WOLF - Niklas Stalvind (vocals, guitars)

Metalzone.gr: First of all I’d like to welcome you to Metalzone.gr. We have been following the band for many years because we feel it combines all the ingredients that make a great heavy metal band, power, attitude, guts and melody. Can you give us in brief the story so far?

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Niklas Stalvind: Started 1995 when metal was not cool in Sweden, but we liked it so we played it. Got the first album out in 2000 and now we release the seventh studio album called Devil Seed. 

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 Metalzone.gr: You are about to release the Devil Seed upon us. Tell us a few words about the album. (Music direction, lyric themes, production, influences etc)

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Niklas Stalvind: The songs are simpler and at the same time more complex and have more dynamics and depth in my opinion. It’s produced by Jens Bogren, who is one of the top producers around now. Musically we have our roots in the british metal from the eighties, but really we just write the songs we want to hear and make the music that we love ourselves. 

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Metalzone.gr: What live appearances are you planning in support of the release?

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Niklas Stalvind: We start off with a tour in UK and continental Europe in September. There are more plans after that but nothing confirmed yet. In summer 2015 we intend to play as many festivals as possible.

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 Metalzone.gr: Do you have any personal favorites?

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Niklas Stalvind: My personal favorite is the instrumental opening track ”Overture in C Shark”. Also ”My Demon”, which we released as a lyrical video on youtube a while ago. You can also find our fast and furious video ”Shark Attack” on youtube. 

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Metalzone.gr: Shark Attack is the first video to promote your new release. Is there going to be another video to follow it?

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 Niklas Stalvind: Not that we have planned right now. It’s a budget issue also. But you never know. We did a video of our song ”Absinthe” long time after the song was released, because we released and actual absinthe under our name. Wolf Absinthe. Top notch! You can order it from www.absinthes.com

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Metalzone.gr: If you had the chance to give an introduction of the DEVIL SEED to the listeners before they listen to it for the first time, what would you say? What would you tell them to pay attention to?

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Niklas Stalvind: Play it not just once, but many times. It’s an album that will grow on you and I think you will discover new stuff with many listenings.

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 Metalzone.gr: How important are the fans opinions for you? Do you take under consideration the feedback you get from your fans?

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Niklas Stalvind: Not when we write the music. We write the music we are fans too. We are extremely honest songwriters and we don’t sit and calculate what fans or critics want to hear. We play what we want to hear and that’s when you make the best music. Luckily for us, there are many who share our taste in metal and for that we are very thankful. It would be crap just to write and record and have no one listening. The songs need the fans to be complete.

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 Metalzone.gr: As we mentioned before we have been following you for many years and even though we feel that the band has great value and solid heavy metal to offer. Does that translate in a big fan base? Are you as popular as you expected to be? What expectations do you have?

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Niklas Stalvind: We have a great fan base, especially since our kind of metal IS cool nowadays. But there is potential for a lot bigger fan base. This kind of music is excellent and deserves more listeners, but it’s still too underground I think. That’s why we have the greatest fans who helps bands like us spread our music to their friends and via social media. Metal heads unite!

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Metalzone.gr: Are you influenced by the trends going around in the metal scene when writing music? Would you write something of particular style in order to be trendy therefore more popular?

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Niklas Stalvind: No, I can honestly say we are not. We never have been. We SET the trends not follow them. In the nineties we were mocked in media in Sweden. Now we have paved a wave for a whole new generation of younger bands playing our kind of metal. 

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 Metalzone.gr: What music do you like? Do you get influenced by the music you listen to?

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Niklas Stalvind: I like the music I grew up listening to. At first there was my dads records of instrumental guitar rock like The Shadows and The Ventures, and I still listen to that kind of music. Then I discovered Heavy Metal with bands like Judas Priest and Iron Maiden and that is still my biggest love when it comes to music. I listen to new metal also some times, but that doesn’t influence my song writing. What influence me is the music from my childhood and youth and also movie soundtracks and classical music. When it comes to ”new” music that influence my songwriting it tends to be music that is not metal at all, like old horror movie soundtracks.

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 Metalzone.gr: Lately we see the metal scene turning in to its roots. More and more bands are presenting songs that sound like they could have been released in the 80s. Sweden has quite a few of those. Do you see the same trend going around?

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Niklas Stalvind: Yes, and if feels great that people listen to this type of metal again. I have nothing against any sub genre of metal really, but glad that people still discovering the roots.

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Metalzone.gr: Lately bands as big as Overkill and Judas Priest have been releasing albums that had great sales, the biggest of their careers. At the same time many bands choose to release their new albums on vinyl and many times in many

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versions. Has the music industry find a way to overcome it’s losses from illegal downloading, are the fans becoming more conscious of the fact they ought to support the bands they like or are the releases getting better?

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Niklas Stalvind: I don’t think so. There’s no money in selling records any more. The legendary bands can still sell lots of albums, but for newer bands it is tougher. Metal fans are very loyal though and not only do they still buy albums, they come to shows, wears the t-shirts and other stuff to show support. We salute metal fans for it! It makes it possible for bands like Wolf to do what we do. But a band that sold 100 000 copies ten years ago maybe sell 10 000 copies now. 

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There are really no money at all in vinyls, but we love vinyls and we always make vinyls of every record. Vinyls are great!

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Metalzone.gr: Are you a true metal fan yourself? What is your opinion on metal music in general? Does it have the place it deserves in the music industry?

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Niklas Stalvind: If I weren’t a true metal fan, I would never ever do this. There are easier ways to make a living, but this is what we love and this is what we do. ”Normal” people are not really music fans at all, they just put on the radio and are happy with that. They don’t care. That’s a sad fact, so NO - Metal does not have the place in the music industry it deserves. But there are more metal fans every day so maybe one day it will. 

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Metalzone.gr: Thank you very much for your time and the great music you’ve offered us over the years. We wish you all the best on growing the DEVIL SEED and harvesting great music in the years to come. Send a message out to metalzone.gr readers in Greece.

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 Niklas Stalvind: We know we have lots of fans in Greece and we know from Simon Johanson (who has been in Greece with his other band Memory Garden) that Greek fans are AMAZING! We really hope we can come and play for you soon. We can’t come soon enough!

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www.wolf.nu
\r\nhttp://www.facebook.com/officialwolf
\r\nwww.twitter.com/Nik_Wolf 

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