Интервю с Andreas Heljarmadr (DARK FUNERAL, GRÁ)

Hi, Andreas! Thanks for your kind attitude and friendship. I think the most important thing which excite the fans in this moment is that you become Dark Funeral’s frontman. So, my questions will be mailny about that and I want to apologize in advance if they make you feel annoyed or uncomfortable.

Satania: The previous interview was about GRÁ, however this time as you can guess, we will talk about Dark Funeral. So, how it happened that you were chosen for new Dark Funeral’s frontman? Tell me something about this fact which was not announced in oficial press-releases?

Heljarmadr: Yes I guess that I will be answering this question many times, for a long while but anyway… When Grá were picked as the support band for the Dark Funeral 20th anniversary gig, I got in contact with the Dark Funeral guys and we all naturally had the best in mind for that particular night. While working on the preparations I heard that they’d been trying some guys but none seemed to fit the band. I have done very different things from Dark Funeral as you know (Grá, Cursed 13 and so on), but I’ve always considered myself to be a good vocalist (and I’ve been listening to Dark Funeral since the mid 90’s) and I started to wonder if it would be something for me. I let a couple of weeks pass by, keeping the thought in my head, letting it grow. It’s not a small decision to make, to even consider joining such a band with all that history and legacy.
Eventually I had made up my mind and sent an e-mail to Ahriman, explaining that I had been thinking about this and was ready to give it a shot, should they be interested. Shortly thereafter I got a reply with a bunch of songs to learn before meeting at the rehearsal place. They liked my voice and my style of singing so we continued from there. It wasn’t a „yes you’re in“ but we rather kept the process slow, to make sure we weren’t jumping conclusions. Which was perfectly fine with me because I would never have joined in the end if it hadn’t felt 100% right for me as well.

S.: What was the reaction of the fans at all? Do you think that they accept you completely?

H: Well, every band that changes a memorable member suffer the same „bring the old guys back“ stuff. But I think that overall I was really well recieved by the fans. Many in the scene knew me from my previous bands and thought it was a good choice both for me but also a good choice for Dark Funeral.

S: What would you say to these who say that you will not handle as Dark Funeral’s frontman or sincerely do not like you as frontman exactly to this band?

H: I really don’t have much to say to that. Caligula left the band, I joined. I didn’t push him away, he decided to leave long before I even applied for the job. There were no competition. I have nothing but respect for what he did with Dark Funeral for so many years.
I can understand the feeling though, I’ve disliked the turn of events in many bands over the years. Especially when someone I liked quit/died/were fired. Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I dare them to actually give the new album a good listen before judging.

S: You took the most responsible place in a band – to a frontman. Earlier this place was on one emblematic for Swedish black metal scene person – I talk about Emperor Magus Caligula. What is the challenge for you?

H: I don’t see it as a challenge or competition. I am not Caligula and will never try to imitate what he did or who he is. I am me and I must follow my own path and I always aim to improve, to become better at what I do. Regardless of what it is about.

S: Actually do you feel yourself irritate when fans compare you with E. M. Caligula? (I’m sure there are such of these people).

H: No, of course not. It’s natural. I joined Dark Funeral 20 years after the band started. Of course I’m going to be compared to what’s been in the past. We’re starting a new chapter, not trying to erase the past. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.

S: In your press-release related with new Dark Funeral’s song „Where Shadows Forever Reign“ you said that you are put a piece from your heart and soul in this song. What do you gave and will give to Dark Funeral
like new image, message, spirit if you like?

H: With every song or lyric I write, I put parts of myself into it, exposing what I carry inside me. That’s what’s appealing to me about music, the part that’s not physical, what you can feel but not touch. If the music is just for the sake of music then I lose interest very fast. In the title track „Where Shadows Forever Reign“ I reflect upon the path I’ve chosen. It’s not a very positive and bright path, but a dark one, filled with hardships and struggle. I’ve always thrived in the shadowside of life, exploring not only the darkness that lies within me but also the darkness that lies beyond this material world. To where we all must go, sooner or later…
I often write lyrics in layers, leaving many interpretations possible, depending on where the reader is on his personal journey. On this particular track, and another one on the album called „Unchain My Soul“, I get very private and deal with things I have never dealt with this openly. Perhaps it is a weird way to do it, but to reach further, one must be prepared to make sacrifices, to be honest and don’t hold back.

S: How do you manage to part yourself between 4 bands? Which one is with priority for you?

H: Dark Funeral is my priority, I made that very clear when I joined the band.
I don’t have 4 bands. I parted with Domgård a few years back to leave room for someone who can give 100% to the band. I still see the guys as often as I can since our friendship goes beyond the borders of bands and I will even do some guest vocals for their new album, but I’m not a member anymore. Cursed 13 were never a very active band and we will release things now and then, when the time and inspiration is right. No rush. Next up is a limited 7″ single that we actually recorded a couple of years ago but didn’t get around to releasing until now.
The active ones are Dark Funeral and Grá and I feel that those are not in competition.

S: You released an awesome GRÁ’s album with which you close the page about Charon’s story. What will be the next strory GRÁ will tell us?

H: I made the decision, after completing the „Ending“ album, that what comes next will not be written by me. I have left the responsibility to the other guys, to bring fresh thoughts and ideas to the table. I feel that it’s vital that the next release is something new and not just a continuation of „Ending“ which was a part of a specific era. Anything else would be disrespectful towards the massive amount of time, energy, dedication and effort put into the Charon suite. It’s time to move on.
I’ll gladly provide whatever riffs or ideas I may come up with but I will not be as in control as I’ve previously been. That means that I’m not the right person to ask what’s next…

S: As I know you love to visit ancient sacret places and from them you get energy for your Art. What else inspires Heljarmadr?

H: That’s a very difficuly question to answer. I often wonder what inspires people to keep breathing for example… Inspiration comes from everything and nothing. From this world and from others.

S: You had a concert (a dream gig for me, my fav bands all together) with Saturnian Mist and IXXI. Tell me about that gig? What do you think about the Art and music of these bands?

H: I know the guys from IXXI and Saturnian Mist from before and it felt like a very good idea to do this together as we respect each other musically and personally. We had decided that we would do one Stockholm gig with Grá this year and Luciferian Society have always been supportive so we wanted to do it under their banner.
We also ended up inviting Norwegian Blodhemn and Swedish Mephorash to make it an even more exclusive event.

Thank you for your time and for your interest in my work over the years!
Check out the new Dark Funeral album „Where Shadows Forever Reign“, in stores on June 3! The title track can be heard on Youtube/Spotify/iTunes and such right NOW!
Last words? Did you know that the last words by Elvis Presley were „I’m going to the bathroom to read“.

/Heljarmadr

Chek out the following pages:

Dark Funeral Facebook page

Dark Funeral – Heljarmadr fanpage

Heljarmadr Instagram page

Photo credits by Heljarmadr’s picture Michaela Barkensjö