1.For those that have never heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the musical project?
1. Well, Romuvos is pagan/folk metal, i am trying to express my passion for the days of the barbaric tribes, knighthood, wars, pagan gods and traditions. While part of the songs are tales and stories from the baltic ancient culture, others are about the pagan ways of the baltic people.
2.Recently you have released your first album, can you tell us a little bit more about the musical direction you have taken with your music?
2. This album is purely pagan in the sence of it, with folk metal melody all along the way.
Keeping the production heavy with guitars and drum section that directly inspired from BM music, accompanied with soft strings sounding synths and clear vocals. You can find few balad songs though mostly the album tempo is mid to slow. The most important thing that i had worked on was the atmosphere and the sincerity of the music thus making it genuine in a way that the listener can feel the vibe and actually go on a journey sharing my visions.
3.Your lyrics cover Lithuanian Paganism, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topics?
3.Growing to a Lithuanian/Latvian family with many paints, statues and books on the history and culture of Baltic traditions before it was Christianized was drawing my attentions towards it since i was a kid. My grandmother had told me stories from days long gone and I grew up with allot of passion for this subject. This day i have my music as a tool to express that love and desire.
4.On the album you also have a song about Ouroboros, do you also have an interest in Occultism?
4. Sure, occultism is a big part of my life since i was 12, as i recall, i started to learn about it by reading many books, from the Mesopotamian age to the Egypt, Greece, Rome, pagans and Vikings and many more cultures. Learning on their beliefs and way of looking at the world, their traditions and philosophy. I have made few researches of my own in hermetic and black magic and always kept interest in that matters. If you're asking weather i took part in actually experiencing with black magic and Satanism as well? i can say that barley, these days anyway I'm trying to live my life as pagan and have my own point of view
5.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Romovos'?
5.Romuva is reviving the religious practices of the Lithuanians and Baltic people before their Christianization, Romuva faith is a form of cultural pride, along with celebrating traditional forms of art, retelling Baltic folklore, practicing traditional holidays, playing traditional Baltic music, singing traditional dainas or hymns and songs. For me it is the closest act, or movement that i can relate to concerning my interests and origin.
6.You have picked Velnias as your name for the project, what was it that interested you about this Baltic bestial god of the natural world?
6. Velnias is one of the underworld gods and a form of a devil, and a very interesting thing, at least for me is that musicians, poets, people who were inspired from the outer world from the world of the dead with whom they had a link were in the old Indo-European tradition associated with magicians and the devil stands in between these two classes with his passion for music. The devil in Lithuania is not how jews/Christians/Muslim and such sees him, the approach toward him is much different and there are even museums devoted to the subject. I have even few wooden art of him that passed in my family for few generations.
7.With this project you record everything solo, do you feel this adds to the creativity of the music?
7. I have a rich experience with working in bands, it has many advantages and some disadvantages as well. In some part of my life i chose to go for solo as it was easier for me and suits my way of living, not saying that I'm a misanthrope, but yes, it has to do something with that as well. I like the freedom and quiet way of working, having my own vision comes to life and executed the way i choose too.
8.The new album came out on No Colours Records, how did you get in contact with this label and also how would you describe the support they have given you so far?
8. When i have finished the album, i sent few demos to few labels. After a while i received a reply from No Colours, it was great due to the fact that this is a label i appreciate concerning his contribution to the BM scene from the early 90's. These days No Colours specializing in the underground scene and i am an underground person, I'm not a fame sicker nor some young band that wait to be the next hot thing so to speak. I must say that as for now,
Steffen(No Colours) is providing me great support and gives good confident and warm place among the No Colours family, and i do think that his truly believes in my music.
9.Are you involved with any other musical projects these days and also have you been a part of any other bands or projects before in the past?
9. These days I'm not involved in any other bands or projects. In the past i played in many bands specially BM bands and some Death/Thrash bands as well but nothing that got out to the open or received any attention, mostly because all of the bands i played in, dissolved right before finishing a demo so there no names to mention anyway.
10.On a worldwide level how has the feedback been to your music by fans of pagan and folk metal?
10. I got to say that till now i have received great feedback, i keep in touch with some of the people that write to me and i would like to say at that point HAILS!!! Thanks to all the pagan warriors out there, may you get the Romuvos keys for travelling to another dimensions, far beyond eyes can see or hands can reach.
11,Currently you reside in Israel, are there any plans in the future to move back to your homeland?
11. All the time, it's a problem, these days i am married and we both established our carriers (day to day job) here in Israel, plus most of my family is living here as well, so it would be hard to move back to Lithuania, i do visit once in a while though.
12.Where do you see your self heading into musically during the future?
12. To tell you the truth, i want to keep the same style exactly and write the next album with the same atmosphere, there is much more songs that i am working on at the moment that deliver the same content. No plans for changing what i think that at the moment doesn't need a change, there are many bands that i wish that they didn't change, it's not always a good thing. If there will be another muse or some changing in the future, i will try to do it under a different name or at least keep it in a similar music content.
13.What are some of the bands or musical styles that have had an influence on your music and also what are you listening to nowadays?
13. I have started to listen to metal music when i was very young, its the first thing that have catched my ears, it was at the age of 8 with Iron Maiden, than i discovered thrash metal with slayer and kreator, after that it was death metal and black metal, which is the genre that till these day i like the most. I can say that the bands that influenced me are: Summoning, Abigor, Satyricon, Falkenbach, Bathory etc. I have listened to allot of other music genres as well along the way, but today i listen mostly to Metal music and BM. There is one thing that makes BM unic and the most amazing music genre at least for me, it is "Magic", its this thing that is beyond the music, its like something not from these world and it can take you away for places so mystical and dark, it becomes a voyage into other dimensions
14.What are some of your non musical interests?
14. Nature! i love to just be out there, feel the air, the sun, the moon, i love the ocean, especially at winter days, i go to ride those waves, under the gray clouds and rumbling thunders, feeling the tremendous power of the see, there i am alone totally free from everything, me and the gods. I do paint as well.
15.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?
15. Sure, i would like to say that all the Missionaries out there can go fuck themselves! live and let live, don't try to get inside our heads and into our life, thinking you have reached enlightment and now its the fucking time that somehow we supposed to do it as well. Anyway, big hails to all the metal heads out there, keep it underground and keep it real!
Thank you for this interview.
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