stories from the Bible, Narnia, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, etc.
MSBM: Love it! So, Energema has several albums. The latest being ‘Promised Land’, that dropped in 2020. It’s from my understanding that there’s a new EP in the works. What can we expect from it?
RT: That’s right, we have 6 full length albums and 3 EPs out. We originally had another EP coming later this year titled, ‘Hunter of Immortals’, but we have extended it to be a full album; which will drop before the end of the year. The album basically tells the story of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, all of the events that unfolded and Van Helsing’s part in it all. It’s still very much Power Metal as you can expect from earlier albums. It was recorded at Meggido Records Studio and mastered by Trinity Records. We are with the label, Metalism Records, who will also publish this album.
Energema’s upcoming album, ‘Hunter of Immortals’.
MSBM: I find stories about characters such as Dracula and Van Helsing to be very interesting, so I’m intrigued! As a vocalist, are you a song writer as well?
RT: Yes, I am a songwriter too. Being a guitarist first, I’ve written many songs and I usually use that to compose everything, and keyboards to try out different sounds and virtual instruments. With Energema, I have only written 1 song for the new album, just due to the time I joined. But maybe they will allow me to write more music for future albums, who knows! It’s an Accapella piece about Dracula’s final moments with Mina, when he realizes how wrong he’s been and all the torment he caused her. Then he is forgiven and let into Heaven, the song is called, “Ascension”.
MSBM: Speaking of making music, what’s the studio process like for you and your band? Is it easy and “natural” to bounce ideas off of your band mates?
RT: For now, the studio process is done online for me. Nico sends me the backing tracks and lyrics with some guide melodies and I record my parts and send back them to him. Then, it gets mixed and sent off to a studio for mastering. Sounds complicated, but it’s actually pretty seamless.
MSBM: I’m glad the creative process is a smooth one for you guys! So, when the “making music” part concludes , it typically means live shows and tours! Is Energema planning any shows for the near future?
RT: Yes, once this album is out, we plan to promote it everywhere and get in touch with new labels and promoters and really push to make an impact in Europe, the UK, and the States. I heard Japan is a great market for Power Metal too.
MSBM: That’s great! I hope to catch Energema here in the States sometime! Still on the subject of shows, what are live performances like for you?
NW: I think our best shows have been sharing with legendary bands of the gen…We have been an opening act for different well-known bands like Freedom Call (Germany), Edu Falaschi ex-Angra (Brazil), and Grave Digger (Germany).
MSBM: Very cool! And what other bands would you like to play with?
RT: It would be a dream to tour with bands like Hammerfall, Rhapsody of fire, Beast in Black, Kamelot, Avantasia, etc. It is pretty hard to set up tours being a smaller band for now, but we’ve been in the process of getting in touch with as many festivals and venues as possible, labels, etc. If anyone out there reading would like to help with that we’d be very happy actually!
MSBM: You read that right, everyone! If you’ve got the hookup with any festivals, venues, and labels, let these guys know! Now, there’s something the readers must know. Where can they listen to Energema’s music?
RT: You can find our music on the major streaming platforms like Spotify, Bandcamp, Amazon music, etc. You can also find a full list of our discography on The Metal Archives website.
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