1)     Could you please analyse your label (who you are, what are your goals etc)

Oakenshield is run entirely by myself, Ben Corkhill, and is the successor to the Viking metal project Nifelhel whichcame to life in 2004. Since then,

the music has progressed from driving rhythms and brutal vocals to epic sounds, using keyboards, traditional folk instruments and choral vocals to accompany the main black-metal style rasping. In 2007, Oakenshield was signed to German label Einheit Produktionen and on 28^th June 2008 the debut album “Gylfaginning” was released.

2)           why are you specialising on pagan/Viking/folk metal styles?

I have always been greatly interested in history, and in recent years I have developed a love and enthusiasm for Scandinavian history and mythology. Influenced by bands playing Viking/folk metal such as Bathory, Falkenbach, Amon Amarth etc I began writing my own Viking metal.

3)            What’s your view about today’s heavy metal industry?
As with the music industry in general, it is a difficult but great thing to become involved with. There are so many bands out there it can become hard to find the really special ones among the masses, but at the same time that search can bring to your attention other great acts. The metal industry is growing and growing, and in particular the Viking/folk metal genre. Heavy metal can bring together people of hundreds of different nationalities for a combined cause, which is a marvellous thing.

4)       What tips do you have for bands which are recording a demo, what steps are you advising them to do?
I would say the main things are to choose your tracks wisely and make sure you have a decent sounding demo. Do not choose your personal favourite tracks, but try to think about what is most appealing to a person who will be hearing it. And if a label manager hears a demo that has bad production from the beginning, they may lose interest quickly rather than giving potentially great acts a chance.

4)       What criteria a band must meet in order to be considered by your Label
I could not really answer that, but judging by the bands signed to Einheit they are looking for something unique, but that still fits the usual criteria of their genre with an added twist. The good thing about Einheit is that all the bands are very different from each other, so there is something for almost every metal fan on the roster.

5)       Any future releases coming up
For the moment all the focus is on the promotion of Gylfaginning but I have been playing with some ideas for a while now and I’m starting to form some real designs in my head.

6)       Any new developments in the company
Other than Markus Eck (of Metal Message fame) becoming a promotions manager, I couldn’t answer that one.

7)       What are your opinions on the new bands in metal?
There are some great up and coming bands at the moment. For a while now most of my focus has been on the Viking/folk metal genre and all the new acts seem to offer something different than the last, which is one of the things that makes this genre so brilliant. Especially in the UK, there are some fantastic bands emerging such as Ravenage, Northern Oak, Shieldwall etc.

8)       What were the best moments in your label up to now?
I would have to say the album release itself. So much work went into the album from all parties and everyone is totally satisfied with the result. It’s strange thinking just 13 months ago I had only just received feedback about the demo, and now the first album is on the shelves.

9)       Whats your opinion on the greek metal scene? Which bands do you know from Greece (optional question)
I’m afraid the only Greek metal bands I know are Firewind and Rotting Christ. I’m not too familiar with either of them but I do remember being quite impressed with Firewind’s material. George Kollias is a familiar name for me as well as I am a big Nile fan.

10)    Whats the biggest problem in the metal industry today (what do you hate the most).
I suppose I would say the repetition involved with certain genres. I like death metal and black metal a lot, but find that many bands of those genres sound quite similar. Don’t get me wrong, some of my favourite bands are death or black metal acts but they are the ones that I think really stand out from their genres.

11)   What do you like the most in todays metal music industry
The fact that it is spreading to England and becoming much bigger over here. In past years, there was almost no Viking/folk metal here and we certainly didn’t get tours from bands like Ensiferum, Korpiklaani etc. Now we can see them at least once a year on tour or at festivals, and obviously that’s great!

12)    Whats your opinion on illegal downloading and the effect on internet on the metal music?
It is definitely a destructive thing, but for many people I should imagine downloading music is the only way of obtaining it. Underground CD’s from bands are not always easily found on mail order sites, and because of their exclusivity can sometimes be more expensive. However even the most underground bands can always be found on torrents etc if one looks hard enough. There is also the argument that downloading one or two tracks by an artist can inspire you to buy their album because you are so impressed by them, and of course downloading music equals greater promotion for bands.

13)     Vinyl or CD whats your preference?
The only vinyl’s I own are a couple of Led Zeppelin albums. CD’s are simply more convenient for me so I always buy on CD.

14)     Whats your playlist at the moment – whats on your car cd player or in your ipod mp3 player
Well, according to last.fm my top eight artists are currently Týr, Falkenbach, Bathory, The Smiths, Ensiferum, The Dubliners, Korpiklaani and Finntroll. That hasn’t been updated since October 2007 but I would imagine it has stayed pretty much the same.

14 ) whats your view on www.epicmetal.net
It’s a great site for underground bands and independent labels to be part of. It offers metal fans a chance to find out about the less commercial side of metal, which of course provides a lot of promotion for bands that find it hard to break into the bigger spotlight.

15) any other things you would like to add
Thanks for the interview, keep up the good work! To the readers: thanks for reading, keep your eye on the underground scenes and genres. Cheers!