Swedish Warriors VANQUISHER played on UK soil for the first time just over a couple of weeks ago. This took place at Southampton Fantasy Fest in the iconic pub garden at The Hobbit. Rock Out Stand Out’s Lotty Whittingham caught up with Bragi the Berserker, Niord of Nordheim, and Heimdal the Warlord after their set. Here’s what happened.
So this is your very first time performing in the UK, and judging by your show just now, it’s safe to say you’ll be welcomed back with open arms.
Niord: We had a good reception, and I’m sure people enjoyed hearing some Black Sabbath. We really wanted to pay homage to Ozzy Osbourne, and this was the best place to do it.
Absolutely, and you’re going to other venues in the UK as well, right?
Niord: It’s Camden we’re going to tomorrow. The Fiddlers Elbow.
Heimdal: We’ll be joined by Lost Citadel and Emberwynde.
That will be a great show; I know Lost Citadel has quite a big fan base in London.
Heimdal: Lost Citadel reminds me of Visigoth, and that’s not a bad thing.
Speaking of music, for those who have never heard Vanquisher before; how would you describe your music?
Niord: Like an epic metal band. Some people say power metal, but I wouldn’t say power metal. We have so many different genres to flirt with, anything from heavy, power, black, and thrash. It has an epic atmosphere, and that’s the main thing.
Heimdal: The thing is we write about Conan the Barbarian and the Hyborian Age. Every story we tell, we think the music should tell that story.
Niord: Basically, if we’re singing a song about an evil serpent god, it has to sound evil. Then you go down that Death and Black route. If you sing about fighting, it’s more thrashy.
Following on from this, have you been called a weird mix of genres by audience members or in write-ups?
Bragi: People want a certain thing when you look this way, and they maybe want you to sound like Turisas or Manowar. They get a little pinch of that, but they don’t get all of it, and it doesn’t fit that little pocket. But if you do sound like those bands, it’s then met with “yeah, it’s good, but it sounds like that other band.”
Niord: You can never give people what they want.
Heimdal: Most people don’t know what they want. In Germany, we had one guy tell us that he thought we were going to be a Black Pagan metal band and how we weren’t at all.
Niord: How dare we [laughs]
Who would you say your main influences are?
Niord: We’re very different people who like very different music, so everyone has their own little thing.
Heimdal: For example, I love bands like Megadeth and progressive music.
Niord: I am very into bands like Manowar, Visigoth, and Eternal Champion.
Bragi: I am very varied. It depends on my mood; some days I like to listen to opera, and other days I like to listen to brutal death metal.
I find that’s quite common that lots of bands have very different influences amongst themselves, and I think that makes your sound.
Bragi: That’s a good thing. Some people get it wrong and think they can’t make that sound. We all collaborate; otherwise it’s a one-man show.
Heimdal: That’s the important thing for us, because some bands have one person doing the writing, whereas we’re like democratic barbarians.
That leads me nicely to my next question. Niord, do you already have a rough idea of what vocal style you’re using on each track, or is it a case of jamming in the studio and seeing what works?
Niord: I would try to fit the mood of whatever is being played. If it’s a song with high energy or heaviness, you want a raspier tone. We also have calm songs on the new album coming up, and we have a calm song on our first album as well. You can’t use the gravelly voice on those. When I first write something, I start with the guitars, then the voice. If I think Heimdal has written a thrashy riff, then I will do something gravelly with my voice.
I was going to ask if there were plans for a new album.
Heimdal: We played two brand new songs in our set just now.
Niord: We are in the recording process of this now; the plan is to release it next year. Well, that’s the plan. You don’t want to promise these things and have people be disappointed.
One of the main messages at Rock Out Stand Out is that we want to normalize talking about mental health. What’s the biggest lesson you have learned when it comes to looking after your well-being?
Niord: Heavy Metal Music is an outlet for my anger; also, there’s a lot of sadness in rock when you’re playing minor scales. It’s an avenue where maybe you don’t have relationships with whom you commonly share those things, but then you go on stage and get it all out where you sing about something sad or angry, and people applaud it. Whereas in real-life situations, people get uncomfortable talking about it. That’s a very empowering thing to do; it’s like being vulnerable in a way, as you don’t know if people are going to like it. So when they do, it feels great, and like I can show a part of me and be appreciated for it.
Bragi: A couple of years ago, I was in a really bad spot, depression-wise. I had one thing that helped me, cliched or not; it was the drums. When I felt like things were too much or heavy on my mind, I went to play for hours as that was my little bubble, and I could forget about the world around me. I would put on some music and blast away for a couple of hours; then I was too exhausted to do anything else, so I would fall asleep. That has worked many times, and now the drums are connected to a good spot. Every time I sit behind a kit, I feel happy.
Heimdal: For me, a good thing to remember is that being kind is not always about being kind to others; it’s also about being kind to yourself. I have struggled with saying no to people; I want to help and please others, even if I don’t have time for it. It takes its toll, so sometimes kindness is saying no.
What do you like to do to relax and unwind?
Heimdal: I have kids, so sometimes it’s playing games, drawing with them, just something that helps take my mind off things.
Niord: Doing something that takes your mind off things but does not take too much from you. I have a flamenco guitar and I like to learn a bit of that; I heard some of it live when I was in Spain and really loved it.
Bragi: If my girlfriend is at home, I want to check if she wants to snuggle first because sometimes she doesn’t want to, and that’s completely fine. If she’s available, we’ll snuggle and put some music on. It’s often power metal stuff like Angra and more nostalgic stuff.
Who would be part of your ideal battle clan?
Niord: You have to have Conan the Barbarian.
Bragi: Then you need a live action hero so Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Heimdal: Maybe Jason Mamoa as well and let’s not forget Viggo Mortenson as well. I’m a huge Lord Of The Rings fan so I need to honour that.
Do you have any messages for Vanquisher fans and Rock Out Stand Out readers?
Niord: For anyone who is just discovering us, thank you for taking the time. There’s a lot of entertainment out there, and it’s hard to choose. We’re very grateful to everyone who shows up, cheers, and gets a shirt. Thank you for coming to our shows and saying hello. It’s a blast every time; it’s a lot of work that always pays off when you see the crowd.
Heimdal: Be kind, be happy and take care of yourself. Even though we sing about violence and war, don’t let that get to you.
Find VANQUISHER on their official website.
