Steignyr Interview

 

Answered by Jon Thorgrimr (vocals/guitar/compositions) and Kathonya (melodic vocals)

1.Can you give us an update on what has been going on with the band since the recording of the new album?

K: Well, it’s been quite a rollercoaster actually, because of Covid we got all stranded in different countries and it’s been quite of a mess. Jon manage to record all of us online and came up with a really nice product. Melodic vocals and choruses were basically recorded in two days when I still was living near the French border, and even my microphone quality was kinda rough, he managed to make it sound so good. It wouldn’t have been possible without a good Internet line (laughs). But the final product, the master, sounded so good it really surprised me, and former band mates were really satisfied. Distance hasn’t been a problem, you see. Every update was shared and commented among us and the feelings were very, very good. Kilau and I, as new band members got really excited to be in this project and, well, after the recording it just left us with a good feeling.

After that we have been working on the promotion drawings, the book that will fulfill and relate the stories of the new album and the upcoming lyric videos we expect to publish soon via Art Gates Records. It has been rough along the way but totally worth it

2.You have a new album coming out in July, musically how does it differ from the stuff you have released in the past?

K: When Jon contacted me first I thought he would like me to do just some melodic parts or opera choruses, based on what the band had done before, but I came out to sing in all of them, because he wanted to give a more melodic taste to the songs. The celtic music and epic orchestras would still be there, but the demos he had were just different, like a kind of evolutional step, may we say? Almost all operatic choruses were recorded playing different voices and that’s one of the new things in the sound. Steignyr’s albums have always focused on telling stories but I think this is the first that may serve as a full soundtrack for it.

J: Yo, Katho, turn it down a little (laughs). Seriously, actually what differs is the work that this new album has behind, and that we finally have reached. This is the point I wanted to get the band to from the beginning, from now on, we can only expect good stuff to come.

3.What are some of the lyrical topics and subjects the band explores with the newer release and also how would you describe your progress as songwriters over the years?

K: This album’s lyrics focus mostly on the lore and stories from the upcoming book “The legacy of Wyrd” that manage to complete the album’s lore as long as the album completes the book. It tells three stories that unite in an ending that restarts a circle. We talk about fate, about epic stories, about a hero, mysteries and about the fate of ancient gods such as the Norse ones, who were mostly human than divine at some points. We kinda managed to write a fusion of this mythology with Jon’s own lore and it came out really good. Besides, the music itself gets to be these tales’ soundtracks, almost as we took part of the stories as “metal bards” that sing and play about them.

J: I have been 9 years – almost ten – with Steignyr. I have always tried to open and close a circle with every album I’ve made. For example, from Tales of a Forgotten Heroes’ until Myths through the Shadows of Freedom, I came up with a trilogy with its own style that talked about the adventures the band came up with about a group of warriors named “Steignyr”. Since 2016, I have been working on a new style for the band to give it more personality, and from that came the new album, which I started to write back in 2019 and now, finally, I can say I’m a father and that I’m so proud of my newborn son.

4.Some of your lyrics cover 'Norse Mythology' themes, can you tell us a little bit more about your interest in this topic?

K: Norse mythology is ancient, rich and has a very important things many religions don’t tell nowadays (at least not that clearly). Norse gods where not “spirits” or omnipotent beings, most of them were humans with abilities granted by their own life choices or their origin. It’s very fascinating, although the Eddas seem to look like a mess of tales with contradictions here and there. Philosophically, we really enjoy the “fight with honor” topic, because it doesn’t only translate to a war context but also in what life can feel like. In a world like today’s you need motivation to go on, and we really have discovered that what’s meant to be it’s meant to be, but if you can’t embrace changes and “keep on keeping on”, keep fighting even in the toughest times, even when anxiety has trapped you in a well with no light or turned everybody against you, you may go through.  It’s in your hands, as it was in Odin’s, in Thor’s, even in Loki’s. You choose what you are and who you become no matter what, if you have enough chances and if you are able to appreciate them, it’s up to you. That’s kind of our philosophy here and we believe that’s what the myths tell more about – besides the talking wise head, the giants, the dragons, the severing human parts part… etc -.

5.You also refer to your music as being 'epic Celtic death metal', do you also have an interest in 'Celtic Mythology'?

J: A lot of bands nowadays tag themselves in folk metal, but what is folk music? It’s traditional music of an specific region. We don’t do that with tags as many others do: “celtic” on us fits because celtic music is no village tradition, it’s a melodic tradition, which gives you concrete rhythms and structures for the melodies to fit in as long as the instruments, and these are the ones we play with in our compositions.

K: We are interested in both Norse and Celtic myths, on me because of it’s connection with nature. I don’t think their gods where that different though. They believed in some kind of energy that connects all beings to “Mother Earth” and I personally believe that’s true, along with the telluric lines and so. But I think we just put this word on our definition because of the folk instruments we use the most: bouzoukis, harps, bagpipes, whistles and shamanic drums, which are originally celtic. 

6.What is the meaning and inspiration behind the name 'Steignyr'?

J: The name “Steignyr” was an idea I had by looking through hundreds of norse names. And between Mjollnir and Sleipnir, “Steignyr” came up. 

7.Can you tell us a little bit more about the artwork that is presented on the new album cover?

K: If you name a story or and album “Legacy of Wyrd”, you have to use Wyrd’s rune at some point. Wyrd’s rune is a rune that unites all the runes from the Futhark alphabet into one. It symbolizes fate – actually the word “Wyrd” comes from the name “Urd”, which is the name of the well that feeds Yggdrasil’s roots and also means “fate” -. The woman shown as the main character is Verdandi, one of the three norns that knits time in Norse mythology who is also one of the characters of the book that completes the album.

8.What are some of the best shows that the band has played over the years and also how would you describe your stage performance?

J: During the time we’ve been in Steignyr we have done a countless amount of fun shows, but we would never forget our Asian tour, the show we made with Ensiferum nor the one we did with Suidakra and Tyr. If some of our last shows is meant to be a point of no return, it was a show we had in Ukraine, which surprised us a lot because of the stunning amount of people who came to see us and had fun with us.

How would we describe our performance? Well, better ask a fan about that I guess, or you will see in our further shows, we just can forward something: brace your underwear, you’ll need it.

 

9.On a worldwide level how has the reaction been to your music by fans of death and folk metal?

J: Actually quite good, lot of people have made some reviews already. Some people have criticized us, others have loved us, but we don’t really care about it. We are not playing for fame or triumph, we do it because it’s funny, because we love music and we just want someone who might like what do we do to enjoy it with a horn full of mead and a pack of tissues. 

10.Where do you see the band heading into musically during the future?

K: Kilau and I have never been in a band with a previous story such as Steignyr. We were in a lot of projects that didn’t came out for any reason and got kind of stuck in our music career anyhow. When Jon recruited us we couldn’t even believe it, we have never been on tour, we have never recorded a music video, we have never travelled abroad with a band and we are so excited to start doing things with Steignyr! We hope that soon we’ll have some tour date when all this pandemic thing calms down a bit, we look really forward to it.

J: Back to the stages and back to the road, but most of all, with all this heat, having a freezing ice-cream on a terrace fighting with our own face masks. 

11.What are you listening to nowadays?

K: We kind of listen to a lot of stuff, from rap and Spanish acoustic music to Broadway musicals and lots of metal bands. I personally got into Sabaton and Gloryhammer lately and Hamilton after they released that amazing pro-shoot on streaming, but it kinda differs a lot. We should light up new Epica album “Omega”, for we have listened to it a lot of times and haven’t got tired of singing along to it, too. Kilau likes rap and trap, and I personally love hybrid techno-metal soundtracks too, they help me focus when I’m working. 

J: The amazing sounds of nature that surround us and makes us stronger everyday, breathing heavily while I listen to this album once again and again. 

K: (laughs in the back) “Yo”, Jay, “turn it down a little”.

J: (more laughs)

12.Before we wrap up this interview, do you have any final words or thoughts?

K: “Never give up” I guess? I started moving between bands here and there when I was fifteen and never thought I could find the right place for me. After a very rough time growing up apart of my music career I totally gave up on finding a band but it found me instead. So, what’s meant to be it’s meant to be, but you may not be ready yet for what life has to give to you. So just focus on growing up as a person and artist and everything will come eventually. This band is a living clue that proves this statement for me and Kilau, who were in a band before but never came out to be so into something such as this project. Please, everyone, give us a shot, because this albums deserves it, and all the work Jon has put into it does too. We look forward to get the book translated soon so everyone can also dive into the lore we made out for it. It won’t disappoint you, even if you’re more into melodic metal or death metal, or not into our music style, the stories are really entertaining and fulfilling to read and listen. Just give it a try.

J: Damn it! We have finished the interview and the bar is closed. My dreams of getting an ice-crem have been ripped apart as a barbarians body in a bloody fight on the top of the highest mountain in the furthest of the furthest lands. But here and now, I raise my left fist after the battle for ice-cream and SWEAR! I will eat one tomorrow.

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