Nordic Hamster blend progressive metal, humor, and fatherhood on “The Battle For Christmas,” a festive heavy detour. We discuss creativity, friendship, family life, and the evolving sound behind their release.
1. “The
Battle For Christmas” is such a fun and unexpected title for a progressive
metal release. What inspired you to take on the holiday theme in such a heavy
way?
I think the lack of
metal Christmas songs in our style is our biggest inspiration. It seems to be a
little more popular this year and I’m happy to see it. It was a fun break
inbetween writing the new album.
2. You’ve known each other for years and even describe yourselves as “full-time
dads and part-time riff machines.” How does fatherhood shape your creativity
and your approach to making music?
Kids teach you to just be yourself, we don’t take ourselves so seriously
anymore. We love making music and supporting those around us, so one song might
be a product of the mood we’re in. Another might be more thought out and
methodical. Our families support means a lot to us and we hope our kids will
take to it one day as well.
3. Nordic Hamster started as an instrumental guitar project. What pushed the
evolution toward adding vocals and forming the duo as it exists today?
I think it was just an inevitable progression, we always wanted vocals. We
may still run a few instrumentals in future albums as well. We just love
writing so you never know what sound will come next.
4. As lifelong friends, what’s one thing you each bring to the project that the other doesn’t? How do your personalities balance the band?
I believe we have a mutual mentality for the sound we want but we definitely achieve it differently which plays out perfectly. (Cody N) I tend to take almost a power metal or ambient old school djent approach where (Cody H) tends to have this gnarly groove with this dark tone. We tend to have a yin and yang situation, one of us is always having some sort of chaotic life situation and the other just supports and helps out. It’s like a marriage really.
5. Progressive metal can be both technically demanding and emotionally rich. What elements of prog-metal do you feel most connected to when writing for Nordic Hamster?
We love the freedom of prog, we can pick and choose the vibes of the songs and change them as the story grows and shifts adding new elements constantly.
6. Holiday-themed metal isn’t something you hear every day. Did you approach the songwriting or production differently for “The Battle For Christmas”?
I’d say not really, we just took a break from the songs needing to be “mostly” serious. It gave us a chance to take a break away from the new Nordic Hamster storylines. So we chose to write a more electric song than normal and once we finished that a friend said why isn’t it as heavy as your old stuff? It kind of got under our skin and Krampus: The battle for Christmas was born.
7. You’re proudly signed to Indian River Music Company. How has that partnership helped shape this release or your artistic vision overall?
They’re like family to us, they don’t really have input but we definitely will shoot over ideas and ask their opinions. I think they’re the biggest reason we got back into the studio for the album. They believe in us in ways sometimes we don’t. So they definitely are a large part of Nordic hamster.
8. Being based in Orlando, what role does your local music scene play in your sound or your motivation as a band?
I feel like we’re really different from the bands around us but that’s not a bad thing. We’ve adopted some of their styles in our music from country/folk to Viking metal on some of our upcoming singles.
9. Progressive-metal often includes storytelling. Is there a narrative or concept behind “The Battle For Christmas,” or is it more about capturing a certain energy?
The Battle for Christmas was just 100% pure unfiltered holiday energy. It was never intended to be serious or heartfelt. Just a few fun ideas we could release while recording and writing the new album which is solely based on a wild adventure the Nordic hamsters find themselves in.
10. Balancing family life and musical ambition can be tough. What does your creative routine look like, and how do you manage to stay productive?
We own a company together so we spend nearly everyday listening to music, talking and planning out what we want to do next. In our personal life, music and professionally.
11. You both have a strong guitar background. How do you collaborate on arranging riffs, melodies, and the overall structure of your songs?
It’s very input based. We write very differently so we like to bring it to the table and walk away while the other person works on their addition or version. We write very independently at our homes then structure it together during recording. Sometimes one song gets turned into 2 or 3 separate ones just because we find the missing link to other songs.
12. With “The Battle For Christmas” releasing soon, what can fans expect from Nordic Hamster in 2026? Any plans for more music, videos, or live shows?
Hopefully we get booked for some really fun shows in 2026. We have a live show December 27, 2025 At The Conduit in Winter Park, Florida. We are writing the script for a music video for our next release currently and around halfway done with the next album. We will be releasing a new single hopefully every month until we are ready for the world to go on a crazy adventure with the Nordic Hamsters!
Nordic Hamster (@nordic_hamster) • Photos et vidéos Instagram
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