– Hi, thanks for your time. What are you currently up to? How is everything doing right now with THYRFING?

Hello. We are back from the Paganfest 2013 tour, the album has been out for a month’s time, the reviews and feedback have been overwhelming this far and things are feeling all great I’d say. We are also preparing for a couple of more shows in April/May.

– First off, how are you feeling now with the release of your first album in 5 years? Excited? Free?

Yeah, it feels great and it’s kind of a relief finally having it out. Some of these songs have been in our heads since they were written 3–4 years ago, so yeah … it’s a great feeling finally having them tracked and released on an album. We are very pleased with the result and as I wrote above, the response have been amazing this far. Seems like many people have really waited for this album!

 

– As I said, have been 5 years since your previous «Hels vite» so, how do you think has the band evolved since then?

I think if you compare these two albums, “De ödeslösa” is a bit easier to get into song and production wise. The songs are shorter, the tempo is generally faster and the playing and sound is more punchy and aggressive. I also think we managed to blend in the orchestral parts better and the album is more symphonic. Not saying “Hels vite” is a bad album by any means, but many things have been improved in my opinion and the songs are also a bit different in style.

 

– And has the song writing process changed at all?

Not really … I think it’s been the same thing as with all the later albums. It’s a mix of writing together at rehearsals and individually in a home studio environment. It’s quite different from song to song, like it’s actually been during our whole career.

 

– Getting a bit deeper into this new opus; what’s the main concept behind the lyrics on it?

The lyrics pretty much follows the same line as on the last albums, i.e. rather dark contemplations and observations about the world and mankind, seen through an imagery based on the Norse mythology and past rural Scandinavian life … almost the whole band have been partly involved in the lyric writing to a different extent, and it’s really hard to pinpoint a general concept from the whole album other than what’s described above.

 

– They seem to be inspired by some real experiences, are they? Anyway, as always, there are really dark. In fact I guess with the years your music is getting darker, slower and heavier. Do you think this fits better the vibe on your lyrics?

Yeah, some parts and ideas behind the lyrics are based on real experiences for sure, even though they are written in quite a metaphorical and escapist way … Our lyrics (and most of the visual concept as well) took a much darker turn with the release of “Vansinnesvisor” back in 2002. The basic idea and goal has always been to match the atmosphere and feeling behind music and lyrics, and I think we’ve managed this in a good way through all our releases.

 

– This being said; what’s your music for you? Maybe a way to channel your own feelings and thoughts?

It’s definitely a part of it, yes. But it could also be very superficial you know … just the feeling of playing great hard rock and metal music. So it spans over a wide array of feelings and needs … but it all applies to the “bigger” and extreme emotions and sides of creativity I’d say.

 

– You are an ever-evolving band and, though progressing and pushing your boundaries with each album, you’ve remained loyal to your essence. Is this something easy to get? I mean to keep things fresh still sounding just as THYRFING.

Yes, definitely and I’m glad to hear that you perceive it that way. I think that’s always been our goal, and I think we’ve managed quite well. If listening to all Thyrfing albums in a row in chronological order, you should be able to hear a common thread running through the whole thing … at least that’s what I’d like to think.

 

– This time around atmosphere has a really strong presence; what did inspire you to create it?

I don’t know … that’s really hard to put into words. I think things such as atmosphere is something you cannot just set out to create and how to trace down everything that’s behind it – it’s something that just builds up and comes together from so many different pieces and fragments … in a way I think it’s a reflection of ourselves and who we are, but also it’s a web made from all our creative ideas and angles coming out.

 

– For this album you’ve got a new guitar player, Fredrik Hernborg, and last 2012 Dennis Ekdahl joined the band. This is quite surprising, as THYRFING was always a pretty stable band in line-up terms. What caused these changes? And what do the new members bring the others couldn’t?

Fredrik actually joined the band already in 2009. Thyrfing has mainly been a 2-guitarist band and as I was the only one on “Hels vite” we were looking for a completing guitarist. Fredrik had been helping us out live on all the “Hels vite” shows, and when he asked to join as permanent member, it was an easy choice as things have been working incredible well so far. Then our bassist Kimmy decided to leave the band, and then Joakim let us know that he wanted to switch from drums to bass. So instead of a new bassist we needed a new drummer. Dennis is a long-time friend and we all knew him and his talents behind the kit so it was an easy choice too. All this might sound a little messy, but I assure you it went far smoother than how it might look from the outside.

 

– And talking about changes, after Regain went bankrupt you moved to NoiseArt Records. How is everything going with them so far? Was it easy to find a new label?

Yeah, things have been running very smooth so far I’d say. It is a bit harder these days to find a label that are willing to push you enough and back-up with the production we think the material really deserved … but luckily we got in contact with NoiseArt so for now everything’s just fine.

 

– This album was mixed at Fascination Street studios with veteran Jens Bogren, and the album sounds simply superb and really powerful. Are you satisfied with the result obtained? How did the whole process go?

Yes, I’m really happy with the final result. The production is very clear, but it’s probably what was needed to be able to hear everything going on, which is quite a lot at some places. Jens was really smooth working with, a true professional in every sense of the word.

 

– The cover artwork is just excellent but, could you tell us what did you want to reflect with it?

The cover art is connected to the title track “De ödeslösa” (“those without a fate”) and depicts Ask and Embla – according to Norse mythology the first two humans created by the gods. They are sometimes referred to as “those without a fate” in various sagas and tellings.

 

– All this about «De ödeslösa» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?

Timeless, diverse, genuine!

 

– Finally, what are your near-future plans?

We are looking into some further festival/live performances for the rest of the year, so hopefully some of these will be confirmed very soon!

 

– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.

Thanks for your support and showed interest – keep listening to Thyrfing | www.thyrfing.com

 

Sergio Fernández

sergio@queensofsteel.com

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