NEKROMANT pay homage to classic heavy metal. With their new album „Temple Of Haal“ they deliver a riff-heavy record with roots in the origins of hard guitar music and a dreamy, engaging atmosphere. We talk to guitarist Adam Lundqvist about the making of the record, the connection to their own past and the love for their homeland.
Hello, thank you for taking time to do this interview. How are you the days?
Hi there, thank you! Well, it´s getting colder and darker up here for each day. But it´s Friday and all is good!
“Temple Of Haal” is your first record with your new label Despotz. What has changed for you since you signed to Despotz Records?
You said it yourself, it´s our first record with Despotz so it´s a pretty new relationship so to speak. But it feels great to work with a Swedish label and overall, the feeling is great!
The necromancer is a frequently used name in pop culture – be it as a class in role-playing games or for instance as the previous name of Sauron. Why did you choose the name for yourself and did you have rather scientific, literary or popular sources of inspiration and why did you write it in the German version as NEKROMANT?
From the beginning we went under the name Serpent, but sooner we had to change our name because of various reasons. Our first album (Serpent – “NEKROMANT”) came to mind when we were about to change our name, and thought that NEKROMANT not only sounds kick ass but also fits as a smooth transition because of the album title.
The reason we chose the name NEKROMANT however is because (from what I recall) Mattias as a hardcore Lord of the rings fan, read the books and saw the word NEKROMANT and liked the sound of it, and so did we.
As for the spelling, NEKROMANT is spelled the same way in Swedish as in German. So I think we can say that we use the Swedish way of spelling it ;)
How have you developed yourselves as musicians since your debut, what are you doing better than on “The NEKROMANT Lives”?
I think we have matured a lot in our sound as a band from album to album. The difference from “The NEKROMANT Lives” is not necessarily better, but the feeling and emotion of the songs may get you to a place filled with a more fantasy/mystery touch.
You are strongly rooted in classic Heavy Metal. What is it that is so fascinating to you about the origins of heavy music?
Well, we were all quite young when we first started listening to Heavy metal and it sure made a huge impact on our lives and choices when it came to both listening and playing music.
What are modern influences or elements in your music in your opinion?
I don´t know If we have any modern influences, not that I’m aware of at least. The sound on the new record though is kind of modern.
How does the songwriting process work for you? Are you all involved, how are the songs created?
In most cases, Mattias comes to the rehearsal with some new idea or even a whole new song for us to listen to or comment on. From there, we start playing the new idea and maybe add some stuff and fool around with it for a while to see if it feels right. Usually it starts with a riff, and from that a song is born. Sometimes it happens fast, sometimes it takes years for a song to turn out great.
Since you are obviously very influenced by Black Sabbath: How important was the band for your personal musical self-discovery and what is your favorite phase or album by Sabbath?
Very important! Black Sabbath was the reason I started playing guitar in the first place when I was 13 years old. The first riffs I ever learned were riffs like “Paranoid” and “Iron man”. So I thank you, riff maestro Tony Iommi! Can´t really say my personal favorite album, but the first phase for sure was great.
You refer to „Behind The Veil Of Eyes“ as „a joyful little tune about darkness and death“, which I think is great. Even though your music seems dark and melancholic, it has a positive and hopeful note. Do you see it that way and is that how you planned it?
The lyrics for “Behind The Veil Of Eyes” aim to create a feeling of hopelessness before an impending doom, but also a feeling of calm and peace. It’s kind of warm and cold at the same time. The music kind of follows the lyrics in that sense.
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Is „King Serpent“ a reminiscence of your former band name Serpent? What is the song about?
No, it´s not but I get why you think so. The song is about the mythical Midgard serpent and the lyrics is told directly from the serpents tongue so to speak.
The last two minutes of „King Serpent“ are perhaps my highlight on the record, this instrumental part is so full of power and energy and has a great build-up. What are your favourite moments or your favourite song on „Temple Of Haal“?
Cool! Thank you for the kind words. My personal favorite song on the new album is “Behind The Veil Of Eyes”, and it´s not because of my singing part as you might think. But for its changes in energy and feelings. Not complaining about the fact that it even has two guitar solos.
„Häckle Klint“ as an instrumental manages to tell a gripping little story without lyrics. Did you want to record a song without lyrics from the beginning, or did the track simply suit this purpose?
We tend to do at least one instrumental song for each album. With that said, it´s not a rule, it just happens. Mattias wrote this song, and I don´t think he ever wanted to do “Häckle Klint” with vocals. Also, it´s great to play instrumental songs live, it gives Mattias a little rest from all the singing and instead a good workout for the neck.
Is there a whole lyrical concept behind “Temple Of Haal” or does every song stand for itself?
Every song stands for itself . The lyrics tends to move in a more mythical direction on this record, but words like Fire, Mountain, Serpent and so on are still used. Classical Heavy metal fans will not be disappointed.
In the promo text it says that a big part of the album is about your hometown Vargön. What connects you with your hometown and what does the term home mean to you?
All three of us are born and raised in Vargön so we have very strong ties to this place. The nature, the mountains, lake Vänern and its history all together makes this place great to grow up and live. Sounds like I’m doing commercial for Vargön…
What does „Haal“ mean, where does the term come from and to which „Temple“ does the album title refer? Does it have a spiritual background, like something like the Arabic „Haal“ or „Hāl“, which refers to a reality-transcending soul?
Haal is a reference to Halleberg, one of the twin mountains in Vargön. The Temple of Halleberg you could say. The temple though is pure fiction, there is no temple on Halleberg… or is it?
Vargön is located between the twin mountains Halleberg and Hunneberg. Are these mountains and nature in general something that you appreciate and care about in your homeland, are you close to nature?
The mountains is well appreciated by both tourists (germans) and us living here. It´s the Kings hunting grounds here on the mountains and has been for hundreds of years. But In general, I don´t think people are more close to nature in Sweden than in other countrys. I can only speak for myself, and I sure like The Woods (no pun intended).
What can be seen on the cover artwork? Is this a photo from your home or from the Ecopark Halle-Hunneberg?
Well, it´s both! It´s a drawing of Halleberg but with a little more mystery to it.
Let’s conclude with our traditional brainstorming. What comes to your mind first when you read the following words?
Current favorite album: Tribulation – Where the Gloom Becomes Sound
Streaming: Mixed feelings
Best Movie-/Series-/Book-Universe: Pulp Fiction
Something that makes every bad day better: Sleep
Germany: Udo Dirkschneider
NEKROMANT in ten years: Old but gold!
Thank you once again for your time! The last words are all yours. Is there anything left you want to tell our readers?
Thanks for both reading this and listening to our music. Hope to see you on our shows in the future!
Skål!
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6. Dezember 2021 Stefan Popp
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