Tyrfing, without the 'h', is a famous sword in the Swedish mythology, smithed by two dwarftrolls, Durin and Dvalin, made for King Svaverlame, Odin`s grandson. But nowadays, among metal lovers, this name with the h in it, is mostly known as band. So far, they`ve been titled as a viking metal band, but with their latest release Vansinnesvisor, that means `songs of madness` they seem to break out from this category.
I talked with Thomas Väänänen about the album, the changes and everything else.
- The album is out for months now and you also played some concerts. How do you feel about Vansinnesvisor now?
- When the album was just finished I felt that I've never been as satisfied with an album before - and I can still say that about Vansinnesvisor. All members have most definitely done their best musical effort to date. There are of course small things here and there that I'd like to change now, but that's just what time usually does to recordings... what a fucking cliché answer, but it's the truth, heh.
- Several things changed around the album. To start with you changed the title of the album from 'The Fourth Outrage'. Why? Why does 'Vansinnesvisor' fit to the album better?
- 'The Fourth Outrage' was never a real title for the album, but more just a working title to have something to refer to instead of "the coming album" when people asked us about it. 'The Fourth Outrage' referred to the fact that our fourth fullength would be a continuation of the old Tyrfing saga where the sword would have committed three outrages and ended things there...
- So, Vansinnesvisor is the fourth Thyrfing album? Some places I read it's your fifth album, other articles says it's the fourth. Do you consider 'Hednaland' as a full album?
- Well, the fourth outrage, eh? Hednaland is just a regretful collection of our demos released on CD.
- The album became shorter too. What happened with the song/songs that has been left out?
- We simply decided to not use one of the recorded songs because it didn't hold the same high standard as the other songs, musically nor lyrically. I do think it's a good song, but not as great as the ones that made it to the album, and had we included it the overall quality of the album would have been lowered. At the moment I have no idea if we'll ever use it in any way. We will most certainly never play it live... If I'd go and see one of my favourite bands play I'd rather see songs I can already connect to instead of new stuff. New songs by bands you already like should be heard at home.
- The album came out later as it was promised. What happened?
- The usual fuck-ups... we were lazy with the album cover, the album had to be mixed twice, we booked the mastering a bit too late, the first possible release time wasn't immaculate for Hammerheart and yadayada. The usual music business bullshit.
We had to mix the album twice because we weren't satisfied with the first version... Daniel and we had completely different opinions when it came to that. The first mixing was done at night time after working for hours on the day and night before and we mixed for something like fifteen hours without taking breaks, so our ears weren't actually in the best of shape by then.
- I feel Vansinnesvisor is a more varied album than the previous ones. How would you describe the difference comparing to the other releases? Your vocals are also more varied. Why did you feel it was time to change?
- Vansinnesvisor is much more subtle than the previous releases. I really hate using the expression "mature", but it actually does feel that we have musically matured a lot with this album. While everything on the previous albums (especially melodywise) is right in your face all the time, the new one is more laid back and things appear slowly after each listen instead of it all being apparent the first time you hear each song. I think this is really good because this way you don't feel tired of the album after two listens which could be the case with the old stuff. Regarding my vocals I don't feel at all that I have really changed anything... I've always strived for variation in my singing, and this time I just happened to succeed way better than previously, heh.
- Due to this change some fans of yours are disappointed with the album. What could you tell them?
- I can sympathize with some of them, because I, just like everybody else who enjoys music - have sometimes been disappointed by a new release from a band I really enjoy. As far as people actually getting pissed off and thinking that we "owe" them something and should walk in line for them - fuck off! We do this 100% for ourselves and nobody else. The next album might be a mixture of early Burzum and Björk and nobody would still have the right to claim that we "sold out" or "followed trends" or whatnot... If you want to hear the same album time and again you should stick to Running Wild.
- Some of the songs on Vansinnesvisor has a very strong touch with folk music. Have you used any 'special' insturment?
- Keyed fiddles, that's alles. We have some female choirs in the background of a song, but they're mixed very very low, so people hardly notice them, hehehe.
- You changed studio and producer this time and you worked with Daniel Bergstrand. Did you want to change studio and producer or the record label wanted this?
What was it like working with a new producer who hadn't known you from before? Are you satisfied with the result completely? Would you change anything on Vansinnesisor if you could?
- We were actually thinking of going to the Abyss first, but Tommy was booked solid for a long time. We started looking for alternatives and Dug Out seemed to be the best solution. It was as simple as that. The label had nothing to do with the choice of studio... they've actually never told us that they'd like to hear "more of this" and "less of that" from us, which - of course - is good. Working with Daniel completely changed the way I see working in studios... earlier on when I heard about bands spending more than two weeks recording I was just thinking that they were wasting time and money, haha. Now I could probably spend months on end working on one song. Earlier on we've spent a maximum of two weeks recording and I did my vox on a day and a half. I'm 90% satisfied with Vansinnesvisor, but there's always things you'd like to change afterwards, but anything else would be strange.
- You made a cover from 'Over the hills and Far Away'. Why did you choose this song? - We listened to that song a lot at parties when we were making material for Urkraft, blablabla.
- We listened to that song a lot at parties when we were making material for Urkraft, blablabla.
- I think, especially after Vansinnesvisor, you are still an under-rated band. What's your opinion on that?
- I think I might be a bit biased in regard to this question, but of course I agree. We're the most underrated band in the world if you ask me
- I think everybody knows how much you like Bathory. Have you ever thought about making a Bathory cover? If yes, which song would be that? And how do you like 'Nordland I'?
- Well, we have _thought_ about doing tons of different covers, and Bathory have been included, but we'll probably never do anything about it, hahaha. There's just too many cool songs to choose from, but I guess "One Rode to Asa Bay" would be cool to do because it was one of the first songs that really got me hooked. And the narrative vocal style would be really fun to try. Basically anything from Hammerheart would be brilliant...
I think Nordland I is great, though it doesn't surpass any of his other viking albums. I reviewed it and gave it 8 out of ten points.
- You changed the logo again. I don't ask which one do you like the most because the typcial answer would be 'the latest' so I rather ask, why did you change it again?
- Well, we used an Old English styled font on our first demo, but the logo with the sword in it has been around ever since our second demo, Hednaland, so I'm a bit perplexed that you use the word "again", but anyway: We were just fed up with the old logo and wanted to try something new. I really liked the new one at the time Niklas made it for us, but I've actually grown tired of it already, hahaha. It's a bit feminine somehow. It's based on a font called Czésanne, which in turn is based on the handwriting of the painter with the same name. Let's see what the next album brings.
- The lyrics on your albums sometimes are written in English and also in Swedish. This time only two songs are in English. How do you decide in which language to write them, does it depend on your actual mood or do you choose on the specific lyrics on purpose - somehow marking the songs?
- I can only speak for myself here... Writing lyrics has to come somewhat naturally (although a bit of planning and "forcing" them down on the paper can work sometimes as well) and therefore the inspiration usually decides what language the lyrics will be in. If I hear a cool english phrase in a film I'll use that and work around it to build an entire lyric, or I could steal a line I really like from a book written in Swedish, then modify it a bit and go from there. Sometimes I don't even have to steal my ideas, hahaha... a line can just pop up in my head and I go with whatever language the idea comes to me in.
- Would you tell us a bit about the lyrics since most of them are in Swedish and pls translate the song titles too.
- We have written more and more personal lyrics for each passing album and this time we really poured our hearts on paper regarding some of the tracks.
'Draugs Harg' is quite hard to translate but a Draug is a dead person, a ghost if you will, and a Harg was a sacrificial altar of stone. So you could basically say that Draugs Harg is a sacrificial site for the dead. What Jocke refers to though is modern man and their lives. People in these times are pretty much dead in their souls - they wake up, join the soulless ratrace, come home, eat a TV-dinner, go to sleep and then the same thing again. The Harg he's talking about is the big cities of today which most certainly are dead places in many ways and where modern man sacrifices himself. People forget what life really should be these days... something to be experienced - not something you suffer through - and that fills us with contempt. Definitely one of the more misanthropic lyrics we've spewed out this far, and I think I managed to catch that hatred in my vocals as well.
'Digerdöden' is the Swedish word for the Black Death, (the plague, the great death) that struck Europe and other parts of the world in the 14th century and clamed the lives of millions. This is actually one of our better lyrics this far and is extremely well written and poetic.
'Världsspegeln' ("Mirror Of The World") deals with my personal thoughts about ending your life by your own decision at the bottom of the ocean. The ocean is extremely beautiful while at the same time it's almost haunting. Over here in Scandinavia we don't have these light blue waters that allow you to see all the way to the bottom, so anything that lies deeper than a meter below the surface is a mystery. I guess that's part of the charm... never knowing what _really_ is there. If I spend time alone by a lake I always have two feelings... one just being that I enjoy the beauty of nature and the second being this strong feeling that I should drown myself. It's all set in a framework of mythological words and phrases though, staying in touch with the Viking-concept. The feeling of desperation in the music and lyrics on this one go hand in hand in a very cool way.
'The Voyager' is very classic Thyrfing Viking Metal. The song basically deals with the typical northmens love for the ocean and the travelling there upon. In tune with the theme of the album you can forget about any happy endings here.
'Angestens Högborg' ("The Stronghold Of Angst") actually also deals with how depressing life in the modern big cities can be. I wrote this lyric unbeknowing of the fact that Jocke had chosen a similar theme for 'Draugs Harg', but as the lyrics are very different in nature, this one being more melancholic and pitiful while Draugs is more like a kick in the teeth of the modern man we used both ones.
'The Giant's Laughter' is pretty much Patrik's English interpretation of Swedish Poet Esaias Tegner's brilliant poem "Jätten" (the giant). The words paint a fairly depressive view of nationalism and a "lost struggle"... just fucking read the lyrics, hahaha.
'Vansinnesvisan' ("The Madness Song") is basically just what the title says. It's about all those feelings inside when you loose your fucking mind with rage and anger and how you'd like to piss (shit actually) on the graves of those who have ever done you wrong. The most aggressive lyrics I've written so far.
'Kaos Aterkomst' ("The Return Of Chaos") deals with Ragnarök, Armageddon, the end of the world. It's far from being as infantile as most Metal lyrics dealing with the same subject, but instead a bit more subtle and poetic in its approach. Extremely suitable for the song in question - epic and foreboding."
- What about the photo session? Whose idea was to take pictures in a swamp like place? Any story about that?
- That was my and Henke's stupid, stupid idea. Have you ever gone swimming the first of December? If you have you know how god damn cold it is in the water. Imagine that + having to stand there for a while and try to look somewhat not like an idiot at the same time. Looking back it was fucking hilarious though... Patrik was standing in the swamp down to his knees, then he took one step and was up to his neck, hahaha... pretty dangerous to tell you the truth, but what the hell - it's only rock 'n' roll. It's a good thing we didn't pass any cops on the way home... must've looked pretty disturbing with me, Patrik and Henke sitting in my Volvo 240 all bloody and wet with weapons (which we didn't end up using in the pics) in the trunk.
- I think 'viking metal' is a very wide category. Since you are a viking metal musician the question is obvious, what does viking metal mean for you?
Do you think with Vansinnesvisor Thyrfing still fits into the vm category?
- Viking Metal to me is more about the mood and the feeling of the whole package than just he lyrics. Writing about vikings and playing melodic Death Metal doesn't constitute VM to me. Music is always about feelings and emotions, nothing else. I definitely think Vansinnesvisor fits into Viking/Folk/Pagan/Callitwhatyouwant Metal.
- What attracted you to viking metal when you decided to play music?
- Like I said above: Music is about feelings, and the whole epic atmosphere of pride and strength and mysticism is what attracts me to Viking and other folkish types of Metal, just like the feeling of aggression attracts me to thrash metal or the melancholy hooked me to folk music.
- I think vm and history has a very strong connect. Do you prefer history or legends, myths? Which is your favourite age? To which age would you like to travel back in time?
- If it's a myth or a true event in history doesn't really matter to me when I pick up a book as long as it holds a good story. I don't really have a favourite age, as there have been so many cool things in history I'd like to relive. Imagine standing next to a dinosaur and feed it some leaves, or witness the building of the pyramids or join in the storming of the bastille? Or why not slay a monk or two at Lindisfarne 793? I'd give an arm and a leg for a time machine.
- And if we've already travelled back in time do you remember why did you choose Thyrfing as a band name? Who came up with this name?
- We had names like Vargavinter and Midvinter first, but then we found that those were already taken and just kept looking for good names in books... I think Peter is the one to claim a finders fee.
- Before Thyrfing you played drums. How did you become a singer? Do you still play drums at home or in another band? I had the occasion to see that a great number of Swedish musicians play on several instruments. Is this the case with the Thyrfing members too?
- I became a singer because I had this growing urge to become a rockstar for real. Everybody knows singers get all the chicks and free drugs. I just felt like it would be a fun thing to try so I asked Jocke if they needed a singer for Thyrfing and he said I was welcome to try, and here we are. I used to play drums with Jocke and Henke in a Morbid Angelish type of band, but we put that project to rest. I might start playing in a Roky Erickson-cover band soon though. Jocke can play all "normal" instruments, and most of the other members play the instruments they use in the band + one or two others.
- Does any of you have side projects beside Thyrfing?
- Kimmy plays in a brilliant thrash band called Hatework, Henke has some projects but I can't remember all their names at the moment... there's one called Eraserhead. Jocke has recorded a raw Black Metal demo by himself, yet unnamed though. He has some project with a friend of ours as well... I think that's it at the moment. These things come and go all the time.
- Other bands have always problem with line-up changes all the time but Thyrfing seems to be very stable. What keeps do you think together the band?
- I think the fact that we were friends before the band was formed is the key here. Plus the fact that we're not really a democracy or anything... people aren't forced to do anything they don't like. We're completely chaotic and fight about things all the time. At times I really feel like telling the rest of the guys to fuck off, so to tell you the truth; I actually wonder why we haven't broken up yet, hahaha.
- In your opinion, what do you need to do, to know to be able to compose such good songs(musicly and technically as well) and play them live as you do?
- It's a case of something you just have or not. It doesn't matter how much you practice your instrument, read about musical theories and shit if you don't have that very special "it"... the magic has to be present.
- You've released the 4th album this year and all of your albums are pretty good. What future do you think - as a dreamer and as a realistic person - is ahead of Thyrfing?
- All our albums are pretty good? Hahaha, don't lay it on too thick now : ) I think we will start to play live just a bit more frequently and keep developing with our recordings... what direction we will move in is impossible to say though. The next release might sound like a 4-track Black Metal-demo or maybe something influenced by drum and bass, it's out of control for us. There has to be some higher entity involved.
- Which Thyrfing album or song/songs do you like the most? Why?
- These things tend to change frequently, but I'd say the one I feel the strongest about must be "Kaos Aterkomst". It just epitomizes "epic" Metal music for me somehow... with that acoustic interlude setting the mood for something greater to come and then the keyboard preparing for the thunder of the drums and guitars. It's magic to me somehow. The lyrics are very well written + it has my favourite Väänänen-scream this far at the end of the first verse.
- Some years ago you said you don't want to play live anymore but now you are over with some concerts. What happened back then? Did you have such a bad experience or.. ? I think fans are happy you are going to tour again, do you plan a longer tour later on?
- It was basically just organizational chaos to get anything done for the six of us and we got tired of constantly telling people "maybe" when they came with proposals for gigs. Right now the stars for the whole horde seem to have aligned themselves in a way that we all can and want to do the same thing so we take hold of the chances we can with live gigs at the moment. We're still not able to do any longer tours because of work and shit though, but at least we're doing something....
- I see some pics those were taken from you on concerts. What kind of blood is that on you?
- It's either from a pig or an oxe. We have a friend who works as a driver for a butcher so he always provides me with the goods for free. Seems people have a hard time believing it's real blood because so many true and evil Black Metal bands have used fake stuff - but ye of weak faith are all welcome up on stage to have a sip in case you have any doubts.
- Any nice or best story from the concerts you would like to share with the readers?
- Ah, the concerts themselves are just a long feeling of ecstasy for me, there's rarely any special moments during the actual shows - it's a special 60 minute moment, heh. There's a lot more stuff going on during the rest of the time... like O'Laoghaire from Primordial singing Irish folk songs for us by a small house out in the country side of Holland when we toured with the gods of Irish epic Metal... or when Keith and Joe of Cruachan got hand prints made out of their stage paint on their arses. Or the brilliantly misprinted tour posters that said Thyrfing, Primordial and ShadowbreAd, hahaha... killer.
- Do you have some rites before the shows?
- Not as a band, now. But for me personally; I've been using blood the last six shows we've done and the whole thing of putting on the clothes I wear on stage + my armbands and going into the shower (or whatever suitable place available at the venue) and pouring blood over myself has become somewhat of a ritual. Doing all the necessary preparations gets me in the mood for battle.
- In 99 you played in Hungary. Do you remember anything from the country?
- Our tour manager told us to not take too long walks away from the venue because we could get robbed or killed. I need some privacy every day so I took a walk anyway and managed to survive. The thieves must've had a day off. We arrived very late and had to start sound checking immediately and had a one minute break before the show started so when I got out it was completely dark, so I regret to say that I didn't get a good look at the city. The actual concert was brilliant... really enthusiastic crowd.
- You contract with Hammerheart Records has ended. What are your plans, looking for a new label?
- No plans at all at the moment... we're just writing new material and doing the occasional show here and there. We'll start thinking about record deals when we have enough material for a new album.
- Is there something we may know about a new Thyrfing album in advance?
- It's still in it's very early stages, so I'm sad to say that there's nothing I can reveal about it. I think that the music will develop naturally, but as far as the lyrics go they will probably be even darker and more personal next time around. At least as far as my stuff is concerned.
- Thanks for your time, last words are yours
- Thanks for this _massive_ interview! Snöbollskrieg über alles.
Official Thyrfing Homepage
You can read the UM review on Vansinnesvisor here
I talked with Thomas Väänänen about the album, the changes and everything else.
- The album is out for months now and you also played some concerts. How do you feel about Vansinnesvisor now?
- When the album was just finished I felt that I've never been as satisfied with an album before - and I can still say that about Vansinnesvisor. All members have most definitely done their best musical effort to date. There are of course small things here and there that I'd like to change now, but that's just what time usually does to recordings... what a fucking cliché answer, but it's the truth, heh.
- Several things changed around the album. To start with you changed the title of the album from 'The Fourth Outrage'. Why? Why does 'Vansinnesvisor' fit to the album better?
- 'The Fourth Outrage' was never a real title for the album, but more just a working title to have something to refer to instead of "the coming album" when people asked us about it. 'The Fourth Outrage' referred to the fact that our fourth fullength would be a continuation of the old Tyrfing saga where the sword would have committed three outrages and ended things there...
- So, Vansinnesvisor is the fourth Thyrfing album? Some places I read it's your fifth album, other articles says it's the fourth. Do you consider 'Hednaland' as a full album?
- Well, the fourth outrage, eh? Hednaland is just a regretful collection of our demos released on CD.
- The album became shorter too. What happened with the song/songs that has been left out?
- We simply decided to not use one of the recorded songs because it didn't hold the same high standard as the other songs, musically nor lyrically. I do think it's a good song, but not as great as the ones that made it to the album, and had we included it the overall quality of the album would have been lowered. At the moment I have no idea if we'll ever use it in any way. We will most certainly never play it live... If I'd go and see one of my favourite bands play I'd rather see songs I can already connect to instead of new stuff. New songs by bands you already like should be heard at home.
- The album came out later as it was promised. What happened?
- The usual fuck-ups... we were lazy with the album cover, the album had to be mixed twice, we booked the mastering a bit too late, the first possible release time wasn't immaculate for Hammerheart and yadayada. The usual music business bullshit.
We had to mix the album twice because we weren't satisfied with the first version... Daniel and we had completely different opinions when it came to that. The first mixing was done at night time after working for hours on the day and night before and we mixed for something like fifteen hours without taking breaks, so our ears weren't actually in the best of shape by then.
- I feel Vansinnesvisor is a more varied album than the previous ones. How would you describe the difference comparing to the other releases? Your vocals are also more varied. Why did you feel it was time to change?
- Vansinnesvisor is much more subtle than the previous releases. I really hate using the expression "mature", but it actually does feel that we have musically matured a lot with this album. While everything on the previous albums (especially melodywise) is right in your face all the time, the new one is more laid back and things appear slowly after each listen instead of it all being apparent the first time you hear each song. I think this is really good because this way you don't feel tired of the album after two listens which could be the case with the old stuff. Regarding my vocals I don't feel at all that I have really changed anything... I've always strived for variation in my singing, and this time I just happened to succeed way better than previously, heh.
- Due to this change some fans of yours are disappointed with the album. What could you tell them?
- I can sympathize with some of them, because I, just like everybody else who enjoys music - have sometimes been disappointed by a new release from a band I really enjoy. As far as people actually getting pissed off and thinking that we "owe" them something and should walk in line for them - fuck off! We do this 100% for ourselves and nobody else. The next album might be a mixture of early Burzum and Björk and nobody would still have the right to claim that we "sold out" or "followed trends" or whatnot... If you want to hear the same album time and again you should stick to Running Wild.
- Some of the songs on Vansinnesvisor has a very strong touch with folk music. Have you used any 'special' insturment?
- Keyed fiddles, that's alles. We have some female choirs in the background of a song, but they're mixed very very low, so people hardly notice them, hehehe.
- You changed studio and producer this time and you worked with Daniel Bergstrand. Did you want to change studio and producer or the record label wanted this?
What was it like working with a new producer who hadn't known you from before? Are you satisfied with the result completely? Would you change anything on Vansinnesisor if you could?
- We were actually thinking of going to the Abyss first, but Tommy was booked solid for a long time. We started looking for alternatives and Dug Out seemed to be the best solution. It was as simple as that. The label had nothing to do with the choice of studio... they've actually never told us that they'd like to hear "more of this" and "less of that" from us, which - of course - is good. Working with Daniel completely changed the way I see working in studios... earlier on when I heard about bands spending more than two weeks recording I was just thinking that they were wasting time and money, haha. Now I could probably spend months on end working on one song. Earlier on we've spent a maximum of two weeks recording and I did my vox on a day and a half. I'm 90% satisfied with Vansinnesvisor, but there's always things you'd like to change afterwards, but anything else would be strange.
- You made a cover from 'Over the hills and Far Away'. Why did you choose this song? - We listened to that song a lot at parties when we were making material for Urkraft, blablabla.
- We listened to that song a lot at parties when we were making material for Urkraft, blablabla.
- I think, especially after Vansinnesvisor, you are still an under-rated band. What's your opinion on that?
- I think I might be a bit biased in regard to this question, but of course I agree. We're the most underrated band in the world if you ask me
- I think everybody knows how much you like Bathory. Have you ever thought about making a Bathory cover? If yes, which song would be that? And how do you like 'Nordland I'?
- Well, we have _thought_ about doing tons of different covers, and Bathory have been included, but we'll probably never do anything about it, hahaha. There's just too many cool songs to choose from, but I guess "One Rode to Asa Bay" would be cool to do because it was one of the first songs that really got me hooked. And the narrative vocal style would be really fun to try. Basically anything from Hammerheart would be brilliant...
I think Nordland I is great, though it doesn't surpass any of his other viking albums. I reviewed it and gave it 8 out of ten points.
- You changed the logo again. I don't ask which one do you like the most because the typcial answer would be 'the latest' so I rather ask, why did you change it again?
- Well, we used an Old English styled font on our first demo, but the logo with the sword in it has been around ever since our second demo, Hednaland, so I'm a bit perplexed that you use the word "again", but anyway: We were just fed up with the old logo and wanted to try something new. I really liked the new one at the time Niklas made it for us, but I've actually grown tired of it already, hahaha. It's a bit feminine somehow. It's based on a font called Czésanne, which in turn is based on the handwriting of the painter with the same name. Let's see what the next album brings.
- The lyrics on your albums sometimes are written in English and also in Swedish. This time only two songs are in English. How do you decide in which language to write them, does it depend on your actual mood or do you choose on the specific lyrics on purpose - somehow marking the songs?
- I can only speak for myself here... Writing lyrics has to come somewhat naturally (although a bit of planning and "forcing" them down on the paper can work sometimes as well) and therefore the inspiration usually decides what language the lyrics will be in. If I hear a cool english phrase in a film I'll use that and work around it to build an entire lyric, or I could steal a line I really like from a book written in Swedish, then modify it a bit and go from there. Sometimes I don't even have to steal my ideas, hahaha... a line can just pop up in my head and I go with whatever language the idea comes to me in.
- Would you tell us a bit about the lyrics since most of them are in Swedish and pls translate the song titles too.
- We have written more and more personal lyrics for each passing album and this time we really poured our hearts on paper regarding some of the tracks.
'Draugs Harg' is quite hard to translate but a Draug is a dead person, a ghost if you will, and a Harg was a sacrificial altar of stone. So you could basically say that Draugs Harg is a sacrificial site for the dead. What Jocke refers to though is modern man and their lives. People in these times are pretty much dead in their souls - they wake up, join the soulless ratrace, come home, eat a TV-dinner, go to sleep and then the same thing again. The Harg he's talking about is the big cities of today which most certainly are dead places in many ways and where modern man sacrifices himself. People forget what life really should be these days... something to be experienced - not something you suffer through - and that fills us with contempt. Definitely one of the more misanthropic lyrics we've spewed out this far, and I think I managed to catch that hatred in my vocals as well.
'Digerdöden' is the Swedish word for the Black Death, (the plague, the great death) that struck Europe and other parts of the world in the 14th century and clamed the lives of millions. This is actually one of our better lyrics this far and is extremely well written and poetic.
'Världsspegeln' ("Mirror Of The World") deals with my personal thoughts about ending your life by your own decision at the bottom of the ocean. The ocean is extremely beautiful while at the same time it's almost haunting. Over here in Scandinavia we don't have these light blue waters that allow you to see all the way to the bottom, so anything that lies deeper than a meter below the surface is a mystery. I guess that's part of the charm... never knowing what _really_ is there. If I spend time alone by a lake I always have two feelings... one just being that I enjoy the beauty of nature and the second being this strong feeling that I should drown myself. It's all set in a framework of mythological words and phrases though, staying in touch with the Viking-concept. The feeling of desperation in the music and lyrics on this one go hand in hand in a very cool way.
'The Voyager' is very classic Thyrfing Viking Metal. The song basically deals with the typical northmens love for the ocean and the travelling there upon. In tune with the theme of the album you can forget about any happy endings here.
'Angestens Högborg' ("The Stronghold Of Angst") actually also deals with how depressing life in the modern big cities can be. I wrote this lyric unbeknowing of the fact that Jocke had chosen a similar theme for 'Draugs Harg', but as the lyrics are very different in nature, this one being more melancholic and pitiful while Draugs is more like a kick in the teeth of the modern man we used both ones.
'The Giant's Laughter' is pretty much Patrik's English interpretation of Swedish Poet Esaias Tegner's brilliant poem "Jätten" (the giant). The words paint a fairly depressive view of nationalism and a "lost struggle"... just fucking read the lyrics, hahaha.
'Vansinnesvisan' ("The Madness Song") is basically just what the title says. It's about all those feelings inside when you loose your fucking mind with rage and anger and how you'd like to piss (shit actually) on the graves of those who have ever done you wrong. The most aggressive lyrics I've written so far.
'Kaos Aterkomst' ("The Return Of Chaos") deals with Ragnarök, Armageddon, the end of the world. It's far from being as infantile as most Metal lyrics dealing with the same subject, but instead a bit more subtle and poetic in its approach. Extremely suitable for the song in question - epic and foreboding."
- What about the photo session? Whose idea was to take pictures in a swamp like place? Any story about that?
- That was my and Henke's stupid, stupid idea. Have you ever gone swimming the first of December? If you have you know how god damn cold it is in the water. Imagine that + having to stand there for a while and try to look somewhat not like an idiot at the same time. Looking back it was fucking hilarious though... Patrik was standing in the swamp down to his knees, then he took one step and was up to his neck, hahaha... pretty dangerous to tell you the truth, but what the hell - it's only rock 'n' roll. It's a good thing we didn't pass any cops on the way home... must've looked pretty disturbing with me, Patrik and Henke sitting in my Volvo 240 all bloody and wet with weapons (which we didn't end up using in the pics) in the trunk.
- I think 'viking metal' is a very wide category. Since you are a viking metal musician the question is obvious, what does viking metal mean for you?
Do you think with Vansinnesvisor Thyrfing still fits into the vm category?
- Viking Metal to me is more about the mood and the feeling of the whole package than just he lyrics. Writing about vikings and playing melodic Death Metal doesn't constitute VM to me. Music is always about feelings and emotions, nothing else. I definitely think Vansinnesvisor fits into Viking/Folk/Pagan/Callitwhatyouwant Metal.
- What attracted you to viking metal when you decided to play music?
- Like I said above: Music is about feelings, and the whole epic atmosphere of pride and strength and mysticism is what attracts me to Viking and other folkish types of Metal, just like the feeling of aggression attracts me to thrash metal or the melancholy hooked me to folk music.
- I think vm and history has a very strong connect. Do you prefer history or legends, myths? Which is your favourite age? To which age would you like to travel back in time?
- If it's a myth or a true event in history doesn't really matter to me when I pick up a book as long as it holds a good story. I don't really have a favourite age, as there have been so many cool things in history I'd like to relive. Imagine standing next to a dinosaur and feed it some leaves, or witness the building of the pyramids or join in the storming of the bastille? Or why not slay a monk or two at Lindisfarne 793? I'd give an arm and a leg for a time machine.
- And if we've already travelled back in time do you remember why did you choose Thyrfing as a band name? Who came up with this name?
- We had names like Vargavinter and Midvinter first, but then we found that those were already taken and just kept looking for good names in books... I think Peter is the one to claim a finders fee.
- Before Thyrfing you played drums. How did you become a singer? Do you still play drums at home or in another band? I had the occasion to see that a great number of Swedish musicians play on several instruments. Is this the case with the Thyrfing members too?
- I became a singer because I had this growing urge to become a rockstar for real. Everybody knows singers get all the chicks and free drugs. I just felt like it would be a fun thing to try so I asked Jocke if they needed a singer for Thyrfing and he said I was welcome to try, and here we are. I used to play drums with Jocke and Henke in a Morbid Angelish type of band, but we put that project to rest. I might start playing in a Roky Erickson-cover band soon though. Jocke can play all "normal" instruments, and most of the other members play the instruments they use in the band + one or two others.
- Does any of you have side projects beside Thyrfing?
- Kimmy plays in a brilliant thrash band called Hatework, Henke has some projects but I can't remember all their names at the moment... there's one called Eraserhead. Jocke has recorded a raw Black Metal demo by himself, yet unnamed though. He has some project with a friend of ours as well... I think that's it at the moment. These things come and go all the time.
- Other bands have always problem with line-up changes all the time but Thyrfing seems to be very stable. What keeps do you think together the band?
- I think the fact that we were friends before the band was formed is the key here. Plus the fact that we're not really a democracy or anything... people aren't forced to do anything they don't like. We're completely chaotic and fight about things all the time. At times I really feel like telling the rest of the guys to fuck off, so to tell you the truth; I actually wonder why we haven't broken up yet, hahaha.
- In your opinion, what do you need to do, to know to be able to compose such good songs(musicly and technically as well) and play them live as you do?
- It's a case of something you just have or not. It doesn't matter how much you practice your instrument, read about musical theories and shit if you don't have that very special "it"... the magic has to be present.
- You've released the 4th album this year and all of your albums are pretty good. What future do you think - as a dreamer and as a realistic person - is ahead of Thyrfing?
- All our albums are pretty good? Hahaha, don't lay it on too thick now : ) I think we will start to play live just a bit more frequently and keep developing with our recordings... what direction we will move in is impossible to say though. The next release might sound like a 4-track Black Metal-demo or maybe something influenced by drum and bass, it's out of control for us. There has to be some higher entity involved.
- Which Thyrfing album or song/songs do you like the most? Why?
- These things tend to change frequently, but I'd say the one I feel the strongest about must be "Kaos Aterkomst". It just epitomizes "epic" Metal music for me somehow... with that acoustic interlude setting the mood for something greater to come and then the keyboard preparing for the thunder of the drums and guitars. It's magic to me somehow. The lyrics are very well written + it has my favourite Väänänen-scream this far at the end of the first verse.
- Some years ago you said you don't want to play live anymore but now you are over with some concerts. What happened back then? Did you have such a bad experience or.. ? I think fans are happy you are going to tour again, do you plan a longer tour later on?
- It was basically just organizational chaos to get anything done for the six of us and we got tired of constantly telling people "maybe" when they came with proposals for gigs. Right now the stars for the whole horde seem to have aligned themselves in a way that we all can and want to do the same thing so we take hold of the chances we can with live gigs at the moment. We're still not able to do any longer tours because of work and shit though, but at least we're doing something....
- I see some pics those were taken from you on concerts. What kind of blood is that on you?
- It's either from a pig or an oxe. We have a friend who works as a driver for a butcher so he always provides me with the goods for free. Seems people have a hard time believing it's real blood because so many true and evil Black Metal bands have used fake stuff - but ye of weak faith are all welcome up on stage to have a sip in case you have any doubts.
- Any nice or best story from the concerts you would like to share with the readers?
- Ah, the concerts themselves are just a long feeling of ecstasy for me, there's rarely any special moments during the actual shows - it's a special 60 minute moment, heh. There's a lot more stuff going on during the rest of the time... like O'Laoghaire from Primordial singing Irish folk songs for us by a small house out in the country side of Holland when we toured with the gods of Irish epic Metal... or when Keith and Joe of Cruachan got hand prints made out of their stage paint on their arses. Or the brilliantly misprinted tour posters that said Thyrfing, Primordial and ShadowbreAd, hahaha... killer.
- Do you have some rites before the shows?
- Not as a band, now. But for me personally; I've been using blood the last six shows we've done and the whole thing of putting on the clothes I wear on stage + my armbands and going into the shower (or whatever suitable place available at the venue) and pouring blood over myself has become somewhat of a ritual. Doing all the necessary preparations gets me in the mood for battle.
- In 99 you played in Hungary. Do you remember anything from the country?
- Our tour manager told us to not take too long walks away from the venue because we could get robbed or killed. I need some privacy every day so I took a walk anyway and managed to survive. The thieves must've had a day off. We arrived very late and had to start sound checking immediately and had a one minute break before the show started so when I got out it was completely dark, so I regret to say that I didn't get a good look at the city. The actual concert was brilliant... really enthusiastic crowd.
- You contract with Hammerheart Records has ended. What are your plans, looking for a new label?
- No plans at all at the moment... we're just writing new material and doing the occasional show here and there. We'll start thinking about record deals when we have enough material for a new album.
- Is there something we may know about a new Thyrfing album in advance?
- It's still in it's very early stages, so I'm sad to say that there's nothing I can reveal about it. I think that the music will develop naturally, but as far as the lyrics go they will probably be even darker and more personal next time around. At least as far as my stuff is concerned.
- Thanks for your time, last words are yours
- Thanks for this _massive_ interview! Snöbollskrieg über alles.
Official Thyrfing Homepage
You can read the UM review on Vansinnesvisor here
