ALBUMS

The Interpreter

Released February 2019 by Threeman Recordings/Sound Pollution

The work on "The Interpreter" began around 2012 when Thomas got the idea to compose some poems by old horror writers such as Edgar Allan Poe, but also poets such as Charles Baudelaire and Aleister Crowley. The music was supposed to be more in the singer-songwriter tradition, but it eventually landed in heavy metal. When Thomas and Jon, who had known each other for a long time, were at a mutual friend's wedding, they decided to do something together. At the time, Thomas worked as a violin teacher and one of his students, Martin Björklund, proved to be an extremely skilled guitarist, so he was asked to add guitar solos to the first four songs "Valley of the Unrest", "Hymn to Lucifer", " Litany to Satan "and" Colophon ".

The songs were recorded in different places in Hälsingland, Roslagen and Stockholm and mixed by Ola Lindgren (Grave) at Studio Soulless. The band got a record deal with Sliptrick Records and "Colophon" was released in May 2013 as a digital EP. The EP also featured two partly instrumental, more classically oriented pieces called "The Pentagram" and "Le Chat". The text was read over the music as poetry.

Three of these songs formed the basis of what would become "The Interpreter" and Thomas and Jon continued to write more songs for an upcoming full-length. The idea was that the record would have the same formula as the three classic Metallica records "Ride the Lightning", "Master of Puppets" and "... And Justice For All".

The album was completed in 2017 and mixed this time by Tommy Rehn (Angtoria, Soreption, The Kristet Utseende, YOHIO and others) and Thomas von Wachenfeldt. The band released the album itself, but unfortunately not much happened after the release.

In 2019, Threemans Recordings/Sound Pollution reissued "The Interpreter" and the album received very good reviews.

1. Spirits of the Dead (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Edgar Allan Poe)

The song is an attempt to act as an overture or a palette over the rest of the album. The idea was also to start the album with a really fast song, accompanying intro, in the style of "Battery", "Fight Fire With Fire" or "Blackened". The text seems to deal with Poe's holistic view of life and death.

2. Arhan (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Aleister Crowley)

This was the last song written for the record when we needed a mid-tempo song in the style of "Ride The Lightning". The song is perhaps the most "thrashy" song on the album and perhaps even reminds listeners of "Creeping Death". The text is based on excerpts from the poem "Arhan" by Aleister Crowley.

3. The Interpreter (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Aleister Crowley)

The song was written quite a lot based on the poem "The Interpreter" and contains both Eastern and Scottish motifs - as a small hint to Aleister Crowley's various "homes".

4. Ut (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Aleister Crowley)

This somewhat epic song is a bit inspired by older progressive hard rock and acts as the album's "ballad" with a bombastic ending. The poem on which the song is based is dedicated to Crowley's teacher Allan Bennett.

5. Intermezzo–Aiwass (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt)

This modernist-style interlude is named after the creature, Aiwass, who dictated the text of Crowley's "Liber AL vel Legis" in 1904 in Cairo, Egypt.

6. Colophon (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Aleister Crowley)

Another "thrashy" song and the title track on the debut EP from 2013. The text that forms the basis of the song is a romantic poem that Crowley dedicated to the violinist Leila Wadell.

7. Athor and Asar (Music: Jon Skäre & Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Aleister Crowley)

The song is a humble greeting to Morbid Angel and their formidable musical heritage. The poem was dedicated by Crowley to Frank Harris, editor of the Vanity Fair magazine.

8. Litany to Satan (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Charles Baudelaire)

This was the second song we wrote and you can probably hear that we were looking for a style. The first part is doomig death metal while the bridge is more in the black metal direction. The text is written by the French poet Charles Baudelair who belonged to the avant-garde and challenged prevailing social conventions with his works. Especially this poem, that pays tribute to the outcasts, seems to have angered some people and institutions.

9. The Ladder (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Aleister Crowley)

This served as a quick closing track on the record in the style of "Dyers Eve" or "Damage Inc.". The lyrics to the album are a dedication from Crowley to K.M. Ward.

Faustian Reawakening

Released May 2022 by Threeman Recordings/Sound Pollution

We started by writing songs for "Faustian Reawakening" in 2017. Jon had a lot of material ready that we started working on and Thomas eventually got started with new riffs and ideas. In the autumn of 2020, we finally had material for an entire album and to find the right sound for the album, we decided to record some covers. During this period, Martin Björklund left the band to focus on his many other projects and Daniel Jakobsson was recruited.

We decided to record a few songs by some of our favourite bands and AC/DC's "The Razors Edge" became the first one. This song set the tone for both the sound and the lyrics on the record. The previous album was characterized by lyrics written by long-dead writers and poets, but for this album, we decided to write our own lyrics, which deals with the horrors of war, imperialism, totalitarianism and various forms of oppression throughout history.

The album was recorded in Stockholm, Gränsfors and Övertorneå and mixed and mastered by Thomas von Wachenfeldt in Bowstead Studios.

1. Primaeval Order (Music: Jon Skäre & Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Thomas von Wachenfeldt)

The basis and intro to this song were written by Jon and immediately felt like a perfect album opener. The lyrics deal with the fact that conquests do not always have to be violent but can be done with temptations and beautiful words. Many are historical examples of religious and political systems that promised a better world, but ended in centralization, oppression and bloodshed. This one is for Blot-Sven (ca 1050-1086).

2. Halsu (Music & Lyrics: Thomas von Wachenfeldt)

This was one of the first songs written for the record and Thomas had heard of an old legend about an army commander named Halsu, who in ancient times is said to have conquered Hälsingland. The song uses a lot of folk instruments such as violin, harpsichord and horn. The text deals with the horrors of imperialism and how the state of mind works on a conqueror and has been inspired by the Romans' view of what they called the "barbarians" - the others.

3. Become Who You Are (Music & Lyrics: Thomas von Wachenfeldt)

The foundation of this somewhat strange song was written by Thomas and forgotten. He then found it on his hard drive and had to interpret the first two verses, before finishing the song. The lyrics deal with the ancient archetypal idea of the dark night of the soul and the need to descend into the underworld to obtain gnosis.

4. Contemporary Eschatology (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Jon Skäre & Thomas von Wachenfeldt)

Thomas wrote the song to act as an opener for the album, but instead became an introductory track to the "B-side" and is pretty straightforward thrash metal. The lyrics address the human need to have a doomsday story - whether it is sacred or profane. This is often used by those in power to advance their positions.

5. Fertilize the Soil (Music & Lyrics: Thomas von Wachenfeldt)

This was one of the earliest songs written for the album and is about the war between the Vanir and the æsir which led to a long time of peace and prosperity

6. The Warrior Mounds (Music: Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Erik Högström (1880))

This song was written shortly after Halsu and is quite similar. The text is an old poem from 1880 by the local historian and teacher Erik Högström (1820-1900) from Bergsjö, Hälsingland and is about a person who enters an old burial ground. Especially the last verse is captivating:

"Though more for malicious tongues,
are slain than by the sword
The tomb’s fallen ones
Would fill an entire world."

7. Interlude – Incipiens in Finem (Music: Daniel Jakobsson & Thomas von Wachenfeldt)

This piece was a chord sequence written by Daniel as an interlude to Where Everything Ends, which Thomas improvised a melody over.

8. Where Everything Ends (Music: Jon Skäre & Thomas von Wachenfeldt | Lyrics: Daniel Jakobsson)

The album needed a quick closing song and Jon had ideas for a song in stock that fit perfectly. The song is also a tribute to our old heroes in Sepultura. The lyrics deal with how totalitarian states have operated through lies and repression throughout history.