Lelahel Metal: Interview Kingseeker

Today, we delve into the intricate journey of KINGSEEKER with Aaron, the creative force behind the band. From its origins in music school to the upcoming release "Passing Moments Caught Forever," we explore influences, challenges, and dreams that shape this dynamic metalcore group.

1. Can you tell us the story of how KINGSEEKER came together as a band, especially after your previous work as Coastlines?
Aaron: It all started way back in 2012 actually as a project / schoolwork when I attended music school, where I jammed with alot of great musicians and created riffs to use for class and such. I wrote Empires there or what it came to be, I never used it until Coastlines became a thing which happened in 2017. Before that there was a project called Murder the Traitor, and later became a solo thing for me because all the others weren't helping or write anything, so I threw them out after many trials and errors, and finished the EP myself with help from one attending the same school as I, 2 years later after we graduated, this happened between 2014-16, we are also going to re-record this EP as Kingseeker in the foreseeing future. Empires never ended up on that EP because it simply was metalcore, and I wanted to do deathcore at that point, with influences such as The Acacia Strain and Traitors, among many names. Coastlines started when Emil was finished attending his school and had a degree in music production, and thats when I showed him all the metalcore song I had wrote, along those lines we were looking for a Vocalist and a drummer, and found Jan through Facebook, and soon after started writing song together, also getting to know each other better and what our ambitions were, we got along pretty great I'd say!

2. How has the addition of Marius Rød Tøftum influenced the band's dynamics since joining in 2022?
He really puts a different perspective on things in my opinion, since we're in different age gaps, but also our intrest or more our taste in music and influences, he's more old school in a way, but we share alot of the same bands that we jam out to, like Gojira, Periphery and Tesseract, he's also very good at spotting out things we don't necessarily think about and have a good strength dealing with media, filming alot of content, and it just helps that he has his own way, makes the flavor of the band more unique

3. Your musical style is described as high energy metalcore with influences from various genres. How do you go about incorporating such diverse elements into your music?
For me it's alot about how the music feels, how it makes me feel, or how it effects you guys, it's all about trying as much as I can to keep things simple, but still be unique/ technical in a way. I like the fast pacing of songs and right to the point, but it's also alot about letting things breathe and give room for everything that is happening at the same time. My influences spread across many genres, but for my personal I really fancy Death Metal, Hardcore, and EDM, especially old school EDM from when I grew up, other than genres I really look up to shock rockers from my childhood and that affects my writing and playing quite alot too.

4. "Daily Reminders" is your latest album released in 2022. Can you share some insights into the themes and inspiration behind this particular record?
It touches a subject many encounter throughout their lives, and everyone experiences this differently, the themes are about us, and how we deal with this, but also trying to give others a positive way of maybe tapping into the same feelings we did when we found each other, and formed this band, sharing the same love for mucic but through our traumas and hardships, I don't know if this answers the question but it's the best way to explain the album and what it took to make it, the EP "Grief" touches this aswell, but it's my experience alone from childhood and ending on a high note, where this band was made a real thing, something I've wanted in many many years

5. The discography includes the EP "GRIEF" and the single "BARGAINING." How do these releases contribute to the overall narrative or evolution of KINGSEEKER?
Grief was my story and my thing that I had to do, I wrote mostly everything, but everyone was helping to piecing it together, How it contributed would be the direction I wanted the bands sound to go and how I would write riffs to pair with live performances in mind, and have a more alternative rock kinda vibe and sound, and I would say our next release wouldn't be what is without this EP. Bargaining is a bit long but I feel it drives well, and everytime I listen to it I feel amazing, and that's what I want our music to give to people who takes their time to listen to us.

6. "Passing Moments Caught Forever" is set to be released on January 19, 2024. What can fans expect from this upcoming release, and how does it differ from your previous work?
It is something else entirely, from the sound to the way we work together as a team, and how well we write together. It has alot of influence from all of us, and has become the best album we have written up to this point, also one thing to mention is that we recorded in a more old school way, not copy pasting riffs and tracks, used real drum recordings, and everyone had a say in the process. Expect it to be a journey, listening to it, even though we have alot of details here and there that is similar to our other releases, since that is our sound after all.

7. How does the creative process work within the band? Are there specific roles or responsibilities each member takes on?
I write based on my experience with life, and I use Guitar Pro alot to fleah out my ideas, and never really moved on to something else because I feel it adds something special to my writing, I also like to go for long walks in the woods late at night with a flashlight, especially at winter times when it is cold and dark outside, I then write ideas on my phone in notes or Guitar Pro, or even recording mumbles and such.
Other than me Jan does his thing with AI Guitar recording to map out a riff that Emil later makes into a riff of sorts, then Marius comes up with a jam for it, then I change it to then fit my style of playing, my accent if you will.

8. Living in the Oslo district of Norway, how has the local scene influenced KINGSEEKER's music and overall identity as a band?
I think it put us on the map quite fast compared to if we ended up somewhere else, because it gives us alot of opportunities to play shows, and potentially bigger crowds, it's in the center after all, where everything happens, but makes the competition harder, pros and cons, I live a 2 hours train ride away though, and It becomes quite expensive over time, but I plan on moving closer, to make the band grow as big as it can be!

9. Your live performances have become possible with the complete lineup. How has playing live affected the band's overall experience and connection with the audience?
I think that our music is best suited for playing live, since that's how you can really experience the high level energy we pull off, also people get the chance to meet us, and connect with us on a deeper level, and that's how we will make our music grow, it's very important to show your face in the scene too, and show that we are busy making as much appearances that we can, in hopes that the right person at the right time, is seeing our hard work, and believes in us.

10. Are there any specific bands or artists that have had a significant impact on KINGSEEKER's sound and style?
For me personally it has to be BMTH, especially their early days, Suicide Season particularly. Alot of British music, aswell as Swedish Hard Rock and so on, like In Flames for their death metal influences and sound but paired with melodies and beautiful song writing. My top favourite is Emmure and The Acacia Strain. I know Emil's into alot of progressive and unique/ original sounds aswell, but our taste is the most similar, Jan covers alot of early year death/metalcore from the 2000's and up, also a bunch of hardcore bands from the New York scene, I also fancy much of the same aswell, on the other hand Marius is a huge fan of Metallica and I know he grinds Gojira alot.

11. In terms of songwriting, where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics, and how important is storytelling in your music?
I write a little bit of lyrics, but that's mostly Jan's job to do, but Grief is a good example of my writing since I wrote most of it, also much of the early Coastlines stuff that hasn't been released yet. As I mentioned earlier, my influences are from my own life, from growing up to where I am now, but I listen to the music I love that I feel matches the theme of what I want to write or based on the sound that we are going for, for the release, story telling is a big part of it both musically and lyrically, a red line that goes throughout, like a concept but not quite.

12. With the evolving music industry, how do you navigate the challenges and opportunities, especially for a metalcore band like KINGSEEKER?
Trying to follow up on trends as well as we can as a band, trying to not pair ourselves too much to others in the scene, and just do our own thing, creating a sound that we can express ourselves in. But it's important to listen to what others are doing, to get an idea of what it takes to make it, especially from a band that plays similarly to us or in the same shoes, like in terms of progress, reach, years active to how many releases and shows they have played, also maybe collaborating with them to get a win-win.

13. How do you balance the incorporation of different genres in your music while still maintaining a cohesive sound?
Writing in the same tempo or flow is a good start, playing similar tones and scales, but also trying to make two very different sounds / vibes, to match up, it creates something more appealing, but it's hard to pull off. Mostly we just figure out the fundamentals of one of each sound and style, and make sure that both are there, dominating together as one thing. What really signifies one sound ? And or make it into what it is? We just try to listen to ourselves and what we want, most importantly what is sounding the coolest!

14. What are the future goals and aspirations for KINGSEEKER, both in terms of musical exploration and career milestones?
Career milestones would be headlining a festival maybe, get the opportunity to travel the world, making this thing that we are doing into the only thing we are doing, our jobs quite simple. But for me getting an documentary about us would be a dream come true, and I swear if we play a show with Emmure I have reached my childhood dream, teenage / kid version of me would die from happiness, I jammed them pretty hard back in 2005, been a super fan since

15. As a band from Norway, known for its rich musical history, how do you see KINGSEEKER contributing to the broader metal and rock landscape globally?
That's a tough one to answer since it's easier to see that from a perspective as a fan or follower, but I feel that each country has their sound, and this part of Europe has alot of folk inspirations, and a more "true" approach, maybe with nature, but we live in a country that's one of the richest in the world, and I'll tell you one thing, sure doesn't feel like it at times, but it is what it is, and I'm happy I live here
Black Metal tho, grim and dark, as gloomy as you'd get, I'd start there, folk tales from here inspired that alot, and painting, alot of emotions, the darker side of emotions, that's what we might bring to the table either consciously or unconsciously, that might be it in my opinion.