One more Profile this week, and this time we have Swedish outfit Vittra. They just released their second full-length album Intense Indifference back in September, and it’s one you should absolutely add to your list. Inspired by the mythical creatures of Swedish folklore, Vittra offers something in both theme and sound for all fans of melodic death metal and thrash, so I’d say it’s about time we all dive into the new record. To help us familiarize a little further, bassist Gustav Svensson offered up some responses to our questions. Give those a read and hit that Bandcamp link while you do. Cheers!

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How and when did you first get into playing music, or metal more specifically, and how did your band get its start? Any pushback from family/those close to you?

I got into playing metal when I was around 14 when I received my first guitar. But I really started taking music seriously when I was recruited to my first ever death metal band run by a couple of friends of mine. They did however not need a guitarist but a bassist so I gave it a shot (How hard can it be right?) and I kinda got stuck there. So I would say that my real journey started when I switched to bass guitar and had to prove my place in a group of other musicians.

I wish I had this cool rebellious story of me revolting against my family and resisting old values and so on but I don’t. My family has always been very supportive and for that I am very grateful.

How would you describe your band and what you play to someone who is completely in the dark?

I think we are a mix of thrash metal and melodic death metal. But it is hard to tell. When people ask I usually say that we play Hard Rock/Rock’n’roll hahaha. Just to avoid the responsibility of defining us. I like it more when listeners describe us. But my final label would be Melodic Thrash with a touch of goof.

Is there anything about your latest album or about your band that no one will find in any interview or review that you care to divulge?

I wrote the last bass solo/lead for the song “Hate” on our, soon to be released, album the night before going to record it. I got really cold feet about my original idea and just threw it out the window the night before haha. I don’t know if I told anyone about this. Let’s see if any of my band mates read these answers.

Any funny stories from playing shows / tours / festivals, etc?

At our first, or was it the second show? On our first or second show (ever) we played in the northwest of Stockholm at a metal club. Everything went great, we pulled off a solid gig, everybody was happy and everything just went smooth. Too smooth apparently, because an hour or two after the gig when we were chilling David (vocals) just tells us that he and his girlfriend at the time are heading out. So they are gone and then as we are packing up and filling the cars we cannot make contact with David. When we finally got in touch with him he had ended up alone in a pub in the far south of Stockholm. I won’t bother you with more geography, what is important to know is that one car had to make an extra 2 hour trip in the opposite direction of where we were heading. To me this was really funny because I was staying in Stockholm but the rest of the guys weren’t as happy making a detour to find a drunk and lost singer.

What do you see as some of the great things happening in and around the metal scene (yours or just in general) and what are some of the worst things happening right now?

Something that’s sad to see nowadays are the many festivals having to close down completely or having to cut down on spendings needed to run properly. What is positive though are the few that have risen during the last couple of years. One of them is Bulgasal Metal Fest located in our hometown Västerås. The people running it are not doing this full time, they are only doing this out of their passion for metal music. So go check them out!

Something that’s been going on for a while now is the increased influence of social media and advanced software to make and edit music. A great thing about this is that it has never been easier to create and share your music. What could be a problem with this is that you don’t even know if the music is made by a human or not. So I think that the live performance and the abilities of the musicians to pull off a good show is going to be something that will be valued higher than before. Because with a world where an AI prompt can make music the only thing you won’t be able to fake is the musicians playing it right here right now at the live event.

Most folks have passions for a cause or causes that are close to them. What, if any, are some of the most important issues (social/political/humorous/etc.) for you / your band and how do you insert those issues into your music?

Vittra is more about storytelling and the music itself rather than any of our specific political views. In the music we try to create fitting themes around the feelings of the songs and what is appropriate to make the songs come alive. Be it with folklore and mythology or what we hear in the news. One thing that I would say is important to us is to not be so dedicated to any specific image. We like to see ourselves as almost like an antithesis to black metal identity in the sense that we simply don’t care that much about identity and taking ourselves that seriously.

Do you have day jobs or hobbies you want to share?

Video games and University studies in teaching is what fills the rest of my life apart from music. I am also a notorious language geek to everyone who knows me hahaha. If you look at the others, one is a sheet metal worker, one works in a bar, one is in HR and the last one is some sort of technical or facilities manager for a couple of hotels. We are quite a mix.

What advice do you have for music critics and outlets out there? How can we all better serve the genre in the eyes of a hard-working musician?

First of all. Keep being honest! We love to hear honest opinions of our music no matter how harsh the truth may be. One of the things that I can find frustrating is when you have been working on a song or an album for so long that you start to lose touch with the reality of the song. What I mean is that you are so caught up in trying to find improvements or focus too much on details that you can struggle to hear the song for what it is. So having honest people reviewing the music is great for us to get back to reality!

Any specific long term goal(s) in mind?

Our goal in the longer term is to keep improving and getting to know our sound more. Also hoping to get to play on even bigger stages! My main goal right now apart from enjoying the release of the album is to get back into writing mode and start making more music. I can honestly dread a long writing session working on an album for so long and then feeling such a relief when it is done but I always miss it the second it’s over.

When you’re not obsessing over your own material, what are some of your favorite albums to listen to currently?

I am currently in love with a norwegian band called Aktiv Dödshjelp. They are a lot like Kvelertak but different and I have been absolutely possessed by their latest album “Send Dudes” lately. Another band more on the metal side of things that I discovered quite recently is Night Crowned. Their latest album “Tales” is an absolute must for melancholy-junkies who enjoy folk music and blast beats. One last album that has had my attention for a while is “Sanguine Vigil” by the band Galvanizer from Finland. That album has been my grind core guilty pleasure for years now and I can simply not stop listening to it.

What is the near future outlook for you or your band? Any specific events on the horizon that the masses should be aware of?

To release our second album “Intense Indifference”, which is on the 19th of September! It’s getting closer. Until then we also have one more single coming out in August if I am not mistaken. Apart from that we have a couple of things happening this fall which are soon to be announced! Among others 2 release gigs and more potential gigs for the Fall.

Summarize your band in one word.

Gustav: MeloThrash’n’Roll!

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Many thanks to Gustav and Vittra for the time!

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Intense Indifference is out now. For more information on Vittra, head over to their website.