Hi there, my beloved blog-dwellers. It’s been a long time since we had an interview. However, that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten about you—the people who can read for longer than three minutes! (The blog stats show that not only do you exist, but you also come back often.) Anyway, we talked to Hedonistica from Völva, one of the most interesting Black Metal bands out there. Why? Because it’s actually rebellious and controversial without being edgy. But “Catto, how’s that even possible?” Read below, kiddo!
So, you might be wondering, how did Völva come to be? And, well, it was in one of the most Metal ways possible:
Hedonistica: The idea of Völva began with me and Skuld talking about starting a band while we were drinking. The memory is kind of blurry, but I think we first started talking about our overall love of Black Metal, which bands in the genre inspired us, and then eventually landed on the idea that we wanted to start a band together. Of course, many drunken ideas of a band have started in the setting of a bar and then been forgotten by the time one wakes up the next day. However, Skuld is a very driven person with the capacity to actually follow through with things. So, a few weeks later, she contacted me and said something like, “I’ve gotten a guitarist for us now, bring your bass and let’s do this!”
As any ignorant consumer, I thought the band’s name was just a Swedish/cool way of saying “vulva,” but it seems I need to work on my esoteric lore.
Hedonistica: The name Völva is an ancient Norse word for a seer or fortune-teller—a sacred woman that people turned to for guidance and wisdom. Both the meaning of this word, the connection it has to pre-Christian times, and the connection to our ancestral roots here in the North, as well as the uplifting and celebration of the female (both in the origins of the word and the immediate association most people have when they hear it—vulva) feel very true to what we want to channel.
Risking sounding like your IG or TikTok feed: consistency is key to success. And we all have to thank Skuld and Hedonistica for following through with an idea many would’ve just discarded as drunken babbling. However, I wanted to address the elephant in the room right away. Historically, Black Metal is a pale boys’ club, so how does one market themselves as a feminist Black Metal band?
Hedonistica: Our lyrics touch on typical Black Metal themes such as death, hate, and Satanism, but from our point of view—be it feminist or spiritual… Völva has a clear path to take the stage and claim space in a male-dominated scene…
And yet, we know there’s more to it when it comes to the philosophy and subversive spirit of not only Black Metal but extreme music in general. Because what does it mean to rebel in our times?
Hedonistica: …Sexism and fascism for the sake of shock and controversy might have had some point in the ’80s and early ’90s. However, it is not really “going against the stream” to be fascist in today’s society, which is ruled by right-wing ideas on a global scale. Necrobutcher once said in an interview that his lyrics on Deathcrush were his way of channeling teenage angst and sexual frustration… That is often forgotten in the Black Metal scene: that most bands people see as the archetype of “true” Black Metal were made by privileged teenagers in a wealthy society. Don’t get us wrong—we also think that era produced some of the best music in history, which we still listen to a lot. But looking to the lyrics and attitudes from that era as the norm for “going against the stream” is neither connected to today’s reality nor to being a grown-up. For us, Satanism and rebellion make much more sense from a feminist and anti-fascist standpoint.
Hedonistica: If you look around, you’ll see that it is far more shocking… to rebel against patriarchy and systemic oppression than it is to just repeat the same ideas fed to you by world leaders and societal norms. The patriarchy is a fundamental part of Christianity and other Abrahamic religions, and oppressing the weak is a way to uphold the morals built from those same ideals. To rise up against today’s norm, to reclaim your value and your voice—that is rebellion. Female sexuality has shock value. Lust and hedonism as means to celebrate Satan go against the stream. To portray your inner darkness and hatred toward injustice is a channeling of angst.
That was the artistic part, for sure. But then there’s the practical part, right? How about dealing with the ruthless and unforgiving world of venue booking? For those of you who don’t live in Sweden, this can be an odyssey for a “traditional” band, which is why Völva‘s perspective was interesting, to say the least.
Hedonistica: Of course, it is true that the Black Metal scene is very male-dominated, and that is not necessarily the way everyone wants it to be. We see many organizers and venues being happy and welcoming to something different. There are a lot more female/non-cis-male-fronted bands out there than most people in the scene seem to know of, and to some extent, laziness and comfort play a role in organizers not searching for more bands that aren’t just male-fronted. But lifting such bands makes the scene more accessible in general.
Hedonistica: When we claim our place, we don’t just do it for us—we do it so people realize there’s more out there than they know, and so people like us can see that it can be done and feel inspired to do the same. And in all honesty, if a venue books us just to even out the female-to-male ratio on stage or just because they like to see our t*ts on stage, that makes no difference in the long run. As long as we’re on stage, we will take place, claim space, and bear witness to what can be done just the same.
As you can see, Hedonistica cares little about what an organizer thinks. The purpose is to bring new people into the community, and the reasons are irrelevant. In a way, I find such pragmatism refreshing—especially in a scene known for artists making things “mysterious” and complicated for the sake of… honestly, I don’t know why! And despite how driven by a cause Völva feels, what they expect from us is more humble—and, again, invigorating:
Hedonistica: We don’t really know how to elaborate on this more than just letting the texts speak for themselves. It is not always a good thing to pick art apart and look at all the pieces—we’d prefer for people to just let the music do its thing and experience it as a whole… We hope our music comes across as empowering and incendiary, a dull dark flame to ignite hatred and action. And that it makes you bang your head!
This even translates to the band’s “social structure.”
Hedonistica: Völva has an unusually flat, dynamic, and democratic way of creating music. It is never that someone arrives with a complete song, but rather some riffs and an idea, and then we build it together from there. It is very open to all members’ opinions and insight, and that is something that probably contributes to making Völva the living, thriving organism that it is… Our philosophy is generally rooted in Satanic feminism. However, that, of course, is portrayed from different angles by different members of the band.
This all sounded rather positive, almost uplifting. However, I’ve spent enough time on the internet to expect the worst. And yet, I was wrong.
Hedonistica: Probably the most surprising thing to us has actually been the positive reactions and welcoming attitude we’ve met. Of course, there are people out there who think we don’t belong or don’t like what we do and what we say, but those people usually lurk on the internet. Anyway, negative opinions don’t really bother us—we’ve endured much worse sh*t from life and society already. Besides, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whatever that may be.
Finally, I was wondering what the band would be up to soon after such a warm reception for its latest album:
Hedonistica: Since the release of our debut full-length album in 2024, we’ve now started making new songs, which is very exciting! It is really inspiring to create songs together in this new expanded constellation with our second guitarist. Slowly shaping the creation that will someday be the next album will be a very interesting journey.
And with some expectations, we let you go. Listen to Völva here and follow them here!
Metal Eclipse Reviews 