To describe Swedish hardcore band ROSVO, there’s no other better way than to quote Peter Dolving‘s own words: “ROSVO is a riddle. It is an enigma. A cult. A band of dissidents, creative volcanoes in his infernal majesty’s service to the fullest. I am not at liberty to tell you anything more about it.” … but let’s try to find out more about this enigma, wish me luck though… ;-P
*Hej Peter, Jag heter Tarja, välkommen till Metal Shock! Hur mår du idag?
*Hej Tarja! Jag är nöjd och utmattad. Jag har just jobbat färdigt med sångläggning för ett annat projekt som heter SCIENCE. Det är krävande att jobba så här intensivt som jag gör i år, men jag är ändå genuint tacksam och lycklig över att jag får möjlighet att arbeta med de här människorna.
Well, you don’t reveal a lot about Rosvo on your website or on your facebook… so, to start, I gotta ask you to tell me about Rosvo, how all began? And why you decided to form the band?Honestly I think it’s, well, I mean ROSVO in itself is not really open for speculation or storytelling. It’s all about the music and the words. Anything outside of that, and the images it brings out are really completely uninteresting.
The band members are: you Peter (Dolving), Hans Simonen, Martin Lundgren and David Andersson… now we know your names, but who you really are, and who does what in the band?
I don’t mean to be rude, but ROSVO is a riddle. It is an enigma. A cult. A band of dissidents, creative volcanoes in his infernal majesty’s service to the fullest. I am not at liberty to tell you anything more about it.
Who are your musical mentors?
Again, this is a shady zone. I am not clear with my lawyers if I’m allowed to talk about who’s backing us or not. Let me just say; There are greater forces at work here and we will have to reveal more as time goes by.
Peter, you are also a singer of The Haunted and BringTheWarHome… how are you dividing your time between these 3 bands?
As a matter of fact the answer is as simple as it’s genious; Clones. I have an inside guy at Oxford, and some time ago we started experimenting. You know, just doodling about initially. But we came up with some pretty astounding stuff… just don’t forget that…
And this quesion is a must, at least for me … but your band name Rosvo, which is a finnish word for a “robber”… now tell me how you came up to this name? and what are you ransacking and from whom? ;-P
There’s a guy called Bob Black who’s written extensively on possession as theft. I suggest you and everybody to have a look into it. Interesting trails of reasoning, I promise.
On your facebook, you describe your genre as “Tear’n'Wear-Hardcore”… to me it’s a very interesting concept, as I come from a hardcore-background… but tell me more about your sound and about this “Tear’n'Wear”-stuff…
This might upset a few of the hardliners, but punkrock is dead… it’s turned into a commodity for the complacent, pacified working-class and their big brothers/sisters, the middleclass. So we take the step to the fullest. …We are like a fastfood Hardcore. We ARE the identikit. We ARE the cool tattoos. We ARE the macho. The Über-tough guys, and a token of a politically correct. We are more straight-edge than an ecological box, We are stamped justice mince soy and we are angry. Very very angry. I’m sure some people will feel a great deal of discomfort by our well-defined agro. We are like Ninja in the night. Oh yes. Beware.
Um… we have insects?
I’ve heard the 4 songs of the EP… and I must say that they’re provocating in me good kicks … but would you like to give us a sort of a track-by-track commentary on the songs?
No.
Yeah, that’s what I thought to hear
… but how are you organized in song writing? and where’re you taking the lyric ideas?It’s all very secretive. It involves a human sacrifice, the fullmoon, chanting and James Ellroy. I can’t go into detail without further disclosure from my legal advisors.
And what about the EP-cover? it’s a sort of back-and-white design, including some imaginary characters…
… We are under strict observation, you know…
Now that your debut EP’s out, how are you gonna support it? gigs, tour, dvd or what?
We have a plan.
Good! Have you already have feedback from your audience and critics? what they say?
One guy said he liked it. And um, well we like it I suppose…
Well, for the fact that it’s a digital EP, please give us some links where we can here the band, and buy the EP…
Bandcamp!
What are your next plans? a debut album is already on its way?
There will definetly be a full album, this fall the world is going to see and hear more of ROSVO, and it won’t be pretty.
Will it be also digital? I mean are you gonna expand your music only digitally? or are you searching for a label?
If a record-label wants to release records of ROSVO they should think very hard whether they are willing to do the work and spend the necessary money for it… anyhow they should contact us through our FaceBook-page.
May I ask you an off-topic question? Tell me about your debut book “Sieg Heil Svensson”, published recently in Sweden … and what writing means to you?Writing is another platform for communication. “Sieg Heil Svensson” was a very very hard book to write, but it was emotionally rewarding, and I realized it might serve to inspire. So I took the necessary time and transformed the text into a piece that made sense and now you can read it, if you speak swedish that is. I don’t think I will translate it quite yet.
Ok, if I’ll find the book here in Italy, I’ll read it, and that’s a promise! Well, I’d make my last question now, unless you’d like to tell us first something else about Rosvo…?
ROSVO gets up for snacks at night when everyone else is sleeping.
Good, and here’s my last one… what are your greetings to our readers?
YOU are the most important person in the world. You are beautiful, you are strong, you are capable and you are NOT alone.
Peter, what to say, I really enjoyed this interview, it’s a challenge to dig deeper and to discover more about Rosvo … Hope to see you soon on stage… \m/..
Thank you Tarja!
Interview by Tarja Virmakari – Photos: Rosvo’s Facebook page
*trad.
Hi Peter, My name is Tarja, welcome to the Metal Shock! How are you today?
Hi Tarja! I’m happy and exhausted. I have just finished working with vocal orientation for a new project called SCIENCE. It is challenging to work so hard as I do this years, but I am truly grateful and happy that I get the opportunity to work with these people.
