Atlanta's VIMUR have been a staple in the Underground Black Metal scene in the Southeast for more than a decade now. Originally forming in 2006, they have just released one of the most fascinating, sonic journeys with, THE TIMELESS EVERPRESENT (Avantgarde Music). They are ramping up to go on a US.
Interview by Ashley Hanks
All photographs of the band by Alex Avedissian
ViaOmega: THE TIMELESS EVERPRESENT, was just Released on Avantgarde Music,
Vaedis Eosphorus :what was the recording process like for this new album? Where did you record?
We recorded THE TIMELESS EVERPRESENT in Atlanta, Georgia. The drums were recorded and engineered by John Douglass at Vorticist Studios. We recorded everything else with Alex Parra at Second Sight Sound. He mixed and mastered the album as well. John and Alex were great to work with. They have very high standards that match ours. They demanded excellent takes and wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfection. I appreciate that approach much more than a relaxed engineer who lets things slide that shouldn’t.
VO: The Green Fire Swords have got to be some of the coolest band shots I've ever seen. How did you get this effect on your Swords? Where was the photo shoot located? Who was the photographer?
V.E.:The green fire is a result of a chemical reaction. It was actual green fire, there was no photoshop involved. We took the photos at a hidden stone fortification in Georgia we refer to as the Coliseum. There are additional photos that didn’t make it into the layout that show more of the Coliseum. They will be released eventually. The photos were taken by photographer Alex Avedissian.
VO: What do you tune to and what is your current gear set up?
V.E.:We tune to D standard. We all play white Flying V’s, including a custom built 5 string Flying V bass. It’s a one of a kind bass built by Ben Lunsford. The number 555 has sacred meaning to us and expressing it as VVV via our instruments is one way we express our concepts in physicality. We are traditional in our gear taste. For amps we prefer Marshall JCM 800/900 and Peavey 5150. We’re not into digital amps. All of our guitars and basses are equipped with Avedissian pickups. He is an exceptional pickup winder in Atlanta so we exclusively use his pickups. Aquilon prefers Tama and Sonor drums.
VO: What brought about the new logo design? Who was the artist?
V.E.:This is actually the third Vimur logo. Each logo represents a different era of the band. Aquilon is our new drummer and his style greatly impacted the music, all for the better in my opinion. We felt a new logo would help differentiate the era and sound. The logo was designed by Karmazid.
VO: You're currently gearing up for a Full US tour supporting the Legendary, SACRAMENTUM, from Sweden. What about this tour are you most looking forward to? What sights are you looking forward to seeing along the way?
V.E.:I’m most looking forward to performing every night. The more you perform, the tighter the band gets. It’ll be good to reconnect with allies we have previously made across the country as well. Vimur has performed in Toronto and Montreal but this will be our first time in Vancouver so I’m looking forward to that. As far as sights, the Pacific Northwest has epic landscapes so I look forward to that.
VO: Of all the shows you have played over the years, What show sticks out to you the most, and why? Where did it take place?
V.E.:There have been many memorable shows over the years but perhaps our show with Morbosidad in San Antonio, TX was amongst the most wild. A brawl broke out that night and somebody got stabbed. It was part of the Fuckin’ Metal Hell fest which was excellent. Another time we fogged out a venue so much in Chesapeake, VA I couldn’t even see the headstock of my guitar.
VO: What inspires you to write music?
V.E.: Nature, philosophy, and misanthropy.
VO: Who are some of your favorite musical acts?
V.E.: We take inspiration from a vast number of musical acts, including non-metal. There are too many bands we like to list them here. Obviously the classics but the styles I’m most drawn to would be USBM, French black legions, Scandinavian 2nd wave, ripping Australian metal, and 90’s Polish black metal.
VO: Do you all have any hobbies outside of slaying the world with your riffs?
V.E.: Not really. Everything else is a waste of time. I enjoy hiking in the mountains but even that is ultimately to get inspiration and capture the feeling to be translated into our songwriting. Same with reading.
VO: Apart from the New Album and Tour coming up, what is in store next for, VIMUR?
V.E.: As always we will continue to write new music. We have our sights set on touring Europe and South America. There are no current plans for that but it is something we will be pursuing.
Thanks for your time. See you on the road.
Vaedis Eosphorus
VVV
