Mørkeskye #13 – a final gathering under black clouds…
blast and hope we gave some as well!
The
greatest
surprise
besides
the
presentation of a new track was surely the
Isengard cover version of »Vinterskugge« your personal fave from those two albums?
What does Isengard's music mean to you –
it's quite boorish and eccentric, isn't it?
Jonas: Yeah that's right, we cover the Isengard song
»Vinterskugge« because of the reason it's a big
influence and a great song. That's the main reason.
We simply pay tribute to one of our sources of
inspiration. Might be that we will change it to
something else later on as we've done it for quite
some time now. This song is certainly one of my
personal Isengard faves and I admit that some of
the songs are as you say quite boring but it has a lot
of nostalgia to it and it's a milestone within the
genre. Else I think »Thornspawn Chalice« and
»Total Death« on »Høstmørke« kick some serious
as! I remember picking »Vinterskugge« up whence
it got out and it started quite a stir within the scene
back then but I liked it right away. So these albums
has been say important (big word maybe) for us
more or less as individuals as well as it has coloured
parts of the King of Asgard sound. It took pretty
long time to get the lyric but we hooked up Fenriz
and got his permission as well as the lyric and
Vinterskugge v/s King of Asgard was a fact. Guess
our common thing is that we are both blending
metal with folkish tunes.
Maybe I'm mistaken, but is there some
»Isengard-spirit« as well in the beginning of
»Nordvegr« and in »Up On The Mountain«?
Jonas: For sure. As I said before it's been with us as
individuals for many years and now as we write this
kind of music, blending folkish tunes with
blackened metal it reveals and manifests in our
creations. Not too obvious though, but it's there and
it is one of our inspirational sources. Guess it shows
more or less in the two songs you mentioned. So
you're not mistaking and it is not either something
we try to hide, it is rather something we raise to the
skies. We create music that we ourselves like
listening to and thus our influences at times get
obvious and that might be just to give them credit
really. To say, bring others what they might have
given us so that the old masters get the attention
they're/were worth.
»Never give up the old ways!«
One of the strongest surprises on last year's edition of Ragnarök Festival was the gig of King
Of Asgard from Sweden who are first of all known as follow-up of the almost legendary
Mithotyn and second for their more than solid and heavy debut album »Fi'mbulvintr«
which unfortunately wasn't discovered by that many listeners so far – at least if you
consider the status of Mithotyn back in the days and the topical popularity of folk and
viking metal. But instead of whining about the missing link between quality and public
success, we should now really focus on the new long player, namely »...to North« which is
nothing but a forceful fist in the face of superficial wannabe-folk-metal-morons. Again the
Swedes deliver passionately crafted compositions with many neck-breaking riffs,
beautifully arranged strong melodies and dramatic structures that pale other bands which
might be more popular but surely not that heavily down with their feet to the frostbitten
earth. After Ragnarök #9 I felt it was my duty to check the new album out – and what shall I
write? Just listen yourself, for example to killer tracks like the grim & majestic Bathorytribute »Up On The Mountain«, the ancient-sounding »Gap Of Ginnungs« or the irresistibly
crushing »Nordvegr« with its powerful chorus... »Never give up the old ways!« Old ugly troll
that I am, I will for sure follow this wise slogan and it was of course a pleasure to set sails to
travel to North to meet bass player Jonas Albrektsson and guitar player and vocalist Karl
Beckman who were not only kind enough to answer my questions but who even made an
exclusive photo shoot for this story – tack så mycket, guys!
I must say I was truly impressed by your
powerful performance on the Ragnarök
Festival and I think with such a strong gig
you surely deserve a better place in the
billing. Were you satisfied with the concert
and the surrounding circumstances?
Jonas: First of all thanks and good to hear you
appreciated our gig! We really had a blast at the
Ragnarök Festival and met a lot of cool people.
Actually we were a bit stressed out as our
equipment got lost at the airport customs and we
had to wait around for too long, had to leave and hit
the road. Just as we did our guitars/gear turned up,
we went back and picked it up and drove like hell to
the festival. Once there we went right up on stage
and didn't have the time for a proper soundcheck
but still some. So during those circumstances things
went really well I suppose. It was a lot of fun and
great playing that venue as well as the crowd was
great. We played Friday and stayed out the whole
festival, partying and hanged around. I think the
festival was great and everything worked out fine
and the crew was all out great. So as I said we had a
-8-
By the way: in »Wrath Of The Gods« you
paid obvious tribute to Iron Maiden – is this
a band that you all cherish?
Jonas: I think Iron Maiden is one of all those bands
we all grew up to and still has some feeling or
underlying memories of. So might be that it blends
our songs to some extent as you say and so forth
but not intentionally. I don't think anyone of us is
listening to Iron Maiden very much nowadays
though but we've all been into it. I have memories
of me and Karl as kids were listening to »Killers«
and »The Number Of The Beast« at the same time
trying to paint the covers of the two albums, ha-ha.
See... what we have become! So we might not
cherish, but it sure had impact on us!
A question which came up at the festival
area: don't you have some merch, especially
with such a nice artwork on your debut
album? Not only me would have loved to buy
a shirt...
Jonas: I know and it's a pity. We have shirts with
our emblem on but due to some circumstances we
made the decision not to put them up at the merchstand. Anyway, you're not the first one asking, be
sure. Hopefully we'll get it done as soon as possible;
either it'll be made by us or by Metal Blade. It
would be really cool to have printed on shirts for
sure as the artwork itself is fantastic, no doubts
about that. I think there will be shirts made for the
upcoming album though so hope fully on the firstborn later on as well. Keep checking our channels
for info.
Let's turn towards the new album: a lot
positive can be said about »To North« but
Mørkeskye #13 – a final gathering under black clouds…
we all know the phrases of natural
progression, more variety and sharpened
focus more than well, so I would like to
discuss some details. I think the trump card
is the original metal spirit in form of truly
irresistible riffs which force you to bang
your head and which are over the top! Was it
your aim to expand the classic metal
approach in order to kill the audience,
especially on gigs?
Jonas: Ha-ha, thanks for the kind and right on
spot-words! We don't really plan that much when
writing the basics of a song. It is when we arrange
and put things together the 'magic' happens. We
work close to each other, me and Karl, turning and
twisting to get where a song is finished. For
example, the first song we wrote for the »...to
North« album was the last one finished. It is »The
Nine Worlds Burn« which we had a struggle with
but in the end it turned out to be one of the most
powerful songs. Our aim is actually as said to create
things we like ourselves and the structures we work
upon is often hard-hitting and straight forward
which along with powerfully
arranged
vocal
performance
make the songs very strong. It
may sound simple but it is
countless of hours laid behind
almost every song. We are selfcritical and always try our very
best to please both ourselves as
well as our fans and listeners.
Sure there are lots of classic
metal shining through on this
record I suppose and I guess
that's just a coincidence and that
it is the way it turns when trying
to get to the straight powerful
form we're playing. So it is very
interesting and cool you mention
and recognize such thing. This
tells us we've in some way
succeed.
Although many productions
these
days
are
quite
powerful, the one of your
new album is especially
strong
and
really
emphasizes the contrasts of
epic and brutality as well as
the change of atmosphere. In
how far does Andy La Roque
help you to sharpen your
sound and what role does he
play for you – is he a helping
friend, a paragon, or a slave
driver when it is needed?
try to have everything done as long as possible
before the studio recording. Me and Jonas do
several pre-recordings etc. with arrangements so
that we know that it'll work in the end. I've never
taken any lessons or actually been singing that
much before starting King of Asgard up. It was at
this level I noticed I could do it and that I could do
it good. I've been pushed and forced to do things to
almost perfection in the studio with takes over and
over again. Still getting to the point it is well worth
the battle with a result that I can be proud of and as
are the other guys: Leaving victorious.
There are many traces in your music which
wake remembrances of old heroes, this time
Metallica, early In Flames (Lunar Strain)
and Bathory came to my mind. Which bands
do you owe quite a lot for what you play
these days?
Jonas: Of the ones you mention there is and has
always been since we started the ever influential
godfather of black metal and 'viking' metal:
Bathory. It's almost hard to explain what he meant
fresh and really a mind blowing experience
to listen to! How often do you find yourself
in retrospective and if you sometimes do,
how much nostalgia is included? What do
you miss and what are you happy to have left
behind?
Karl: This was kind of the reason I once started
King of Asgard. I wanted to go back to my roots,
getting to play some similar way of the music I
enjoyed playing and listening to. Not that I'm
looking back, I did before starting King of Asgard
but now this is what I got and I don't need to lock
back longing anymore. Now I look ahead and enjoy
every second of what we're doing. One can miss
parts of course but that's a different story. It is a
great memory that I'm proud of and there are some
memorable songs we wrote. Now I'm fully focused
with King of Asgard and feel very safe and satisfied
with the line-up and the direction we've taken. So
it's all left behind, still very present with the
similarities we've got.
If you had the chance to meet one of the
mythological characters of the
North in order to talk with
him/her, to ask for advice or
to accompany him/her on a
journey, whom would you
choose and for which reason?
Karl: Oh, this ain't easy. There are
many occasions and mythological
characters
one
would
like
experience and meet. Why not
experience a topic we often come
back to? To walk side by side with
Odin on the onset and downfall of
Ragnarök. This battle would be
something for sure to have
experienced. No actual reason, just
something that fascinates me a lot
and that is so powerful in all its
mythological worth.
»We'll not limit ourselves saying we could not
write anything else but the subject we now discuss.
It is cliché in all ways but to us it is something
more, it's a sort of heritage we feel we need to
treasure and bring forth and doing it through
these channels is just perfect.« - Karl Beckman
Jonas: Well, we know really well what kind of
sound we're looking for so we simply told him at
our first meeting in the studio. We want, as you say,
power and aggression when brutal and epic when
needed and this time we succeeded very well. Andy
helps us out in all ways he possibly can and we also
push ourselves to the highest level as we see the
goal and we aim for it with full force. We know the
potential of the songs and thus need the sound to
support it. He's all three things you mention. He's a
friend as we've know him well and been there
before during the years of both King of Asgard and
previous bands. He is for sure a paragon with all of
what he have achieved with for example King
Diamond, brilliant stuff! Last but not least he is a
slave driver (when needed). He pushes us to greater
heights when needed and never gives in for our
boredom when things like that happen. This time
we worked really close, especially on the finishing
and last touching parts which was terrific! Both we
and Andy left the studio least say proud which was
great.
Your vocals sound focused and truly fierce,
yet they are well understandable. Is this a
result of a life time experience of singing in
metal bands or did you take lessons as well?
Karl: We work hard on making the vocals fit with
the music as well as making it understandable with
things such as pronunciations and structures. We
for this kind of music, it is still timeless. We might
not show tribute all the time but Bathory is always
present and we actually have a song on »...to
North« that was supposed to work as a tribute to
Bathory and giving dedication to him in the
booklet. This never happened but the song is still on
the album. On the other hand we try not to be very
focused on our inspirations and such but sure there
are traces of all kinds of heroes. But remember,
Only Bathory is real!
»To North« will be released on vinyl as well
– was it a conscious decision to choose the
faster songs for side A and the slightly
heavier ones for side B?
Jonas: Yeah, that's right and it's truly great to
release it on vinyl as well. To the question, well, this
is not fully decided yet so I'd rather not tell anyone
anything more really until we know for sure. All I
know is that we need to do something due to the
length of album which may cause a different track
listing. Still, nothing is carved in stone as we speak.
Hope this release will make people crave a
»Fi'mbulvintr« vinyl release as well.
My first point of contact with your music
was the 1996 promo of Mithotyn that I
ordered from Richard Neu / Viking Force
fanzine when the combination of blackened
death metal with folk melodies was still
-9-
In how far has your perception
of the myths changed over the
decades since you discovered
them – are they only nice
inspirational sources for lyrics
or have they more value for
example
as
ethical
or
psychological guidelines for
life?
Karl: Actually this is mainly a
source of inspiration and a sort of
heritage we're carrying forth. I've
always been interested to the
matter and been fascinated by the
myths but it have never turned into a religious way
of thinking. Of course there are lots that are well
worth thinking over and so forth. It has been with
me in more or less all of my life but as said only as a
high source of interest and inspiration. To some
extent I could use it as guidelines in my life but no
farther than that. It's my or ours heritage and that
is what I treasure most and bring through channels
as King of Asgard to others. It's a gift from the Gods
and our Viking forefathers.
Amon Amarth once combined a listening
session with the visit of Viking museum,
Helheim promoted their music with an
acoustic set in a kindergarten and facing the
many new metal releases each month, ideas
like that might help to gather a bit of extra
attention. How do you imagine a perfect
listening session for »To North«?
Jonas: That would be to bring you all to our nearby
surroundings. We could start off not far from where
we live and rehearse at the Rök Runestone. Then go
to the mountain close to that surrounded with
many strange myths, Omberg. The surroundings of
where we live are rich of historical monuments so it
would actually be really cool. The Rök stone would
be great as it contains the world’s longest rune
inscription many myths and so forth. The song
"Vämods Tale" is by the way taken from that stone.
Ending it all off with a hell of a drunken madness
Mørkeskye #13 – a final gathering under black clouds…
and a perfect listening session!
»Up On The Mountain« sounds like a
programmatic title not only for your music,
but also for a perception of the world which
is chosen by quite some metal heads who
prefer to consciously choose whom they
socialize with and to whom they keep a
distance and who look to
draw their back towards the
hectic daily life. In how far
are you familiar with such
“outsider” kind of sentiments
and do you like to wander in
nature, in the mountains?
Jonas: Sure, nature is a great
escape in all ways and it is really
nice to leave this, as you say,
hectic daily life and blend in with
nature. Just to stroll a forest or
walk a mountain for example is
great for gathering ones thoughts
or to bring focus on something
special that could be King of
Asgard for example. Don't say it's
a common thing but it happens.
Interesting on such matter might
be that Karsten and Lars live on the country side
and has almost no neighbours, close to nature and
the King of Asgard rehearsal room is also on the
country side. The actual lyric for "Up on the
Mountain" is in short about getting out of old
traces, reaching for something higher and better. Be
it the Gods... you might not reach it but you could
surely get a better existence and a brighter future.
You're into metal music for more than two
decades and you have a focus on topics like
Vikings, mythology, history ever since. In
the mid Nineties you were among the
pioneers of folk-influenced black metal,
whereas nowadays newcomers to the scene
may regard you as heirs to the (presumed)
throne of Amon Amarth – what keeps the
motivation strong to play this mythological
metal with all its (lovely) clichés?
Karl: It is basically just the interest and love of the
old sagas. The history of our fantastic heritage etc.
That is all needed. Even though King of Asgard ain't
all about the Viking and the mythology and such
which is kind of strange according to our band
name. Still that is our basics but we'll not limit
ourselves saying we could not write anything else
but the subject we now discuss. It is very cliché in
all ways but to us it is something more, it's a sort of
heritage we feel we need to treasure and bring forth
and doing it through these channels is just
perfect. That is motivation good enough and also,
we really like what we're doing.
And if people see us as followers of
other bands and such that is just
fine with us. We know what we're
about and don't think in such
terms. We're too old for that!
I must say that I'm really
looking forward listening to
the new Skogen album »Eld«
and of course the new Ereb
Altor which should be out
soon. How do you judge the
topical Swedish underground
and which »smaller« bands
would you recommend?
Jonas: Funny as you mention
these two acts which would
certainly be the once I would
mention in such question. They are both incredibly
good bands and their earlier works are all amazing.
I know Jocke from Skogen quite well and just heard
one song from the »Eld« album and it sounds so
promising. I do not think anyone is going to be
disappointed with this, that is for sure. Same goes
for Ereb Altor which seem to have a really good one
coming as well with a slight different touch than
before. Well, that is what I come up with, I'm
mostly into the old acts actually but sure there are
good things around now and then. But I do as you recommend Skogen and Ereb Altor and of course
the new King of Asgard album!
I must admit that before Ragnarök I didn't
know »Fi'mbulvintr« and as it became clear
to me that I would write a review of the gig I
asked a colleague to burn me the album, so
that I was able to write a review with at least
some substance. Since your gig was so
strong and »Einharjar« kept on playing in
my head, I bought the album soon after and
thus will every time listening remember the
surprising gig at Ragnarök. Do you link
- 10 -
specific albums with remembrances in a
similar way?
Jonas: Oh, thanks! I can link many of old album to
occasions that happened in the past. You know you
remember specific occasions when hearing the
music. But I think this is more rare happening to
me nowadays actually. These things happened more
in say the Early / Mid Nineties to me when you kind
of heard things for the first time. Like when you got
hold of the first albums of say Satyricon, Bathory or
which band it might have been. That is something
that has made its mark and that brings back good
old memories. So these things is not happening too
often any more, more specific songs if so. But when
they do it is great of course.
Do you fear as well that such forms of
»deeper connection« will get lost in the
hyper modern media surroundings where
all is about easy & fast consumption?
Jonas: Yeah, I think that this could be just one
cause to why I do not get that feeling often any
more. There is just too much of everything and it is
all happening so fast. It is good in many ways with
the new way of how media works but many things
tend to get lost in it and not get the attention it
deserves. This is a pity as for example that there are
bands that maybe are not really ready for releasing
albums get more attention than some that just don't
get the same media attention and thus get lost.
More things could be said about it but it is simply
something we have to get used to and face.
Thanks a lot for taking the time to answer &
hopefully see you on tour with a line-up of
strong bands!
Thanks a bunch for supporting King of Asgard, you
are all our kings!!! Yeah hope for some great shows
ahead and that the album gets the attention I
believe it deserves. Bring us your offers! Cheers!
kingofasgard.com