«There´s always been a mixture of many different genres and musical elements in our music, but this time I think we´ve managed to create an even more cohesive album,»

First of all, I’d like to welcome you to “Dioses del Metal” webzine and second, congratulations for your third studio album: “Ænigma”. I’d like to start asking about the band’s origin, how has In Vain become the band it is today.

Johnar: In Vain actually started as a result of a school project. In 2003 I was a student at a music school and in of the one classes everybody had to record a song in the school’s own recording studio. I thought it could be fun to try to record a metal song, and put together some riffs I had laying around. I recorded guitars and bass, programmed the drums, and brought along my friend Andreas to do the vocals. The first track we recorded was ‘As I Wither’, on which Sindre also participated with clean vocals. So actually, this school project was the start of In Vain as we know it today. In total we have released two EPs and three fullength albums, our latest effort ‘Ænigma’, which was released March this year. 

“The Latter Rain” was your first studio album, recorded in 2007, what can you tell us about your debut album?

Johnar: I am still very proud of the ‘The Latter Rain’ album. If people knew what kind of conditions we were working with back then they would be surprised that this album was even releasedl. We did not rehearse or do any pre-production before the actual recording of the album, simply because there was no time.I remember our drummer coming back from his military service just days before the recording started. 

 

On ‘The Latter Rain’ we just had a bunch of songs thrown together and did not really think everything through. I remember being in a rush to get enough songs ready to the recording as well. Still, I have noticed that to this day ‘The Latter Rain’ seems to be the favorite albums of many of our fans. It did also receive excellent critics. Probably it helped that it came “out of nowhere” and people had no expectations.  

Three years later comes «Mantra», a record, in my point of view, more nuanced and more elaborated. Explain to us how did you get that evolution.

Johnar: I think ‘Mantra’ has a more dark and progressive aura to it. During that time I was listening a lot to Doom Metal, hence there are quite a few slower tracks on the album. Some also might say that ‘Mantra’ is our least accessible album. On that album we took everything a step further – in every direction. 

Three years later comes «Ænigma», where I can see some similarities with the previous two jobs and more variety among its songs. Personally, I see some similarities, such as «Floating Of The Murmuring Tide» and «Captivating solitude», from «Mantra» more catchy songs, if I can say it this way, as «Image Of Time». The production has a lot to do in this sound and Jens Bogren does a good job. Talk us some about it. 

Kjetil: There are certainly some similarities to the previous albums, no doubt about it. We feel that we´ve managed to create a rather distinct sound throughout the years, and we had no intent in seeking something completely different this time. There´s always been a mixture of many different genres and musical elements in our music, but this time I think we´ve managed to create an even more cohesive album, where none of the songs or parts sound like they´re a bit out of place or unnecessary. We´ve worked really hard on editing the songs, we made a pre-production before we entered the studio, which made it easier to fine-tune every little detail and try out different song structures etc… All in all, you´ll still get all the progressiveness and creative twists and turns that you´ll expect from an In Vain album, and you´ll still find both catchy melodic songs and longer, more advanced epics; it´s all just been sewn together even better than before. 

Also, the production is clearly a huge selling point. This time it´s much more layered, it sounds both heavier and more full-bodied, but you´re still able to detect and enjoy every single detail in there. Leaving the mixing and mastering to Jens Bogren and Fascination Studios, we knew that we would get all the power and clarity that our music needs to really shine. 

How would you define your musical style? I feel some different influences in your songs like for example in “As I Wither”, “Wayakin” or “Rise Against”.

Kjetil: As mentioned above, there’s a lot going on in our music, and there are influences and sources of inspiration that can be traced back to many different styles of metal, as well as progressive rock, jazz and classical music. I guess our music reflect our own personal taste, and especially Johnar’s, him being the main composer. An easy label would be ¨progressive extreme metal¨, but I believe that it’s more important to focus on strong and creative song writing, rather than sticking to all the rules in order to fit into a certain genre.

 

Talking about the tittle. Why did you choose it? And what do you want to transmit with your lyrics? You talk about history, philosophy, nature… Do you have a fixed topic for the album or each song is different?

Kjetil: No, there’s no fixed topic or lyrical red line on ¨Aenigma¨. Johnar and Andreas basically write about different subjects that are close to their heart, and that fits with the emotions of the particular songs as well. We felt that the title ¨Aenigma¨, meaning riddle or mystery, sort of reflected the well of thoughts presented in the lyrics, not to mention the overall atmosphere of the music.

In “Mantra” I was struck by the cello, and by the saxophone on this record. It is not a very common instrument in metal songs, in fact I only know another band that uses it: the north American SUSPYRE. Why did you include it?

Kjetil: Well, I think there are quite a few metal bands that make use of the saxophone from time to time, the first that come to mind are bands like Ihsahn, Solefald and Shining (NO). Hmm, those are actually all Norwegian bands, but I doubt it’s an all Norwegian phenomenon… Anyhow, we’ve used some saxophone and other horns on all of our albums, so I guess it’s become sort of a tradition, or trademark if you like. But of course, we don’t throw it in there just out of habit. Sometimes you get inspired from some other song you’ve heard, and then try to create a similar sound within your own song. Other times, it’s all about enhancing the songs with the right kind of melodies and instruments, and we felt that the soreness of the saxophone really fitted some of the calmer, more atmospheric parts on ¨Aenigma¨.

Johnar: When it comes to both the cello and the saxophone, both were first introduced on our EP Wounds from 2005. Hence, the utilization of such instruments is nothing new to us.

In “Ænigma” there are two invited musicians. Lazare and Cornelius from SOLEFALD, with whom you have some concerts, where and when did this friendship start?

Kjetil: Well, with both bands hailing from the same city, and our singer Sindre being Lazare’s younger brother, there’s been a certain connection for a long time, I’d say. Back in 2011, Johnar contacted Cornelius and basically told him to get his ass up on stage again before they got too old, and suggested that In Vain could function as a backing band for the duo. This put the wheels in motion I think, and now we’ve just returned from a European tour, playing two gigs in a row each night as both In Vain and Solefald. With this ongoing collaboration, it also felt natural to include Lars and Cornelius as guest on our new album.

A very good way to be known is with concerts, have you thought about being in one of the many summer festivals around Europe?

Kjetil: Absolutely! We’d love to hit the stage on some of the larger festivals around as well, but it has proven quite difficult to find a spot for a lesser known band like us, I’m afraid. There seems to be some kind of barrier that we just haven’t breached yet, but hopefully this will change with the release of «Aenigma» and the increasing support from our fans and you guys in the metal press. For this summer, we’ve at least confirmed a couple of gigs in June in Poland, in Romania in August, as well as a Solefald gig at the Brutal Force festival in the Czech Republic. 

 

In order to end the interview, would you like to send a message to your Spanish fans, I am sure you will have more after they listen to the new CD. 

Kjetil: To all our Spanish In Vain fans and companeros; thank you so much for you support! Be sure to check out «Aenigma» if you haven’t yet, and visit us on Facebook for all the latest news and updates. Hopefully we’ll be able to give you one helluva show under the Spanish sun some day soon!