Scorpio: Let's begin our interview from the very beginning, from the moment of the band's formation. Who founded SCALD and when?
Velingor: The idea of forming SCALD belongs to vocalist Agyl. He tried to bring this idea to life with the musicians from ROSS, where he was the singer at the time, but they were into drugs and later went crazy about Christianity. The guys refused to play "pagan music", so Agyl invited me and Harald, with whom we were playing in the doom band ANAMNESIS VITAE. That was in 1993. Drummer Ottar from ROSS also joined us.
S.: The musical and lyrical direction was chosen...
V.: Scandinavian themes. Agyl suggested it, and we all agreed. It was extraordinary at that time (especially in our country), and we were all fans of BATHORY's Viking period. So SCALD were the first representatives in the CIS of the style now called viking metal. We defined our style as ancient doom metal.
S.: And the pseudonyms followed accordingly...
V.: Yes. Agyl came up with them.
S.: And what do they mean?
V.: The names are taken from Scandinavian mythology or simply "forged" to sound like Scandinavian mythology.
S.: And the band name? Also from myths?
V.: The name SCALD comes from Old Scandinavian sagas. Scalds were singers of war who accompanied Viking troops — they praised campaigns, feats, and gods.
S.: The first song was written...
V.: Before second guitarist Karry joined the band in early 1994. That was, so to speak, a "trial period". Some songs composed during that time were later changed to varying degrees, or cut into pieces and incorporated into other ones. The first song composed by the original lineup that later made it onto the demo and debut album was "Night Sky".
S.: Who wrote the lyrics and who wrote the music?
V.: The music was written by Agyl and Harald (they are cousins). The lyrics were written by me and Agyl (together).
S.: The first performances began...
V.: Our first concert was in 1993 at the Yaroslavl rock festival on "heavy day", with a session second guitarist. The debut was very successful.
S.: Had any demo been recorded?
V.: In 1995 we recorded our first rehearsal demo "North Winds". The quality was awful, but mainly thanks to it, SCALD achieved cult status in Yaroslavl, and a bit later in other cities. A little later we recorded one more song, "Sepulchral Bonfire", in the studio and added it to the demo.
S.: Where had you sent it?
V.: Oh, many places. A lot of fanzines were appearing at that time (I don't remember their names). We got good reviews.
S.: Underground popularity came...
V.: Yes. A style like SCALD's was new for the CIS underground, and nobody had vocals like Agyl's. Viking themes were coming into vogue. So the interest in the band was quite big.
S.: Maybe your success was also a result of good management? Who handled that?
V.: I think SCALD's success came from Agyl's vocals, layered over heavy, slow, and dense riffs in the spirit of BATHORY and a bit of early MANOWAR. All of that gave the band its identity. As for promotion, I was the one sending promo stuff and making contacts.
S.: Gigs in other cities began...
V.: They did. With the first concert in moscow, SCALD achieved cult status in the capital too. And we became famous not only in our native Yaroslavl but in other cities as well.
S.: You decided it was time to record a debut album...
V.: We did. It was done in 1996 — Agen Price released "Will of the Gods Is Great Power" on cassette. At that time, very few bands' albums were released on CD.
S.: What other labels had you contacted? Why did you choose Metal Agen specifically?
V.: To put it simply, there wasn't much of a choice at the time. Metal Agen was the main metal label in the CIS. Spinefarm were interested in releasing the album, but shortly after they decided not to.
S.: And a month before the release, sad news came from SCALD...
V.: Yes, the news of Agyl's tragic death. There's nothing special to tell. In the evening — rehearsal, we joked around, drank beer, everything as always. In the morning it was announced that he had died — under the wheels of a train. Shock, of course. The real comprehension of it all came later.
S.: Maybe his death was the "Will of the Gods"?
V.: It's a pity, but a short life is the destiny of all talented people.
S.: Why did you decide to split the band after the album's release? What happened to the musicians after those sad events?
V.: There is one axiom: SCALD equals Agyl, and Agyl equals SCALD. No discussion! That music, that style had its beauty only with his voice, and the name was associated only with Agyl. We decided that if we continued, it would only be under a new banner and with different music. At this point, only I am still musically active. All the others have, you could say, left the scene.
S.: What bands are you involved in?
V.: Currently I play bass in the progressive folk band TUMULUS, which was formed by ex-SCALD musicians, and I also sing in the black/death band MIND ECLIPSE (also from Yaroslavl). TUMULUS is my main focus — I don't write songs for MIND ECLIPSE and do nothing for their promotion; I just sing.
S.: What was the reaction of fans when Agyl died and you decided to end SCALD?
V.: Shock. It was hard at the beginning to play as TUMULUS (all members of SCALD played there right after splitting up) — everyone kept saying, "Eh... this is not SCALD!!!" Even though TUMULUS is a completely different concept. But gradually SCALD became a legend, and people stopped comparing it with TUMULUS. It got easier.
S.: This year Anton "Docent" rereleased "Will of the Gods Is Great Power" on his own label Wroth Emitter in CD format.
V.: Anton "St.Ruck" (Docent is his unofficial nickname) is our old friend. He even helped record the first rehearsal demo by SCALD. Anton was Agyl's friend and is still a big fan of SCALD. He felt it was his duty to rerelease the album in CD format through his label. So now many people can get this album, which is legendary for the CIS metal scene.
S.: The memory of SCALD lives on in the hearts of fans and people close to Agyl...
V.: I hope so...