FORTID (Eng.)
– Hello, thanks for answering to our questions. What are you currently up to?
Hello. I am currently in Iceland, reconnecting with my roots. I’ve been at my best friends funeral and at a Sólstafir rehearsal where I got an enjoyable private concert from my old friends. It’s a time of reflection for me. I will head back to Norway next week, hopefully re-energized from the ultra fresh air.
– How have a new album coming out soon; what are your expectations? And how are the first reactions being?
First reactions have been very good. We’ve had a lot of critics nagging about our 18 minute long thunderstorm outro though. Of course we did not expect everyone to like it, but we did not expect those harsh reactions either. In the ancient heathen prophecies, the earth sinks into the sea. This is symbolizing that. Nothing more, nothing less. As far as the 42 minutes of music itself is concerned, we have had very good feedback.
– After putting an end to your trilogy based on Völuspá, did you have clear what you wanted to do next?
It took a bit of a time creating a new concept after leaving the comfort zone of dealing with the Völuspá literature, but as soon as the lyrics started to form, the concept became clear.
– After those 3 albums based on that prophecy, what’s now the main concept you’ve covered with your new opus?
It’s a modernized view on how Ragnarok is still very probable. It’s an attempt to link the old visions to the new world.
– And can we still find references to literature?
Here and there you can, yes. The new lyrics, although being in modern English and Icelandic, are inspired by the old literature.
– This new record is entitled «Pagan Prophecies», which I personally think is a title that says a lot about the band but, how do you think this name represents both the band and the CD? It also seems to have a certain link to the Ásatrú; Völuspá, or at least we could relate it.
It’s not the typical Pagan/Viking metal if that’s what you mean. We employ a lot of different kinds of elements into our music and it’s mainly the lyrical concept that put our critics into the confort zone of labelling us into the genre. And yes, the concept is inspired by Völuspá.
– This record we could say is a new concept so, has the songwriting process changed? Moreover this time you’ve worked for first time with a full line-up.
The songwriting still bares mark of the previous Fortid albums. You won’t feel like listening to a totally different band. But it has evolved a lot and become more progressive, detailed and technical. Working with a full lineup has a lot to say as well, but next time we will be working even closer as a unit. What was missing for this album was a rehearsal space where we could sit for hours and experiment with a single idea. This progress of Pagan Prophecies was more based on pre-productions and then rehearsing the material up while looking at the clock and making sure we got through the whole set before our time ran out.
– You have already played several shows with your band but, what have they brought to the album? Has everyone been invovled in the creative process?
Our live shows have affected the album in a way that we know what works live and what doesn’t. The Völuspá trilogy is solely a studio project with no thoughts about how the material works on stage. So this new material is definitely better to present live and everyone has been involved in making sure of that, although the material is originally written from our homes on guitars.
– You have always released quite dynamic albums, with different twists and influences from different styles, and this time you make no exception. Each song sounds different and has its own elements, and songs as «Lesser Sons of Greather Fathers» show this perfectly. Is this versatility something important for FORTID?
It’s not really a conscious decision as much as we are focused on doing what we feel like each time. If the idea sounds good to us, then we’re not so bothered by whether it fits a certain frame or not. Of course this has some boundaries, but the horizon is pretty big for everyone involved.
– Most of the songs also provide a strong epic touch. Is it your aim to evoke certian feelings to your listeners?
Yes, it is. In my mind, the music has to be visual, so to speak. I think it is important for music to give the listener some kind of an image and to become somewhat of a journey.
– And all this about «Pagan Prophecies» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
Epic, Agressive, Atmospheric
– Finally, what are your near-future plans?
We have just moved into a new rehearsal room where we will be spending most of our time reforging the band into something stronger than before. We will be playing some live shows here and there when opportunity presents itself. On top of that I am working on my other projects on the side and so are the other Fortid comrades.
– That has been everything from my side, thank you once more. If you want to add some final words; last lines are all yours.
If you want to follow up on our progress, we try to update our facebook site on regular basis, since facebook seems to be the main traffic site these days. Facebook.com/fortid.
