It's not unusual for bands, regardless of their genre, to have an eccentric, token metalhead among them. Dapose, holds that title among Omaha, Nebraska's the Faint, who have established themselves by reminding everyone that electronic music with synths can be intelligent, expansive, can cover a broad range of vibes and emotions but can still be fun. But while the Faint are working on a new album scheduled to be out at the end of summer, Dapose has signed with metal mainstays Relapse Records to put out his solo record under the moniker Vverevvolf Grehv. Although the record features the weird and wonderful electronic soundscapes that wouldn't be out of place on a record by Dapose's main band, 'Zombie Aesthetics' harkens back to days when extreme metal bands would strive to be technical and inventive.
What is your background with extreme metal? Is there much of a scene for it in Omaha? What drew you to it in the first place and when did Precious Metal become your new project Vverevvolf Grehv?
Well before I was in the Faint I played in a death metal band called Lead for five years. There is a good metal scene in Omaha. I'm not really a part of that scene to be honest. I just play with any bands I like, not just metal. It's not like I'm really part of any scene in town. I go to whatever show I think will be sweet. Metal shows tend to have six or 10 bands playing all the time and I'm usually there to see one. Precious Metal started in 2005. That just means I started writing this stuff when ever I had a chance. I'm not sure how, but an all girl heavy metal band from the '80s some how contacted people I know through saddle creek records and told me to stop using the name. Some of my friends still call it that, but I came up with Vverevvolf Grehv when I was finished recording. I got a really good feeling when I thought of this name. It really felt like the music to me.
The material on 'Zombie Aesthetics' definitely looks to the future but still has something the tech/death metalheads can appreciate. What new ground do you feel has to be broken in the genre that you hope to achieve with Vverevvolf Grehv?
I hope to go further into the electronic world a bit more. I know I just scratched the surface with this record. It's all been brewing in my head for years now. I do hope to explore concrete music more and just really open metal music up a bit. To me the inventiveness of early 90's death metal was very important. I hope to bring back that inventive chaotic spirit. I dream of making more improv style metal music as well.
I remember watching the documentary on Saddle Creek a while ago and hearing about the skepticism from other artists when they heard the Faint's material on 'Blank Wave Arcade' in the studio. What were some of the initial reactions from your peers when they heard Vverevvolf Grehv? What do the others in the Faint think about it?
Well, Joel (Petersen, the Faint's bassist) recorded and mixed the album with me. Everyone in the band has been very supportive. It is important to me to exist separately from the Faint. I've heard a lot of positive feedback here from my friends and out of town. Most people think it's rad and have always known i was a metalhead. But to hear a twist on the metal and that I'm just a one man band has kind of brought it back to that singer song writer thing a little.
Are you in tune with the underground black metal scene in the states which involves a lot of one-man bands like Xasthur and Leviathan recording their own material and using programmed drums? Have you connected with some of these artists and did any of them influence Vverevvolf Grehv in any way?
Well honestly I have not heard these bands. I do hope to get more familiar with the underground black metal scene. I am a black metal fan. but with most genres of music I am pretty picky with what I like. I do love early electronic music, noise, early death metal, classical, Indian tabla music. Jazz and improv music.
How did the deal with Relapse come about? How have they been as a label and aside from the artists on the roster, what are the differences between being on Relapse and being on Saddle Creek? Why didn't Zombie Aesthetics come out on Saddle Creek?
Relapse is a great independent record label. They really do a great job on a personal level and professional. For me being on Saddle Creek used to be awesome because all the bands ran it along with the staff. It was a very group-oriented label. And that has stopped over the years for various reasons. Relapse has been around longer and is a billion times more familiar with heavy weird music. It never really made much sense in my mind to put it out on Saddle Creek.
'Linking life to death in a continuous experience', 'over active appreciation' and 'specimen well' are clearly not the run-of-the-mill death metal song titles. What are the lyrical inspirations behind Vverevvolf Grehv's songs? Is there a common lyrical thread between the songs you sing on the album? And what are 'Zombie Aesthetics'?
I think the thread might be non-negativity. Not positivity so much but just don't try to make out like I'm pissed off at god, society, a girl, some group of people. I think negativity is interesting and I can relate to some bands that hate, but I do get bored of every band with screaming growling vocals whining at me. So I didn't want to whine at anyone. And I am into Paul Laffoly, Howard Zinn, Noam Chompsky, Morbid Angel, Satyricon, Gorguts, Tibetan Monks, Thelonious Monk. John Weise, Daniel Menche, Russel Hasswell, John Butcher, Franze Liszt, Dimirti Shosticovich, Sergi Rachmaninoff, Arnold Shoenberg, Aaron Dilloway, Black Dice, Autechre, and a million other people.
Do you plan on keeping Vverevvolf Grehv a one-man project or do you plan on getting other people involved in the future?
I am looking for someone who is an experienced musician and electronics expert to join my band. A creative collaborator. I don't care what instrument they play. I never wanted it to be a one man band but it's fine for now.
Who would you like most to collaborate with on material more in the vein of Vverevvolf Grehv? Have you gotten any offers or made any plans to work on other people?
I have not currently gotten any collaboration request. I did timidly ask John Wiese if he would be into doing something sometime. He didn't respond.
I understand the Faint is working on a new album, what can we expect from the new material? Any titles or tentative release dates? How do you think doing Vverevvolf Grehv will affect how you approach working on the Faint's material?
Well, we just finished recording! Yeah! I'm really happy about that. We worked really hard on it. Some titles are 'The Geeks Were Right', 'Folcrum' and 'Lever, A Battle Hymn for Children'. The album is called Fascination. It will be out in early August I think. I'm a reactionary person so if the Faint is doing one thing I tend to want to do something else, Not because I don't like it I just have a million ideas that I want to try. More than can fit in one band. Or in two for that matter.
If Vverevvolf Grehv took off, got offers to play Relapse's Contamination Fest, Ozzfest and the Unholy Alliance Tour but these clashed with touring and recording plans with the Faint, which would you choose to do?
The Faint!
Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions!
Thank you and Peace!
Vverevvolf Grehv – 'Zombie Aesthetics'
A lot has been said about the Faint guitarist Michael 'Dapose' Dappen's background in death metal. His first solo outing is released on Relapse records, but don't expect Dap to have abandoned synths and drum machines altogether. Zombie Aesthetics plays more like an IDM record with Dapose showcasing his true shredding talents along side. Sure, in a way it is what you would expect from a guitarist's solo album – blindingly technical, the guitars are too crisp and clear to be straight up death metal and there's rarely anything that could be considered a chorus, although 'Eureka Ghost' packs a nice groove. As for Mr. Dappen's vocals, you know that growling “like a cat's shadow” on the Faint's 'Agenda Suicide'? Yeah that's him. Imagine album's worth of that, over a less geeky DFI, jamming to an autechre cd. This has its roots in the more inventive side of extreme metal – think Suffocation and Atheist, not Slayer and Cannibal Corpse.
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