After brainstorming titles for his first solo, seven-track record, Powell River’s Ryan Schmeister chose Vorean, a name derived from a character he previously used in role-playing board game Dungeons and Dragons. Vorean is also the moniker Schmeister uses when playing his heavy, hardcore metal music. The record took three years to complete and 19-year-old Schmeister, also an accomplished folk guitarist, handled all aspects of putting it together, including lyrics, instrumentation, vocals, mixing and mastering. Vorean is available at Rockit Music and through online digital retailers.
How did you get into metal?
Metal is a bit of an acquired taste. When I was a young kid, I was kind of forced to listen to it in the car by my dad. I actually started liking it. It ended up spiralling into a vortex from there and I got into all of the underground stuff; the really hard-to-listen-to stuff for most people.
What do you say to people who are critical of metal music?
I completely understand people who are critics of metal. By its nature it's a pretty abrasive, ugly form of music in a lot of cases; it's not a pleasant form of music oftentimes. The reason it appeals to me and a lot of people is because it evokes a certain emotional response that I don't think any other genre of music quite touches on. It hits me in just the right place.
Why do you call yourself a gear nerd?
I definitely have a thing for collecting gear and finding different pieces of equipment that produce certain sounds I find appealing. I have a number of guitars and have built my own main guitar. I just love music equipment. Everything I was capable of actually playing I recorded myself, mixed it and mastered it all completely alone. I'm pretty proud of that. It's not perfect, but it's the best I could do at this point in my life.
Is there a metal scene in Powell River?
To some degree. There's much more of a punk scene. Metal is pretty underground in Powell River, but I definitely know some guys who are into it.
For more information, go to facebook.com/voreanmusic.
