PipemanRadio Interviews Sowulo About New Album NIHT & Hellfest 2025

0:04 Hey, you have done too he censure. For Wow, cra you young row. Wake up America. It's time for the Adventures of pipe Man on W four c y dot com. West Poon Beach is number one internet radio station. Here's your host, the pipe Man.

0:55 This is pipe Man here, I'm the Adventures pipe Man W four c Y Radio US. Got back from the Pipe Man Radio Tour in UK and Europe that leg of the tour, and I was lucky enough to see this band at one of my favorite festivals, Hellfest, and man, it was amazing. That's something I love about some of the European festivals because I find bands that you wouldn't normally found that the US festivals because they kind of mix it up more over there and I find some of my favorite bands and this band killed it there. So let's welcome to show, suvolo, how are you? Thank you so much for having me on the show.

1:37 And indeed Hellfest was amazing, man, right. The one thing I do have to say, though, is how do you even perform in that heat? I'm always like in awe of artists performing in that heat, you know, because it's like, I know, you're probably in a zone. So it's like you don't even notice till after it's over that you're like, oh my god. Yeah, well we melted away, and also our gear was melting away. We even heard from bands that were playing on the same stage previous from our schedule, and they told us like there were some malfunctions with the devices because it was so hot. So yeah, it was a pain in yes, but but it's hell Fest, so it's so fucking hot as hell. And yeah, we we made the decision to to downgrade our clothing.

2:31 A bit, says yeah, because we thought people are here for for the music, and well, like, it doesn't really. Matter how we we look, right, if we look nice, that that of course is a bonus, but primarily is the music. So we're gonna downsize our clothing a bit so that we can focus on the music more. Because it was crazy hot. Yeah, that's the thing. I see some of the artists and they're wearing their same gear they would normally wear. I'm like, yeah, no, I would be taking that stuff off right away. But we live in such a visual world that that people just have to feel like if I if I don't put this on, I'm downgrading the show. Of course, we also felt.

3:20 That right, like. You have to make a tough decision, a tough goal. But I also think we need to be more interested in in the music, how it sounds, and how the performing is going, and not so much what clothing you are wearing. I agree. Now, I will say, though the weather was appropriate for your band name and your type of music, if you didn't have the heat of the sun, like, it wouldn't really be appropriate, now, would it exactly? Exactly? Yeah, you're referring to the name soul Willow is one of the rooms, and it is the name of the sun in proto Germanic. So yeah, we brought the sun with us.

4:13 Yeah, it's your fault. I mean, I blame you for how hot I. Was, I can imagine, but it was worth it. I mean, like, what a show. Maybe you could describe for our listeners who have never seen you live what they could expect from a live show, and or who haven't listened to you what they can expect from your music. Okay, let's start with the live show. I always make make a make fun of that we are with a Viking orchestra because we have such a lot of musicians and such a large extent of instruments. On stage, We're using all these ancient and historical instruments like the Celtic harp, but also more unknown like the nickel harpa Irish bizuki, and the Carnigs, blowhorns, big shamanic drums. We've got two percussionists, We've got a string ensemble. This time we had only one string player. But still it is a big thing to to to look at. And I always say to my musicians, try to forget the audience totally and just go deep into the music so that we're we don't perform in that sense, but if you go deep into the music and you really feel it, you will express it naturally, and then it forms this energy and and

5:47 and and that gives us a show basically. Yeah, And you know, I love that there's a lot of bands like coming up nowadays that are starting to use unique instruments and instruments with meaning to them, because I think it's all cool, especially the percussionist stuff, because I was a percussionist, so like, I like the drums, but I also love like some of my favorite punk bands is because they had the jungle beat, you know, and using stuff like timpani and all these different other types of instruments that people don't even realize they're all part of percussion, you know, they just think of the drums, but there's so many instruments. I remember just being in school and I learned about all these different instruments that I probably never would have played had it been for you know, joining the orchestra and learning about percussion.

6:45 Yeah, exactly. We even like made some of the drums ourselves, nice, like, we don't have a normal drum kit. Indeed, we have a percussion kit and it is just a selection of amazing ancient drums and frame drums and little metal metal bells and metal pieces, and together it forms this very unique sound palette. So so yeah, it's fucking amazing to be creative. Which are a percussion. Kid, Oh no doubt about it. And so let's let's talk about the new album that's going to be dropping very soon. And this album probably has a lot of meaning to you because you wrote it when both your which is wild out, both your father and stepfather passed, which sorry for that and for it to happen at the same time, but sometimes also that's where some of the greatest music is created in our in our dark times.

7:54 Yeah exactly, thank you so much. Yeah, well it's it's going to be out in the on the twenty ninth of our And indeed, I was already feeling what direction the concept album was about. I felt I need to take it slow, more slow, and take it even more inwards. And I just plainly had a rough time. So I already knew like, I'm gonna gonna make a concept album about the night, and I'm going to start with the moon as a lith and cyclical element. So I started with the moon songs, and then I gave form to the to the songs that were really about the night itself, the darkness, the blackness, the stillness. And in that period, actually first my stepfather was diagnosed with cancer and died in a couple of months.

9:04 Wow, And I took that grief, and of course it gave me songs that needed to be told and created, giving that grief a channel. And of course it's really universal, everybody understands grief, and and so I was writing that those songs and and still more like a symbolic level, death and and the night. And then after a couple of months, my biological father also was diagnosed with cancer, and it was also a quick death for him in a couple of weeks or months.

9:53 And and being a musician gives you, being a self employed musician, it gives you the the possibility two put everything on hold and to focus focus on them. So I was there a lot with them from the beginning to the end. Both of my stepfather and my father. I saw them dying in taking their last breath both. It was really magical to be in the same room at that moment and writing this album about death and the night and darkness and grieving and the dark periods in life. So it was really really magical that this all was connected to each other.

10:49 That is wild. I love that. That just proves to me more and more like the universe is like, it's just weird what the universe sends you, Like you can't even predict it, and you can't fight it either, you know, it's like it's just what happened. And then what I love about it too is so music to the listener is some of the best therapy there is. And I like that we're focusing on how much therapy it is for the artist. Yeah, no, because without that therapy for the artist, we probably don't get the therapy, and we can put our own meaning to it. But I think some of the best lyrics, the best music is written as therapy to get it out of you and help you, but then it creates something magical.

11:39 Yeah, I also completely feel that. I always think about, like what music do you need to make? What makes what needs to be told right? And that's always an honest and true story, not just blah blah, not making stuff up, but telling a real story. And and of course that always implies a universal subject, something that everybody experience in their life. So so that is always my entrance point, like what is what is happening in my life?

12:22 And how can I use that indeed to tell a real story, or to to have therapy, to get some teachings, to go deep with within and deep in into those subjects. And of course, when when it's all real, then the audience will feel that and resonate with it. Of course they will not have the same details as you, but in a universal level, we're all experiencing the same things. And real being the key word, because when artist is being real, that's when you do connect with the audience.

13:02 I also find it interesting I don't know if this is the case for you, But I find it interesting a lot of artists and even speakers, like I'm also a motivational speaker. There's things that I'll say on stage that I don't say to people in my life in real life, because there's stories that I would normally keep private, but when I get up on stage, they're meant to help people, so then I share them. And there's I've had people that knew me like my whole life that maybe went to why my seminars and are like, oh, I didn't know that about you, you know. And I think when we have that pulpit, so to speak, to be able to express ourselves, it's almost like we're free of any judgment whatsoever, and we truly connect with the people that were spreading that with.

13:54 Yeah, and I think what you also experienced at least, let me say, like from my point of view, I always try not to think too much, right, So just something needs to be told, So just let go of the control free inside you and just put it out there what needs to be told, not what you want to tell exactly. And then you you also listen to your own words and be surprised about it and most of the time you will give shape with your words to a deeper meaning that even makes more sense to yourself than just the blah blah level of thinking and words.

14:42 Well, because you're even being truthful to yourself at that point, which sometimes you're not. Sometimes you are overthinking and you like compartmentalize, whereas when you're creating, it's just you're just being totally honest and free. Yes, you know, and even you if you hear yourself back, it's like you view it a different way. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. I also feel like when I compose on the level of the instrumental part, I don't try to overthink, and I don't try to intervene too much. I'm just I just grab an instrument and then I let the instrument speak, and when I think, oh, that's a great song, I'm gonna make a song out of it, then I'm just adding layers of different instruments and basically ask them what needs to be told on the level of the instrument. So I don't try to intervene too much and then just create freely. And of course then when everything comes together, then I'm shaping it and trying to get some details right. So that it makes musically more sense, but just create freely. That is the power that makes it the magical song.

16:14 You know what was pretty wild too. Okay, So I was watching the video for the lead single. Let's see if I can pronounce it right, even astro fan. Yeah, I would say asta fhm. Okay, so I was somewhat close, but that's why I wanted you to say it so it would be right. But it was wild because going on that motivational thing. You know. One of the first seminars I ever attended, many many years ago was a Tony Robbins seminar where I had to walk on fire. Oh not Cole's, just like you were doing in the video. And I was like, well, that's pretty cool because I know what that's like, and that it is a very spiritual thing that really like I can't even describe the feeling I had after doing that compared to the feeling before doing it, exactly.

17:13 Both are really really priceless, right, Both feelings are really really. Important, exactly, And it is an example of exactly what you're saying too about you know, not even thinking about it because at the time I was married and I went with my now ex wife she actually burned her feet and I didn't because she was overthinking it the whole time, whereas I just did it. Yeah, you know, And I think that's a big, big difference in anything we accomplish in life. I'm big about the overthinking part of it. Sometimes isn't so helpful and sometimes we just have to.

17:56 Do it, yeah, exactly. And for me, it wasn't really important to put it in the music video because I was trying to search in a way to tell the symbolic level of overcoming your fear of stillness and darkness and death even and so I thought like, oh, a fire walk is actually a nice, nice way to tell this story, because when you you're standing before these these burning ambers, it is really pretty fucking intense, right, yes, totally exactly, And and then you have to to overcome that and basically in a way accepting your dying. We're gonna accept whatever happens when I walk over this. I'm just gonna do it. I don't know what is gonna happen.

18:55 Maybe I will burn my feet completely, maybe it hurts, maybe, but you have to overcome that all, just let go and then walk over it. So for me, it was like the perfect way to show the people a small death, a small way of telling the story of overcoming death. I love it and so symbolic too, you know. And you'll laugh because when I did the first walk, okay, I was standing online and then it came up to me and they stopped me so that they could shovel fresh calls, I'm like, oh, thanks a lot, But you know what it is. It is so symbolic of what you can then accomplish after that, you know, because we all let these blockages stop us from doing anything, including artists creating music, you know, and to me, it's symbolic of just about everything that stops us and inhibits us in life. So I am thankful for not only your music, but the symbolism that comes with it so that people can feel better because we need that. In twenty twenty five, I can say that for sure, especially as somebody living in my country right now. You know, we need the

20:26 whole world needs to just feel better, feel happy and just all love each other. And I think I think maybe we should do a whole world whye of firewalk. Maybe. Yeah, I also love that idea, right, I think everybody should do a firewalk and sometime, yes, at least one one time, maybe, like I did it a couple of times, because sometimes you need to remember yourself, right. Yeah. And indeed, also within this this song, I love what you're saying. Like in this song, the theme the subject was death, but it was more about overcoming the fear of death and death of your ego and stuff like that, and overcoming overcoming the dark periods in life. So I basically composed a heroic song, right, It's really uplifting. It gives you, it really gives you strength. Yea. So really like becoming friends with the dark periods in life and with with with ego death is really really important. Really, like not try to push push the darkness away and ignore it and only one to wanting to be in the light

21:58 is not the way to go. You really have to look the darkness in the eyes, be with it, sit with it, be quiet, and basically get the message there from that pitching from the darkness, these dark periods in life. And you can see that for yourself, but you can also see it on a global scale. Yeah, And what I see a lot of times is the people that went through the most darkness many times are the ones they experience the most light, and mainly because they appreciate the light too, you know, once you get there, you know. And I absolutely love what you're saying because it's so what I believe. And like even me, I'm like, I have zero fear of dying. I have a fear of not living. And that doesn't mean not being alive. It means not living life to the fullest.

22:59 You know, because you're worried about dying. Yeah, exactly. That is the main theme. Basically worrying and anxiety. Yeah, that's the main thing. Overcome that and just really start living. What do you really want to do in life? And what do you want to bring into life? And what do you want to bring into the world. You really have to learn that. In the darkness, you won't learn it. In the light, you won't. You will never reach that point. Absolutely, it really important to step into the darkness.

23:39 I love it, and so that's why the only worry I have is to make sure that people listen to this album. So tell everybody how they can connect with you guys on social media, how they can get the new album. Check out your tour dates. I know you have some other festivals on the Horizon too, so give them all that info. We're gonna play castle Fest in the Netherlands. Uh, that's in the first weekend of August, and then we'll go to Oslo to midguards Plot to perform there, and both shows will be amazing special for us because we will perform new songs for the first time, so we are really really looking forward to that, and we want to bring some elements from the music video into our performance.

24:36 I hope one day I will walk on fire on the stage, but exactly, but not this time. We're not big enough. We don't have the resources and money to do that. But it will be amazing and and yeah, like of course we're gonna promote our new music, our singles. We're gonna with another single out in just a couple of weeks and then the complete album, so you can find us on Facebook and Instagram and also on YouTube. Indeed, like this last music video, I'm really proud on that because it indeed tells a story so good. We worked with some amazing people. Mickey, the female singer from Solo, did even the color grading, so she made all the colors so perfectly fit the the story of what we're trying to say in the in the music video. So yeah, we're really really happy with that. And of course with this album, we've got Season of Missed the record label helping us for the very first time to really put this connecting this album with a lot of people. And I'm really really happy they're helping me with that because

26:06 that is such a hard thing to do on your own. Yeah, totally, and they're amazing. They're one of my favorite record labels to deal with, you know, and have some of the best bands and they how they promote them. So yeah, I'm happy you're on Season of Ness too. I'm also happy with that, and I totally agree, like the most creative avant garde metal and non metal music is on Season of myth. So I really feel I'm at the right place. You definitely are, and I was glad I was able to catch you at Hellfest and I hope to see a lot more of you. And thanks for giving us such great music and therapy, and thanks for being on the Adventures of pipe Man.

26:52 Thank you so much. It was a pleasure. Man. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipe Man onw fur c u I Radio.