For ten years it has been mostly silent around Janne ‘Varjosielu’ Väätäinen’s melodic black metal solo project HÄIVE. Now the Finn is back with his latest album „Iätön“, his sophomore record that is full of powerful, melodic and thrilling new songs that sometimes show some folk influences. In this interview Varjosielu talked to us about why it took so lang for the album to be released, in which way he has progressed as a musician, why he solely sings in Finnish and why he refrains from using blast beats.
HÄIVE is your solo project with which you play folk black metal. What is the meaning behind its name and in which way does it reflect the essence of your music?
There‘s no direct translation for the word, but HÄIVE means something like a glimmer or a trace. It‘s rather abstract, but it was supposed to correlate with the gloomy atmosphere of the music. My memories aren’t perfect from that time period, but I remember that HÄIVE was originally supposed to be an artist name for one of my bandmates in Solgrav. Eventually we scrapped that idea, and I took the name for my solo project.
What is it that you want to express through your musical work?
Emotions, really. I don’t have a particular goal, it’s just a passion that I have.
Who are your musical role models?
There are too many to mention names. For HÄIVE, bands like Thy Serpent, Ulver, Falkenbach, Burzum, Moonsorrow, Amorphis, Ajattara… I take a lot of influences also from folk music and traditional heavy metal.
In which way, do you think, does your music set itself apart from other bands of the genre? Do you think it is important to distinguish oneself from other artists?
I don’t really listen to what other bands are doing anymore, so I’m not the best one to tell you that. With age comes this apathy to the world around you. Or maybe it’s just me, I don’t know. It’s good to have an unique sound, of course, but that’s not my main focus anymore. I have broken enough rules already! 
You’re also a member of a few bands. Why was it important to you to have your own project?
It’s the one project where I can freely be the despot, and not to think what other bandmates feel. I’ve always had a strong vision.
A solo project is a lot of work. In which way, in your opinion, does it show your strengths and weaknesses as an artist?
Yes, it’s a lot of work, and that’s why it sometimes takes a while to get things done. I’ve become some kind of perfectionist over the years, and that can be a strength but also a weakness. I like to fiddle around in the studio, trying different things, so this kind of project is perfect for me.
Your debut „Mieli Maassa“ has already been out for ten years. Now there’s finally a successor: „Iätön“. What is the reason for this long time gap between the two releases?
I like to make one thing at a time, and there were just too many other projects that needed to be finished before this one. I had too much going on basically. I have reduced the workload from my shoulders lately, so I can better concentrate on things that matter the most. It’s clear now that HÄIVE is one of them.
In which way have you evolved as a musician and what’s the main difference between the two albums?
In ten years, almost in every single way. I’ve had my own acoustic drum set from 2011, so my drumming has improved a lot since that. I also now have a small dedicated home studio, so it’s easier to get a good production. Creatively I’m probably not that productive anymore though, but I like quality over quantity anyway.
„Iätön“ means „timeless“. What lies behind that title and in which way does it connect to the lyrics?
I like titles that have multiple meanings. Ageless or timeless can mean the bedrock in the cover art, or the folklore lyrics that have very old and timeless subjects from nature to death. It can also mean the album as a whole.
The songtitles are also written in English. Why?
I just though it would be nice for fans to at least somehow understand what the subjects of the lyrics are. The problem is, it can be very hard to translate the title correctly, without changing the idea. As I said, the titles can have multiple meanings, and those don’t usually translate well to english.
Do you consider also singing in English in the future?
No, that’s against what I think HÄIVE is about. The finnish language has a totally different structure and vibe, as it’s not a part of the indo-european languages, which almost every other european language is. The only reason I would do that would be to appeal to the masses. There’s enough english everywhere already.
How important are the lyrics to you compared to the music? Do you think that some albums only have their full impact when their lyrics are understood?
I always write the music first, and compile the lyrics later, but when writing, I leave room for the vocals. Of course it helps, if you understand the lyrics, but it’s not mandatory at all in this genre.
Your music is quite powerful, melodic and even catchy, but not that brutal. Why do you refrain from using typical tools of the genre like blast beats or low-fi sound?
Initially, on the first demos I had very low production values, but it was mostly because I didn’t know anything about recording, and I just didn’t care. They were very spontaneous recordings back then. I have avoided blast beats intentionally, and also because the songs have had such slow tempos, that blast beats just won’t work. HÄIVE is not a typical black metal band, I want it to be clear to everyone.
Will you maybe make use of these things in the future or do you rather stick to your current sound?
I have a couple of amazing riffs leftover from my black metal project My Blood, and all those require blast beats and typical tremolo guitar, so maybe I’ll use them with HÄIVE. Productionwise, I won’t be returning to the demo days, but maybe try some rawer guitar sound etc. I don’t have clear plans yet.
You used to be signed to Northern Silence, „Iätön“ is now being released through Eisenwald Tonschmiede. How did it come to the change of label?
Eisenwald showed their interest, and as I had already released two releases with Northern Silence, I thought I might as well try another label for a change. Eisenwald does some high quality releases, so I’m happy to work with them.
How will you continue with HÄIVE? Do you plan on releasing another album in a shorter period of time?
Yes, shorter. That’s still a quite broad range, but it won’t take another decade! I’m still interested in doing smaller special releases in between albums, as they really are the salt, that makes it interesting.
Let’s continue with our traditional Metal1.info-Brainstorming:
Industrial metal: Ruined many great bands in the early 2000’s.
Scandinavia: Vikings
Folklore: Kalevala
European Union: Angela Merkel
Favorite album: Amorphis – „Tales From The Thousand Lakes“
HÄIVE in five years: Alive
Thanks for your time. Is there still something that you would like to say, now that we’re through with our interview?
Thanks to the patient fans, who still remember. There seem to be surprisingly many of you! Heathen greetings!
25. Dezember 2017 Stephan Rajchl