Interview : Vildhjarta
Vildhjarta – the name resonates to something which is beyond grasp and awesome. The powerhouse band from Sweden which recently performed at IIT Madras (India) shook the country with their musical technicality and ease of playing it on stage before a huge crowd.
Deriving their sound from Meshuggah – low tuned guitars which give out a chugging sound called ‘Djent’ , they rose to fame with their EP ‘Omnislash’ and took over the internet with their ear bleeding song structures and heavy but ambient music style.
Their latest full length record “Masstaden” which was nothing short of brilliance. Loved by critics and fans alike , their work is classified as ‘terrifying , dark , ambient and technically beyond our times’ .
During their tour of India we got a few minutes to interview them – and guess what! They wish to play here again and again!
Finally we could get hold of you guys between your hectic touring – how are you guys ?jet-lagged?
- Hey, yeah time gets screwed pretty easily when travelling but we’ve been taken very good care of, cant wait to visit india again!
Vildjharta – The name is unique and at the same time a mystery to most of the fans – what does it mean and how did it originate?
- It’s taken from the swedish edition of dungeons and dragons, the old pencil and paper roleplaying game. It’s basically an expansion book named vildhjarta. We really do like silly names, they can often end up being the most evil and unique ones.
You guys recently played in India (IIT Chennai), how was the whole experience – concert and in the country ?
- India as a country was just amazing to us. For me personally it was a pretty huge deal as i usually dont like visiting other countries but damn i could live in india for sure.It was the first time for all of us too.We had some tech issues before and during the show but the crowd was just insane, we must go back there!
A huge fanbase in India – where your album has not even reached stores – how does it feel?
- It feels great ofcourse, hopefully we will revisit and do more shows soon.
Being a geographically huge country , your fans would want to see you at other parts of the country too – more tours expected?
- Yes, we have some people working on that so hopefully we’ll come up with something soon!
Your sound is called as “Djent” which is now regarded as a full-fledged genre – what is it according to you that makes it so good to hear/play ?
- What i like about djent is that it allow for some really dark and heavy songwriting. Meshuggah got me into all of this and they are still the masters of it as far as im concerned.It’s cool if people think of djent as a genre, we are proud to be a part of this whole movement.
Music is always subjected to comparision -Vildjharta is tagged as ‘Meshuggah’s Children’ by certain people – your comments?
- Let’s be honest, we wouldnt be here doing this if it werent for Meshuggah so of course it’s an honor when people think of us that way.
Sweden has given the rock/metal world some of its greatest bands/artists – how does your country/home-town/culture influence your songwriting and music as a whole?
- Influences and inspirations are always hard to specify as it’s always there one way or the other, even if you may be unaware of it at the time. Sweden is a country with pretty extreme differences in weather. Winters are very cold and dark yet the summers are hot and heavenly which can def make for a jumpy ride adjusting to every year, im sure this influence my songs a great deal. I have alot of ideas i need to write down after our india visit so india inspired me alot i know that.
Thall – you know it was coming ! You guys coined the term – what is ‘Thall’ and why ‘thall’?
-thall
As a band you are known to make complex but musically advanced songs ,riffs and rudiments – if not for Djent what would you guys love to play?
- Wow, anything i guess? We love so much music it’s just that we find heavy stuff to be the most rewarding for us live. It’s not like we listen to metal more then any other genre.
Lot of indian bands look up to you as their inspiration – any message ,advice ?
- we love you, get us back there so we can hang!
