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1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording and release of the new album?
Mike Seidel: Our new concept album “Roede voor de Borst” was released on the 4th of September 2026. We are simply overwhelmed by the sheer amount of positive feedback we have received so far from genre veterans, metal critics and our fans. We had a different approach for this album, also because the whole team behind the band had grown since the release of our previous album “Een Verloren Verhaal”, which was our self-released debut album. We signed a record deal with Fireflash Records, joined the artist roster of Rock The Nation, who took over the bookings and, additionally, we now work closely together with Mastermold Music as our management team. Soon we will go on our first ever European tour, together with TYR, Twilight Force and Dragonland. The tour carries the name “Valhalla Calling Europe”. It will bring us to many countries we have never performed in before, with a total number of 25 shows in 15 countries. Exciting times ahead!
2.Recently you have released a new album, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?
Mike Seidel: “Roede voor de Borst” is a concept album. It tells a completely different story than our previous album, “Een Verloren Verhaal”. While the story for our debut album was grand, epic and fantastical, the story of “Roede voor de Borst” is more down to earth, more emotional and relatable. The sound of the album reflects this aspect as well. While we are using the orchestrations in the album more focused, we shifted the epicness factor towards the use of different elements this time. For example, we recorded a real choir of thirty people in the studio. This is pretty unique nowadays, because it is common to use simple plug-ins and VTS or samples for your music and everything seems to be becoming more and more digital. Especially in the time of artificial intelligence, where everything becomes so easy and generic, it is even more important to bring back real instruments into music. All the songs on the new album are connected through the story, but still every song works on its own. Every song has its own flavor and that makes the album interesting and raises the replay ability a lot! We widened the dynamics between hard pounding metal riffs and soft melodic parts cohesive to the story of the album to deepen the feeling of the story.
3.The lyrics on the new release is a concept album, can you tell us a little bit more about the story you covered with this recording?
Mike Seidel: The story takes place in a fictional Dutch village from the 19th century, surrounded by wetlands. Our main protagonist is the miller of the village. An old man who has seen ghostly figures around the wetlands and who thinks they are a potential threat to the village and its inhabitants. Nobody believes him when he tries to warn the villagers every night. They think that he is just a bitter and crazy old man. One night, he goes on an unexpected journey which makes him reflect on his life choices. I don't want to spoil it too much, but it is a thrilling story full of emotions, regret and hope. It supports the music really well and if you read the lyrics while listening to the album, it deepens and enhances the whole experience. We are aware that not everyone in this world understands Dutch. That is why we offer translations in three other languages (English, German and French) on our website for the lyrics. We are still working on it but the translations will be finished soon. Just go to vanaheim.nl and follow us to the lyrics section.
4.Your earlier lyrics covered Folklore and Mythology themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in those topics?
Mike Seidel: As a folk metal band we bring stories around the world. Stories of our heritage but also stories of our own. We love to write our own stories. That is the reason why we write a complete concept for an album, before we even start writing the music. The concept is a guideline for the music, the lyrics and the visuals that accompany the album. Folklore and mythology are a part of almost every band in this genre. With us the difference is that we like to create our own stories, which are inspired by different aspects but also by local stories, myths and urban legends. Historic happenings, culture and ethics are a big influence as well.
5.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?
Mike Seidel: The album artwork is made by Julian Bauer. We had already worked with him on our debut album ”Een Verloren Verhaal” and we were so blown away by his work, that we had to work with him again. His style fits perfectly with our music. It represents epicness, displays the thrilling aspects of our music and the liveliness of his paintings tells a story. Julian can transform our music into a painting. What you see displayed in the artwork is a scene from the story of “Roede voor de Borst”. It shows a specific and tragic moment of the story and if you watch closely, you can already understand a part of the album’s story, only by watching and understanding the artwork. There is even a secret message hidden in the artwork. We are curious if you can find it.
6.The band members live in different parts of Europe, what impact does this have on the musical style that you play?
Mike Seidel: I wouldn't say that our location has a direct influence on the Vanaheim sound or style. We do have a very wide range of influences on our music, but even though we are split over three countries, our ethical and cultural backgrounds are very similar. Most members live in the Netherlands, our guitar player in Belgium and I live in Germany. The cultural difference is actually not that big. The fact that we live that far apart, doesn't make it easier to write music. Most of the songwriting happens online, where we exchange ideas in meetings. Towards the end of the writing phase, we meet up in person to finalize song structures, melodies or lyrics. Being in the same room while writing, makes the whole process much faster in our experience.
7.Out of all the shows and tours the band has done so far, which one stands out the most?
Mike Seidel: I guess every band member would give you a different answer to this question. For me personally, the Seafarer's Dream Tour with Ensiferum was one of the big highlights. Being able to be the support act for one of your childhood heroes is a moment that I will never forget. Back in the day, when one of my best friends gave me a USB stick with music on it, I discovered folk metal with Ensiferum. About 15 years later, I am sharing the stage with Ensiferum while supporting them with my own band. This is a dream coming true. When I discovered their music, I didn't even dare to think about this happening in a couple of years. Unbelievable!
8.What are the touring plans for the new album?
Mike Seidel: Soon we will embark on the “Valhalla Calling Europe” tour across 15 countries, with 25 shows, together with TYR, Twilight Force and Dragonland! Then we do have some ideas for possible tours in 2027, but nothing we can talk about yet. There are some big festivals in the pipeline, and we are looking forward to conquering the stage in countries we have never performed in before. We want to play as much as possible to bring “Roede voor de Borst” to as many countries as possible! It is so exciting to have a new album under the belt, which we can finally perform live with an energetic performance and a lot of crowd engagement.
9.The new album was released on 'Fireflash Records', how did you get in contact with this label?
Mike Seidel: We got in contact with Markus of Fireflash Records through someone we met after our performance at Wacken Open Air 2024. It was a total coincidence that we got in touch that day. We got offers from other labels for “Roede voor de Borst” as well, but none of them felt like a good fit for us. We almost decided that we wanted to release this album independently, like our debut album “Een Verloren Verhaal”. When we started talking with Markus, we were sure that he was the right guy to bring us forward. The collaboration with Fireflash Records has been nothing but great so far. They truly understand the vision of our band, our music and our intentions. It was a match we were missing with other labels, and we are happy that we found our way to Fireflash Records now
10.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of folk metal?
Mike Seidel: The reactions to “Roede voor de Borst” are overwhelming to be honest. It is great to see that we have created a worthy follow-up to our debut album, “Een Verloren Verhaal”. The album has received many great reviews and high album ratings so far and our fans are very happy with our new music. Some even say that we are the ones who can bring back “the golden era of folk metal”. It is not my task to judge if that is true or not, but we take these words as a big compliment! You must know that we do not simply write music for a new album and then we release it. We are making a whole story around the album with fitting lyrics, visuals, themes and so on. Everything has to be right. We want to create an immersive story or world for us and our fans. A story that they can live through while listening to the album or watching the music videos. It has to be authentic.
11.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?
Mike Seidel: Since our debut album we have found our own style. We want to keep it this way but still fresh it up from time to time. Here and there we implement some new elements or influences. That keeps it interesting. We don't want to create the same album repeatedly.
12.What are some of the bands or musical styles that the band members are currently listening to nowadays?
Mike Seidel: We do listen to a lot of different styles and music with some parallels. Three of us are big folk metal lovers. It is the music that we grew up with. Nightwish also always plays a big role in our playlists. Some others are more oriented towards folk or traditional music, while I also listen to a lot of heavy rock or black metal. It is the mixture of all these influences that creates the Vanaheim sound.
13.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
Mike Seidel: We want to thank you for this great interview and all readers of the ADifferentShadeOfBlackMetalZine. If you want to support us, buy our album in a physical format or come to our shows all around Europe. The Valhalla Calling tour is starting soon and we are so much looking forward to present our brand new concept album “Roede voor de Borst” together with an energetic performance and many crowd engaging elements. You are in for a real treat on this tour. We hope to see you on the road!
-:๐๐๐ฅ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐จ๐ฉ๐๐๐ง ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ:
- 24.11 | SE | Malmรถ | Babel
25.11 | DK | Aarhus | Voxhall
26.11 | DE | Bochum | Matrix
27.11 | DE | Regensburg | Eventhall Airport
28.11 | CZ | Zlin | Masters Of Rock Cafรฉ
29.11 | DE | Leipzig | Hellraiser
01.12 | DE | Saarbrรผcken | Garage
02.12 | AT | Wรถrgl | Komma
03.12 | DE | Berlin | Musik Brauerei
04.12 | NL | Drachten | Iduna
05.12 | BE | Brugge | Het Entrepot
06.12 | NL | Uden | De Pul
07.12 | DE | Stuttgart | Im Wizema
09.12 | AT | Vienna | Viper Room
10.12 | DE | Weinheim | Cafe Central
11.12 | DE | Geiselwind | Strohofer
12.12 | CH | Pratteln | Z7
13.12 | IT | Milan | Legend Club
14.12 | HR | Zagreb | Boogaloo
15.12 | HU | Budapest | Barba Negra
16.12 | PL | Krakow | Hype Park
17.12 | PL | Warsaw | Proxima
18.12 | LV | Riga | Melna Piektdiena
19.12 | EE | Tallinn | Helitehas
20.12 | FI | Helsinki | รรคniwalli
-:๐๐๐๐๐:-:๐๐๐๐๐:-:๐๐:-:๐๐๐๐๐๐:-
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