Please, tell me a little about your previous band PANTHEON.

Well, this band was our first experience of playing together in a band, and it was from a start just like an experiment for us, changing band-name, style of music and members now and then. I think it was around '94-'95 we finally took the name Pantheon and find out somewhat the kind of music we wanted to play. During 1996, Thyrfing became more and more serious, and after Pantheon's second demo-recording in the spring '97, the band was put on ice. It was not like a mutual decision or anything... it just happened. Jocke did all the music, and most of the lyrics in Pantheon, so when he didn't came up with anything new, it just faded out... Anyway, I've heard rumours that he has started to make some new songs once again, so I don't think we should consider the band dead yet...

What doing now all members of the band, when work with the album already finished and stays only to wait its release? Do you have a hobby, except occupations by the music? What are you doing when you have a free time?

Thomas works with layout at a media company, Peter is a constructor, Jocke are starting an education for sound-engineering this autumn, and now he works with deliveries at nights. Henke is also studying. Kimmy and I are unemployed at the moment. Besides music I've been very interesting in webdesign and constructing homepages. Hopefully I'll find some way to make some cash upon it too... at the moment I just see it as an hobby and learning all the time. In our free-time, we do the usual things I guess. Just hanging out, having some beers now and then etc.

What do you think about pirates? All CD's are expensive here and peoples sometime have to buy bootlegs.

Hah, first I thought you were asking about actual pirates, which made me dream away about computer game Monkey Island and the music of Running Wild...eh. But about your actual question... of course these bastards stinks! I know that our albums are available as MP3's on a lot of servers on the Internet and I can also imagine that there are a lot of pirate-CD's and tapes out there. Concerning the economical/exchange-situation in Russia, I'm not that pissed off if a fanatical metal-fan does it there, as if a rich american pig sits and gain a lot of money on it...

Please say me what mean album names "Valdr Galga" and "Urkraft" ?

"Valdr Galga" is another name for Odin (master-god in northern mythology) and means something like "Master of The Gallow". "Urkraft" means "primordial force" but could also figuratively speaking mean "immense power".

What will you do after release of album? Will tour be in autumn\winter?

I don't know yet. Probably answering interviews and compose new material for the next album. We never rests! No tour is planned at the moment.

What is your playing in the band, just hobby or something else? You should like to earn on the life only by music?

Of course that would be a dream, but it very hard to achieve when you play the kind of music that we do. It's more than a hobby, but I don't see it as my job though. It's deeper than that...

How long do you play on guitar? What has forced you in first time to take it in hands?

I have played guitar for more or less 5 years. The reason for me started to play was my urge to able to make music for Thyrfing. I've never been that interested just to play, educate, music-theory, technics etc. I play guitar because I want to make songs. It's as simple as that.

Did you play on live shows now last time? What songs do you play on it? Are they songs from old albums or some news songs fron Urkraft also?

We make some live-shows now and then. This far we've played one 3-week tour and two 4-day tours, one festival (Dynamo Open Air 1999), and some minor gigs in Sweden. When we're on stage we play songs from all our albums.

What do you know about Russia? Don't you know some Russian metal bands?

So you are saying that there is more in Russia than fur-hats and vodka? Ha...seriously. I know some things about Russia, but I don't think it's more than what common man does. As a general view it seems that some people are very rich and the rest very poor. I don't have that much knowledge about russian culture, traditions or history, it's more what you hear or see on TV about it. I know some russian bands...Korosia Metalla (don't know how it's spelled), S.C.A.L.P. and Satarial, eventhough I'm not listening to them that much.

What music do you prefer to listen?

When it comes to music I like a lot of stuff; metal, folk, classical, rock, soundtracks etc. etc. My record collection is dominated by Metal-albums though.

Do you often bye CD's for your audio collection? What disk did you bye last?

I haven't bought that much CD's the last time. I would say it's a combination of lousier economy and lack of interesting releases. The last album I purchased was Skyclad's debut-album on CD. (In Scotland actually, of all places!)

Ha-ha! Why for all foreigners Russia is involve with vodka and fur-hats!! Oh, you has forgotten about great bears else! ha-ha! Here, in Moscow, presently temperature is about +30(degr. C), it's very hot!.. Else I know that in European coutries very often on the television show not at all truth about our country. You simply scare that what beside us occur! :) Would you like to go to the Russia with live show?

Yeah, would of course be very cool to do so... but the current situation doesn't show much signs of any raid over there... I've heard about problems with some tours going there, and eventhough I guess a lot of people will show up, it doesn't seems that the tour-promoters do many shows in Russia at all. Of course the view you get of Russia in television is a bit exaggerated (at least american shows I guess). Still I can't get the "vodka'n'fur-hats" - picture out of my head when I hear the word "Russia". That's simply the truth ha-ha.

What do you think about church & politicy ?

I like some churches as buildings for their architecture and historical value. But when it comes to the christendom...what can I say. It's simply a plague, infesting most of western Europe for a long time now. But it's power has decreased and hopefully it will die by itself. I don't care much for politics, it can be pretty interesting in a historical perspective, but nowadays I think most parties are licking each others arses...they seem to be pretty much the same all of them...no wonder why all extreme parties are showing up nowadays....may it be left- or right-wing.

"Urkraft" will go out on dutch label Hammerheart Records; you were contacted by it in 1997. Have you ever wanted\tryed to make contract with any other labels (such as Nuclear Blast, Century Media, etc.) since 1997?

Of course there would be advantages to be on some of these major labels, eventhough I'm sure there are disadvantages aswell. We've never been that eager to switch label, that we've taken contact with anybody else.

Front covers for all your albums made by Kris Verwimp... How usually process of making covers (and all other design) for album?

The cover for the first album was actually made before the album, so that was some kind of unused gem that Kris had in his back-catalogue. For "Valdr Galga" and "Urkraft" we gave him descriptions over the phone how the covers should be. I think it turned out good aswell, but in my opinion the first cover is the best one!

Have you ever user corpspainting (i mean live-shows)? (and WHY if not)

WHY would we need to wear make up? It has no meaning to us, or the music we play at all.

How many friends do you have? Have you friends which are members of other best-known bands?

I have no friends! ha-ha..... no, but the term "friend" is a bit hard to define. I have some close friends, that I've known for a long time, and I have other friends which I have a more briefly friendship with. And yes, we are friends with some other bands a.o. Raise Hell, Vintersorg, Sins of Omission...

Do you like a vodka? :) With how much years (under the law) in your country is allowed to buy alcoholic drinks? I heard that in Norway not rarefied even to drink a beer on the streets. Do you have the same "problem" in your country?

Yes, I like vodka. Can you buy me some? In sweden you have to be 18 years old to be served alcohol at resturants/pubs, but to buy it in stores you have to be 20. As I've passed that age, it's not such a "problem" for me. We don't have those laws against drinking on the streets though, that other countries seems to have.

Yes! I can send you some bottles of RUSSIAN VODKA! It's the best drink all over the world, no doubts ! :)))

It's hard to beat the swedish Absolut...but ok, you'll get a chance to try...

Well, thank you very much for this interview! Do you want to tell more for our reades?

No, haha! It's just fine like this. Visit our website at www.thyrfing.com and check out "Urkraft" when it's released. Cheers for the interview and to all readers of it aswell. Skal ta mej fan!