"My humble little project"
One couldn't find a more improper description
of WALLACHIA than the words Norwegian mastermind Lars Stavdal chooses himself. Ten long years of silence follow the debut
album "From Behind The Light", a time well spent as there are too few albums like "Ceremony Of Ascension", expressing itself
lush in colours equally in notes, words and artwork.
The idea of founding WALLACHIA haunts Lars
since the early 90s but only takes form in 1995 when Eystein Garberg - nowadays guitarist with Lumsk - joins the project.
The first release "Demo 1996" sells well and attracts the attention of the French label Impure Creation Records who
recognize WALLACHIA's potential and offer to press the demo on CD format. When the French label, now acting under the
name of Velvet Music International, release the MCD "Wallachia" in 1997 and two years later the debut album the great
setback for WALLACHIA is already emerging. "We signed a contract with them and the "Wallachia" MCD
was released in July 1997. The label had a few other interesting artists such as Blut Aus Nord, Mundanus Imperium,
Zephyrous, Necrophagist, Yyrkoon, etc. The "Wallachia" MCD was one of their most successful releases alongside the two
first Blut Aus Nord albums. After this they signed WALLACHIA for the release of a full-length album as well, and "From
Behind The Light" was released in September 1999. On this album I played all the instruments myself, only hiring two
drummers to play on four songs each. Unfortunately VMI went down with an economic crisis at the time my album was
released, so the first and only pressing of 1000 copies was sold out right away to distributors worldwide and the album
didn't get too much attention due to this. Even the hardcore fans weren't aware it was out. VMI had by that time signed
too many bands and had more expenses with pressings and artwork than sales figures on their releases. So it was sad to
see this happen so sudden. And this event alone put WALLACHIA back to scratch with everything, and this time around it
felt harder to get things rolling again. It was never the intention that it would take thaaaat long before I was back
with this band." Still, in some aspects, the timing of these events turns out to be for the better. 2005 sees the
rerelease of "From Behind The Light" by American Dark Horizon Records who also include the demo tracks as a bonus. This
edition is still available in their webshop on Dark Horizon.
It's time for more things to happen and once again myspace plays a considerable part. "During the
winter of 2007 I made a full instrumental pre-production for the second WALLACHIA album with some help of my friend and
neighbour Polly from the death metal band No Dawn. We spent a few evenings at his place programming drums, recording
keys and adding my guitars on top of it in the end. After putting my pre-prods on myspace I was contacted by Stefan
Traunmüller from the Austrian bands Golden Dawn and Sternenstaub who offered his help to produce/record my new
album and also to find a drummer to step in. The drumtracks were recorded by the Austrian Thomas Kocher during a couple
of days in fall 2007, using the pre-prods as guiding tracks. After this we scheduled me going down to Salzburg and
nailing the rest of the instruments and vocals in the summer of 2008. And during ten extremely hot August days we
completed "Ceremony Of Ascension" in Stefan's studio-bunker in Freilassing (Germany). A great new experience that
marked the return of WALLACHIA."
On the whole the reactions to "Ceremony Of Ascension" are positive as Lars confirms."So far the
response has been good from old and new fans as well as the media channels that have received the album until now. I'm
happy to see that people remember and recognize this band after only one album and with a ten year dormant state. It's
a good start and I'm curious to see more feedback from fans and magazines around the globe." Still there are some
critical statements on the short playing time and the immense variation in the songs. Lars however sees the variation as a
strong point. "I was aware of those things myself while sitting in the studio and listening to the
mixing process. I think it's also the album's strength in many ways, the variations in expression and how each song
has a story and life on its own, though. And hopefully this will open up to the listener after a few spins of the album.
When you look at other bands and see how they evolved... like Emperor and their four albums over a timespan of ten years,
for instance. In my case it's the same narrowed down to one album only. I don't think we removed anything in WALLACHIA's
original soundscape but only brought in a few new elements." Naturally Lars evolves as a musician over the years
and can bring in his abilites into his new compositions. "I think I put a lot more depth into the
songs and this way they also turned out standing strong on their own feet musically speaking. I learned to arrange the
songs better so it's more like a full band than sounding so obviously a one man thing. It's way better on this album than
it was on the debut. I want every song to have a deeper meaning, to make sense to myself and not just be some mumbo-jumbo
fictional lyrics and random riffs put together. "Ceremony Of Ascension" pushes the soundscape of WALLACHIA further in
every direction. It's a lot more uptempo and rawer than the debut but at the same time it even goes deeper into a calmer
direction with the closing track, for instance. It became an album to test and explore myself as a musician and I felt
I had a lot to prove since the first album was a step down for me personally from how the demo sounded. So I had a lot
to prove to myself. The biggest improvement from my side are perhaps the vocals which are totally my own voice all the
way without any effects apart from some echoes or delays on a few parts. The vocals show a much wider spectre now and
are most likely the most noticeable change resp. improvement." |
It may seem adventurous to some that Lars combines wide influences such as melodic riffs inspired by Windir and song
structures reminding one of bands like Deicide and Morbid Angel with a proper dose of melancholy but the result speaks for
itself. It's an inartificially growing process and stands for much more than merely integrating heard and favoured
sources of inspiration. "I've always put all my influences into the soundscape of WALLACHIA, and
also on the debut you have this mix of death and black metal influences. Though they come forth stronger on the new
opus. The bands you mentioned are some of my key influences since starting out with WALLACHIA so in indirect ways they
have their effect on my songwriting. The Windir styled lead and harmony guitars were done on purpose as a tribute to
Valfar and Windir as he left a big impact on me as a great composer. How he weaved melancholy and folktunes into his
savage black metal so naturally. ´Refusalvation´ has those types of guitars all the way during the first half of the
song, and it started as a coincidence that I had some of the basic rhythm things completed and I started hearing Windir
inspired melodies on top of them in my head. So it naturally became this way even years before Terje/Valfar passed away
so sudden. The sound of WALLACHIA became by nature caught up in between death and black metal since I grew up with the
wave of Earache Records related bands and the whole Tampa death metal scene while there was a new thing on the rise here
in Scandinavia with many great black metal bands taking shape. I like the rawness and energy of death metal as much as
the chilly and majestic feel black metal gives. I want WALLACHIA to be the best of both worlds, really. I just let the
songs shape themselves without having many restrictions so you'll find some more pure death metal influences in a few
songs on my new album while others have more of that epic driven black metal touch." An epic atmosphere is first
and foremost present in ´Genesis Enigma´ which could also be seen as a little tribute to Bathory with Lars' clean vocals.
"Yes, there is a little truth in it, especially after I did my first ever attempt of clean vocals
it naturally got that Bathory viking era touch. The song itself also has that floating structure all the way through.
I always liked the mid era Bathroy stuff ("Under The Sign Of The Black Mark", "Blood Fire Death" and "Hammerheart").
Those were albums that inspired my more epic style of arranging the songs, including acoustic guitars, additional
effects, etc. There were a few years in which we lost a lot of great and important songwriters within extreme music
such as Quorthon (Bathory), Valfar (Windir), Jon Nödtveidt (Dissection) or Jared Anderson (Inernecine, Hate Eternal),
and I think you'll find traces of inspiration from them all within my music for sure."
As further important sources of inspiration which found their ways into his music Lars lists Burzum, Rotting Christ,
Celtic Frost, Bay Laurel, Blut Aus Nord, Primordial, Mayhemic Truth, Wolves In The Throne Room, Mayhem, Defecation,
Napalm Death and Samael. "All these bands have had an effect on me and the music of WALLACHIA
in one way or another. Though the inspiration to create a song comes from nothing but random ideas, thoughts or melodies
that I create inside my mind. Normally I have a vision how I want a song to sound and harmonize with the lyrics and the
message it holds. Also the music has to build up on this. Inspiration sometimes comes from pictures, paintings, books or
movies as well as some events in my own life and reflections over things I've endured. As long as there's that core
element to create around then the music will also come by itself. Usually I create songs over long periods of time,
letting the parts connect with themselves over time as I have more stuff and ideas. It's an interesting process all the
way to see how a song becomes before you know the word of it." Such processes can at times lead to unexpected
effects like the trumpet melody in ´Sanctimonia XXIII´ which may give direction to future experiments?
"That exact part was something Stefan and me experimented with in the studio, a spontaneous
thing that turned out really cool! After I had done all my guitar, bass and vocal recordings we played around with
orchestrations, additional effects and ideas for a couple of days so a lot of those things are Stefan's own ideas.
He always had this ´eastern vibe´ also with his own band so it became a fresh and nice little touch to my song. I'm
sure we'll include even more elements like this on the next album. Whatever serves the purpose of the song and adds
something of mystique and atmosphere."
Mystique and atmosphere are trademarks which do not only circumscribe the multifarious music but create an entire piece
of art together with the lyrics and especially the stunning artwork of Laura. This contact also comes into being via
myspace when Lars stumbles over Laura's profile one evening in late 2007 - and immediately feels drawn towards her art.
"There was something magic about her and what she was doing that appealed to me. Already the first
day I saw what a talented artist she was with her drawings and paintings, and how much she left of her own spirit within
them. During the time I learned to know Laura I felt that her creativity also inflicted on me and urged me to complete
this album, to step up and do my best with it. She's really an amazing artist with so much potential and an endless
creativity so I'm always curious and surprised to see what she will do next with her works. And I sure want Laura to
also shape the artwork and designs for my next album, to include her earlier in the process with exchanging ideas on
the songs and visual themes related to them." The detailed cover artwork relates fittingly to the album title
and some of the lyrics, ascending from the bluish lower world to the warm brownish world above whereas the cold
component is predominant. Questioning the ´why´ goes along with the thought if it is a process which could be
evened out on future releases as eventually a second album after such a long time could also be viewd as a new beginning
of something to (hopefully) prosper more regularly in the future. On the other hand the assumption that beauty and warmth
may be on a way to be extinguished from this world, opposed by the "Ceremony Of Ascension" - a title which leaves vast
space for interpretation - doesn't seem that farfetched as well. "The artwork is for me very
symbolic for the title of the album. The cold blue/greenish world below represents the past for me and memories filled
with negative energies left behind while there's a new blooming world above that I try to grasp for. Once can for sure
say it represents a rebirth and a new beginning. Looking at things with a fresh perspective but being very much aware
of the past that shaped you to become what you are. Sometimes one feels that even bad elements serve their purpose and
have a meaning in the long run, and for me I want this album to be a fresh start with WALLACHIA. If this album is about
ascending, then the next one will be more about transcending, of making something even more grand and solid, to push
things even further. I find links between the artwork and several of the songs. One could say that ´Void Expansion´ very
much represents the feeling the cold world on the cover artwork gives. While ´Sanctimonia XXIII´ is the one I feel closest
to the warmth the upper part gives, a song which sums up the essence of the album title. When you look at the balance
of the world today one can easily say that there's more of a cold feeling with all the conflicts in terms of territories,
religions, materialism and the vast human ego in the front seat, and this way of course also nature retributes back at
us more and more because of how we spread out and dominate the earth. There are many ways to look at it and interpret
the artwork, and I can only say that I couldn't be happier than having Laura's works as a part of my album. I think
we'll keep some references from this album and develop a new concept and style of expression for the next one."
In the center of the booklet we come across the very same colour scheme, only that this time it's horizontal and could be
interpreted as a balance or choice. "It carries on the same theme as the front cover and one can
also see the colder colours fade stronger into the warmer side than the other way around. It's all about finding a sense
of equilibrium and not suppress or hide feelings that are a natural part of your soul. I don't believe in totalitarianism
in any sense and this relates to how the artwork has a stronger vibe of the cold world, that in emotional terms I'm
perhaps stronger linked to ´that side of things´ not necessarily in a negative way. Self-awareness comes from exploring
and learning things, most of all how you interpret them. Dogmatic religions deny the adventurous instinct of man and
hands you a ready-made world of norms and a very black/white spectre on what is good and evil in this world. For me
that lacks that balance in a way and leans more towards a totalitarian way of how to live and act. For instance, how the
holy Roman church have fought and persecuted scientists and free thinkers throughout the ages makes no (common) sense.
Evolution is their enemy and thus also the cold world in the artwork represents how the world is viewed through the eyes
of the good and blessed ones." Instead of writing just some nice sounding lyrics it's of great importance to Lars
that his songs have a message. Reading the lyrics of ´Self-Inflicted Stigmata´ one stumbles over the word ´seppuku´ which
stands for an old Japanese ritualistic and honourful way of suicide. "Yes, seppuku is a samurai
ritualistic way of suicide in a way that I can relate to more modern ways of religious martyrdom. A samurai would commit
seppuku if his master had died, if he was held captive by enemies and thus die with honour and not reveal any secrets.
´Self-Inflicted Stigmata´ relates to the subject of Christian martyrdom seen from actual events in the Greek orthodox
church, for instance, where they take the death and torment of their saviour into their own lives by whipping themselves
to blood and actually real life crucifying themselves. I think it's such a far out concept of honouring someone whose
message should be quite contrary to those events. Their whole lives are so consumed with torment and redemption, of not
feeling worthy, and I can't see what this has to do with goodness? The song is the oldest one featured on my album and
it was written with a bit of venomous tongue and adolescent anger and frustrations about these matters but I feel it
makes sense in many ways. How paradoxical religion can be and often is." |
Also ´Kamikaze Christian´ carries the message of religious delusion when Lars obviously deals with the escalade of
David Koresh's headquarters in Waco. "These events occured in 1993 at a time when the whole
black metal thing and related crimes were at a high peak here in Scandinavia, and this only showed that things went
on just as extreme, if not more, on the other side of matters. The scary thing is that this event only was exposed
with this particular happening and storming of their headquarters but it was a case that went on for years behind
curtains. For some reason we remain quite numb and oblivious to things that happen in the sake of goodness so to
speak. Maybe because we're so used to it by now. Two months after I had written this song the 11th September attacks
took place in New York City and it really gave my song a new meaning. This goes again back to the totalitarian views
of how the world is seen through a martyr's eyes and the glorification of a seppuku way of dying. And it's due to
these totalitarian aspects of religions that we also see how split up religion and the church are. Add to it the lust
for power and greed of mankind and you have hundreds of sects with their each and own unique way to God and away from
sanity." The lyrics of ´Void Expansion´ are just as much close to the wind for the gray matter and sound like
a species gone wrong, living for the wrong (materialistic) values and neglecting the essence of existence and the
knowledge of what a wonderful place we actually live in... and which we will probably destroy until it's ´void´...
"The song focuses on how shallow and empty the world has become and how mankind only decays
generation after (de)generation, how materialistic values and consumerism have a focus rather than, let's say
spiritual fulfillment. Population increases year by year and it affects the planet itself as much as ourselves as
beings, how we in the end aren't able to care and share things. As we spread out over the world thus also the void
expands and feeds itself. Mankind has no reverence for nature and is only devoured by its own ego. And it seems we
will only learn when it's too late. This song is a wrathful provocation to the mtv-culture, exterior ´values´ and
plastic ideals, in general what refers to the x-generation in some aspects. We're served the ´fast food´ version
of anything artistic, spiritual and it's all about taking without giving something back. Not having the feeling of
sacrificing something in order to achieve and reach a goal. When kids' perception of reality is through ´reality-tv´
rather than experiencing things and dreams on their own this state of emptiness that I tell about in the song will
only grow."
After an extensive excursion into the lyrical contents let's catch a glimpse of the future. The songs on "Ceremony
Of Ascension" come into existence over the time span of 1998 until 2008. So probably Lars has still many older ideas
in store for future albums which will hopefully have a longer playing time than 35 minutes. "I have been working on
the next album since 2004, parallel to completing "Ceremony Of Ascension", so it will feature some ideas and songs I
kept a while though most material will be fresh and new since I am now able to focus entirely on this opus with a
clear mind. So far everything has a rough structure and I'm envisioning this album as a whole with how it's created
and arranged. It will definitely be a bit longer, maybe around 45 to 50 minutes or more. A few of the songs are really
long and epic while there's also a really short and intense piece to be featured. So I'm very excited about completing
this one!. We can expect the third album to be released on Twilight Records again, and the story how Lars gets
the deal with those Germans is not really that spectacular but he's quite full of praise regarding them.
"Since I was on scratch with WALLACHIA and recorded this album from my own pocket, I decided to
send out promos to a handful of labels that I like and support myself, and Twilight was one of them. I received a
couple of other offers but Twilight was by far the most enthusiastic and serious label I spoke with so I was happy
that they wanted to sign WALLACHIA and believed in this album. What I see as a good thing with Twilight is
communication as well as co-operation to please both parts. I feel we worked well together making this album become
real now over the winter. Also how they liked the actual music as much as the artwork and it seems they enjoyed the
process of putting it out. The distribution network is also good I must say. So this time my album will at least be
available in various stores and mailorders worldwide." Being a Norwegian one man project with active support
from Austria it could be a bit difficult to bring WALLACHIA to stage, considering that this is an alluring thought to
Lars. "I'm thinking about the option to do some single shows or small tours with WALLACHIA in the future. Depending
on how the album is received and what offers might come our way. I already had a Dutch booking agent contacting me
with the purpose of doing some gigs so it's mostly a case of getting a line-up together. Stefan and me spoke about
making a Norwegian/Austrian co-operation if to take WALLACHIA to the stage so we'll see..."
The next goal will be to complete the third album, involving the same people who leave their traces on "Ceremony Of
Ascension". The pre-production is scheduled for fall or winter 2009 so that the drummer can record the drum tracks.
"And then I'll throw myself into Stefan's studio bunker for some time during fall next year.
But before that maybe a vinyl release of "Ceremony Of Ascension", and it would be great to have some shirts and
longsleeves available soon." With this a long and intense conversation draws to a close and the final statement
belongs to the mastermind himself. "Thanks for this great in depth interview and for enjoying
my album - it means a lot to me! And thanks to the readers for spending time reading this interview, to those who
have bought the album and supported WALLACHIA and Twilight Vertrieb. And finally I want to thank the important persons
who made this album come true after such a long time of silence: Stefan, Thomas and Laura for all your help making
this one a special album to myself. Finally I want to thank Tobi, Thomas and Daniel at Twilight Vertrieb for believing
in my humble little project and for releasing the CD!".
For further information check out WALLACHIA's myspace page.
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