Adalruna

Band: Adalruna
Interviewee: Wulfhelm
Year: 2008
Website: www.adalruna.co.uk
MySpace: myspace.com/adalrunaofficial
Label: Darker Than Black Records
Featured on: Loucifer Speaks Exclusive... So far!

Interview

Adalruna hail from Chesterfield and play the kind of Ambient Black Metal that captivates an audience immediately. Adalruna have been on my friends list on MySpace for quite some time, but are still a bit of a mystery to me. Thankfully, Wulfhelm agreed to answer some of my questions...

Lou: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. First of all, I'd like to get a little bit of background on the band. How long have you been releasing music as Adalruna? Were you in any bands previous to that? Are you involved with any other projects at the moment?

Wulfhelm: Hail! Adalruna has been releasing music since late 2006. It was a development from a previous solo project of mine that I had outgrown both musically and ideologically. It seemed a natural progression to start afresh, and I think it's worked out for the best. Prior to Adalruna, I was not a member of any other band, and I've never really had any interest in working with anyone else on any kind of permanent basis. I have participated in a few projects with other people though - none of which are worth mentioning. I very much doubt any are still in existence as of today. This attitude has continued to this day, and I still have very little interest in starting any other projects with other people.

Lou: Who is in the band, or is it a one man project?

Wulfhelm: It is only me. I have tried in the past (twice now!) to bring a drummer into the fold, but both times have ended in betrayal, thus confirming to me that if you want something done right... you know the rest. I do still like guests on my releases, though, and I have done a split release with another band in the past. I’m not a total misanthrope!

Lou: Where does the name Adalruna come from?

Wulfhelm: 'Adalruna' (translated - 'noble runes') is a system of 15 runes that are supposedly the first root-runes that all other staves haves been created from. It was first coined by the runosophist and nobleman Johan Bure (Latinized - 'Johannes Bureus') in the 17th Century. I chose the name for two reasons - 1) I had based the first demo around his teachings and 2) it sounded good! I’m a big fan of the writings of Edred Thorsson (Dr. Stephen E. Flowers), so I was first introduced to the Adalruna through his booklet 'Johannes Bureus and the Adalruna' that I believe is still available if anybody would like to know more. There should be information on the internet, too, I imagine.

Lou: How many albums have you released so far and are they all still available to buy?

Wulfhelm: There are three albums released so far, one of which is a split album with the band Hard Venom. This and my first album are still available to purchase from various places including the labels who released them (you'll find links at the Adalruna site: www.adalruna.co.uk). There is another full length album that is no longer physically available as it was released in a limited 15 CD run, but I have recently made it available for free download from the website along with several demo songs that are not available elsewhere.

Lou: Which is your preferred medium to release an album; CD, MP3, vinyl or cassette? ...And why?

Wulfhelm: I don't mind, to be honest, as long as it's not MP3! CDs are the easiest, although I like the general shitness of a cassette tape. Vinyl is nice, too, but I don't own a player capable of playing those, anymore. I guess CD is preferred for a proper Adalruna album since it's more accessible and you don't lose any space for album art. I can't stand MP3 downloads as they cheapen everything and you don’t get what you're paying for - or you don't pay at all!

Lou: Would you ever (or have you already) release an album or EP purely as an MP3 download? What would cause you to come to your decision either way?

Wulfhelm: No. I have only offered MP3 downloads after a release goes out of print and when there is no chance I would ever decide to reprint the release - like demos and such. I won't be offering any other downloads, from now on. I like the physicality of having a release in my hands as well as being able to hear it - MP3's don't offer that. I realise that in the age of the iPod, people rarely glance at their CDs after they’ve ripped them to their PCs, but I don't care.

Lou: I understand that you have a new album ("A Wolf in Hallowed Places") in the pipeline. Please could you tell us a little bit about it? When will it be released and what makes it stand out from your other works? Also, what makes it stand out from albums created by bands with a similar sound to yours?

Wulfhelm: The new album should be released shortly from Darker Than Black; I don't know an exact release date. As some may be able to deduce from the name, it serves as the first volume in an epic multi-album adaptation of the Norse Volsung Saga. It is eight tracks (about one hour in length) of symphonic/ambient black metal that should take the listener out of this age of degradation and back into the time of mythology, heroes and adventure! I guess it stands out from other Adalruna releases due to the recording quality being a little better, there's much more use of symphonic and ambient effects that were quite rare prior to the 'Summoning the Ancient Power of the Runes' demo, and I have also used a narrator to help the narrative along. I don't know what sets it out from other similar bands except it's my creation and not theirs.

Lou: Which track (or tracks) on the album are you particularly proud of writing and why?

Wulfhelm: I like all the tracks on this new album. I wrote a few alternative versions of some of the tracks that I felt did work, so I did not use them - thus every track on this album are very much how I want them to be. The song which sticks out to me as being my favourite is 'The Gathering of an Army and the Seizing of Hunland'. It came out the best, I feel.

Lou: Will you be touring to promote the new album?

Wulfhelm: No, Adalruna has never been a live band for obvious reasons, so there are no plans to tour for promotion purposes or otherwise. Whether these plans will change in the future I cannot say.

Lou: How did the deal with Darker Than Black Records come about?

Wulfhelm: They showed interest in Adalruna so I sent a promo demo to them which influenced them to sign Adalruna on for the next album.

Lou: There's a very Heathenistic feel to your music (no, I'm not sure if Heathenistic is a word either!). What would you say influences you the most when your writing?

Wulfhelm: Obviously Norse heathenism is a huge part of my life, thus its influence on my music is to be expected. I'm particularly interested in researching different perspectives of heathenism, from its more historical sources like the Eddas and Sagas to the revival of interest in the late 18th Century from writers such as Guido von List to its 'Nazi' developments with Karl Maria Wiligut and eventually to what we understand now with more contemporary writers like Ron McVan and Edred Thorsson. I find the study of the socio-historical contexts that different perspectives are developed under adds greatly to the understanding of it. I certainly have my own 'political' views that go hand in hand with my religious beliefs - this serves as the groundwork for how Adalruna should be understood and what the message of Adalruna is.

Lou: Are there any messages that you try to put across in your music?

Wulfhelm: Essentially, Adalruna can be seen as propaganda for the heathen revival that is currently taking place and has been gaining momentum since well before I was born. The preservation of pre-Christian traditions is obviously difficult in this world, but I will do my part to protect what I believe in. All it takes is a spark in a person to ignite the pagan flame within them; Wotan sleeps dormant within the folk-soul, and he must be awakened once more or else we face annihilation, both culturally and physically by alien (not extra-terrestrial!) forces.

Lou: Which bands have had the biggest influence on your music?

Wulfhelm: Initially, bands like Burzum, Bathory, Mayhem, Darkthrone and the usual had a huge impact on me, and I think that shows through in my first few recordings. Before this I tended to listen to classical and soundtrack music. I found in black metal a pure European sound and expression that I had never heard in anything else other than Wagner! Nowadays I have become a little disillusioned with black metal, as I see it for what it really is - just a scene populated by pathetic fourteen year olds. I still adore a lot of the music, particularly Burzum, Absurd and Bathory, and some more contemporary bands like Summoning and Bal-Sagoth. There are lots of ambient, folk and folk-metal bands that I find great, too. I've discovered a lot of great bands I would never have heard otherwise through correspondence on my MySpace page. I guess all of these would count as influences in some way. It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what influences what, though.

Lou: Are there any other musicians out there at the moment that you'd like to collaborate with in the future?

Wulfhelm: Well... not really.

Lou: I've just been watching the video on your MySpace page for "The Sword In The Earth" and I've got to say that I'm really impressed with the idea behind this video... and by the fact that it's so simple. How did you come up with the idea? Was it planned beforehand, or did you just happen to film some footage on your mobile that would work with the song?

Wulfhelm: Thank you, I am oddly proud of the simplicity of that video! If I remember correctly (it was only a year ago...) I was walking up to the woods with the idea of doing something, but I cannot remember what... I just began filming and taking photos with my phone, which was the only thing I had on me. Later in the day I simply took the footage and put it on my computer. It struck me how pathetic, flat and distorted nature looked through the 'eyes of technology'; it was then that I realised this was how Judaeo-Christianity viewed the world with their ever growing capitalist/industrialist agendas eradicating anything natural that threatens them. That is the message of 'The Sword in the Earth', so the two became one.

Lou: Do you have any plans to make any more videos in the future?

Wulfhelm: Yes! I will very shortly be starting my second year at University on a Film and Media Production course, and as I will be moving to Sheffield to be closer to the campus and equipment in a few weeks or so, I would expect I will make something for Adalruna! I would like to make a video for 'The Saga of the Volsungs' if I can find something interesting and not cheap-looking to film...

Lou: Do you feel that the music video still works as a successful way for bands to promote their music? This is a topic that I've spoken to a few people about over the past few weeks and there seems to be some mixed opinions out there. I suppose the big flaw with music videos is that there isn't really any music channels out there that will play (what I would describe as) decent music. What are your thoughts?

Wulfhelm: No music channels? Well, that depends on what you count YouTube as, I suppose! I bet music videos get more views there than they ever will on some MTV-type thing. Whilst a promo video is not the be-all and end-all of music promotion anymore, it's a good place to start! Unfortunately there is so much competition no matter who you are, you have to do something really original to be noticed (or just put 'porn' in the meta-tags!) For most bands it's easier - you just record some decent quality live shows and put them up to get the word out, but with others it's a little more difficult. The great thing about a video is, even your music is really shit, you have the visual sense to fall back on to keep your audience interested. They might just be dumb enough to pick up an album!

Lou: Do you have any Adalruna merchandise available and where can we buy it from?

Wulfhelm: There's no official merchandise available anymore. I made a very limited run of t-shirts a while ago but it took me about three months to shift 17 of them. I won't be doing that again by myself - far too costly.

Other Links

More Links: "The Sword In The Earth" video thread on the Loucifer Speaks forum.