When it comes to assembling a pumpkin-smashing heavy metal playlist, look no further than Vanik. Over the past three years, the Ohio-based outfit has consistently released Samhain-worshipping, metal-ripping tunes infused with themes of Halloween, horror, and everything in between. While the name might not be immediately recognizable, you may be familiar with Vanik's work as the live guitarist for Midnight, or his bandmates who play with Toxic Holocaust, Chainbreaker, Cauldron, and Ringworm, among others.
Around this time of year, when die-cuts get hung and cobwebs get strung, Vanik gives listeners a dose of new music to tie into Devil’s Night celebrations. This year is no exception. Vanik served up the first round of treats early with "Basement Horrors" (2019, Austenitized Records), a compilation of demos and previously unreleased material. Following this, there was a second offering, "The Funeral," a digital single and an outtake from the sophomore album. The third surprise was released on October 30—just in time for Halloween—Vanik's "Soundtracks of Samhain: The Final Chapter" (2019 Mercinary Records), a special Bandcamp EP and ode to the 1984 slasher film, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter.
Since debuting in 2016, Vanik has followed a release pattern of one straightforward metal LP featuring all members of the band, followed by an experimental instrumental EP exploring another side of Vanik's guitar work. Each addition to the discography builds on a growing palette of sounds and themes. And every new release comes with added surprises, such as horror-themed posters, illustrated lyric books, paper masks, or other nostalgic items that come in the album packaging and give nods to some of his inspirations.
The Vanik catalog begins with the self-titled debut, "Vanik" (2016, Ván/Rapid Fire Records), a one-take rock and roll rampage. The raw and heavy album was exactly what Vanik set out to create with one day budgeted for recording. Highlights include “Deadly Pleasures,” a speed metal assault featuring Vanik’s first-ever vocal appearance; “One More Dose,” a tribute to the 1985 film Re-Animator; and a cover of "Island of Lost Souls" by Manimals, a legendary horrorcore band from Cleveland.
The follow-up, "Vanik II: Dark Season" (2018, Austenitized Records/Shadow Kingdom Records/Rapid Fire Records), was recorded in two days and is more robust. The album generally sticks to foundations established on the debut but gets the added benefits of longer atmospheric instrumentals, vocal overdubs, and more complex storytelling. Highlights include the single “Heresy Undertow”; “We Like to Be Frightened,” an ode to thrillers and slasher flicks; and “Witch Rites.”
While the LPs showcase Vanik’s hard-rocking abilities, the EPs, "Sounds of Samhain" (2017, Mercinary Records), and "Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats" (2018, Mercinary Records), provide a detour into spooky sound effects and instrumentals. These EPs are dedicated to Halloween spook tapes and sound FX CDs popular in the 80s and 90s. The first, "Sounds of Samhain," features a foreboding poem, haunting riffs, and, as the cover states, “13 unlucky minutes of bone-shattering, disemboweling Halloween sounds.” In true retro style, cassette versions came vacuformed on a cardboard backing like an original spook tape. The follow-up, "Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats," released a year later, further highlights Vanik’s talent in creating atmosphere. It contains 48 minutes and 11 tracks. Instead of relying primarily on guitar, Vanik took to field recordings and experiments with clamoring chains, creaking doors, electrical noise, and heartbeats to create the basis of tracks. Even the guitar on the follow-up is more abstract, limited to string scraping or detuning.
From album to EP and single, Vanik draws on Halloween and horror films to bring its sound to life. And once you’re done playing it all through, you’ll be howling for more. We caught up with Vanik during the 30 Years of Rotting Slow Tour with Obituary, Abbath, and Midnight to talk about his love for the season, inspiration behind the music, and his latest release, "The Final Chapter."
INTERVIEW
Q: Like many great metal bands, Vanik has a unique mascot that appears on the album art. Who is he, and what is the inspiration behind the character?
A: The actual character is a take on Mr. Barlow from the film Salem’s Lot. I’m big into Halloween, haunted houses, and haunted yards, and it stemmed from a mask I purchased from Death Studios by Jeff Death, who sculpted it. I loved the likeness of it and got a tattoo of it on my arm. It was just one of those things. I bought the mask, was looking at it, and thought, "I’m going to use that." While many bands draw inspiration from Nosferatu, like Helstar, who has an album called Nosferatu (1989, Enigma Records/Metal Blade Records), Mr. Barlow from Salem’s Lot seemed different and cooler to me.
Q: Where does your love of Halloween and horror movies come from, and why is it so central to your creative process?
A: It's funny because when you find horror music, it’s either like goth, industrial, or punk, like The Misfits. I’m a fan of rock and metal, and the sound of Vanik. I don't know too many bands with horror themes in that genre, so I wanted to play something that emulated the imagery and music of Halloween the way I see it.
Q: You do the guitar parts and vocals on Vanik records. Which came first - playing guitar or the metal growls?
A: The first note you hear on Vanik (“Deadly Pleasures”) was the first note of music I ever sang. I didn’t rehearse or anything because we wanted to record as naturally as possible. When we went to the studio that day, it was the first day the band played together and our first day recording. I sent songs to Ed Stephans (bass) and Al Biddle (drums), they learned them, and we went to the studio and recorded it. Vocally, that was the first time I sang, so the guitar came before that.
Q: When did you meet your bandmates Ed Stephans and Al Biddle?
A: Ed Stephans (Ringworm, Shed the Skin, Vindicator), who plays bass, is a Cleveland guy. I met him in 2010 when I was in Europe on tour with a band called Eternal Legacy. He was in a band called Shok Paris. We were talking on the road, and he was like, “It would be cool if we did something.” I met our drummer, Al Biddle (Chainbreaker, Rammer, Hassler), through Athenar of Midnight a couple of years later. Similarly, we were chatting and decided to work together. I wanted some good musicians who could learn the songs and record without hesitation. Those were the first two guys that came to mind.
Q: When did you become a guitarist and live member of Midnight?
A: I’ve known Athenar years before I knew about Midnight. He was in a band called Destructor around 2003, which he joined around the same time he started Midnight. Fast forward to 2007, and I saw Midnight play at a show with Municipal Waste. After the show, Athenar took off his hood, and I was like, “Oh cool, I know you.” It wasn't until 2012, when I was in the studio recording Bier We Go!!! (2012, Hellclaw Records) with a band called Sixx that I met Dave Johnson, who did the mixing and mastering of the first three Midnight albums, including Satanic Royalty (2011, Hells Headbangers). Athenar came in, and he was like, “Why don't you play guitar for us?” It was convenient, and I live close in Ohio. That’s around the time I started playing with Midnight.
Q: Do you see Midnight and Vanik albums as a continuation of one another or totally different projects?
A: No, not at all. Midnight is 100% Athenar’s baby. He started it as a one-man thing where he played tape recordings with backing tracks of him singing and playing guitar solo. Vanik is solely out of my love for Halloween and heavy metal and what I wanted to do. I always had this perfect album in my head. I’ve always been in bands where other members were given input, but I never got a chance to do what I wanted to do completely. Midnight has nothing to do with Vanik and vice versa. LISTEN: Soundtracks of Samhain: The Final Chapter (2019, Mercenary Records)
Q: Soundtracks of Samhain: The Final Chapter was released just in time for Halloween 2019. Where did the idea and inspiration for this come from?
A: I honestly didn’t plan to put it out yet this year, but I have a ton of stuff lined up and figured why not. The idea came from me messing around on the guitar while watching Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. I started riffing to the movie and thought it would be a great idea to create a song out of it. I could have done the whole film if I had more time, but I wanted to get it out quickly for listeners.
Q: The new release, Soundtracks of Samhain: The Final Chapter, features the tracks "The Final Chapter" and "One of Us". How would you describe these songs?
Q: Soundtracks of Samhain: The Final Chapter was released just in time for Halloween 2019. Where did the idea and inspiration for this come from?
A: I honestly didn’t plan to put it out yet this year, but I have a ton of stuff lined up and figured why not. The idea came from me messing around on guitar while watching Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter. I started riffing to the movie and thought it would be a great idea to create a song out of it. I could have done the whole film if I had more time, but I wanted to get it out quickly for listeners.
Q: The Vanik catalog starts in 2016 with the One More Dose EP. Was that the first Vanik song ever?
A: The first song I wrote for the Vanik project was “The Blackest Eyes”. That was the sound I had in mind for the album. It was this fast-paced rock and roll. I wrote that song and then started writing more all within a week or two. It kept snowballing, one song this day and another that day, then I created a demo with myself doing drums and bass. I recorded it and layered one thing on top of the other, and then did some scrap vocals. I actually just released all the demos as a compilation album called Basement Horrors. LISTEN: Vanik - S/T (2016, Ván Records)
Q: What are some of your favorite songs off your debut album?
A: “Island Of Lost Souls” is special to me. I played live as King Von K with a band called Manimals before they disbanded. Manimals were a horrorcore band from Cleveland, Ohio in the 1980s. I played one of their last shows at Wacken Open Air in 2012. I always wanted to play on a Manimals recording but never got the chance. So, I decided to cover their song “Island of Lost Souls” on the first Vanik record. I called up Larry The Wolf who did vocals and bass for the band and asked if it would be cool if I covered one of their songs. He was like, “Oh my God, yes.” To me, it was one of my favorite moments from creating that record. It was really cool being able to cover that Manimals tune. The rest of the process was awesome too. I didn’t know how fast we were going to record the full album. We literally recorded all the drums, guitars, and bass in one day. I wanted it to be like that because I wanted it to feel like a raw rock album, and not an over-polished quantized album.
Q: Physical copies of Vanik on vinyl come with a comic book-style insert, Basement Horrors on cassette comes with a patch Vanik. How do you conceptualize the swag you want to include in your albums?
A: When you get the average record, you pull it out and you look at it for a little bit, and then pop it on. I always wanted to really stuff my albums full of things, especially Halloween stuff. The first Vanik album had a door decoration, poster, and booklet. That’s because I wanted the first introduction to Vanik to be huge, but with no pictures of the band or anything, just cool imagery and packaging. Ván Records put it out and they did an amazing job. They did everything they said they were going to do, and it was just an all-around great experience.
Q: Is there something you learned from making the first album that you wanted to do differently on the follow-up album, Vanik II: Dark Season?
A: I learned that it was possible to record an album quickly. The second album was different because we did it in two sessions vs. one. There wasn't going to be a second Vanik record. It was going to be a Halloween soundtrack thing. I was going to make the follow-up a noise record with some metal tunes in between. We got into the studio and bashed out a bunch of tunes. Afterwards, we decided to come back and do more tunes, so we could have an LP, Vanik II: Dark Season, and then have an EP, Sounds of Samhain. I would try to do it again like the first album because it seems like it was the most efficient way to record a full-length album.
Q: What themes did you want to explore on Vanik II: Dark Season?
A: I wanted Vanik II: Dark Season to be called Halloween, but I decided not to make it that straightforward. I like using the installment numbering system (i.e. - I and II) because it makes it easier for listeners to figure out the order of the albums. A lot of people get confused with Sounds Of Samhain and the Vanik stuff, but it’s easy: Vanik is the horror metal stuff, and Sounds Of Samhain is the soundtrack stuff. I wanted Vanik II: Dark Season to be a bit more Halloween-themed, so I decided to keep the same vibe and add a little more atmosphere without taking away the rock n’ roll. If anything, it has a bit more dark and melancholic tonalities to it.
Q: Vanik II: Dark Season was released on cassette from Rapid Fire Records and on CD from Shadow Kingdom Records in October 2018, and on vinyl from Austenitized Records in December 2018. What was it like having so many labels involved?
A: The release of Vanik II: Dark Season was a bit of a nightmare. I wanted the release date to be in October, but I was being asked for the masters for vinyl in September, which takes more than a month to put together. This would have kicked the release date on vinyl to February. I wanted this record to be released by Halloween. I didn’t want to wait, so we got the CD done on Shadow Kingdom Records before Halloween, and the rest finished later. Instead of waiting until February for the record to come out on Shadow Kingdom Records, I got Austenitized Records to do the vinyl closer to when I wanted it to be released.
Q: What recording equipment and gear (i.e. - guitar, pedals, amps, etc.) do you use to help create the Vanik sound?
A: I have a guy that builds my guitars who lives in Parma, Ohio, named Gary Scott, who is the owner of GS Pro Series Guitars. He has been making my guitars since 2010. He built the prototype of what I use in the studio and onstage back in the day, and ever since then I've played his guitars. They are all handmade with no CNC machine. His guitars play differently, but that also challenges me to play differently too. It's part of the reason why the music comes out the way it does because it’s the way that you play. As far as amps, I use a Marshall JCM800 and Marshall Super Lead. I have a few effects pedals that I used on Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats. I just plugged the chorus pedals into my amp and use reverb or delay to create certain effects. For the extra sounds on Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats, I just recorded a few scratches on the strings of my guitar. I try to be basic with my stuff. On the road, I have a two-track condenser microphone that I use for demos, noise, and stuff.
Q: The EPs Sounds of Samhain and Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats look and feel like Halloween spook tapes. Where did the idea for these recordings come from?
A: I used to do a haunted yard in Parma, Ohio, with my neighbors when I was younger. We had these cassette tapes that we would play to create atmosphere. The one that really stood out to me was called Chamber of Horrors (1988, Tony USA). When doing Sounds of Samhain, I wanted to give a nod to the look and feel of that tape. I made a similar layout and created a DIY vacuum forming machine to make the plastic casing that went over the tape. It was trial and error because I did them myself. My neighbors Eric and Joel Andexler still do a haunted yard. If you’re ever in the area, check out The Haunted Yard in Parma. It is Northeast Ohio's premier haunted house attraction, and donations go to the Parma Animal Shelter.
Q: Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats features effects like clamoring of chains, creaking doors, bells, shrieks, heartbeats, etc. Where did these sound effects come from?
A: My dad has a metal fabricating shop. When you’re in there, you hear sledgehammers, chains clamoring, welding, and stuff like that. I just took my condenser microphone there and recorded the sounds. I thought it would be cool to do an actual haunted house sound effects album with them. That’s how Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats was born. I used those sounds and mixed them with some melodic elements in between like guitar and keyboard. My first instrumental album, Sounds of Samhain, was very guitar-driven, whereas Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats is full of different sounds. LISTEN: Vanik - Sounds of Samhain: Tricks and Treats (2018, Vanik)
Q: Are there plans for 7” or 12” vinyl versions of your EPs that were only released physically on cassette and CD?
A: A friend of mine owns a record label, and he is big into Halloween and horror soundtracks, so perhaps we can put some of that stuff out on vinyl. It’s too early to tell if some of that is going to materialize, but I would imagine that it would be on vinyl at some point.
Q: Every format of Vanik and Vanik II: Dark Season is sold out or out of print. Are second pressings of these records in the works?
A: I’ve thought about doing Vanik and Vanik II: Dark Season as a double CD. My plan is to move forward and come up with new material and new releases. Maybe I’ll repress the first two albums again at some point.
Q: The demo release, Basement Horrors, contains two new songs - "Endless Creature" and "The Unknown." Are these a first taste of songs from a new album?
A: When I was putting together Basement Horrors, "Endless Creature" and "The Unknown" were songs I started writing at that time of putting out the cassette. I thought they were cool tracks, and I wanted to put out something new and fresh that kind of worked with the demos from the first two LPs. I also just released the digital single “The Funeral,” which is an outtake from Vanik II: Dark Season. There is one other song that hasn’t been released yet that I’ll put out soon. LISTEN: Vanik - Basement Horrors (2019, Austenitized Records)
Q: When can listeners expect a new full-length release?
A: Vanik III is coming. With it, I want to go back to how I did the first album and record it in one day. Once I’m finished writing it, I’ll compile it and send it to the other guys in the band. It will be more horror-themed heavy metal and rock and roll. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I’m just doing what I enjoy. I know some people ask for suggestions about stuff, but I’m not good at that. I just know what I know, use my instincts and go with it. The next big plan is to have a grand live show. I have lots of cool ideas for a stage show. I have it all written and sketched, and have even done some stage design in CAD programs for building a set.
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Vanik's new EP, Soundtracks of Samhain: The Final Chapter, is available for streaming on Bandcamp along with other EPs and LPs. Listen to the full discography here.
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