Interview mit Patrik Lindgren von Thyrfing

Your last album is from 2013 – you have never taken so long for a new album. What held you back before/between? Eight years is a long time …
Many different reasons I guess … but one is probably that we’ve had less time to put into the band during these years. THYRFING is not our daytime job or what we make a living from, but rather something that we visit when we have the time, inspiration and creative moments. I think everyone also felt that if we were going to do another album, it had to be as good as it could get, and we shouldn’t rush anything or take any short-cuts on anything … may it be the actual music, songs or the artwork, photos, videos … we just wanted it to be as good as it could be in all aspects this time.

But it’s not only the time, but also how it passed: There was complete silence, and then all of a sudden the album announcement came with the first single. Isn’t it risky for a band in today’s fast-moving times to completely disappear for years?
Well, I don’t know if I can agree it was a complete silence … in my opinion we kept the band somewhat alive during all this time, doing some festivals each year (Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze …), along with a few other gigs, visiting new territories for the first time such as Russia, Brazil … but yeah, I get your point and know what you mean. The thing is, we really don’t have such an approach or thinking from a business point of view … we don’t deem ourselves to some kind of “industry cycle” where we must do certain things at a certain time. I don’t know if some listeners or fans consider it a problem, but if so … that’s the way it must be. Of course, we wish we could have released the album sooner, but as I stated earlier … quality in all steps is something we always put in priority over quantity and things “moving fast”. I must say that I have been positively surprised by all the great feedback and kept interest during all these years … it seems that most of THYRFING’s fans has a relaxed and similar approach as us, rather than things need to happen “now!”.

In the meantime, Peter Löf has left the band and you no longer have a permanent keyboarder. What were the reasons for leaving – and will you fill the position again?
From what I know, the reason was that he was not simply up for it anymore … out of motivation and time needed to put into it. So, it was an undramatic goodbye in that sense, even though it was of course very sad both from a personal and creative point of view, as he was one of the founding members and key songwriters. So, in the aftermath of this, it was surely a challenge replacing him, and not an easy task. In the end we found out that we had the best solution already in the band, as our bassist (and also founding member) Joakim stepped up and took care of this role. I think he did a fantastic job, and I cannot really see us replacing it with a sixth member, as long as Joakim is up for keep on doing it, which seems to be the case.

Otherwise you have an extremely constant line-up, there was only one real upheaval with the departures of Thomas Väänänen and Henrik Svegsjö in 2006/2007, and Kimmy Sjölund left in 2012. What is your secret, what makes you so stable as a band?
Yeah, there is only me and Joakim left from the original band, but we have had the current line-up for the last ten years now (except for Peter’s departure) so we feel that this is a very stable one and strong incarnation of the band. I think it is somewhat connected to what we discussed earlier … that we are simply not a “machine” that needs to keep on rolling to pay off our and other people’s bills. We put the creative aspects and everybody’s well-being in the first place, which is probably one of the reasons everybody is comfortable and having a good and creative time in this band.

I personally was a bit disappointed by the last album, it showed less development than for example „Hels Vite“ compared to „Farsotstider“. How do you feel about „De Ödeslösa“ today, what do you associate with the album, what do you like about it – and what maybe not?
I actually think it’s a great album, and one the best we have done. I would place it above both “Farsotstider” and “Hels vite”, but it’s a matter of taste of course. For me personally I went through quite a rough patch during the creation of this album, so maybe I got some emotions and feelings tied to it that other people obviously don’t have. I think first and foremost it has some great songs and riffs on it. It was our first album with our new members Dennis and Fredrik and only the second album with Jens, so given that we had some new personnel I think we managed to do a really strong THYRFING album. Maybe it would have needed a bit more “punch” and aggression to it … it maybe became a bit too “streamlined” and missed out on some hooks and grits, I don’t know. We did most of the producing ourselves here, and maybe it would have benefitted from some more feedback and input from the outside. But yeah, overall a good album I think.

When did you start working on the new album – did it go on for all those years, or did you completely switch off and there was a point where you said: Now it starts again?
We started quite early on with the new songs, and I think the first one was done around 2015 or so actually. Then it went on, but in a very slow pace obviously. We did demos for everything and really gave ourselves the time to evaluate, and make sure we felt all the songs measured up. By the end of 2019 I think we finally felt we started to get things together and that “yeah, now it’s time to get going”, which is where we entered the next phase and laid out all the details and plans for the actual production.

In any case, the new album convinces with diversity and extremely strong songs – where do you personally see the decisive difference to your previous albums?
Thanks, glad to hear that. I think we managed to get an album together without any weak moments or “fillers” … this might sound like a well-repeated cliché from any musician releasing a new album, but I think we actually have coverage for it this time. Every song feels justified and that it has its place. I think in general we also picked up the speed a bit, a bit more punch and aggression in the production and performance, resulting in something more focused and striking.

What does the title „Vanagandr“ mean and what is the album about?
“Vanagandr” is an alternate name for the wolf-create Fenrir, which is quite well-known from the Norse mythology. The title is somewhat connected to the song “Undergångens Länkar” which is built on the concept of Fenrir being tied until the final battle and end of times. So, there is not a storyline or clear concept for the whole album, but rather connected to that specific song.

The cover artwork by Niklas Sundin, who also did the artwork for “Vansinnesvisor”, is a successful mix of „typical Black Metal“ (gloomy painting) and a modern form of representation. Why does it fit perfectly to this album?
We realized we were up for quite a challenge doing a cover art depicting a wolf-creature, as it’s very common and sometimes overly used in this music and genre. I think in the end it turned out good and suits the atmosphere and sound of the album very well. It is both striking but also dramatic and detailed at the same time.

Band logos are almost a cultural asset in (Black) Metal, at least a very important trademark. With THYRFING it’s almost a tradition that you have a new or at least modified logo for every album. Why do you want to stay in change here?
Mm, yeah, we used some different logotypes throughout the years. We had a different logo on “Vansinnesvisor” as that album was a bit different in concept and the general artwork and vibe comparing to our first three. Then we decided to take the old logo back on the next album, but in a slightly modified form (with the “tree-like” ornaments). We had that one for three albums, before changing to a new one this time. I can agree there is a point sticking to the same logotype for consistency, but sometimes it simply doesn’t work or suit the big picture anymore, and as we’ve already changed it before I guess it is less dramatic from there …

After the combination of a plain font and maximum squiggly black metal logo on the last album, you have now chosen a very clearly readable logo. What was the concrete idea behind this development?
Actually yes, we felt that we needed something that could be readable, a bit simpler and more powerful. While we do of course love the previous logo in many ways, it is obviously not very handy at all situations. It looks great in bigger scale and in a “clean” environment, while in some situations, and especially in smaller formats, it just turns into a mush and makes no sense whatsoever. So yes, we had an idea that we needed something that would work out in all situations. With this being said, it’s not like we are ruling out using the old logo in some situations and I am sure it might show up here and there under right circumstances in the future. But in practice it is more like a “mark” or a symbol than a readable logotype.

Slowly the concerts are starting again, the first festivals have taken place – are you planning a tour for your album?
Yes, so it seems, and we can only hope that things continue in this direction. We have some plans in the making for shows, but we will see what it turns out into in the end. Still uncertain times for sure …

Thank you very much for the interview. Let’s wrap it up with our traditional brainstorming:
 Stream concerts – cool thing or completely wrong? For THYRFING, and for me as a music fan I would say “completely wrong”, if you with stream concerts mean these streams with no audience and only the band on a stage (or in their living room!). I can of course understand why some bands do it, and that they need to come up with “something” in these times. But from an artistic point of view, it’s not something that gives me anything. The lack of audience and interaction makes it a completely different thing, and it has nothing to do with live music in my opinion. To stream a classic live concert with audience is a different thing though.
The best metal album of all time: I have given so many different answers to this question over the years … and the reason they are different almost every time should be a proof that it is an impossible question to answer. (laughs) I usually go with a Metallica or Bathory album, but today I am going to say Rainbow “Rising”! Such a perfect album. Not a weak moment and a beautiful fusion of classic rock, proto metal and epic moments.
The worst thing about being / not being on tour: THYRFING is not a band doing extensive touring, but mostly festivals and selected shows. So the touring life is not something that we have been “missing” as such during these last years, even though we of course miss the possibility to play shows and festivals. I think the best thing with touring is that you can get into good routines having the same crew, equipment and procedures each night. It is a bit more relaxed atmosphere around the logistics and preparations comparing to a festival where it is always limited time for preparations and obviously different equipment and personnel each time. The worst thing … well, as we are not doing it that much we don’t really get tired of it, but I guess it can get tedious and repetitive in a way – as most thing you do every day for a period I guess.
If your new album was a car – what kind would it be? It would be a well-made car where someone put a lot of thought and care into every detail, without any expenses spared. It would probably not be the flashiest sports car stealing everyone’s attention on the street, but for those who gave it a test run it would be a rewarding and trustworthy companion.
A food that always makes you happy: Anything with coriander.
Your newly discovered „lockdown hobby“: No time for hobbies! We never had a lockdown in Sweden, daytime jobs and schools proceeding as usual. And all my free-time went into the album. New hobbies are for my retirement years it seems.

Thank you very much for the interview – the last words are yours:
You are welcome and thank you for the interest. I hope people will give the new album a listen or two, and that we also can be back on the stages again in a foreseeable future. Cheers!

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Publiziert am 27. September 2021 von Moritz Grütz