UNLEASHED (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for dedicating us part of your time. What’s currently keeping you busy? How are you guys feeling just after releasing your new album?
No worries, thanks for the support! Well we are now hard at work preparing for a couple of festivals coming up in May. Puntpop in Belgium and Rock Hard in Germany.
And we feel great after this album. We are extremely happy with it and reviews are startin to come in which seem to agree with us!
– This new album is entitled “Odalheim”. How is its feedback being so far? Are you satisfied with the final result you’ve got with this record?
Feedback has been great so far. And as I metioned, yeah we’re totally satisfied with it in every aspect.
– Musically I could say this is one of your fastest effort so far; was this something intended?
Yeah it did turn out that way. I wouldn’t say it was intended, or planned that way but the songs are always written over a period of time and this is how they turned out.
– Though having a brutal sound you have always had an interesting sense of melody. Is it easy to get a good balance between both elements?
It’s definitely not easy but we feel it’s very important. There’s no point for us putting out an album with only brutality so to speak. The nuances is what makes the record.
– This time you have even included several acoustic passages; was this something you consciously wanted to do?
Well it was something we felt fit to the feel of the album and to tie the songs together.
– There are also more technical elements. Did you have clear since the beginning how did you want “Odalheim” to sound like?
I guess it is a bit more technical, sure. As I said earlier, every album we do is along process, starting basically whan the album before is done. So it’s not always clear how it wil turn out maybe 2 years later. But of course, there is always a main thought behind every album.
– Anyway you have always remained true to yourself and sound. Is this something easy to get and keep on doing without copying yourself?
Yeah and that’s something we feel is very important. But not easy. To keep the same feel and sound and still progressing is no easy task. But I think we have managed quite well.
– This being said, how could you describe «Odalheim» in just three words?
Relentless, aggressive, death
– Lyrically we could say “Odalheim” is a follow-up of “As Yggdrasil Trembles” so, for all those who may don’t know about it; could you please tell us the story behind your new CD?
Odalheim is about the Midgard Warriors who survive Ragnarök and carry on the Viking tradition into the new world. They will soon realize that fighting White Christ is an impossible task at the present. The enemy is yet too powerful. The Midgard Warriors will have to gather the Battalions from all over the world to build an army strong enough to go against White Christ in the final stand. (song nr 11 -the great battle of Odalheim). They set out for an adventure that will last for years going through many parts of the world to gather with friends and those alike.
– The artwork was crafted by Sebastian Ramstedt, who also did the artwork for your three previous albums. This one specially is really straight-forward. Would you mind to shed some light on the idea and how did you work on it?
The idea is of course inspired by the lyrics and concept of the album. And we worked on it pretty much the same we always do, shooting ideas back and forth with Sebastian until we are all happy with how it’s turned out.
– Own Fredrik took production duties; how positive is this for the band? What are the pros and cons of this? As I guess you have more freedom and no one like the own band knows how your albums are supposed to sound but, on the other hand, maybe this means more hard work and pressure?
Well you pretty much said it. It’s great to not have to explain what you want out of the production, because Fredrik knows, simple as that. There’s always pressure to perform and do the best possible but when doing it this way it’s definitely more relaxed even if we set strict deadlines for ourselves.
– You have had the same line-up for so many years; how does this affect the band (in a positive or bad way)?
Positive, certainly. It’s what keeps us going most likely. Everyone knows what to do and the dynamic just works.
– And after so many years into the Metal world; do you still have some goals to achieve or something to do you haven’t done yet (musically)?
We have no special goals except to evolve and excel within what we do.
– Throughout all these years of existence, what have been both the best and worst moments with UNLEASHED?
Hard to say. There has been quite a few ups and downs of course. But we focus on the present and future more than the past.
– Finally, what does the future have in store for you guys? What are your plans to support the new album?
We’re just seeing the first rections coming in for Odalheim and it’s overwhelmingly great which is awesome. Starting in may we will play some festivals over spring and summer, then hopefully some touring will commence in the fall.
– That’s been everything from my side thanks once more. You can now add some final words.
Thanks! Hope to see all on tour or at festivals in this coming year! Join the battalion!
