Dear readers, today we are pleased to offer you an interview with Wilderun, one of the most interesting bands in today’s Metal scene, with their Progressive sound tinged with Symphonic and Folk. The band will release their fourth album “Epigone” via Century Media on January 7, 2022 and have already revealed 3 singles, which we have talked about in our pages.
> Hi, how are you?
DAN: I’m very well. Thanks for having me!
> You are a young band but with already 3 full-lengths published and one on the way, very good technically, where does your passion for music come from?
DAN: I think’s something that’s just innate in all of us. There’s so much working against you when you’re trying to make it as a musician so it’s really integral that that passion is there and I think we all have something in our upbringing that lit that fire. In my case, I grew up in a family that always had music playing in the house and when I was about 8 years old my parents had me start taking piano lessons. I played for 6 years just as a hobby but it was when I was 14 that I became interested in rock music and started playing bass. I quickly found a deep passion for that instrument in particular and not long after decided to pursue music as a career. My passion for music has stayed with me ever since then even despite all the odds facing anyone who decides to pursue art as a career.
> Yours is a sound that contains more nuances within it, Prog, Symphonic and Folk Metal, where does your choice to propose this type of sound come from?
DAN: There is simply too much good music and interesting sounds out there and to box yourself into subgenera of subgenera is just too limiting for us. We have fairly diverse tastes in music between the four of us so I think it’s something that happens pretty intuitively when we sit down to write and arrange. In the end, all music is simply an expression of some sort of human or spiritual emotion and certain sounds and textures will express those emotions better than others so we just utilize whatever texture best expresses that feeling we’re trying to achieve. Granted, we do keep in mind that certain sounds will hold certain cultural and historic weight to them so we try to keep that into account when we’re writing. For example, hearing an instrument such as a lap steel guitar will naturally evoke a certain kind of atmosphere (especially when played a certain way) based on it’s musical history so if we are to use it we then make sure it’s not distracting from the intent of the song and instead work it into the song in a way that flows both sonically and musically.
> From what we heard in the individual extracts, the upcoming album “Epigone” has different nuances, including classical orchestrations but also new sounds, how would you describe the sounds of this new full-length?
DAN: One of the biggest sonic factors in this record is the much more prevalent use of synthesizers and sound design. On our previous releases, Wayne and I would split up the orchestrations and on our previous record, Veil of Imagination, I experimented with incorporating some synth elements in the background as a way of slightly changing the texture of the orchestra in certain sections. Going into this record, we knew from the get-go that we wanted the synths to play more of a role in the sonic fabric of the album so Wayne and I decided to split up our duties with him handling the orchestra and myself the synths. I’ve always had a deep passion for sound design and to finally be able to focus my efforts on just the synths this time around was very freeing. I was able to spend a lot more time sculpting these textures and seeing what was possible synth-wise in the Wilderun landscape and I’m quite pleased with the results.
> Regarding the themes you have always had much sought after lyrics, first more Folk then more of actual themes, where does this new album fit?
DAN: Every record since our second record, Sleep at the Edge of the Earth, has been lyrically focused around whatever has been most on Evan’s mind at the time of writing the record so since then, the Wilderun discography has kind of evolved into a timeline of Evan’s musings (lyrically, at least). I think at this point in our development as a band we’re a bit more interested in lyrics that deal with more introspective or philosophical questions than fantasy or history. That’s not to say we don’t still appreciate that style of lyricism but we feel like there’s maybe something to writing what you know that is intrinsically more powerful to us.
> In the end we find a suite divided into 4 tracks, why did you choose to propose it in parts and what do you tell us about this work?
DAN: We were originally thinking of releasing it as a single track since that’s how it was written but as we started fleshing the song out, it started to reveal to us these four more distinct movements that each kind of focused on their own brand of the Wilderun sound, both old and new. We then decided to break it up into four tracks since it would sort of highlight that fact a bit more, plus I think it makes it a bit more approachable to the listener as opposed to seeing a daunting 20-minute song in the track listing.
> In this work there are classic Wilderun sounds and other new ones, how did the creative process of the record come about?
DAN: This record was much more of a collaborative effort than our previous works. Evan had the core melody/harmony ideas and basic song structures written but then presented those demos to our drummer, Jon, without any demo drums on top so Jon was able to come up with his own ideas totally uninfluenced by anyone else. The grooves he came up with then greatly influenced my bass parts in ways that they otherwise wouldn’t have which, in turn, sparked new ideas in the rhythm guitars and synths/orchestra. Every instrument and idea was able to talk more directly to everything else and respond back with newly invigorated purpose.
> Many readers and your fans will ask themselves if there will be the possibility to listen to this album live, do you have any plans for that?
DAN: Absolutely. Although we are still working on locking in some full tours in support of the record we are confirmed for Prog Power USA in June so we will be performing some of that material there for sure. Aside from that, we are doing everything we can to get out on the road in support of this record despite the global situation.
> In a music market aimed at different, much more commercial sounds, what difficulties (if any) does a band like yours encounter to establish itself?
DAN: Probably the biggest hurdle for has always been the long song lengths. It does make it difficult to get music out there in a way that is practical and affordable even in the digital age of music. It’s silly, but there are still song length caps for digital singles on some streaming platforms. Nonetheless, we just continue to do what we do because it’s what we enjoy and what we think sounds best so that’s all that really matters to us. Hopefully the music stands strong enough on its own that it can permeate the music scene despite all that.
> What advice would you give to young musicians who are passionate about more refined sounds to try to emerge?
DAN: Obviously, work hard and keep refining your craft. Never stop exploring and don’t give up. But when it comes to having a band that can stand the heat of this industry, nothing has been more valuable to us than our friendships between each other as individuals. Even if the band were to be no more, these guys would be some of my closest friends and that makes dealing with all the hardships of being a touring band so much more feasible. No one is invincible to the crushing self-doubt and struggles of working in an up-and-coming band but when you’ve got a group of people you can lean on when you need to it makes the foundation on which everything is built that much stronger.
As usual, I leave the last question free to give you the space to talk about any topic not covered in the previous ones.
DAN: I just want to take this opportunity to thank all the fans who have supported us over the years. Your word-of-mouth praise bas been the backbone to our success this far and we owe you a great debt of gratitude for that. To our new fans who just came onboard with this album: welcome to the Wilderun family and I hope to meet you on the road someday soon!
I thank personally and on behalf of the Progressive Rock Journal webzine Wilderun for their availability and the nice interview, wishing them the best for their musical career.
