Country:Austia/Vienna
Band:
Devastating Enemy
Mondstille
Van Tempest (Solo-project)
Instruments:
Custom Streamer $$ 5 string
Corvette $$ 5 string
Corvette $$ 6 string
Alien Acoustic 4 string
Amps:
Tubepath 10.1
Hellborg preamp
Website:
devastatingenemy.com
mondstille.com
youtube.com/VanTempest
1) How are you? Please introduce yourself to our readers
Hello, there! I’m fine and I want to thank you for the opportunity to get interviewed by Warwick. My name is Jörg Varga and I’m a Vienna-based bass player. I like to play finger-style and I use a lot of slapping and tapping techniques to add a little spice to the songs my bands compose but I also enjoy the supportive role of the “rumble from down-under”.
2) Please tell us something about your latest musical projects. What are you currently working on?
My main project is a 4-man-metalband called DEVASTATING ENEMY. There, it’s mostly about speed and heavy grooves with a lot of exciting solos and leads … and there are also very interesting chord voicings lately. We released our debut long player “the fallen prophet” last year with Norber Leitner (UDIO Media Studios) and we’ve been on 2 tours since then and played a lot of single shows. Beside that we produced two music videos to promote our first album and wrote a couple of new songs. Our second album comes out this summer, so we’ve been busy in the studio again.
There’s also a second band to mention. It’s called Mondstille (it’s German for “Moon silence” … it sounds better in German though) and there we use typical Black Metal elements like a lot of blast beats and chord shredding and mix it up with atmospheric acoustic parts and a violin. So if you like a bit of variety and Black Metal combined with a heavy and modern sound, then this is definitely something for you. We also got a second album out in February, it’s called Seelenwund (which means “wounded soul”) and it was also produced by Norbert Leitner.
I also got some kind of solo-project where I write and play my own songs on an Alien-acoustic 4 string, using mostly a looper and a lot of delays. The songs are mostly simple structured and I record and loop simple chords, add some basslines and leads to create calm and atmospheric songs.
2) Please tell us something about your latest musical projects. What are you currently working on?
My main project is a 4-man-metalband called DEVASTATING ENEMY. There, it’s mostly about speed and heavy grooves with a lot of exciting solos and leads … and there are also very interesting chord voicings lately. We released our debut long player “the fallen prophet” last year with Norber Leitner (UDIO Media Studios) and we’ve been on 2 tours since then and played a lot of single shows. Beside that we produced two music videos to promote our first album and wrote a couple of new songs. Our second album comes out this summer, so we’ve been busy in the studio again.
There’s also a second band to mention. It’s called Mondstille (it’s German for “Moon silence” … it sounds better in German though) and there we use typical Black Metal elements like a lot of blast beats and chord shredding and mix it up with atmospheric acoustic parts and a violin. So if you like a bit of variety and Black Metal combined with a heavy and modern sound, then this is definitely something for you. We also got a second album out in February, it’s called Seelenwund (which means “wounded soul”) and it was also produced by Norbert Leitner.
I also got some kind of solo-project where I write and play my own songs on an Alien-acoustic 4 string, using mostly a looper and a lot of delays. The songs are mostly simple structured and I record and loop simple chords, add some basslines and leads to create calm and atmospheric songs.
3) When did you actually start playing? Why did you choose the bass guitar as your instrument?
I got introduced to the bass when I was 17 years old by a friend of mine. He played bass in a Death Metal band and I really liked the look and the sound of that thing. Also the supportive role of a bass player was very interesting for me because I like the idea to be responsible for rhythm and melodies, so it was all about being a drummer AND a guitarist, you know what I mean? So I got the most interesting instruments in metal combined.
4) Who influenced you as a bassist? Do you still have idols?
A huge influence was Fieldy, the bass player of KoRn. He had such a significant and heavy bass-sound and such a unique and simple style with just using his fingers. Another influence was Ryan Martinie of Mudvayne. He was/is a very active bass player and also some kind of lead guitarist but with a bass and that fact was very fascinating, even though I couldn’t play any Mudvayne songs in my early days.
Today I don’t have real idols; I mostly lurk around on youtube to check out other “bedroom-guitarists and bass players”, to copy and improve their style and make it my own. This is how I progress in music for a few years now.
5) When did you first come into touch with Warwick and how did that happen?
Well, I started with a 4 string bass and tried different types and brands. Soon I wanted to expand the range of my bass and I tried a 5 string WARWICK ROCKBASS at a local instrument store. I was fascinated by the sound and the looks and so I decided to stick with that. And since then I think: “Never change a winning team.”
6) What do you particularly like about Warwick instruments and how do they affect your sound?
I really like the smooth sound when you play a Warwick bass with fingers; it sounds warm and very natural. When you start to use slapping techniques it completely changes its characteristics and the sound gets very edgy, sharp and you can get lot of attack though.
And then, there are the significant looks. Warwick basses don’t look fancy at all; they have a very unique, natural and kind of grown up style and the natural wood finishes look great at all. Sometimes they feel a bit heavy in weight, but they are very well balanced.
7) You own a beautiful custom shop bass guitar from Warwick. Could you introduce it to us and tell us something about its special features, please?
Of course! Well, my custom Streamer follows the example set by my Corvette $$ 5. Both got massive double bucks, 5 strings and their bodies are crafted out of swamp-ash. Then I decided to add a longer neck for deeper tunings and some green LEDs to see my fretboard better on darker stages (also to add a little extra gimmick on stage, but don’t tell anyone). To make the streamer more outstanding and spacy I decided to get it painted green and it fit’s perfect to my needs.
8) What are your personal impressions of the Warwick amps designed by Jonas Hellborg?
I’m very impressed by the natural and full tone. Last year I started to play the preamp and the power amp over the Hellborg cabs and also some Ampeg cabs and I was overwhelmed by the power. Now I just use the preamp over the DI-box and it still kicks a lot of asses. As I said the natural tone really gets at its best with this amp.
9) What are your plans for the future? Do you already have some new projects in mind?
I don’t think that I have time for more or new projects because DEVASTATING ENEMY grows every day. There’s always work to do, there are always rehearsals or concerts I have to prepare to. I like to practice the songs a lot so I can play them every time, in every mood, even under bad conditions. But I like to improve my skills and speed more and maybe learn some theory soon.
10) Thank you very much for the interview. The last words are yours.
Last words? Hm … play bass EVERYDAY!!! HAHAHA!!! Thanks for that interview and the support you people provide for my bands. It’s great to be a part of the Warwick-family.
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