Tell us about:

Your latest single you have released:

My latest single is called ‘Nornir’ and is inspired by the Norns of Norse mythology (the mysterious creatures who decide the fates of humans), and Valkyries (who choose which fallen warriors go to Odin’s Valhalla or Freyja’s Folkvangr). The track, and the album as a whole, explores the afterlife in Norse mythology, and there is a personal connection to the topic as well.

Your first single and how you felt when it was released:

‘Nornir’ was the first proper single, and it felt great to have finally have something out that sounded more or less exactly how I wanted. The feedback has been amazing as well, so it’s been a great experience so far.

Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:

My favourite at the moment is a track called ‘Folkvang’. It’s quite noisy and shoegazey, and it’s got some of my favourite lead guitar lines as well.

Your favourite song to play live:

I don’t play live, but I think my favourite would probably be a track called ‘Sessrumnir’. It’s quite long, with plenty of room for improvisation so I think that would be quite fun to play.

Your most emotional track:

There’s a track called ‘Lament’ that I wrote after my cousin and uncle passed away within a few days of each other, totally unrelated and unexpected. Even though it’s an instrumental track, it’s very emotional to me. I think instrumental music can often be more emotional than songs with vocals and lyrics – it’s pure emotion.

The best lyric you have ever written:

Being an instrumental project, obviously there are no lyrics. However, I’m much better at expressing myself musically – certainly emotionally. So I’m going to go with my best guitar line, which is the main one from the aforementioned ‘Lament’. It’s the closest I’ll get to having lyrics – at least for now.  

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

Sheer terror – that’s why I don’t do it! No, it’s not that bad. As long as the focus is not solely on me, I don’t mind it too much. I’d definitely need some background videos though, so the audience can watch that instead of me!

The hardest track to play live:

If I did play live I think I’d struggle the most with a song called ‘Valhall’. It’s a bit faster and although it’s not too technical, I’d still worry that I would mess up some of the riffs. There’s a fair bit of tremolo picking as well, so my arm/wrist would probably get quite tired and painful!

Essential items you always take on tour with you?

Instant coffee and a thermos! Maybe I’d get a mini coffee maker or something.

Describe your fans in three words:

Not enough yet!

A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:

I’ll go with ‘Mesopelagic: Into the Uncanny’ off the ‘Pelagial’ album by The Ocean (Collective). It’s such a fantastic song and it also introduces some musical themes that are repeated throughout the album. They write some amazing riffs, and are masters of atmospheric metal as far as I’m concerned. I love that they put out instrumental versions of all their albums now, and I really like both versions – depending on my mood.

What we can look forward to from your band this year:

The album should – all going well – be out later this year, and I’m planning another single before then.