A Dirty Dozen with WORMWOOD – July 2021

According to a recent press release: “WORMWOOD’s second single and music video for “The Gentle Touch of Humanity”, the last grand epos from the upcoming album. Arkivet, which will be released August 27th on CD, vinyl, and digital/streaming format, has arrived. The album title Arkivet (“The Archive”) is a document you write for your close ones after your passing in which you address all of your funeral arrangements, where important documents are located, last wishes, etc. Wormwood uses this as a metaphor for the whole world. The last words to an already dead planet.” We get one of the guys to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

So, where to begin? It’s our third full-length, an album that from as far as I can understand is very important to us career-wise, and also an album with a highly topical theme that by coincidence fit very well in these semi-apocalyptic times. I think our music doesn’t work as background noise. It’s music for those who like to be an active listener. Yeah, I guess we actually have some Easter eggs hidden. At least there is some Morse code hidden in the beats. Try to find it!

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I was playing around with toy instruments and recorded myself from a very early age. Music has been my main interest since so far I can remember. When I was around 6-7 years old I discovered KISS through my older brother.  I was instantly hooked on the fire, make-up, blood, rock ´n´ roll. When he was out I took his guitar and practiced the classical power moves in front of the mirror and formed my first band with some friends from school. Rock-oriented music has been with me ever since.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

Well, if KISS was my first love, IRON MAIDEN is for sure my greatest love. When I came in contact with the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son album I was mind blown. Like – This is how it should be done! During my teens I had a lot of moments where different bands had a huge impact on me, it’s hard to be super specific. But I´ve been deep down in everything from Punk, Grunge, Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Black Metal and beyond.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

I would not pick any stereotypical Metal-dude. Maybe Max Martin or someone like that. He has his roots in rock music, and has done some insane song writing over the years. I think I could learn something from that.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I work a lot with filming/video editing, graphical stuff and other artforms. Besides that I try to spend as much time as possible in the forest with friends. And of course family activities.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

The foundation is of course metal. Yet we dare to add stylistics from other genres. We also try stupid ideas that somehow seems to work. I will never label us as a proper Black Metal band for various reasons, but people tend to talk about us in a (Melodic/folk/post) Black Metal context. To people within the scene I would describe us as Scandinavian Melancholic Metal. When I talk to randoms that care for this kind of music I rather say that we are a rock band. Oh, there has been hundreds of times when I´ve seen reviewers who claims that we are inspired from/compares us to *Insert random band*. Why do I cringe about that? – I never ever freaking heard the bands mentioned, haha! Sometimes they also try too hard to label us. But, on the other hand I don’t care too much about that.

7. When your band is hanging out together, who cooks, who gets the drinks in, and who is first to crack out the acoustic guitars for a singalong?

I would say it’s NINE (Vocals) who cooks together with Oskar AKA Snoppen (Bass). Nine will also set the drinking pace, and I will pick up the guitar for some country singalong tunes.

8. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

A few years ago when I met the drummer of IRON MAIDEN, Nicko McBrain, backstage at a festival. I got a photo with him and I had blushing cheeks for the next 24h.

9. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part is to be able to express yourself in a way that words can´t do. Doesn´t matter if it´s joy or sadness, music is the number one way to capture your emotions. I would probably work with film/video making full time, if i couldn’t play anymore.  Or maybe work with preserving wetlands in one way or another.

10. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I like the “What is the meaning of that particular thing you did”-questions, because it means the journalist has been listening to our music for real. Well, the question I am the most tired of is “What have you been up to during the pandemic/What will you do after the pandemic?” I hope that we never have to answer that again. Needless to explain why.

11. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

In the beginning we did a few so-called “pay to play”-gigs and tours. Which means we paid big money to do shows in the middle of the week in No Name Cities in sketchy countries for 20 people that just wanted to drink beer. I think that was just a waste of money and mental health. But hey, we got plenty of freaky stories from that era.

12. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

First of all I would go back to all of our released recording sessions to change a few details here and there. Other than that, hmm, I don’t know. Wouldn’t it be cool to hang out in the studio with Johnny Cash? Or maybe Mötley during their wild days, just to watch the mayhem?

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Category: Interviews