LOCH VOSTOK: "We’re a Prognerd Metal band from Sweden with influences ranging from Slayer to Sleep Token"

Swedish Progmetal five-piece Loch Vostok recently released the second part of their "Opus Ferox" trilogy, that quickly lined up within my favorite records this year. 

Band-Links: WEBSITE / BANDCAMP / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

Glad about the opportunity to welcome mastermind and guitarist Teddy Möller on our musical journey - Read more here:

Hey, thanks for making time to answer my questions today. Could you please introduce yourself and Loch Vostok to our readers?

We’re a Prognerd Metal band from Sweden with influences ranging from Slayer to Sleep Token :-)

Haha, nice :-) You just released your new opus. How do you feel about it, and how was the reception so far?

Yes! Finally! It ‘s been in the works for quite some time, and it has been somewhat exhausting. Super happy with it. The reviews are just now coming in, and they’re mostly very strong - From 7/10 and up.

With their new opus, the Swedish powerhouse has done everything right - From the expressive vocals over the excellent playing skills to the wonderful creativity and dynamic in their compositions, melted together by a mighty, yet detailed production, without bringing one element explicitly into the focus or a song completely standing out... At the end of the day, it’s the entirety that makes this proggy beast special.

Well deserved - Might also end in my Top 5 this year.  Let’s take a look at the mystical cover artwork: What can you tell us about its origins, and how does it reflect “Opus Ferox II - Mark of the Beast” thematically?

We had this idea that we’d have a statue representing all forms of opressive power in the world, like money, capitalism, religion, fascism and so on. The concept running through Opus Ferox is a resistance movement against moral policing and such. I think Patrik Orwald (bass guitar) made an impressive cover.

Absolutely! Since it’s the second part of a trilogy - Could you dive a bit into the albums’ concept with us, please?

The first album was a presentation of what I just mentioned, while the second album is about the rise of the “Papacy”, the moral police and how easy it is to fool the public with scare tactics.

Your sound is mind blowing yet melodious, and I’m absolutely diggin’ this mix of proggy heaviness and groovy catchiness. What is your musical background, and where do you draw your inspiration from?

I started playing drums and guitar as a child, and I never stopped playing. During my teens I had a very strict practicing routine, like two hours drums and two hours of guitar every day. I later started singing and playing keyboards as well because it was easier making demos that way. 

My first real love in Metal was Queensryche, then Slayer. Now I listen mostly to modern prog and djent as they’re exploring new territories. But that doesn’t mean I’ll ever stop listening to my other favorite bands like King Diamond, Deicide, Fates Warning and Kings X.

Could you briefly describe your writing and recording process, please?

I have a semi pro studio in my garage where I make full production demos of everything I write. Then we have an app (that Patrik developed) where I upload my demos. All members can rate the songs 1-5, and there’s a comment section where we all make notes. When it’s time to plan the album, we pick out the best 10-12 songs and record them. Something like that anyway...

We do most of our recording ourselves, except for drums where we rent a studio we know and trust.

How did you come up with your band’s name, and is there a deeper meaning / story behind “Loch Vostok”?

I was watching a documentary on Lake Vostok, which is a sweet water lake under Antarctica, and there were all these tin foil hats having conspiracy theories about aliens being buried there ... whacky stuff ... and I thought “hey, that’s a pretty good band name”, which I later changed to the Scottish “loch”.

Let’s talk about Loch Vostok live: What was your most memorable show so far?

The whole 2006 tour, opening for the mighty King Diamond is hard to beat, but also our last show in Bucharest was amazing. People from Ukraine and Japan coming to see our show was very cool.

Awesome! Sweden is well known for being the home of countless great Rock and Metal bands. How would you describe your local music scene, and did you notice changes over the recent years?

I’m one of the fortunate few to run a club here in my hometown of Östhammar. There’s this crew called ÖHK who’s been around for years, and when I moved here they asked me to join. We’re booking shows every month and having a blast. 

The biggest change is that it’s almost impossible to do presales now. The club is always packed, but we only sell like 20 presales.

Loch Vostok has been around for some years now, so with all your experience: Where do you see the biggest chances and challenges in today’s music business?

Change is hard and challenging. We’re poor, almost all of the bands, even the “big” bands have day jobs. That complicates things in terms of touring and stuff. Renting a tour bus is like 800 euros per day.... for a really cheap one. Streaming services makes music easily available, but pay scraps. But there are new ways to build an audience. The “influencer” kind of marketing is crazy huge, and I like the availability of this.

Band-Links: WEBSITE / BANDCAMP / INSTAGRAM / FACEBOOK

What can you tell us about your future plans?

To tour as much as possible of course. And continue marketing our brand in this new era of prognerdery :-)

Haha - Count me in! Before we wrap things up, do you have any further thoughts you’d like to share here?

Never stagnate. Find new stuff, but don’t forget your past.

That's a great closing. Thanks again for your time, and all the best for what is yet to come. Excited to see you at Naestved Metalfest later this year :-)

Can’t wait! Remember to say hi, we’ll have a beer!

Cheers!