Blackened Horde: How did the band get started?
Christopher: I used to DJ a black metal night in the backroom of a goth club. At one event my soon to become guitarist, and lifelong comrade Martin Drozd approached the booth and made some impressive song requests. At an event where I would only get slipknot kids requesting Cradle, or Dimmu all night, and a big polish guy asks me if I have Nokturnal Mortum, or some real rarities I knew this was the guy to ask if he could play guitar in my band. The rest is history as they say.
Blackened Horde: What kind of music do you play?
Christopher: Metal bands LOVE to label their music. And to ridiculous detail as well. ” oh, we play blackened-technical occultic deathcore sludge.” If compartmentalizing your music has a value for you then have at it. But for VOLK, I feel like we will always change what we do. The Volktalitarianism EP sounds the way it does… but I’m writing the full length in my head and its a wholesale departure from our EP we will always move forward and develop new ideas. So I can’t label the music. I can however tell you I am schooled by mainly black metal. I still always listen to it, and read about it. If someone says VOLK is a black metal band I wouldn’t be upset. To me and the band however, VOLK is VOLK. We are doing our own thing, and we are the best at what we do.
Blackened Horde: How has the fan response been?
Christopher: Everyone who comes up to us after a show, or comments online regarding our recording, or live performance always has something positive to say. There was a comment about us live recently. Was something to the degree of “they seem very pretentious, but they were the best band of the night.” That’s a fantastic review in our opinion.
Blackened Horde: Where did the band name come from?
Christopher: When we began jamming together we were all guns blazing to be a ‘pagan metal’ band. So, the initial draft of our names was WotansVolk. I.E. ‘Odin’s people’. The artistic value of this approach wore off from my interest predictably, as I’m admittedly a more self centered type of artist. I didn’t want to borrow from pre existing myth. I sure was not going to dress myself up as a Viking to do a photo shoot either. So I tossed the paganism approach down the well and began to develop my own ideas as far as concept. I shortened the band name to VOLK. It’s a German word that translates to folk, or people. We have a song where we sing “we are the Volk!” Its notating and declaring that we stand on our own, far above our contemporaries in the scene.
Blackened Horde: Introduce the band members and what they do in the band.
Christopher: Myself: Christopher Control – compositions/lead vocal/ keyboard.
Martyn Drozd – additional compositions/lead guitar/vocal/ keyboard.
Joe Feral- bass/vocal
Goat – war drums from hell.
Blackened Horde: Who writes the music? Lyrics?
Christopher: I write the majority of music and lyrics on my own. I will bring these ideas to M. Drozd who will finalize and perfect everything along with writing all his own solos, and vocals.
Blackened Horde: And where do the lyric ideas come from?
Christopher: I have an assortment of inspiration that fertilize my own ideas. It’s mainly within my favorite books. George Orwell is just such an inspiration. As is Nikolai Gogol. I read all I can about real totalitarian regimes. I just find it all so fascinating. To have your nation of people of who’s welfare you are to ensure, but just totally crush them with restrictions, starvation, forced or unreasonably lengthened labour, etc. Or to be that oppressed population. To be told that you are enjoying the highest standard of life…but you are literally starving to death. It’s the entire concept behind the band. This ‘volktalitarianism’ is supposed to be the life you see before you, under the rule of the VOLK. How the apparatus of the system is completely indestructible, and even a facial gesture betraying your independent thoughts will get you shot outright. Many bands have this concept, but of course take the characterization of the insurgent rebelling against the system, breaking down the wall. We stand apart, as lyrically VOLK is the system. VOLK is the wall. This is all purely artistic of course, and we are not a political band in any way. The totality of our concept is to be viewed like a book, or cinema.
Blackened Horde: What is your view in Satanism and Occultism?
Christopher: Those are topics that don’t appear in our lyrics. The band itself may, or may not be in cooperation with occult forces…… But its a private matter for us.
Blackened Horde: How many albums/CD’s have you released?
Christopher: There have been one or two more humble sounding releases in the past, but officially the Volktalitarianism EP is our only official release.
Blackened Horde: Tell me about some the songs on the latest CD?
Christopher: They are all very dynamic songs. They all have ups and downs in pace. And I believe they provoke a lot of emotion when you sit down with the recording. Winds of sorrow is one of the more powerful tracks it builds up, and up and as you think its winding down you get completely bulldozed with a blood freezing scream, and the momentum becomes even more fierce. Heathen Dawn begins as a ballad, but before long the singable pleasantness gets torn away by aggravation, suffering, and death. The secret track which will remain that way unless you’ve purchased a copy is very impressive. I can say its a cover. But the performance, and surprising musical styles used to rework this classic are unorthodox.
Blackened Horde: Do you have any side projects?
Christopher: VOLK is my full-time musical undertaking. The members of my band are affiliated with acts of their own. Protokult, Feral, and Desekratewhore are among the names.
Blackened Horde: Who are some of your musical influences?
Christopher: Burzum, Laibach, Joy Division, Nargaroth, Ministry, Rammstein, Fear Factory, King Diamond, Black Sabbath.
Blackened Horde: Which current bands?
Christopher: I’m sad to say I’ve not been listening to anything brand new.
Blackened Horde: What is the band like when you play live?
Christopher: Pure energy, emotion, and anger.
Blackened Horde: Have you guys ever played in another country?
Christopher: Not as of yet.
Blackened Horde: How big of crowd shows up at shows usually?
Christopher: It’s been modest, to a full house. I don’t count heads, but the following is growing.
Blackened Horde: How is the crowd response when you play?
Christopher: Always positive. We are the band that gets people moving and straight to the front of the stage.
Blackened Horde: What do you think of the US Black Metal/Death Metal scene?
Christopher: I enjoy Leviathan, and Xasthur, Weakling was really interesting. I believe those to be the old guard though.
Blackened Horde: What do you think of the Overseas scenes?
Christopher: I prefer it to N. American music for certain.
Blackened Horde: What are some of new favorite black metal/death metal bands?
Christopher: I’m very out of touch. You’ve reminded me again I need to go to a record store soon.
Blackened Horde: When do you guys plan on writing any new material?
Christopher: It’s ongoing. I hope to be in the studio again for the full length this winter, in the new year.
Blackened Horde: What does the future hold for the band??
Christopher: I don’t look too far ahead. In the near future I want to secure a partnership with a decent label that will endorse our next album. Aside from that we will keep playing and doing all we can to make VOLK a bigger concern. With help of respectable organizations like this zine, and underground radio we achieve small victories everyday.
Strength, and no mercy! Sincerely
VOLK.
Contact them at:
https://m.facebook.com/theofficialvolk
http://oldenblood.com (Distro)
