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WOLVHAMMER:
'When Society Crumbles the Scum and the Vermin Will
Be Running This Land'
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I love black metal. But most black metal bores the shit out of me. Not Wolvhammer though. The Minnesota quartet just released one of the best metal albums of the year. It is titled Black Marketeers of World War III and it features a sound that openly embraces other extreme genres. No worries black metal enthusiasts, despite the obvious open mind the end result pushes forward a hateful and violent vibe. Just the way black metal is supposed to be like. For the past four months I had started seeing the name Wolvhammer popping up in the best of places. For once, the buzz was right. Answering our questions is bassist Micah Leonetti. Read on and spread the word…
 - Wolvhammer exists since 2008. How and why does the band come together?
Wolvhammer was conceived in the summer of 2008 by Heath Rave and myself. It started off as an idea and didn’t come to full fruition until Ryan McKern, and most recently Andy Schoengrund, joined the band. The band was birthed out of a desire for speed. It sounds odd, but that’s how it was. Heath and I wanted to get back to punk rock and since we both loved black metal, it was a natural choice to start this band. McKern had the same vision and his riffs and attitude fit the band perfectly. Andy is in a great slow-metal band called Empires and wanted to do something additionally that was fast, loud, and pissed off.
- Would you say there is a reason and a purpose for the existence of Wolvhammer?
The reason and the purpose? To write music that we would want to listen to and give a general “fuck you” to the world we live in.
- Is there a metal scene in Minneapolis? Are there any other bands you’d recommend?
There is. A fairly good one in fact. I would highly recommend Blue Ox, Ambassador Gun, Mourner, We Are Legion, Battlefields (Fargo/Minneapolis) and Empires.
- You have two recordings (Rich With Bloodfuel and Dawn of the 4th) up for download in your blog. I haven’t had the chance to check them out yet but from your perspective how does the new material compare to those two recordings? Stylistically, are you closer now to what you envisioned when you first got together?
You should go download those records, dude. You will see how the sound has progressed for yourself. But in the meantime I will give a quick answer. We had a pretty locked in sound until Andy joined the band. It was simply blackened sludge with hints of crust. The main reason for that was that Ryan could not, for obvious reason, do much layering guitar live. When Andy joined the band we evolved to something different pulling from the playbook of depressive rock and post punk… both styles we all enjoy. We play music that we enjoy. We don’t want to be confined by genres or stereotyping. So to answer your question of us progressing closer to what we had envisioned: yes, we have. But at the time, that’s what we envision. What we write the day that we write it is what we are envisioning. It is, like everything on earth, a constant evolution.
- There is banner for the band that reads, Working Class: Antichristian. That is interesting. Do you think there is a connection between being working class and being antichristian or am I reading too much into it? Is there a political or sociological element about the music of Wolvhammer? What are you trying to convey by saying that?
I look at those ideas as separate ideas that pair very well together. In stating that we are for the “working class” we are not aligning ourselves with any past political group that has adopted a similar ideal. We all come from the mindset that we work for what we need. This is how humanity should conduct their business. Take what you need, work for what you need, do not try to claw and maim your way to the top. Additionally, too many people have this grotesque sense of entitlement. It is disgusting. The message is simple: work hard, support each other, and reap the benefits. It goes along with being against the Christian movement nicely. Let me explain: Christians, and in fact all Abrahamic religions, have an extreme sense of entitlement. They believe that god created Earth as a temporary residence for them until they get to their heaven. So, whether it is a conscious decision or not, religious groups treat Earth and their fellow man (those who do not believe what they believe) like shit. They worry about virtually nothing aside from the afterlife. That is no way to live and we do not support that mindset.
- Init records has a wide variety of bands, but the label isn’t well-known for its affiliation with black metal. Why did you sign with them?
 Have you heard the HØST record? That is one of the best US black metal records to come out in the past 5 years. That record was released by Init. That was actually a big driving force behind us working with Init. They are very much a cult label and coming off the heels of a relatively successful black metal release it made perfect sense. Steven is a great guy, has treated us very well in the past and present, puts as much value on artwork as we do, and both parties wanted to see each other succeed. We honestly didn’t care about any other offers because we chose early on to release our debut with Init.
- The sound of Wolvhammer isn’t straight up black metal. Neither is the look. I was looking through some pictures of the band and I see that one of you is sporting an Integrity shirt for instance. Some may say that’s blasphemy. Would you define that Wolvhammer as a black metal band? How would you define the music of Wolvhammer?
I’m not sure what “straight up black metal” would be defined as. Isn’t black metal at its core just very aggressive punk with a message of general misanthropy? Sure, we don’t wear corpse paint, bring fog machines and candles on stage, or worship trees, but I would definitely say that we fall under the classification of black metal. Go back to early black metal (Hellhammer, Darkthrone, Celtic Frost, etc) and we share many similarities musically. Now, if someone were to make a good case for us NOT being a black metal band, I wouldn’t argue… because I don’t give a fuck. I like thinking of us as a black metal band but sometimes not having a strict guideline for how to write a song or what to wear on stage is liberating. And THAT is what black metal is all about; bucking the norm. In regards to the Integrity shirt, we listen to a ton of different kinds of music and I like to support the music I enjoy. Integrity kills. We all know that. They fucking slay. Why not wear an Integrity shirt? I’m not going to be phased by the possibility that some pretentious little black metal shit is going to think it is “blasphemous” to wear a certain t-shirt. They can fuck right off.
- I really dig the songs, the combination of this very extreme voice with music that is almost regimental is a perfect balance and it sounds pretty violent. Is there a conscious effort to maintain the music within certain parameters? Like for instance, there is no blinding speed in the album and it all seems pretty orderly, which to me works excellent in your case. Is there anything that when you are writing the song, you think, ‘no, that’s too unlike Wolvhammer’?
Thank you. I like that you say it sounds violent. That pleases me. I don’t think we have ever said “that’s too unlike Wolvhammer.” Again we are going back to the point of having no restrictions musically. That’s what we want. We are an aggressive, hateful bunch of dudes and we want that to come out in our music. Whether it is through sludge, crust, punk, rock, or black metal we don’t care. As long as that aggression seeps through and we illicit a reaction out of the listener, we have accomplished our goal.
- The black metal scene seems plagued by people who all they care about is discerning the true from the untrue. Some of the moves you’ve made,- the signing to Init (who don’t only focus on bm bands) and the Integrity shirt, for instance - could be interpreted as moves to stand on your own and perhaps a bit apart from most bm bands. What do you think of these people (those who care about the true and the untrue, or whatever)? Do they have a valid point when breaking down bands like that?
That does piss me off. The people who run around finger pointing at dudes who are “untrue.” It’s a pointless argument. When I am approached on the subject of “true vs. untrue” I am inclined to ask the question: “What is ‘true’?” Is true wearing corpse paint? Goodbye Darkthrone. Is true always releasing a black metal record and never exploring any other genres? See ya Celtic Frost. You know what I mean? Why not just say “fuck all of that” and enjoy music for what it is… a group of dudes banging on instruments releasing an emotion which, in black metal’s case, is aggression.
- Do you care about fitting into the scene?
Anything we have done in the past has been of a pure heart. We don’t go out of our way to do things to set ourselves apart from the “scene.” If it does, great, if not, fine.
- Would you say that for instance, Wolvhammer fit more alongside other purely black metal bands in a concert bill or fit more with bands that play black metal spiced with other extreme styles?
I actually don’t know where we fit into the modern black metal scene. I feel like we fit well along side bands like Coffinworm and Lord Mantis… but I also feel like we could play shows with Kowloon Walled City, KEN mode, and the like. And I like that. I like having the versatility to slide into whatever scene we want. We have met some great people and played with some killer bands because of this.
- I really like the name of the album. Black Marketeers of World War III. I may be reading too much into it, but I don’t think the word ‘marketeer’ has ever been used in a metal record. How did the band come up with the title? Are you aural merchants of the apocalypse?
Again, thank you. When I came up with the title of the record we had written minimal lyrics. The lyrical content came once we decided on a direction. The vision for it was to create a record that was the soundtrack to, not the apocalypse, but the aftermath. Think about it this way: when this society crumbles and the shit really hits the fan, who is going to be running this land? The white haired dudes in suits on Capitol Hill? No way. It is going to be the scum, the vermin, the ones who have no problem doing whatever they need to do to get by. Are we those guys? No. We aren’t to that point yet as a society. The record is simply a portrait of the bleak, suffocating underworld that will (and in some respects does) exist. A place of no hope, and no light; where depression, drugs, war, and chaos will be the rule.
- I believe the album was produced by Sanford Parker. Why did you pick Sanford Parker?
We picked Sanford for all of the obvious reasons: he has engineered and produced an onslaught of fantastic records; he has one of the best ears in the business; and is a solid dude to work and hang out with.
- Can you please talk a little bit about the recording process?
The album was produced in cooperation with Sanford Parker. We went in the studio with the intent of having him engineer the record and give production advice as he saw fit. Once we got the ball rolling, we all started clicking and got into a rhythm. It’s almost like the album produced itself. Whenever Sanford would come up with an idea it seemed natural. Whenever one of us would come with an idea, it fit perfectly. The whole process was very painless… well, except for the wicked hangovers.
- Is the record exactly what you had envisioned?
The record is exactly how I wanted it and there is nothing I would change about it. It is what we envisioned from the beginning.
- What records are you listening to now?
Right now? I’m listening to a lecture by Denys Turner. 5 minutes ago I was listening to some recordings of chants by Aleister Crowley. But I suppose you mean what bands have I been listening to lately. The new Coffinworm, Lord Mantis, quite a bit of Craft, Sonny Sharrock, David Darling, Suicide, Skinny Puppy… records by those artists have all been in my rotation heavily as of late.
- Any last words?
Thanks for your interest in our group. You have put together some good questions. Look for us on tour with Battlefields in the fall.
MySpace
Read the Deaf Sparrow review of Black Marketeers of World War III here…
Band Photos taken from their MySpace page and credited to Degross Punk Photography
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