When COVID-19 took over the world at the start of 2020, countries around the globe were forced to jump into action and enact safety measures to keep the population safe as the unprecedented virus began infecting millions of people.

While the state of the pandemic in the United States has remained up in the air, we have seen live music and entertainment venues be put on an indefinite pause as the government works towards finding a vaccine. But this is not the case in every country, and we have had the opportunity through out Quarantine Questionnaire series to hear from artists across the world to see how their nations are handling the pandemic and how that has affected them as a band.

For our latest interview, we had a chance to chat with Valery Veings of Switzerland based rock band Chaoseum to find out how the band is handling 2020 and what they hope will happen once the global pandemic ceases.

You can read our full interview below, and be sure to stream the band’s newest album, Second Life, out now.

Second Society Report: How are you holding up during this insane year that is 2020? Hopefully your friends and families are staying safe and healthy! 

Valery Veings: Thank you, we are fine. Yes of course, this year is really special. We had to change our vision for 2020. Between February and June, we finished writing and recording our new album Second Life. In September, we released it and played 2 gigs in Switzerland. We also made some videos and we keep on going like this. 

SSR: Did you have any big releases or tours that were put on hold because of the pandemic? 

Valery Veings: Yes, our European tour with Fleshgod Apocalypse was postponed to fall 2021. We also had to cancel some concerts in Switzerland and France. I hope that it will be possible to play in 2021. 

SSR: How has that affected the band? (could be personally, financially, morale wise,etc.) 

Valery Veings: We don’t stop working and start new goals. Like this, our morals are good even if we prefer to play on stage. 

SSR: Have you picked up any new hobbies while quarantining that you’d like to share? 

Valery Veings: In Switzerland that was a semi-quarantine. But this year I spent a little bit more time practicing sport. 

SSR: Have you worked on any new releases during this time? Any that are already out or that we can get a sneak peak of? 

Valery Veings: Yes, as I said before, we already worked on new stuff. You can listen to our new album almost everywhere, see our playthrough videos or an acoustic version of “Stick Under My Skin” on YouTube. 

SSR: If already out-what was the inspiration for the release? Have you written any songs specifically about the state of the world right now? 

Valery Veings: All lyrics in Second Life talk about ….a second life. For the next album, I haven’t written something yet and I don’t know if we will talk about it this particular year. 

SSR: How has it been being an artist in a time when you cannot tour? How have you been working to promote your music and expand your reach?

Valery Veings: Really different. Loïc and I played a live streaming guitar video and we received a good impression. We had an opportunity to play a video streaming in a venue with the full band, but the organisation was not serious enough and finally gave up the idea. 

SSR: Do you have any words of advice for fans that are feeling particularly bummed out about the live music world coming to a halt? 

Valery Veings: Keep your patience and don’t lose the habit to go to the concert when that will be possible. 

SSR: When the world returns to a safer spot and we are able to (hopefully) attend live shows again-say in 2021-what do you hope to achieve? 

Valery Veings: If everything is ok, we will be on tour in Europe from October and I hope we will be present at different festivals in different countries. 

SSR: Is there anything you wish your fans would know about you or about the current state of the music world? 

Valery Veings: Thank you for your support. During this year, it’s really important to be close to fans, bands, venues… because it’s really hard for everyone. Share with your friends your. We discover, if possible, buy some merchandising to your favorite bands who need your help and be there when the stages are open. 

You can stream Second Life out now.

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