Things are looking rather bright for POWER PALADIN from Iceland: Founded in 2017 the band from Reykjavik managed to secure a deal with Atomic Fire Records to release their debut album „With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel“. In case anyone forgot, Atomic Fire is the new label headed by Nuclear Blast founder Markus Staiger after he sold his share of the world’s biggest heavy metal record company. In other words: POWER PALADIN are promoting their first album with the help of absolute professionals who know both the music as well as the business side of things inside and out. We found this to be all the reason we needed to reach out to guitarists Ingi Þórisson and Bjarni Þór Jóhannsson.
Hi and thanks for taking the time for this interview. Times are rough and even after two years the COVID pandemic is still gravely affecting all public life. How are you doing?
Ingi: we’re doing pretty good considering the circumstances, mainly just excited for our album!
Bjarni E.: At least we don’t have to sit around doing nothing. The media storm surrounding the album is way bigger than we anticipated, not that we knew what to anticipate, so at the moment we have our hands full answering interviews. So I guess, good.
For your debut album „With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel“ your got signed to Atomic Fire Records, the new label of Nuclear Blast founder Markus Staiger. How did that come to pass?
Ingi: We showed a friend of the band, Þorsteinn Kolbeinsson our album when we finished it in the beginning of 2021. He sent it to Markus Wosgien, one of the co-founders of Atomic Fire who sent us a message that he liked it a lot! And that’s kinda how this snowball started rolling!
What is working with Atomic Fire Records like?
Ingi: It’s perfect for us. We’re pretty green behind the ears in this whole thing and they have been nothing but helpful in guiding and assisting us through this whole ordeal. Also they are just all genuinely lovely people, so there’s nothing to dislike there!
By the time that this interview is published, your album „With The Magic Of Windfyre Steel“ will already be released. What can you tell us about the record?
Ingi: it’s the finale to a very long journey we’ve been on, some that started even before Power
Paladin was founded. For us, it’s sort of an homage to power metal as a genre. We’ve been fans for a long time and have had a few failed attempts to start a band over the last 15 years but now we’re finally here and it feels amazing.
How did the songwriting and recording for the album work?
Ingi: The songwriting is pretty much the same formula. Me or Atli start with some ideas that we write down in a program and send to the rest of the band. After we have a finalized idea, we meet up to practice the songs and do further changes. After that we normally record demos and do even further changes.The album itself was recorded by me and Bjarni Egill in different spots (my place, their office space, a cabin) and then mixed by Haukur Hannes from Mastertape studios.
Founded in 2017 POWER PALADIN are a comparatively young band and here in Germany we don’t know too much about you guys. Tell us a bit about the band’s history!
Bjarni E.: We are basically just guys who have been friends for years now. We have played in multiple bands together through the years so the initial idea for POWER PALADIN was that it was just going to be like one of those bands we had formed in the past. Play the music we like and have a good time. That didn’t turn out quite like we thought it would.
Your music can be considered traditional (European) power metal like it first came up in the 90s. Would you agree that this kind of music is currently making a comeback?
Ingi: That’s a good question. I hope there’s a comeback – I love all the new NWOTHM bands that go all in, even trying to sound like those 80s recordings. For our case, I don’t think we really tried to sound like a 90s band, I think it’s just more of a case of us being stuck in the 80s and 90s.
Which bands and styles do you consider your biggest influence?
Ingi: My biggest power metal influence is Symphony X, Rhapsody and sometimes Galneryus these days. For styles we’re mostly influenced by standard heavy metal and power metal in blend with a bit of the symphonic stuff from the 90s.
Bjarni E.: For me I think it would be Kamelot, Symphony X, Dream Theater, Pagan’s Mind, Avantasia, Masterplan and many more. I also listen to a lot of glam rock.
Over here we don’t know a lot of bands from Iceland. What’s the metal scene in your home country like?
Ingi: It’s very much alive but it’s mostly black metal bands and some death metal bands. But considering how few Icelanders there are, it’s a very, very high quality scene. You just need to check out bands like Misþyrming, Ophidian I or Cult of Lilith to hear that!
Let’s hope that concerts will be back throughout Europe this year. Are you already making touring plans? Any chance to see you in Germany soon?
Ingi: We’re not making any plans yet, it’s kinda hard during this whole unknown period but we hope!
Thank you for the interview! Please let us do a short brainstorming in the end of this interview. What comes in your mind first reading the following terms
Dungeons & Dragons:
Ingi: Awesome, never played though, sadly.
Bjarni E.: d20
Rhapsody:
Ingi: Christopher Lee and awesome hair!
Bjarni E.: Dawn of victory
Music Business:
Ingi: The atomic fire team
Bjarni E.: What he said.
Summer Festivals: Wacken!
POWER PALADIN in 10 years: Wacken!
30. Januar 2022 Thomas Meyns
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