Getting to Know… Chaoseum | Interview 🎤

Valery Veings, a guitarist for Swiss metal band Chaoseum provides the answers to our questions on the 107^th interview on The Musical Hype.

“We are not unique, but we propose sound and image… We find our image through the movies and we try to make a theatrical and dynamic show.” Sounds awesome to me! Adding to the illustrious interview collection on The Musical Hype is Swiss collective Chaoseum. The four members of the ‘metalcore/power-crossover/nu-metal with greetings from Hell’ are CK Smile (vocals), Loïc Duruz (guitars), Valery Veings (guitars), and Greg Turini (drums). For Getting to Know… Chaoseum: Interview #106, Veings answers our burning questions regarding the band.

Let’s get this started off right. For those who may not be familiar with Chaoseum, what would you say makes your band distinct or unique? How do you rock the audience’s socks off?

We are not unique, but we propose sound and image. Our songs are in a Nu Metal / Metalcore style, like Trivium, Killswitch Engage, Korn, Slipknot or Bullet for my Valentine, Static-X…We find our image through the movies and we try to make a theatrical and dynamic show. In the end, our makeup is not scary, but people like to make some pictures with us after the concerts.

Okay, let’s explore some juicy backstories. How did Chaoseum form and what were some of the goals or the visions you had as a band early on?

Loïc and I would like to create a new band with songs written for the stage. That was in January 2018. We ask Greg and CK to join us. Greg started with us but our singer CK joined us only in February 2019, after our USA tour.

Let’s talk more about goals.  Have your goals or your perspectives changed since first starting out? What do your aspirations or goals look like now?

In the beginning, we had two main goals. A tour outside Europe and playing in an important festival in Europe. For that, we had to write and record a first album quickly and convince a serious booking agency to work with us. Metal Music Bookings in UK accepted and placed us with Soulfly in USA and Tarja in Russia. Now, we have to work to get our name on a big festival. But of course, every time you realize a goal, you have another one who comes. And finally, they are not goals but dreams.

Everybody is influenced by somebody else. Who would you consider some of your biggest musical influences and how are they influential?

Our influences in our first album come from a mix between metalcore and heavy metal. Our second album (available on September 25th) sounds like old nu metal bands like Korn for example.

Ah, the fun stuff.  What’s your craziest tour story or the wackiest thing that’s happened during a performance?  Feel free to be creative.

Oh, my dog…. in Russia. The four of us spend the night in an apartment. In the bathroom, you could find a bath and a toilet. But the toilet was so close the bath, impossible to seat down. We was so tired and this aberration make us laugh for the rest of the night. Sorry, this story is not very clean.

Up until this point in your career, what would you describe as your favorite song you’ve recorded or performed live? What makes that song special?

The song “First Step To Hell”. I really like this one. It is easy to listen with a good chorus. People like it too when we play it.

Is there anything else awesome, cool, or left of center the world should know about you? Secret talents or surprising tidbits?

Yes, each of us can make something incredible and funny, but that’s a secret.

Closing this thing out, what is Chaoseum currently working on, promoting that you can share with us or want us to know about? We love secrets, but there’s no pressure. 

Ok, ok…now it’s time to reveal some secrets… The 29th of August you will find a new video with the song “Stick Under My Skin” from our upcoming album. On September 28^th, our new album, called Second Life, [arrives] with two release party in Switzerland. – Valery Veings / Chaoseum

Photo Credits: Brent Faulkner, Chaoseum, The Musical Hype