A musical renaissance of sorts in Richmond has led a premier rock artist to call the city his home. Valient Himself of Valient Thorr moved to the city a few years ago and with a change of scenery comes new music from the band.
A musical renaissance of sorts in Richmond has led a premier rock artist to call the city his home. Valient Himself of Valient Thorr moved to the city a few years ago and with a change of scenery comes new music from the band.
Himself (top image, far left), along side bandmates Eidan Thorr, Storm Thorr, Deimos Thorr and Iggy Thorr make up the ever evolving rock band which has recently released their seventh studio album, Old Salt. It offers a mix of heavy metal, punk, soul, and traditional rock and roll fusion that makes up the latest evolution for the band that has been playing for 15 years now.
Fresh off their “15 Years on Earth Tour,” the band is currently embarking on a European tour in commemoration for their career thus far. RVA Mag spoke to Valient Himself to discuss Old Salt, his move to RVA and the new album’s process.
It’s not unusual for bands to go through changes in 15 years. Himself has seen different rates of success, whether it be sales, label changes and new band members. Despite this, he said “If anything’s changed over the years it’s that we’ve gotten better at writing.”
The music and the message have always been the most important facet of the art and according to Himself “The message has always been there, it’s just different ways to tell it and different ways to stay current.”
What has changed most however, is joining Austrian indie label Napalm Records. The switch was the result of surviving a decade plus in a turbulent constantly-changing music industry.
“Not only is it an international label, but they’re a legitimate label. I feel like there’ll be more people that will hear this one this time,” Himself said. Napalm Records is providing the backing that Himself claims has floundered with previous releases. Not to mention, Thorr does well in Europe so the new agreement aims to strengthen their international presence.
Formerly backed by Volcom Entertainment, the music wing of the clothing brand, the two parties recently suffered a falling out. Though the band released five albums with Volcom, Himself said there were often issues with distribution and a general disregard for “the rules record labels follow.”
“The thing that soured them is that they went public as a company,” Himself said. “The board decided the music part of the company was something that the owner wanted and didn’t make money.”
But Himself is also not one to dwell on label issues and he’s instead working to stay pleased with the band receiving full support with the new deal. That support comes with what he thinks is their best album yet. Old Salt is a mature project. The documented growth from their debut Stranded on Earth to today is apparent.
Himself described the new sound of adding a touch of soul, something that might surprise longtime fans. The intro track, “Mirakuku,” is what probably sounds most like Thorr’s “traditional sound,” placed there on purpose as not to alienate new fans who have certain expectations. The album then transitions into “Lil Knife,” where the vintage sound becomes more apparent and so on.
Though the recording process did change on this record with the band usually working closely together on writing, in this case they “all just meet up when we could,” according to Himself.
The North Carolina-based studio where Old Salt was recorded is the newly formed Palm Reader Recording Studios founded by band member Eidan Thorr. With Himself in Richmond, and other members located in New York and Florida, the creation process wasn’t as cohesive as they wanted and as future albums will be.
“I think we’d have to be all together at one time doing it…I think it’d be even better if we take some cues from the old way and apply it to the new,” Himself said.
Another element which played a role in the new soul and melodic inspired sounds is the vintage gear they recorded with, “reels and all the old analog, and huge boards,” Himself said.
Old Salt isn’t just randomly named either, the cover art, which features an old man pointing, signifies a distinct view on life that has come from getting older and going through life’s experiences.
“That’s the thing about taking that break since my Earth father died and some of the guys got married and had kids. Life stuff happens,” he said. “What happens when you talk to an old guy?”
Himself went on to summarize the theme of the album, saying “It’s about saying ‘if I’m going to keep rocking maybe I shouldn’t drink so much, maybe I should eat healthier,’ if I have a negative outlook what do I do to forget all of that?”
A far cry from the blatant political message and finger pointing of past music, Old Salt truly is an album that points to where the band currently is and where they want to be.
Himself hopes their music outlives the band.
Get Old Salt here, and look forward to more US tour dates that’ll hopefully stop in RVA in the near future.
