LASOTA (VARMIA): “We Want To Back Up This Release With Strong Live Appearances”

Polish Metal band Varmia are set to release their fourth album entitled nie nas widze on June 16th. Varmia’s vocalist/guitarist Lasota took the time to talk with Metal Express Radio about their upcoming album, the Metal scene in Poland, plans for 2023, and more. Check out the chat below!

Metal Express Radio: Varmia’s fourth album entitled nie nas widze is set to be released on June 16th, what can you tell fans about the upcoming release?

Lasota : It will be the most massive and dense album that we’ve released so far. It’s almost like a concept album and due to that, I think it will be one of its kind in our discography.

MER: How was the writing and recording process having this being Varmia’s fourth album?

Lasota: Since the album is that long and has a lot of dynamic turns, the recording was the longest in our history. The writing was quite smooth and I was very focused because it happened during the most hardcore pandemic period. It gave me a lot of time to process such a big picture. Recording this was a whole different story. First of all, we divided the sessions into three separate segments. First one was to record the base for the Metal part of the music. Traditionally, we did that by playing live. Next part was to record the acoustic songs (I II III IV), aslo live. This session took place almost six months after the first one. Last part was recording vocals. There were so many tracks and voices to do this time that it took six separate sessions to complete that stage. And for the first time I’ve lost my voice after the last session was complete. For the comparison, I recorded all the vocal parts for ‘bal Lada’ in two half’s of a day. I think that says a lot about the intensity of the new album.

MER: How would you compare nie nas widze to Varmia’s previous three albums?

Lasota: For the first time there is a concept and some sort of a story of the album. Divided into four pieces, it covers the cult of Sun, Fire, Moon and Water. They were crucial elements of our ancestors’ (the Old Prussians) beliefs. So there’s definitely a new element when it comes to the construction of the record. If you listen carefully, you will find the musical connections between the acoustic and Metal songs.

MER: What do you see as plans for yourself and your band mates for the rest of 2023?

Lasota: We just finished an 8-show run in Poland which was killer. We will do our best to hit the road again in the fall. For now we have plans to have a proper headlining tour in our country. We want to back up this release with strong live appearances.

MER: Is there anyone that you hope to tour with that you haven’t and why?

Lasota: It would be great to join Behemoth as they are the biggest Polish Metal band, obviously. The Polish Metal scene has a lot of strong bands and we’ve shared the stage with many of them by now. From abroad bands it would be great to go on tour with Satyricon, but they stopped their live activity if I’m not mistaken. Apart from that we’re open to any offers. It’s the show that matters the most to us, not necessarily the lineup itself.

MER: Is there anywhere that you hope to play live that you haven’t and why?

Lasota: Scandinavia would be great. I’d like to confront our Old Prussians ethnic elements with Nordic culture. It might be interesting to see if that would be something close or rather exotic for them.

MER: How would you describe the Metal scene in Poland?

Lasota: Very strong. Lots of great musicians out there, especially drummers. I think Black Metal has now its renaissance when it comes to the Polish scene. Polish Metal is dark and aggressive and I love it.

MER: How would you describe Varmia’s sound to anyone that is unfamiliar with the band?

Lasota: We combine ethnic sounds, especially vocal white singing techniques with Extreme Metal. I don’t like comparisons in music, but if you like sounds like Wardruna on one hand and 90s Black Metal on the other, then you probably will find something for yourself in our repertoire.

MER: Varmia formed in 2016, what have been some of your favorite memories since the band started?

Lasota: Recording of the first record is definitely one of my best memories. It’s not particularly because of the music, but the whole atmosphere surrounding the birth of the band. It was all unknown then, how this music will be perceived and if anybody will like it. It was a warm summer also and the place where we recorded was at the beautiful lake. It’s kind of ironic how dark and aggressive music can be made in such an idyllic environment.

MER: Out of Varmia’s four albums, what is one you would suggest to a new fan and why?

Lasota: Definitely the new one. It has the whole spectrum of what the band is about. All the shades of Varmia’s sound are depicted on this record. I thought that the 3rd album was supposed to be like that, but having the 4th one ready, I can say without hesitation that nie nas widzę is our most accurate sound portrait. Having this album out feels like a closing of some chapter. And having that said, it makes me feel kind of insecure when thinking about future music. But that’s good, I hope.