Melodic Heavy Metal Band Vintersea are set to release their third studio album entitled Woven Into Ashes on May 5th. Vintersea’s guitarist Riley Nix took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about the band’s upcoming album, their current single “At The Gloaming Void,” his favorite releases of 2023 (so far), and more. Check out the chat below!
Metal Express Radio: Vintersea’s third studio album entitled Woven Into Ashes is set to be released May 5th, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?
Nix: Woven Into Ashes represents a time of big changes for many of us. Like so many other people, the last few years resulted in big personal changes, difficult losses, and serious uncertainty. We took the time that we had to work together on some deeply personal, deeply emotional music that means a lot to each of us in different ways. These songs have helped us process difficult times, and we hope it does the same for some of our fans. Conceptually, we feel that this album is a great representation of what we do best. We embraced some of the longer and more experimental song structures of our first album, The Gravity of Fall, and meshed those with the tight songwriting and production layering of Illuminated to define a sound that is undoubtedly Vintersea.
MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being Vintersea’s third album?
Nix: The biggest changes were logistical. During some of the writing, we were either in small groups or weren’t able to get together regularly because of the pandemic. So, we wrote the album fairly modularly. Some of us were working on writing the baseline music, some of us were working on lyrics and high-level concepts, some of us were in the studio, and some of us were working on production. This had both good and bad effects – it sometimes felt like we weren’t getting to see one another often enough and it was sometimes difficult to communicate nuanced concepts – but it also forced us all to trust one another implicitly to do what it is that we do best. Ultimately, the process brought us all closer together as a unit.
MER: How would you compare Woven Into Ashes to Vintersea’s previous two albums?
Nix: As mentioned, this album really does combine some of the best of both worlds. We allowed ourselves a lot of freedom on this album to create whatever we wanted to create, and to make the music that we want to hear. People have been so receptive to our vision and seem to resonate with our music, so we wanted to put it all out there with this album and show the world what we have to offer. We believe it our most complete, cohesive, and interesting album yet.
MER: How did it come about having “At the Gloaming Void” the first single?
Nix: “At the Gloaming Void” was a song that came together very naturally for us, and it was always floating around as a potential single. When we got into the studio and started layering things in, finalizing vocal lines, contemplating orchestration – it just became clear that it was a banger of a track. It also represents a good cross section of what this album is about – ferocious and gritty and nasty, but also beautiful and haunting. It helps that Karl quickly came up with a music video concept that so perfectly fit the vibe of the song!
MER: What do you see as plans for you and Vintersea in 2023?
Nix: Vintersea is hitting the road on the day Woven Into Ashes drops, May 5th, for a two week tour through the American Southwest and along the west coast to Vancouver, BC. It will be our first time playing in Canada, and we are extremely excited for that! We will also be continuing to develop and record music videos to promote this album through the summer, and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible at shows and festivals!
MER: Who do you hope to tour with that you haven’t and why?
Nix: We have a great relationship with the Australian band Ne Obliviscaris – and I think that would be an awesome fit for us! On the dream list would also be a run with Devin Townsend, Ihsahn, Rivers of Nihil, Leprous, The Ocean, Periphery…the list goes on. Can we tour with everybody?
MER: What have been some of your favorite releases of 2023 so far?
Nix: Ne Obliviscaris just dropped their new full-length, Exul, and it is just as epic as we hoped it could be. Ihsahn released a short EP called The Fascination Street Session that is extremely interesting and diverse, and Periphery’s fifth album shows that they are still at the absolute top of their game,
MER: Is there anywhere in particular you’re hoping to play live that you haven’t yet and why?
Nix: It is absolutely critical that we get to Europe – we have so many amazing friends and fans there that have been clamoring for us to come for years, and we know that we would make a lot of new friends there as well. A circuit of the big northern European Metal festivals sounds like a good summer to us!
MER: Since forming in 2017, what have been some of your favorite memories playing music?
Nix: We have had some amazing opportunities to open for great bands like Ne Obliviscaris, Jinjer, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and The Ocean. Getting to meet our heroes and share a stage with them is always a highlight. It is also a great memory any time we get to play a new city or a new venue. Every area has its own flavor, and getting explore that while realizing that Metalheads aren’t so different anywhere you go is always interesting and humbling.
MER: Out of Vintersea’s three albums, what is one you would suggest to a new fan and why?
Nix: You really set us up for a grand slam here! Woven Into Ashes is in stores and streaming EVERYWHERE on May 5th, 2023, and you should start there if you have never heard us before. This album represents the best of who and what we are, and we hope it brings a lot of new folks into the fold. We have a lot left to say and hope you’ll come along for the ride!
Be the first to comment