From Italian Grind Zone translated by me,(sorry for any english mistake) not a memorable one as the question were few and not so relevant, anyway enjoy:
A jump in the folk paradise to meet the swedish Otyg authors of a recent debut album for the austrian label Napalm Records, always active in the production of traditional and pagan music. Vintersorg, housekeeper, has welcomed us in his reign.
I: Tell us about the Otyg story
V: Otyg were born in 1995 as a celebration of the ancient scadinavian folk music. Some of us played in death/black metal bands but weren't satisfied, we wanted to go on playing a music that looked for more primordial melodies, but at the same time melodic. It was natural to give light to a band with the intention of playing folk music. We recorded soon some material trying to make it as particular as possible, faithful to sonorities already surpassed, we used flauts, harps violins just for this sake.
I: What are the subjects that ispire your lyrics and music?
V: We create stories on the basis of symbologies, characters and thematics dear to the immortal nordic folklore. Here they go trolls, elves and other supernatural beings moving around our marvellous nature that surrounds us: enchanted rivers, endless forest, scarlet skies, high mountains...
I: Clearly you use a traditional language of your land and not the international english...
V: It's natural! It'd be meaningless to sing in english, a language utterly different to what we feel move in our spirit and that through the music we try to express completly. The fascination of our lyrics is just in their "originality"! Lyrics and music have always to be associated. Sometimes they are traditional poems that give us the input to create music for certain feelings, some other are our dreams, our thoughts, our eyes...
I: Do they exist other artistic expressions, beside music, that you're interested in?
V: Yes, I'm very interested in various artistic expression. At the moment my greatest source of ispiration are poems and paintings. My favourite painter is Th. Kittelsen, the "norwegian master". He is a unique artist that deals a lot with nature and folklore.....Karl-Erik Forsslund, swedish, is the greatest writer concerning poems and written tradition. Both died but are alive in our heart!
I: Are there any other folk band worthy of respect and admiration?
V: Yes a lot! Some of them are Storm, Folk och rokare, Garmarna, Vasen, Vynja and Hadningarna...all swedish and norwegian
I: And what about heavy metal? You played in a death metal band before Otyg?
V: Yes, I played a very heavy metal...I still adore that kind of music, I grew up listening to heavy metal: Saxon, Judas Priest up to thrash, death and so on...It's part of my background, it wouldn't be fair to deny the past. And then, honestly, in our music exist strong metal components that fit well with folk ones that characterize our sound
I: Vintersorg is also the name of your solo project...
V: Yes, I'm working on the material to release a mini-cd "Hedniskhjartad" that will be released on the next months thru Napalm Rec.
A jump in the folk paradise to meet the swedish Otyg authors of a recent debut album for the austrian label Napalm Records, always active in the production of traditional and pagan music. Vintersorg, housekeeper, has welcomed us in his reign.
I: Tell us about the Otyg story
V: Otyg were born in 1995 as a celebration of the ancient scadinavian folk music. Some of us played in death/black metal bands but weren't satisfied, we wanted to go on playing a music that looked for more primordial melodies, but at the same time melodic. It was natural to give light to a band with the intention of playing folk music. We recorded soon some material trying to make it as particular as possible, faithful to sonorities already surpassed, we used flauts, harps violins just for this sake.
I: What are the subjects that ispire your lyrics and music?
V: We create stories on the basis of symbologies, characters and thematics dear to the immortal nordic folklore. Here they go trolls, elves and other supernatural beings moving around our marvellous nature that surrounds us: enchanted rivers, endless forest, scarlet skies, high mountains...
I: Clearly you use a traditional language of your land and not the international english...
V: It's natural! It'd be meaningless to sing in english, a language utterly different to what we feel move in our spirit and that through the music we try to express completly. The fascination of our lyrics is just in their "originality"! Lyrics and music have always to be associated. Sometimes they are traditional poems that give us the input to create music for certain feelings, some other are our dreams, our thoughts, our eyes...
I: Do they exist other artistic expressions, beside music, that you're interested in?
V: Yes, I'm very interested in various artistic expression. At the moment my greatest source of ispiration are poems and paintings. My favourite painter is Th. Kittelsen, the "norwegian master". He is a unique artist that deals a lot with nature and folklore.....Karl-Erik Forsslund, swedish, is the greatest writer concerning poems and written tradition. Both died but are alive in our heart!
I: Are there any other folk band worthy of respect and admiration?
V: Yes a lot! Some of them are Storm, Folk och rokare, Garmarna, Vasen, Vynja and Hadningarna...all swedish and norwegian
I: And what about heavy metal? You played in a death metal band before Otyg?
V: Yes, I played a very heavy metal...I still adore that kind of music, I grew up listening to heavy metal: Saxon, Judas Priest up to thrash, death and so on...It's part of my background, it wouldn't be fair to deny the past. And then, honestly, in our music exist strong metal components that fit well with folk ones that characterize our sound
I: Vintersorg is also the name of your solo project...
V: Yes, I'm working on the material to release a mini-cd "Hedniskhjartad" that will be released on the next months thru Napalm Rec.
are you sure that wasn't the overall total viewings for ultimatemetal? i've never seen 26 ppl in the vintersorg room at one time!
