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London-based Heavy Metal trio Voltstorm have just released their blistering debut single ‘One Life’, we spoke with the guys to get the background on the band and what you can expect when checking out the single and the forthcoming debut EP.
What are the origins of Voltstorm, how long have you been playing together?
We formed in 2019 and as we were moving our first steps in late 2019 with plans to hit the studio in March 2020 well that quite didn’t go to plan….but here we are finally talking about our debut album.
What should people expect when they check the band out? How would you describe Voltstorm?
Our message is very clear: we don’t sing about random things, we talk about real-life events and issues which are impacting modern society’s idea of freedom.
We aim to be different and we are not trying to copy anyone else we have tried to exploit our peculiarities to achieve just that. We wanted to sound our best and produce the best work of our careers to date.
The band formed in 2019, were you able to get any gigs under your belts before the world went to shit?!
Our original plan was to hit the studio in May 2020, which didn’t go as planned as you can imagine. We haven’t done shows together yet, so we are quite excited about it as we have been rehearsing throughout (online and in-person) and our hands are very itchy to hit the road now!
You have just released your debut single ‘One Life’ – a bit of a riff-monster! – what was going through your head as it was set to go live, were you nervous? Excited? Both? After all, you only release your debut single once!
The overall feeling of the band was that of excitement and feeling immensely proud of being able to share our hard work which we kept under wrap for so long. It’s a new chapter for us, and we can’t lie and say that we didn’t feel the pressure, you never know how the public is going to react and we are so happy with the response we’ve had so far!
’One Life’ is taken from the forthcoming self-titled debut EP, is it indicative of what the rest of the EP sounds like? What awaits the listener once they press play?
Well, it’s not fair for us to give away “the game“ right now. All we can say is that there are different sonic pictures in this album. It will be interesting to see what the fans like the most.
One clear aspect with regards to the EP is that you spent a great deal of time over it getting the material and performances just right, how long did the creative process take?
The original ideas have been conceived in early 2019. We then developed further ideas throughout the lockdown as it played in our favour. We suddenly had so much time on our hands. Once we settled with the tracklist we dissected every song over and over again until we felt satisfied. We then started production in September 2020 in Wembley. By January 2021 it was all done.
The new music scene is bursting at the seams at the minute with fresh talent, in what ways do you feel that a band has to stand out to build a name for themselves?
A band must be true to themselves and honest with their fan. Humility is a big part and hard work is a must. There is simply no room for big egos.
In terms of a similar audience, which band out there at the minute do you feel you would be best suited to open for?
It’s debatable because we could be the hardest band of a rock night or the softer metal band in a metal night. But in an ideal world, Judas Priest would be the right balance.
Excluding yourself! which new band would you like to see break out and become a success?
There are quite a few bands who have the goods out there but the market is just so unpredictable these days and people’s attention span is very low so we honestly don’t know if heavy metal can be commercially viable anymore.
It’s totally irrelevant now that they have reversed the decision, but Judas Priest announced that they were going to tour as a four-piece with only one guitarist – would that have worked?!
We believe so, knowing Richie Faulkner and his dedication to be the best at all times so much so that he almost died on stage while playing the Painkiller solo, we have no doubts he would have made it work.
What are your own first musical memories? And what was the lightbulb moment that made you go “I want to do that”?
All of us had different lightbulb moments but somehow they all lead to the UK. Music is just who we are as individual musicians. This is our happy place and hopefully, our music will make people happy too.
What was the last gig that you attended as a fan?
Slave Steel and Die Ego at the Devonshire Arms in Camden.
What current social issue are you particularly passionate about?
There are quite a few but mostly the imminent AI global takeover.
The album that you have in your album collection/Spotify playlist that would surprise most people?
I think we all have pretty predictable favourites on our playlists but John [John D. Prasec, vocalist] probably wins with:
Denis Coleman – Making friends – “I just love the kid, he is so young and super talented!”
Although 2021 was another year to forget, there were some amazing new albums released, what would be your album of last year?
That’s a tough question….can we narrow it down to three?
Helloween ‘Helloween’ – KK’S Priest ‘Sermons of the Sinner’ – Mammoth WVH
What does 2022 hold for Voltstorm?
A great album release, a few gigs, and more work back at the studio. We are really excited for 2022.
How active are you on social media and where can people connect with you?
We are fairly active on all major social media platforms. Do head over to our website (www.voltstorm.co.uk) to learn more about the band. @voltstormuk is our social media handle if anyone wants to say hi.
Thanks for your time guys
