SHEVILS - When Hardcore Meets Melodic Depth... (Norway - HardCore/Punk - Interview with Andreas & Anders V).

Hello ! Can you introduce yourself and tell us how it all began for you - your encounter with this musical universe, what appealed to you, what fascinated you and what made you want to get into music? 
Andreas: Hi, I am Andreas, I play the guitar and sing. Would say I came to like rock music from a relatively young age, and started playing when I was around 13. I guess everything associated with the rock aestetics and the rebel side of it was appealing.

What if I told you that you have to leave for a desert island in 5 minutes—you have no choice… except to take three albums with you… which ones, and why? Would you say that these were game-changers at some point in your life?
Andreas:  Starflyer 59  “Silver” (the so-called Silver album, actually it is self titled), is a shoegaze/rock album that had a huge influence on my musical taste in my teens. What else? There are of course a lot of albums to choose between, but lets say The Hotelier “Home, Like Noplace Is There”, listened a lot to this album. And then maybe I should pick a more mellow album, pop, soul or maybe something classical. Hmm...let`s go with Frank Ocean “Channel Orange”. 

Tell me about the band... How you met - the current line-up - past experiences - and above all - WHY the need to form THIS band?
Andreas: Me and Anders V (vocalist) started a band in 2008, we knew of each other before that, he lived with my brother at the time, and we were both in need of a new band, after all our previous efforts were inactive, and I had just moved to Oslo then. So the current lineup consolidated over time. Anders R (drums) joined us shortly after our debut album, Johan (bass) came onboard in before our last album, and then Markus (guitars, vocals) before the upcoming one. But he has played live with us for at least 10 years i guess, hehe. 

Describe your sound and explain why I should listen to YOUR band at all cost ?
Andreas: Well, I guess it is a mix between hardcore, metal, rock and shoegaze. Shouldn`t you just try it out, it is the only way to find out if you like it. We are happy with it, but how does that count for an opinion, hehe?

Lyrical and musical inspirations/influences ? How important are the lyrics for you ? Are there any specific messages or thoughts you try to develop and share through your lyrics ? 
Andreas: That would be a question for Anders V, he writes the lyrics. 
Anders V: For me the lyrics are quite important. Without them, the critics would be right when they suspect or even claim that the vocals are just sounds with no words. To be honest, they also secure my place in the band, since it is easier to replace a singer than someone who can write, right?

About the band's discography... Imagine someone who doesn't know your band at all and wants to get interested in.. Which release would you recommend to start with, and why? 
Andreas: "Lost in Tartarus" from 2013. It is our second album, but the one where we found the form of our sound after some trial and error. It has that perfect blend of youthful enthusiasm, solid songwriting and maturity of production. And then of course, the following albums further develop our signature.

About your latest release ? 
Andreas: We recorded our upcoming album “Sect Resurrection” the past winter and this summer at two different studios. Actually, the most was done in the same studio we did our last albums, but this time with Jørgen as engineer, so that`s new, a different approach. Also Markus and Johan has contributed with most of the songwriting, bringing our sound in a slightly different direction, I would say more melodic. I think that is a good thing, to do someting a bit different after our last three albums. 

Future plans ? 
Andreas: Well, the reason I`m the one answering this interview is in part that several members of the band are preoccupied with parenthood these days. That will of course impact a bit on our mobility on the upcoming horizon, but we managed to put together an album, so that might be the focus in our near future, to write more. But let us see if we can`t put on show every now and then. We have not quit our dayjobs yet.

Your most insane dream with the band would be ?
Andreas: It would be nice to play some big festivals, maybe get some mainstream recognition at a point. But we are also quite aware that we play in a niche genre. Maybe things will turn around at some point, I guess rock is becoming popular again after 25 years of hiphop. We do have a solid catalog, so it is possible that someday in a hundred years that will happen, hehehe. 

Your BEST & WORST concert - as a band - and why ? 
Andreas: We have had some nice ones, outdoors at musikkfest some years ago was fun. And then we have also played in front of 0 people. Actually that was -5 as there were pre-sold tickets, but no one came. We played with Sibiir that night, and both bands played for each other. Not all bad, we kind of had a good time. 

Next live-appearance(s) ?
Andreas: Nothing planned, there might be something next year.

Some words on your local scene - bands you're friends with and you'd like to name ? 
Andreas: There is always a lot going on in Oslo, and we know loads of people. Naturally I would recommend checking out the other bands of our members, there are quite a few releases over the years, but only a couple are active currently: Markus plays in KitFai, a melodic pop-rock band, and Anders R plays in the indie band Closing Eyes.

What’s the question you’ve always dreamed of answering but have never been asked? Just a heads-up: I’m also waiting for the answer that goes with it...
Andreas: The question: “Are you good at answering meta-questions ?”
The answer: "Well, that is an interesting question, but does it reflect back to the question of what question I`ve always dreamed of answering or the question about meta-questions? Also, am I now questioning myself about my questions, and would it also be possible that the questions that have multiplied can and will include any possible questions going back to the original question? If that is the case then any inquiry or thought ever made by any human past, present and future could be considered as the “ultimate” question, and it would surely be interesting to answer any of them. Alas if we had the time to answer questions like “how many Dan-Echos have you ever owned?” or “do you feel sad about the Aral sea?” or “what is the air speed velocity of an unladen swallow?” or “do you ever dream of being all powerful and why?” or “do you have a really good recipe for a sandwich?”. But back to the “am I any good at answering meta-questions”? I am not really sure if I even did answer that correctly, or if I am able to follow my own train of tought in here, so I can`t even answer that without a shade of doubt, and this downward spiraling word salad should probably come to an abrupt end.
(Okay, I think you've got the prize for the best answer to this question... I wasn't really prepared, haha! - Ed.)

Well, the interview is coming to an end… Is there anything else you’d like to add? Anything I didn’t think of? Something important, funny, silly… It doesn’t matter!
Andreas: Recently I saw in the promotion for “Elektra” at the Norwegian Opera (DNO&B) that David Åleskjær had written a review for musikknyheter.no about it, and was quoted by the operahouse SoMe accounts, by his excitement. The interesting thing about that is I grew up with this guy as a kind of talisman for an underground punkscene in the late 90s, as an arranger of punk and rock shows and festivals. And since I myself work at the opera at this particular performance it has kind of come a full circle. But the story is about development and a fearless approach to life; there is always something new to explore and appreciate.
Anders V: Go, tell it on the mountain. Over the hills and everywhere. Go, tell it on the mountain !
That Shevils single is out and this just might be he truth.