Hail! Can you tell us about the decision to release a split album with HEXELLA, and how did the collaboration come about?
I was watching a podcast called JAMMING OUT ALL BAD ASS featuring Noelia as well as Lily from MERCILESS SAVAGERY and towards the end of the podcast Francisco asked Noelia who they could see themselves on a split with and she said Wülfskol. Being a big fan of HEXELLA I reached out to her and JD a couple days later and said “let’s make this happen” and they were like “fuck yeah!”.
The split features five tracks from Wülfskol and five tracks from HEXELLA. How did you decide on the tracklist for the album?
We were already starting to write for our follow up to our 2021 EP “Satanik Death Militia” when I saw that podcast so we collectively decided to choose a couple of the songs that were going to appear on the next album and add the cover song “Evil Has No Boundaries” to round things out.
Your music has been described as a mix of MOTORHEAD and THE MISFITS with influences from other bands such as SAMHAIN, BATHORY, VENOM, and POSSESSED. Can you discuss your musical influences and how they have influenced your sound?
This band was born out of our love for the prime musical stages of Glenn Danzig in particular his “Earth AD” and SAMHAIN eras as well as his first 4 DANZIG releases. We didn’t want to just sound like a Danzig copy band, especially since I have a different vocal style. So our primary influences from the 80s were introduced into the songwriting, in particular “Seven Churches” era POSSESSED and “Haunting the Chapel” era SLAYER. Early CELTIC FROST is big with us as well.
Your first full-length album, Hellshock, was released in 2017. How do you feel your music has evolved since then, and what can fans expect from your upcoming releases?
Back then we were still trying to figure out what exactly we were doing as a band. We haven’t strayed too far from that blueprint of “Hellshock” but I certainly think we are playing our style of music with more confidence and bite these days. We reworked “Violator” on the split to exude more swagger and to feature it in its original form. The version on “Hellshock” we left the dramatic ending off but decided it sounded better with it. The current version is more devastating as a result. We also reimagined “Deliver Us” into “Deliver Us To Evil” to show our fans and newcomers to our band how much we evolved from then to now. It’s tighter, and played with all the power of the Devil’s fury. We plan on doing one last song off of Hellshock for our next album and then leaving the rest of that album alone. I’m proud of that beginning but it was just a beginning. Our evolution is going in the right direction.
The track “I am the Devil’s Blood” was featured on your strictly limited four-track rehearsal demo. Can you talk about the inspiration behind this track and how it has evolved over time?
There’s actually 3 versions of this song. The very first version was created at the birth of Wülfskol, in the spring of 2015. You can find the video of it on YouTube. You’ll know it’s the correct video because it’s consisting of imagery from “Metropolis” and “The Exorcist”. We also did a feature video of the song a few years later. That video shows the song in its final form. But yeah, the 2016 demo is a little different as well. The song is about having black blood running through your veins, violent and sick with evil and becoming a force to destroy anything good in the world.
The split features a mix of new tracks and previously released tracks. Can you talk about the process of revisiting older tracks and re-recording them for this album?
Yeah pretty much what I described above in regards to “Deliver Us To Evil” and “Violator”, it was an opportunity to show both ourselves and our supporters how much we have developed as a band. Revisiting those old songs they are now played with more confidence and a fierce presence that was somewhat lacking previously. Not that I think those old versions are bad. Sometimes it’s kinda cool from a collector’s standpoint when you have a few versions of certain songs. Kinda like the MISFITS used to do.
Your music often features lyrics about Satanism and the occult. Can you discuss the themes that inspire your lyrics and how they relate to your overall musical vision?
I have fantasies about an afterlife of pure debauchery and pain with pleasure decadence. I know that there’s probably nothing awaiting after death but one can dream, you know? I do believe in Satanic forces, something that does transcend Christian boundaries. Evil is a multifaceted thing. It exists in all walks of life, not just on Christian religion. It predates Christianity as all religions that came before all had warnings against soul damnation and stuff like that. It is and always shall be present. Burn in everlasting fire.
Your most recent offering, the Satanik Death Militia EP, was released in 2021. How does this EP fit into the larger narrative of your discography, and what can fans expect from your future releases?
In my opinion this is the true formula of what we are building on in the foreseeable future. “Hellshock” was an experiment as a band whilst “Satanik Death Militia” sees us becoming a band. It’s our sound honed to a sharp edge. You will hear the continuation of this sound on “Burn With Us”.
Wülfskol has been around since 2015. Looking back on your career so far, what do you see as the biggest challenges you have faced as a band and how have you overcome them?
The biggest challenge was certainly in the beginning. I don’t think people really knew what to think of us at first. We just kept on doing what we do with no apologies or cares if we’re accepted by everyone. The right people like us and that’s all we care about.
Can you talk about your experience in the underground scene and how it has shaped your approach to music?
My personal experience goes back to 1991 with the formation of my death metal band IMPRECATION. I’ve learned so much with that band, as well as my many other bands I’ve spent time with. It’s been great seeing our fans from all over the world. I hope that Wülfskol will have the same opportunities that Imprecation has had.
Thank you!
Thank you and cheers for the interview! DIE HARD
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