Interview with Wuthering Heights - Erik Ravn

Infernal Masquerade: Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions, and let’s get started:

I.M: Wuthering Heights has been around for quite some time, what do you think has made the band stay together over all this years?

Erik Ravn: Hmmm… I think “together” might be overstressing it a bit, right? I mean, we have been quite plagued with line-up changes. But anyway, as far as I´m concerned it´s basically been a question of doing this because I can´t help it. You know, the ambition of creating really cool music has been the driving force – you know, music that I would like to listen to myself. But also, I think you require some sort of strength through adversity. I´ve been through a lot of shit, but it has just made me more stubborn, I think.

I.M: “Salt” is the band’s latest production, can you tell us more about the concept and ideas behind this album?

E.R: There´s not really any overall concept as such. But when I started writing the lyrics, a lot of waves and seabirds and stuff popped up. And somehow the image of the sea proved to be a good vehicle for these rather dark tales. To a great extent it deals with the end of civilization. My lyrics have often done that, but I think they have become even gloomier…hehe. So the idea of being “lost at sea” – human kind but also me as a person – came to mind, and it sort of took off from there.

I.M: How much time did it took you guys to record this album? How does the music writing process happen with Wuthering Heights?

E.R: A long time. Haha! Well, doing a WH album is always a very long and painstaking process. I guess it has taken since the last album, so that would be something like three years, I guess. However, the actual recording of the album is the quickest part of the process, really. I think we did some recordings in October, then again in November, mixed it, and that was it. So maybe about a month´s real studio time. By the way, you can actually read a detailed description of our recordings at our website – rather funny stuff, sometimes. Anyway, it all starts with the lyrics. Once I have a reasonably finished set of lyrics and thereby know what the songs are about, I start constructing the music around the lyrics, in order to convey their message or story in the most effective way. I then do a complete demo recording of everything myself at my home studio. Then the guys get the demo to learn and twist their parts in their own way. And only then do we enter the real recording studio to do it all “properly”. So it´s a long process, and also a somewhat backwards one, I´ve come to understand. But that´s how it works.

I.M: The lyrics on the album range from a wide variety of topics; however, the song was more notable (for us) was “The Last Tribe”. Is Wuthering Heights a tree-hugger band? Will there be any more songs like this in the future?

E.R: Hahaha! “Tree-huggers” – a great term, that I´m afraid we don´t have in Danish. Yes, I am definitely a tree-hugger. Or an eco-fascist. Or, as the great Martin Walkyier once put it, “a raging pagan”…haha! Those who have followed the band and taken a bit of interest in the lyrics will know, that the main theme in all my stuff is nature, and notably the complex of man versus nature. So there has been many songs around this theme before, and I´m sure there will be more. The spirit of Mother Nature runs through all my stuff, it can´t be separated from it.

I.M: Every member of the band is involved in other projects, how hard is to get everybody’s schedules to work out in order to give Wuthering Heights the time needed to record a new album and tour in support of it?

E.R: It´s a bit difficult, of course. But so far we´ve been able to work it out as far as the recordings go. But a tour would be difficult to arrange, but not only because of that. It´s just as much the fact, that we all have day jobs, we have no real financial backing from record labels and so on. So there are a lot of things that make it virtually impossible to tour. I think selected shows would be the way to go for us.

I.M: All reviews for the band’s albums are very consistent (and good), is there any pressure behind releasing a new album and failing to deliver a product that will be worthy of the reputation behind the band?

E.R: Well, they haven´t always been that good – not this time around either. But it´s obviously a question of some reviewers don´t getting it at all. I mean, some people are clearly confused by our music – and that even makes some of them slightly annoyed. Which is quite funny, of course. What I mean is, we rarely get “middle” reviews. Either people get it and love it, or they don´t get it at all, and therefore really hate it. And that, I think, is great. I mean, if you don´t piss off some people, what is your art really worth? But yeah, reviews have mostly been quite amazingly good. But in the end my main concern is to please the fans.  That´s what I might be a little worried about, sometimes. But so far, it seems like everybody is happy.

I.M: The new album has been out for a very small time, but have you guys started thinking of what is next for Wuthering Heights?

E.R: No, we´re in a bit of a limbo, actually. I´ve recently had back surgery, and only time will tell, when I will be getting better and be able to start playing again. So we haven´t really been able to make any plans. I think it has cost us a few concert opportunities already, actually.

I.M: If you guys could incorporate any other sounds/instruments to the band’s music, what do you think you would use?

E.R: We´re really just a heavy metal band, so I wouldn´t change the sound too drastically. We´ve used different stuff before, like bagpipes and violins and stuff. I think it´s nice to have different sounds as a sort of spice, but you should still keep the overall sound metal.

I.M: We don’t see any tour dates in support of “Salt”, are there any plans to tour for this album? Maybe some dates in the states?

E.R: As I said, any real plans are on hold, right now. So we don´t know. Hopefully we´ll be able to go back someday, ´cause we really had a great time when we visited the states some years back.

I.M: Anything else you want to add for the band’s followers in the USA and around the world?

E.R: Just that we really appreciate the support of our fans. That´s what makes it all worth it. So I just hope you´ll all like the new album. And also check out our website with all sorts of crazy shit – and join our forum to meet other WHeads.

I.M: Thanks for the interview and good luck with the album promotion.

For more info: http://www.wuthering-heights.dk/ and http://www.myspace.com/wutheringheightsofficial