Chris from Volk!

Can you introduce yourself and your music style?

You are speaking with Christopher Control. I represent Toronto Black Metal band VOLK.

2. How is the Canadian folk metal scene?

I tend to focus exclusively on direct competition.
So I just have my eye on Metal activities in my own city of Toronto, and immediate surrounding areas.

Hard to know what's happening in places like Calgary, or P.E.I. if you know what I mean. It's my unpopular opinion that there is too much music even in Toronto.

I know of a few folk metal bands here. Our guitarist Martin Drozd leads his own band Protokult, who have an Eastern European folk sound. There's a few others but I think Protokult is at the top of the game. Regardless if a member played in VOLK or not.

3. What 5 bands are your biggest influences?

For the band directly I'd say Nargaroth, Abigor, early Satyricon, Laibach, and Joy Division.

4 When did you decide in life you guys wanted to be metalheads? When did you pick instruments?

I can't speak for the others in the band, but for me it was definitely when I saw Iron Maiden perform live on MTV. I was a little kid. I was really into music, I liked videos obviously. One day a special program comes on, and it was Maidens full set from their powerslave tour. That was it for me. It was the first double harmony I ever heard, and first time seeing Eddy. Changed everything.

5. Can you tell me how you come up with your lyrics ideas?

Some flows from the brain. A lot is influence of the books of George Orwell. I piece bits and pieces from old wartime slogans. British, German, American and Russian.

Could be a point of humor, but I'm obsessed with North Korea. I get a lot of ideas from reading on that topic. A new song we be playing live called Total Control is very inspired by the goings on there.

6. Black or death metal? Thrash or glam?

Oh dear.
OK.
Black Metal over death. BUT, I love a selection of 80s and 90s Death Metal. But you have to understand that Black metal in the very beginning of the 90s turned its nose at death metal.

I forget the band, but there was an interview of an emerging Norwegian Black Metal group that complained that death metal bands wore jogging pants on stage and had dirty hair and wore sneakers. I thought that shit was really cool.

Thrash over glam. Zero contest.

7. How many cds do you have out? When does your new one come out?

Officially, one. The volktalitarianism e.p. which we just released. I'm working on new music for the full length now. The goal is a spring 2016 release. Followers of the Facebook page will know.

8. Who are the best bands that you have shared the stage with?

HIVE from Guelph Ontario, Unbowed from the same, and Traitor from Toronto Ontario.

9. What's your favorite song to play live? How about in general?

Pagan Lands, and Passage. Both on the new e.p.

10. Where is your next gig at?

A place called Coalition. Torontonians will know. September 24th with Wilt, and Ischemic.

11. Where can we get the merch?

At gigs of course. But online mail order at oldenblood.com more distros to come in the United States, and Europe.

12. Any last words request or ideas?

We are unique. Especially within the Toronto scene. You don't lose if you've left your house to come see us perform.

Please follow us at https://m.facebook.com/theofficialvolk