VLTIMAS, the transatlantic extreme metal band, have launched their second album titled Epic on 15 March via Season of Mist. Comprised of a stellar lineup featuring Norwegian guitarist Rune “Blasphemer” Eriksen (ex-Mayhem), American vocalist David Vincent (ex-Morbid Angel), and Canadian drummer Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy), the band also includes Dutch bassist Ype Terwisscha van Scheltinga (ex-Dodecahedron). Recorded throughout May 2023 at Arda Recorders in Porto, Portugal, under the direction of producer Jaime Gomez Arellano and engineer Jonathan Mazzeo, Epic promises an unadulterated sonic experience, focusing on organic production techniques. The album is now available through Season of Mist.
In a discussion with Bass Empire about Epic, Ype TVS shared insights into his instrumental choices and the recording process. “I used a Dean Demonator, which obviously is David’s signature model and has been for a long time. I am a Fender Jazz fanatic myself, but when I joined the band I learnt that the guys were looking for a different sound, more warm and round. That’s when I was introduced to the Dean Demonator by David, which has been my choice since day one within VLTIMAS. I own a couple of them now, two of which belonged to David himself. So, ‘Epic’ was actually recorded with a true Morbid Angel relic, more precisely one he was playing himself on tour back in 2012. Now, I put it in the history books for VLTIMAS as well.”
The Dean Demonator 4 features a neck-through construction which enhances sustain and resonance by maximizing contact between the neck and body. This model is equipped with two DMT Design active humbucking pickups, offering a powerful tone with clear low and mid-range definition. The active EQ circuitry allows for louder output and the ability to adjust sound tones via a 2-band EQ. This bass guitar includes a unique brass nut, differing from traditional plastic nuts by reducing friction, which enhances tonal clarity and resonance. The body and neck are crafted from mahogany, and the fingerboard is made of rosewood with abalone Demonator inlays. It has a scale length of 34 inches and features 22 frets. Hardware includes Grover tuners and a Tune-O-Matic bridge, all finished in black. The control layout comprises one volume knob, one tone knob, and a 2-way EQ control.
“As the band was putting their trust into me as a player to record with them for the first time, they were obviously around checking up on me.”
The recording setup included vintage and trusted equipment to achieve the desired sound. “The goal was to go for organic, so what other option than to record through a real 70s Ampeg SVT? Distortion-wise, we tried out a couple of options, including the Darkglass X Ultra that I’m using on stage, but we ended up using an old friend of mine and an old-and-current friend of David, the MXR M80. As the band was putting their trust into me as a player to record with them for the first time, they were obviously around checking up on me. Add to that the fact that David is a bassist himself, and you can probably imagine that he was involved in dialing in the bass sound. So was our producer, Gomez. It took us about half an hour to find the right sound.”
“As a bass player I can’t afford not to groove.”
When discussing the integration of his bass play with the dark, extreme metal sound of VLTIMAS, Ype emphasized the importance of groove, even in technically demanding compositions. “As a bass player I can’t afford not to groove. I have a long history as a bass player, both on stage and in the studio, and I am educated as well, so all of that experience made this studio session quite smooth for me. As far as the technical aspect goes, this record wasn’t too hard. It was more a matter of stamina and endurance, as I like to downstroke as strong and aggressive as possible, as opposed to less powerful alternate picking.”
He also underscored the straightforward approach taken during the sessions. “Everything went down as conventional and traditional as possible: good amp, good bass, fresh strings, good songs, a lot of root notes, that’s it! The only part I recorded with my fingers didn’t end up on the album [laughs].”
Ype discussed his coordination with drummer Flo Mounier, although their time together in the studio was brief. “I only saw Flo for a few hours during the recording session, as he was leaving already when I came in, so we didn’t run through the material together beforehand. As you probably noticed, the material is a bit more straightforward than on their first record, so that kind of determined the rhythmic foundation. On top of that, I would add that within guitar-riff-dominated music, such as ours, guitars are as much a part of the rhythmic foundation of the music as drums and bass. So I would argue that the romantic notion of ‘rhythm section magic’ does not apply as much within fast/extreme metal as it does within other types of music. I needed to support riffs and drums (especially because they were recorded before the bass), not the other way around.”
Looking forward, Ype is eager for listeners to experience the album live and to discover the nuances of the new tracks. “At this point, we have played six shows in support of the album, performing a pretty long set that comprises two albums. That made me really digest and interpret the new material myself. It also made me realize that the identity of the band has expanded. I would say ‘Miserere’ is a key song when it comes to proving my point: it’s got a lot of space for the vocals and speaks kind of a ‘universal’ metal language. It’s metal as fuck, still extreme, yet melodic and interpretable for a wide array of metal and music fans. Since I’m talking to a bass mag, let’s wrap it up by mentioning the little clever bass detail in the song that I’m particularly proud of.”
Epic by VLTIMAS is now available for purchase through Season of Mist.
