Swedish folk/melodic death metal band Evilon blends heavy riffs and enchanting melodies on their new album A Warrior’s Way. We spoke with Kenneth Evstrand to learn more!
1. First off, congratulations on the release of A
Warrior’s Way! Can you tell us a bit about the concept behind the album and how
the title reflects the overall theme?
Hi and
thank you! The songs reflect life and all it´s struggles, how you have to fight
to survive. It handles such things as finding a place for yourself in this
world, finding a home, sorrow and difficulties in life you have to cope with.
The album title reflects you as a person fighting through everything that
happens in your life, it's A Warriors Way.
2. Your sound blends folk and melodic death metal
beautifully. How do you balance the softer folk elements with the aggression of
death metal in your songwriting?
Thank you
again. The balance comes naturally when writing the songs, I aim for contrasts
in the songs and I love how it sounds with heavy riffs mixed with enchanting
melodies.
3. The lyric video for “Yggdrasil” was recently
released. What inspired this track, and why did you choose it as a lyric video
to promote the album?
The
inspiration comes from living and all you experience in life. Depending on the
mode I´m in, melodies just emerge in my head. It often starts with a good
melody, after that comes harmonising. The lyrics are about finding a place you
can call home. The song is so strong so it was a natural choice for a single.
4.
You’ve been compared to major bands like Amon Amarth, Ensiferum, and Wintersun.
How does it feel to be associated with such giants of the genre, and what do
you think sets Evilon apart from them?
It's an
honor. I love those three bands and they all are a great inspiration. The songs
on AWW are a timestamp from that period in my life when I wrote those songs. We
have more melodies in our songs than for example Amon Amarth, the music is not
as complex as many of the Wintersun songs. I believe we have a sound of our
own.
5. The album artwork by Gogo Melone is stunning.
How did you collaborate with Gogo, and how does the artwork complement the
themes of A Warrior’s Way?
Gogo is
great, easy to work with and she has fantastic skills. I stumbled upon her
artwork online, thought it was amazing and I sent her a mail asking if she
wanted to work with us. The artwork fits with a warrior walking his path
through life and the lyrics to the song A Warriors Way is about losing someone
so the picture of the sky illustrates that.
6.
Tracks like "Jotunheim" and "Valkyria" delve into Norse
mythology. How important is mythological and historical storytelling to your
music, and do you do research to ensure authenticity?
Norse
mythology is something that we feel connected to and that we think fits very
well with our music. Research has been done, yes.
7. With
a rich Scandinavian metal scene, how do you stay true to your roots while also
carving out your own distinct sound within the folk/melodic death metal genre?
Our roots
is the north, the norse mythology as well as the nordic folk melodies. I try to
write personal songs, try to find unique melodies and I try to get my personal
feelings into the music, it´s therapy for me.
8. Can
you tell us more about the recording and production process for this album? How
did working with Robert Widell for mixing and mastering shape the final sound?
We recorded
everything ourselves in our studio that we built ourselves. The production was
a teamwork between the band and Robert. He did a mighty fine job with realizing
the string arrangements.
9. What
was the most challenging track to write or record on the album, and why?
Recording I
think was Into The Battlefield because of its fast pace and kind of technical
riffing.
10. As a
band, how do you approach live performances? Do you incorporate any folk
instruments or visual elements to enhance the Viking/folk metal experience?
We dress as
vikings on stage. We have not had any folk instruments on stage yet.
11.
Looking ahead, do you have any plans to tour in support of A Warrior’s Way? If
so, where can fans expect to see you live?
No tours
planned yet. We are planning and booking future shows so stay tuned for that.
12. Lastly, for those who haven’t heard A
Warrior’s Way yet, how would you describe the album in one sentence to get them
excited to listen?
You will
experience heavy riffing and enchanting nordic folk melodies in a mighty fine
mixture combined with energetic vocals and instrumental performances!
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