Napalm Flesh: Valdur - Vicious Existence

This week’s blog features an interview with Lord Sxuperion (drummer) and Thor (vocals, guitar) of Northern California’s Valdur, who released their second full-length album, Raven God Amongst Us, this week. The new album is eight tracks of tumultuous black metal, or, as Sxuperion sees the band, extreme metal—he doesn’t want to be lumped into the corpse-painted, spike-clad black metal scene. Raven God is a vicious new offering completely worth exploring, released fresh on the heels of an excellent split EP with Killgasm and Shitestorm. Also included are a handful of blog exclusive black metal CD reviews as well as some interview relevant re-posted CD reviews.

Also, check out the write up on Salt Lake’s Yaotl Mictlan in the new issue of SLUG and go check out their album release party this Saturday Sept. 4 at Bar Deluxe (666 S. State Street) which will feature the band playing a set as well as traditional Aztec dancers and the artistic works of Chicano artist Veronica Perez. And while you’re there ,it wouldn’t hurt to buy the band’s new record Dentro del Manto Gris de Chaac.

Now, onto the Valdur interview.

SLUG: Valdur is from Northern California, which people know is vastly different from So Cal unless they failed geography. How much do the mountain and forest surroundings influence Valdur’s music?

Lord Sxuperion: It is a major influence. It is just about personal space and freedom. We all have a laugh when people try to associate Valdur with beaches or cities. California harbors the highest peak in the lower 48 states at over 14,000 ft (as a part of the Sierra Nevada mountain range) and that peak is basically right in our backyard.  Mammoth Lakes has snow on the ground for 8 months of the year and for most of the winter, it is 20 ft. deep and buries our homes. There are snowstorms here that last for many weeks without end. Although we have much respect for many people we know who live in cities and urban areas, this lifestyle is how it has always been for us and it provides us with all that we need. We live a very lawless lifestyle, but we are not out to prove anything to anyone else. 

SLUG: The title of the new album, Raven God Amongst Us, is also the name of a track you did on the awesome split with Lightning Swords of Death. Is there a general theme behind the album or different lyrical concepts spread throughout the record?

L.S.: We felt it befitting to use that song title from the split as the title for the full length, as it has a lot of meaning to us personally.  There is no certain theme to this new album—Valdur follows no set rules or ideas on how to do things so we just do what feels right for us.
 
SLUG: The new album has a couple tracks that don’t have English titles, and I’m fairly certain they are not sung in English either. What language is it, and why the change up from English?

Thor: From the beginning, many of Valdur’s lyrics have been written and sung in Norwegian due to the fact that Norwegian is my mother tongue and it is easier for me write in Norwegian than English. I guess we could keep it simple and stick to one language, but the lyrics have more meaning to me when I don’t have to translate them to English first. It’s obvious that it would be unwise to write a whole album in Norwegian, but a few songs in a different language adds to any album, in this case Raven God Amongst Us.

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