Iotunn surprised us very pleasantly with their new album “Kinship” for which we composed a very enthusiastic review that you can read here. So, we contacted Bjørn Wind Andersen, band’s drummer, for a tour through the dark and melodic world of Iotunn.
Welcome for the first time to Afternoiz.gr! I would like to mention that for me who reviewed “Kinship”, I had no difficulty in considering it the album of the year so far. How do you feel after the release of such an impressive album?
B.A.: Thanks for your kind words! That means a lot to us. We feel very good about the release. We knew we had a very good album on our hands, but it is of course very nice when all that work and all those feelings also resonate with other people. We are humbled and could not be happier with the reception.
Since the first question, It was a question I wanted to ask directly because of my excitement for the new album, I think we should go back in time and how Iotunn was formed. Could you give me a brief story about your career up to now?
B.A.: Iotunn goes back a long way. The first time I met Jesper, and our former singer Benjamin, was in 2009. The main inspirations back then were 70’s rock. We were kind of aiming to be a retro band in a way – but metal was always with us, whispering from within. We had played metal in other constellations before, and a lot of metal was always playing at parties etc. In 2011 Jens Nicolai joined on a huge 6 string bass, but soon changed to guitar. Then soon after we agreed that the sound could evolve wherever it wanted to go – also into metal music.
Now that you look back at the past, “Access all worlds”, a really great album to say the least, how do you see it? Would you change anything?
B.A.: I’m very proud of that album and I think we all are. To me, the songwriting stands the test of time. We could have done a better job with the sound of the record. We could have used a couple of days more to really finish the details, but it was also a learning experience to produce our own record and learn how to work with Fredrik Nordström in the mixing stage.
The record also came together in quite a chaotic time. When we started recording it, we did not know who would sing, and who would play bass – we just pressed on nonetheless. Thankfully it all came together very successfully despite our initial difficulties, and I am very proud of it.
In my review I had written the following about “Kinship”: “Here we will find Death Metal, classic Heavy Metal, Atmospheric Metal and in parts Black/Death Metal”. Do you agree? How would you characterize your music?
B.A.: I would almost agree. I don’t think there is that much melodic death on “Kinship” – only in the sense that there is harsh death metal vocals on a few occasions. But to me the music and the riffing underneath is more black metal, folk metal and even “80’s classic heavy metal”. All this is coupled with music that is inspired by old school classic progressive rock. Characterizations are of course always very difficult, somewhat subjective and subject to debate.
I also wrote in my article for Iotunn that there are no influences here. But in the past, like every band, you had several and from many genres of our favorite music. Could you mention some bands?
B.A.: We love the classic stuff, NWOBHM, classic albums from all the greats – we like the heavy metal history a lot. We are inspired by bands as Arcturus, Enslaved, Emperor and the rest of those classic and experimental black metal bands. We like the classic Gothenburg sound also, we like bands like Tiamat, and we also like all of the great classic prog rock albums from the 70’s and 80’s. King Crimson, Pink Floyd etc. Hans Zimmer is also an inspiration.
The production and the sound of “Kinship” I would describe it as a nineties approach but at the same time it is also modern. Tell me a few words about the production as well as the collaboration with Jacob Hansen for the mixing and mastering of the album? Personally I find the sound simply amazing for the genre.
B.A.: Thank you! Some of us, including myself, are very fond of the coloration that albums sometimes had back in the 90’s and 80’s. There was a lush sound of reverb sometimes. We often don’t like dry sounds – music needs to have some air around it to breathe. I love the big sounds of 1980’s drum productions. So that might contribute to the way that “Kinship” sounds. And Jacob was very good at getting us where we wanted to be. He is a very kind soul and he worked hard to attain what we envisioned with enormous skill. So, we are very happy about the way it turned out.
I couldn’t imagine a better introductory track than “Kinship elegiac”, where in there is the “identity” of the Iotunn of 2024. Could you tell me a few words about the compositional approach of the album?
B.A.: I am very proud of that song. I think it contains all the best aspects of our way of making music. It sounds like us, but it does not sound like any of the other long songs we have done. To me it represents the current pinnacle of the band’s artistic ambitions.
Well, let’s go to “Earth to sky”. A track that differs from the rest because of its speed and its melodic Death Metal “identity”. I could say that it is one of my most favorite tracks along with the opening track of “Kinship”. I would like a few words for this particular track.
B.A.: That track is just pure energy coupled with the most serene and beautiful atmosphere. The duality between the metal-onslaught and the classical guitar melodies is a highlight on the album. I think it is very strong and very catchy. There was some wavering in the initial phase of writing that track, but when Jón did the chorus it just changed the outlook completely and everything came together really strong. I think it really propels the last part of the album in a very nice way.
Iotunn are on the staff of a historic company like Metal Blade. All of us who are involved in this music, we know how important this label is. Could you tell me a few words about your collaboration?
B.A.: I think our time with them has been very good. When you get a record deal as a band, the work in many ways start. The label helps a lot with reach, practicalities etc, but there is still a lot of groundwork that comes back Iotunn. We knew that before going in, and I think that helped us very much. They have been great and very helpful. The most important thing they have done for us is reach – our reach has been much much greater than it would have been doing it ourselves. They do as much as possible for us, they fight for their bands, and that is not an easy task in these times.
On June 26th Iotunn will be on the same stage with Opeth and The Halo Effect for Rockwave Festival. A festival which is one of the most historic in Greece as this year it celebrates 30 years of history. What can your fans expect from Iotunn’s upcoming performance? I think its your first time that you visit our beautiful country.
B.A.: It is a great honor to share the stage with those bands! And not least to finally get to play in Greece. You can expect an energetic outpouring of our music, with emphasis on the Kinship album. We will try to bring great emotion and maybe some northern cold to the Aegean heat.
So that’s all from us! We hope you have a wonderful time in Greece when you come for your show. We also wish you all the best for your follow-up which is obviously going to be as impressive as “Kinship”. I would like to close our
interview with a few words to the Greek audience.
B.A.: Yes, we will see where album number three ends up. We have a great feeling about it, and I am sure it will find its own right next to the other two. Thanks for reaching out and thanks for all the support from Greece! We know that many metal fans in Greece has been very kind to our releases and we can’t wait to finally play to all who will come.
