So, Bolero is a pagan black metal band from Ontario Canada, which is set to release its debut album ‘Voyage from Vinland’. I fear that
not a lot of our readers will know the band, so could you start by introducing Bolero to them?
Well, as you just mentioned, we are a pagan black metal band from Ontario. Though that might be the best description of our music,
you might also define our music as symphonic, Celtic, folk, thrash, and what have you. Put simply, we are a 5 piece folk/black metal
band from the Greater Toronto Area.
Your music also has quite a lot of melodies that reminded me of folk music. Does folk music have a big influence in the sound of Bolero?
Absolutely, we draw massive amounts of inspiration from folk and Celtic music. A lot of noteworthy Canadian non-metal artists actually
produce some of the best folk music we’ve heard, which is a big deal for us because we are a very pro-Canadian band. We take a lot
of influence from these artists, but we try to maintain original melodies for the sake of being unique amidst the ocean of our
contemporaries.
On that note, what bands have influenced you and your members the most?
I can only speak generally for the band because each member (respectfully) has such different musical upbringings. Some of the bands
which have heavily influenced our writing scheme are bands such as Ensiferum, Equilibrium, Moonsorrow, Finntroll… you get the idea.
Since you are playing pagan metal, your lyrics are probably pretty fantastic. What are they about and where do you get your
inspiration?
Indeed, as we grow as a band and our musical path turns this way and that, we try to develop the lyrics likewise. That being said, you’
ll find the lyrics will mold around the sound of each particular song and what each individual melody invokes. For instance, the 3rd track
off the album - titled ‘Send of the War-Summons’ – has lyrics generally twisted around the mental imagery of how a fierce Viking
onslaught would be perceived by the people at the spear point. I’m not saying that all of our lyrics are generally Viking-themed, which
seems to have become a norm for black and folk metal bands. A lot of the content in our lyrics is about life predating Christianity and
sets a contrast to how dramatically different we live our lives today.
How important are the lyrics for Bolero?
Our lyrics are just as important as the music, as each set completes the story for each particular song.
Your music seems to be inspired by and or gives off the atmosphere of Canada’s natural beauty, European folklore and its myths. Can
you tell us something more about what these things mean in your life?
We understand exactly why many visitors to our country are so overwhelmed upon their first arrival here. Our lands are simply
astounding, especially further West. A huge part of the writing process so far in our music has been that expression of our embracing
our country’s beauty while keeping the foundations of our influence fixed in European culture and legend. As I said earlier - and most
importantly - we are very pro-Canadian and our having the pre-Christian Viking theme is a strong foothold conceptually as a part of our
heritage as Canadians.
Let’s have a look at the recording process for ‘Voyage from Vinland’. Was it a piece of cake or more a complicated, difficult process
then your previous efforts?
For us and our experiences with previous bands in the studio, each recording should definitely not be a piece of cake. Hopefully there
will always be obstacles to overcome whilst in the studio, otherwise, how do you ever hope to develop? Voyage from Vinland was on
the fence with this idea. We rehearsed for a long time, played many shows and did numerous demos leading up to this point – which
allowed us to let the songs develop further - so we trusted we were quite prepared for the studio. This definitely ran smoother than
the previous recordings we did. When we did the self-titled CD, we had gone through quite a few personnel transitions over the
months leading up to the recording and were still adapting to one another musically and personally. This time around, we were very
familiar with our music, our order of progress and with each other. It was also a huge bonus having a good friend of ours as our
recording engineer.
If you had to pick a song which defines Bolero at this point in time, what track would that be and why?
Every one of our songs has something unique brought to the attention of the listener. Though if we were to choose one (we all
agreed on this one earlier), it would have to be the opening track ‘When the Legends Die’. With this song, we incorporate most of
the elements that are prevalent in all the other tracks and give the listener a good idea of what we are and what we’re striving for.
Has there been any label interest in Bolero? If not at the moment, have you plans to promote your material to labels? Or let them
come to you?
Indeed we have been planning and building our press material to submit to labels abroad, which will come together in due time. We
have had interest from smaller Indie labels in the past, but we have decided to seriously focus on that stage after Voyage from
Vinland is off our slates.
What are your views on the state of the ‘metal scene’ in Canada these days? Any one band you feel is really a stand out band but is
not being noticed? Please help our readers out; who should they keep an eye and ear out for from Canada’s Metal scene?
The metal scene in Canada is quite alive and doing very well in our opinion. You’ll have certain areas just as anywhere else where it will
be more prevalent. But nonetheless, I think Canada has one of the best, supportive and musically diverse metal scenes and certainly
ranks as one of the top globally. To be honest, I think a lot of our Canadian metal bands are getting the attention they deserve.
Though for the sake of helping their names into people’s minds further than they are, you’ll want to keep an eye or two on Wolven
Ancestry, Hallow’s Die, Adytum and Will of the Ancients. I’d love to add more, but the list would be too expansive!
Do you play live often? Do you have any touring plans once ‘Voyage from Vinland’ has been unleashed? Tell us a little about a live
Bolero show if you guys do play live.
Over the past year, we have played a fuck of a lot of shows. Lately we’ve been trying to maintain how often we play certain cities
with a little more discretion than in the past. At the moment, we DO have touring plans once VFV is released, though I’m afraid I can’
t really give much info past that. If you’ve attended a Bolero show lately, you would have probably felt inclined to empty your bank
account on mugs of beer. We like to rely on the crowd’s energy and interaction with us to push us to give our best performance.
Some would say we’re energetic, some would say theatrical, others – obnoxious. But in the end, we try to put a smile on everyone’s
face and have a great time with each show.
Thank you for your time and energy. I will leave the final words to you.
Getcha dick wet.
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/bolerometal
not a lot of our readers will know the band, so could you start by introducing Bolero to them?
Well, as you just mentioned, we are a pagan black metal band from Ontario. Though that might be the best description of our music,
you might also define our music as symphonic, Celtic, folk, thrash, and what have you. Put simply, we are a 5 piece folk/black metal
band from the Greater Toronto Area.
Your music also has quite a lot of melodies that reminded me of folk music. Does folk music have a big influence in the sound of Bolero?
Absolutely, we draw massive amounts of inspiration from folk and Celtic music. A lot of noteworthy Canadian non-metal artists actually
produce some of the best folk music we’ve heard, which is a big deal for us because we are a very pro-Canadian band. We take a lot
of influence from these artists, but we try to maintain original melodies for the sake of being unique amidst the ocean of our
contemporaries.
On that note, what bands have influenced you and your members the most?
I can only speak generally for the band because each member (respectfully) has such different musical upbringings. Some of the bands
which have heavily influenced our writing scheme are bands such as Ensiferum, Equilibrium, Moonsorrow, Finntroll… you get the idea.
Since you are playing pagan metal, your lyrics are probably pretty fantastic. What are they about and where do you get your
inspiration?
Indeed, as we grow as a band and our musical path turns this way and that, we try to develop the lyrics likewise. That being said, you’
ll find the lyrics will mold around the sound of each particular song and what each individual melody invokes. For instance, the 3rd track
off the album - titled ‘Send of the War-Summons’ – has lyrics generally twisted around the mental imagery of how a fierce Viking
onslaught would be perceived by the people at the spear point. I’m not saying that all of our lyrics are generally Viking-themed, which
seems to have become a norm for black and folk metal bands. A lot of the content in our lyrics is about life predating Christianity and
sets a contrast to how dramatically different we live our lives today.
How important are the lyrics for Bolero?
Our lyrics are just as important as the music, as each set completes the story for each particular song.
Your music seems to be inspired by and or gives off the atmosphere of Canada’s natural beauty, European folklore and its myths. Can
you tell us something more about what these things mean in your life?
We understand exactly why many visitors to our country are so overwhelmed upon their first arrival here. Our lands are simply
astounding, especially further West. A huge part of the writing process so far in our music has been that expression of our embracing
our country’s beauty while keeping the foundations of our influence fixed in European culture and legend. As I said earlier - and most
importantly - we are very pro-Canadian and our having the pre-Christian Viking theme is a strong foothold conceptually as a part of our
heritage as Canadians.
Let’s have a look at the recording process for ‘Voyage from Vinland’. Was it a piece of cake or more a complicated, difficult process
then your previous efforts?
For us and our experiences with previous bands in the studio, each recording should definitely not be a piece of cake. Hopefully there
will always be obstacles to overcome whilst in the studio, otherwise, how do you ever hope to develop? Voyage from Vinland was on
the fence with this idea. We rehearsed for a long time, played many shows and did numerous demos leading up to this point – which
allowed us to let the songs develop further - so we trusted we were quite prepared for the studio. This definitely ran smoother than
the previous recordings we did. When we did the self-titled CD, we had gone through quite a few personnel transitions over the
months leading up to the recording and were still adapting to one another musically and personally. This time around, we were very
familiar with our music, our order of progress and with each other. It was also a huge bonus having a good friend of ours as our
recording engineer.
If you had to pick a song which defines Bolero at this point in time, what track would that be and why?
Every one of our songs has something unique brought to the attention of the listener. Though if we were to choose one (we all
agreed on this one earlier), it would have to be the opening track ‘When the Legends Die’. With this song, we incorporate most of
the elements that are prevalent in all the other tracks and give the listener a good idea of what we are and what we’re striving for.
Has there been any label interest in Bolero? If not at the moment, have you plans to promote your material to labels? Or let them
come to you?
Indeed we have been planning and building our press material to submit to labels abroad, which will come together in due time. We
have had interest from smaller Indie labels in the past, but we have decided to seriously focus on that stage after Voyage from
Vinland is off our slates.
What are your views on the state of the ‘metal scene’ in Canada these days? Any one band you feel is really a stand out band but is
not being noticed? Please help our readers out; who should they keep an eye and ear out for from Canada’s Metal scene?
The metal scene in Canada is quite alive and doing very well in our opinion. You’ll have certain areas just as anywhere else where it will
be more prevalent. But nonetheless, I think Canada has one of the best, supportive and musically diverse metal scenes and certainly
ranks as one of the top globally. To be honest, I think a lot of our Canadian metal bands are getting the attention they deserve.
Though for the sake of helping their names into people’s minds further than they are, you’ll want to keep an eye or two on Wolven
Ancestry, Hallow’s Die, Adytum and Will of the Ancients. I’d love to add more, but the list would be too expansive!
Do you play live often? Do you have any touring plans once ‘Voyage from Vinland’ has been unleashed? Tell us a little about a live
Bolero show if you guys do play live.
Over the past year, we have played a fuck of a lot of shows. Lately we’ve been trying to maintain how often we play certain cities
with a little more discretion than in the past. At the moment, we DO have touring plans once VFV is released, though I’m afraid I can’
t really give much info past that. If you’ve attended a Bolero show lately, you would have probably felt inclined to empty your bank
account on mugs of beer. We like to rely on the crowd’s energy and interaction with us to push us to give our best performance.
Some would say we’re energetic, some would say theatrical, others – obnoxious. But in the end, we try to put a smile on everyone’s
face and have a great time with each show.
Thank you for your time and energy. I will leave the final words to you.
Getcha dick wet.
WEBSITE: www.myspace.com/bolerometal
