The latest CD from Swedish Viking metallers Thyrfing is Hels Vite. It’s the band’s first release with new vocalist Jens Ryden (Naglfar), who replaced Thomas Väänänen. Guitarist Henrik Svegsjö also departed, leaving the band with one guitarist. That guitarist is Patrik Lindgren, who fills us in on the member changes, the new CD, why they rarely tour and many other subjects.

Chad Bowar: What led to the departures of your former vocalist and guitarist?
Patrik Lindgren: According to both Thomas and Henrik, they lacked the motivation needed to go on for another album.

This might sound like a “convenient” explanation, but that is the reason they gave us and we have no reason to doubt it’s true. We have the biggest respect for their decision and wish them all luck in their future projects.

How did Jens come to join the band?
We had known of him for quite some time, and he has lso lived in the same suburb as we do for a couple of years. So when we started to search for a new vocalist he was the obvious person to ask first. We knew he had a good reputation and experience both from stage and studio, and we also already knew that it would work out fine on a personal level. Jens had just got the urge back for being in a band again, so it seems the timing was just right this time.

Do you plan on staying with one guitarist, or will you add another in the future?
There will probably be two guitarists again on the next album. We currently have a guy called Fredrik Jansson who is doing session guitars for us live, and it’s most likely that he might join the band on a permanent basis in the future.

How has the band’s sound progressed from Farsotstider to Hels Vite?
Foremost the songs are longer (all between 5 to 9 minutes) and more epic. I think we also got a better consistency and feeling in the songwriting comparing to the last album. When it comes to the actual sound, it’s definitely more organic and heavier than Farsotstider, which in retrospect I feel became a little too polished and tidy in the production. Overall I think it has been a very positive direction for the new album, and I’m utterly pleased with how it sounds.

What inspired the lyrics for the CD?
When it comes to language and imagery, Thyrfing lyrics have always been set in a frameset based on Scandinavian mythology and folklore. While the earlier lyrics were pure fiction, on the last albums they have turned a little darker and more introverted and I think many of them were influenced by personal views, thoughts and observations. It’s not like we really want to tell people something, it’s more a way to fit the atmosphere and complete the music.

Was it Jens’ influence that there are two songs in English in this CD?
No, as a matter of fact Jens only wrote lyrics for one song on the album, and that one is in Swedish. When joining the band, he told us that it would be the first time he sang in Swedish and that it would be a challenge for him, but obviously he had no problems with those songs and it turned out just great!

Do you anticipate having songs in both Swedish and English on future albums?
I don’t know. We have never been consistent in the use of language, except on Farsotstider when all lyrics were in Swedish. When you get ideas and inspiration it sometimes starts with just a few lines and words, and sometimes these are in Swedish and sometimes in English. So we’ll see what happens in the future, but my guess is that it will mostly be Swedish lyrics as it’s our native language and where we have the best knowledge.

How has the response been so far in Europe to Hels Vite?
The reactions have been very positive, and many people rank it as the best Thyrfing album ever. We got very good reviews in the press, and it feels like there is an enthusiasm for this album that we never got for Farsotstider. It seems many people had doubts regarding how Jens would fit into the band, but now after the album the overall opinion is very positive.

Do you pay attention to magazine and internet reviews of your CDs?
Yes, and in some way I think most artists do, even though they claim otherwise. It’s not like I buy every international magazine and sweep the Internet for reviews every hour of the day, but if something comes across I will read it. Come on, who wouldn’t? Even though we always put our own taste and satisfaction in first place, it’s entertaining and useful to check out other people’s opinion about your work every now and then.

What are your U.S. expectations for Hels Vite?
It looks positive. I think Farsotstider was quite a big step for us in the U.S., so hopefully the awareness of the band is even better now. It would of course nice to be able to do some shows overseas, even though there are some practical and economic issues behind such a project.

What are your upcoming tour plans?
Currently we have some festival gigs booked in Germany, Belgium and Austria. There are more under negotiation, so I advise people to keep an eye on our MySpace page for an all up-to-date gig guide.

You don’t play a huge amount of live shows. Is that a matter of personal preference, or are there other circumstances that don’t allow you to tour extensively?
We really enjoy traveling and playing live, but we have also come to the level and age that we are not desperate to do it if the conditions aren’t good enough that we could put on a best possible show. Also, Thyrfing is nothing that we could make a living out of, so we also have full-time jobs, which means that we cannot do longer and more extensive tours. However, we now have a setup that everybody is content with, and which allows us to play live now and then at different places, while still keeping a life outside the band.