THYRFING (Sweden) 

      You know the Vikings from Thyrfing, don’t you? Well, Patrik, their guitarist, gave us a short intie on their latest news. Check it out! Hopefully this year we’ll have another one, that time on their up-coming CD, “Farsotstider”. 

Greetings, Patrik! Thanks for agreeing to answer our questions! How are you and the band lately?

Hi Adrian. The band is doing fine. We are waiting for our new album to come out and are also rehearsing for our live set. 

This year Thyrfing did 10 years of existence. Any special event for that occasion?

Nothing that special, but we did a shirt, which we called “anniversary shirt” with a special Thyrfing heraldry designed by Timo Ketola. It’s currently out of stock but will soon be back for sale at our website. 

You are considered one of the most influential bands for the viking metal scene. How do you feel now that you're an icon for many? Which were the bands that influenced mostly your life?

I can’t really consider ourselves as “icons”, but of course I’ve seen that some people are influenced by us, which is cool of course. When we started out the main influences were bands such as Bathory, Enslaved, Isengard and Hades. 

The last news I know from your camp is that you made available again all your albums through Karmageddon Media, but I'm not sure if "Urkraft" is re-released or not.

Yes, “Urkraft” is back in stock since August this year. 

What have you been working on the last months? Can you unveil us some of the things that will be featured on the new album?

We finished the recordings, mixed the album, and now we are currently doing the final touch on the packaging design. The album will be called “Farsotstider” (in English “Times of Plague”) and will be released in late November. The album has 8 tracks and I’m really satisfied how the album turned out. 

In what concerns the live shows it seems you are pretty loved in Germany... Am I right? What's the best country to play live for Thyrfing?

Yes, Germany is a stronghold for every band I guess… but we enjoy playing everywhere. I think we’ve got more or less equally strong response in all countries we’ve played in. 

When doing tours what happens with your regular jobs? I assumed you have regular jobs because I don't think one can live from metal music that easy...

You have to use your vacations, or simply ask for a day off. However nowadays we try to schedule our gigs in the weekends and not do longer tours, as it’s easier to put your schedule together… No, living from the music is nothing that we’ve ever considered. None of us would be comfortable being out on the road for the major part of the year, something it would take to make a living of it. 

Which are the next gigs one can see you live?

We have a few gigs booked, which are all announced on our website. Please go there for latest updates. 

What's more to be conquered for Thyrfing? Where do you want to reach?

I don’t know… right now it feels like our only goal is to make and play good music that we like. It’s fantastic that we have the opportunity to make good productions, and have the budget to make our visions come through. Of course one can always ask for better conditions, but I feel like we’re in a good situation right now. 

Will we have the chance in the near future to see your first DVD released?

Nothing is planned at the moment, but you never know. Future will tell. 

Thanks for this refreshing news and hope to talk again soon!

Thanks for the support. Please check www.thyrfing.com for the latest news, and check out “Farsotstider” when it’s out in November. Cheers!