HILD's latest release, Thrash på Svenska, blends Swedish folk melancholy with thrash and black metal. In this interview, they discuss the album’s creation, lyrical themes, and their dynamic live performances.
1. Thrash
på Svenska is a bold homage to Jan Johansson's "Jazz på Svenska." Can
you tell us about the inspiration behind blending Swedish folk melancholy with
your intense thrash and black metal sound?
Well, folk
melancholy in black metal is nothing new, the trick is merging it with a high
energy thrash and crust sound. But personally speaking, I draw most inspiration
from the landscape regardless. It is my belief that there is where the true
folk melancholy lies and the home of my soul is. I love both: the folk
melancholy and the violent frantic expression. For this release we decided to
bring in a little more of the melodic and sad stuff to fit the theme. But in
all fairness, it´s not there all throughout the record, just in parts. The
whole idea came to life through a bit of a joke in the studio. Me and Josef in
particular love “jazz på svenska” and were discussing it. As a joke we go:
“What about doing Thrash på Svenska!?” and burst out laughing. Then we just
look at each other and say: Heeeeeeeyyy, it´s actually a damn good idea! And so
we did it.
2. This
album marks a shift toward more melodic and sorrowful elements. What motivated
this change, and how did it shape the overall atmosphere of the record?
It was a
conscious choice from the start to fit the theme and Swedish folkmusic legacy.
You can see it as a kind of blanket that we let sweep the music in here and
there. The core is still raw,
violent energy. And we´ve always had a little touch of melodic elements. For
this one we just took it a little bit further. It´s not thought of as a
permanent change in the sound.
3. The
album is entirely sung in Swedish, which is rare in the thrash metal genre.
What significance does singing in your native language bring to the music, and
how does it resonate with Swedish audiences?
It brings a more
naked and personal touch, a different poetic flare easier to express in my
native tongue. As our overall theme is also based on Nordic history and myth,
singing in Swedish in a way brings another level of authenticity. I was slighly
worried about the reactions in Sweden since, to be fair, singing in this
aggressive style in Swedish can sound a little cringy at times.I tend to think
so myself at least! Fortunately, the reactions have been the exact opposite!
And even more surprising, non-Swedish speakers seem to really appreciate us
doing it in Swedish too! Instead of alienating them it has yielded a closer
interest for what we are and do.
4. You
describe the album as capturing the "folkish melancholy" of Sweden's
landscapes. How do the themes of battle, strife, and self-empowerment relate to
that sense of longing and loss?
The sense of
longing and loss, and also belonging is a key feeling connected to the Swedish
landscape and folk soul. There is an expression ”vemod” which is hard to
translate but that incorporates this very well. You really feel the past,
centuries lost to us but still very present in the bedrock. And our past is
full of strife and battle as you know! Self-empowering through our past and
through the forces of nature, the visible and the invisible, is among the most
powerful and beautiful things imaginable. But I admit there is a contradiction,
because it´s just as easy to just lose yourself to it haha! And never wanna go
back. Sometimes I swear I just wanna sit the rest of my life on a rock, breathe
and sing to the sky and trees. Still, in losing yourself, maybe you find a
truer self.
5. Your
previous release, ValFreiya, was known for its short, fast, and raw
approach. How did the creative process differ this time for Thrash på
Svenska compared to your debut album?
ValFreiya was
written and completed in a four week divine inspiration frenzy under strict
rules: No song longer than 2:30. No song should take longer than 9 hours to
write, record, mix and master. On Thrash på Svenska we simply allowed things to
take the time it needed to be completed. And if a song called for more than
2:30, we´d let it. We still kept a lot of the initial spark of inspiration and
spontaneity of course, it wouldn´t be HILD otherwise. And stuff made in trance,
autowriting, auto-performing, vocal improvisations, stuff like that! The more
meticulous approach on this one of course opened up for a more elaborate
record. But we´re still go-for-the-throat music!
6. You’ve
managed to seamlessly merge thrash, black metal, death metal, crust punk, and
hardcore in your sound. How do you balance these diverse influences while
maintaining a cohesive identity for HILD?
The key
word is energy and extroversion and a violent, raging and ecstatic expression.
To convey that feeling of wanna THRASH things. And people haha! It can be
vicious, violent and dangerous but also super positive and liberating, a sort
of happy anger. Anyway, you can find this element in all of the mentioned
styles. We know what kinda of vibe we want and it´s very presentable using a
conglomerate of these styles. In our own way of course. Violent Swedish Metal,
you know!
7. Lyrically, Thrash
på Svenska seems to explore both the personal and the mythological.
Could you talk about how you approach writing lyrics, and what themes are most
important to you on this record?
My lyrics
have to have a personal meaning and depth. Seriosity. I´m not without
self-distance but if the lyrics don´t mean something, hold something deeper,
I´m not very interested. The lyrics on Thrash på Svenska are very dark and on
one level very personal. But everything alludes to something else and bigger,
to the myths, the sorcery and powers of the old North. The personal and the
mythological is the same. It´s in my belief, faith and way of describing the
world around me. And the struggles and strife of old, the color of our ancient
times, can be applied to modern subsistence. That´s most important I think. And
to use, or at least be inspired by, old Nordic ways of writing poetry. To use
words in a way at least similar to how the old skaldic masters did it. I´m
certainly no expert but I find it important. Just writing descriptively about
the old times like many do isn´t enough for me. The poetic heritage itself is
extremely important and to know that what is written has many facettes and
meanings. I generally never write lyrics in a normal state of mind or without
feeling connected to the powers. And I always make sure to honor and include
Freja, if not in all songs, at least some.
8. The
title of your EP The Slayeress is both a nod to Slayer and a
statement on embracing the feminine divine. How do you see these themes
connecting to the music and broader metal culture?
Darkness,
void, stuff like that has been deemed female in most cultures and mystical
teachings. Things very common in the more serious metal culture spheres. So
there´s that. And playing Thrash and not being in awe of Slayer…. Well, that
just makes you an idiot in my book! I don´t think too much about how it
connects to broader metal culture or the music to be honest. I just love
Slayer, and I love the feminine divine, light as dark!
9. You’ve
been recognized as a powerful live act. How do you bring the energy and
aggression of your recordings to the stage, and what can fans expect from your
live performances?
On stage
it´s way more energy and aggression. We ritually work up a frenzy before stage
and then we let it all coarse through us, just give in to it. Fans can expect
raw, unbinding force and maximum energy and delivery of a well-constructed set.
Or like a fan recently said: Being taken on a journey. I did absolutely NOT
expect us being this celebrated as a live band. We just go up and do our thing,
go wild with the music and say the things we wanna say. That´s it. But
apparently, we strike a chord with some. Last show we had a man saying that
Slayer was no longer his favorite band, it was us! A die-hard Slayer fan myself;
that´s both an insult and the greatest compliment imaginable at the same time!
Several have said we´re as good, or better, than them and on most shows we´ve done people come up
saying it´s the best they have ever seen. It´s like…. Whhhooooooaaaaa….what!
With so many talented artists out there, that´s HUGE! We´re not that big, yet
anyway, but hearing things like that is one of my life´s biggest achievements.
I´ll die proud and grateful for it one day!
10. HILD
started as a solo project but quickly evolved into a full band. How has the
dynamic of having a full lineup influenced your songwriting and overall sound?
Everyone
immediately fell into the HILD way and sound. We all understand it. The sound
just got more refined and organic, even more real so to say. And I´m not the
sole writer anymore and can get input even on things I write solo, if I want.
Everything just got better. The blades are sharper and the spears more
accurate!
11. Given
your unique blend of genres and influences, what bands or artists outside of
metal have had the most impact on your music?
The
whispers in the wind and the melodies in the creeks and meadows haha! But if
talking actual released music, besides Jan Johansson and folkmusic of course, I
can mention Discharge, Skitsystem, Wolfbrigade, Dia Psalma, Raised Fist on the
crust, punk and hardcore side. Then I have a soft spot for 90´s Euro disco and
Techno and certain electronic dance music. The Prodigy. Maybe some 50/60s rock
and country. Or even radio hits, like Sia or Dua Lipa, Wonderchild with
Christian Walz. Just picking stuff from the top of my head now. I have many
skeletons in my musical closet. But who gives a fuck, right? If a song touches
your heart in any way that you like, it´s worth listening to. It´s debatable
how much these have influenced HILD but it has certainly shaped they way I
listen to and prefer my music.
12. With Thrash
på Svenska already receiving accolades like “album of the year,” what
are your goals moving forward, and how do you plan to evolve HILD’s sound in
future releases?
We just
wanna be seen and heard everywhere and take this as far as it is possible.
Which is easier said than done. We´re looking for shows and to be seen in
different outlets and are super grateful for anyone spreading the word and
supporting us. Our sound in the future, who knows? But the new stuff I´ve
stumbled upon seems to take a backwards evolution towards simpler, straight to
the core stuff. Stirring enough to wake corpses! Catchy and easy accessible but
hard and aggressive like nothing else!
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