Odjur, the Swedish melodic death metal duo, blends Nordic mysticism, brotherhood, and nature’s contrasts into music. They explore identity, unity, and raw emotion, inviting listeners to unleash their inner beast.
1. Odjur’s
imagery is deeply rooted in Nordic forests, beasts, and brotherhood. When did
this concept first take shape, and how personal is it to you both?
The visual
concept of Odjur took shape early on when we first formed the band in the end
of 2024. We have both always been quite intrigued by the Nordic mysticism, and
it´s just such a great fit with the metal genre. The concept of brotherhood
originates all the way back to high school when me and Gustaf went to the same
class. For many years after high school we did however not see each other, but
in the end of 2024 we accidentally met in a parking lot i Malmo, Sweden. That´s
when the first talks about creating music took place, and that eventually led
to us forming Odjur.
2. The
phrase “unleash the beast within” feels central to Odjur. What does that
“beast” represent on a human level, beyond the mythology?
Unleashing
the beast within represents the possibility to be who you really are. We want
to inspire people to let go of the anxiety and desire to always fit in and be
as everybody else, and show that this is ok and so much more fun!
3. Blood
and Bones sounds like a rallying cry rather than just a song. Was
there a specific emotion, moment, or story that ignited this track?
That´s
exactly what it is! Blood and bones is about encouraging people to not loose
hope but to keep on fighting. Regardless what your struggles are it´s essential
to remember that if you stick together you can succeed no matter what your
"final war" is about. This is something we think is especially
important today, with everything that´s going on in the world.
4. The
lyrics emphasize unity, loyalty, and marching forward together. How important
is the idea of “the pack” in your music and your real-life dynamic?
The idea of
the pack resonates to so many different things. Odjur is our pack, but also our
families, our friends and our colleagues. Everyone deserves the feeling of
belonging to a pack, and everyone is welcome to join ours.
5. Melodic
death metal often balances brutality and melody. How do you approach that
balance when writing and arranging new material?
This is
something we talk about a lot when writing and arranging the songs. To us there
is something interesting happening when you combine contrasting things such as
melodic guitars with harsh vocals or a choir with melancholy harmonies. When
writing and producing songs we want to be in that space right between” good and
evil”, to keep things as exciting as possible.
6. You
describe the music as forged in “frost and fire.” How does Sweden’s landscape
and atmosphere influence your sound and mindset?
When living
in Sweden it´s hard to ignore the impact of nature and the different seasons of
the year. During winter it´s dark, snowy and cold, and that effects they way
you live and feel during that time of year. You don´t go outside as much, and
you don´t meet as many people. But during summer the sun is up most of the
night, even the whole night in the very northern parts of Sweden, it´s like two
completely different worlds, both inspiring in their own way. We love this
contrast between the seasons and it's a big part of who we are for sure.
7. The
Eye of the Beast (Odjursögat) is a recurring symbol. Can you tell us more about
its meaning and how it guides the Odjur journey?
We wanted
to create a strong and easily recognizable symbol that everyone that joins our
pack could gather around. The Eye of the Beast is a beacon that holds a promise
of belonging and a more meaningful and fulfilling life, or at least a couple of
heavy riffs and some guttural vocals on the way there :)
8. Working
as a duo, how do Hati and Garm divide the creative process, and where do
conflicts—or sparks—usually arise?
The process
of creating a new song usually kicks off with Hati recording a rough demo with
some guitar riffs and drums and sending that to me. I then start thinking about
a melody/rhythm for the vocals, and start adding some words to that. Then we
usually meet up to see what we have and to elaborate on the theme and concept
for the song, and to record some demo vocals over the the demo track. After
that Hati continues to record the guitar tracks and solo, and some base. I
finish the lyrics before we meet up in the studio to record the final vocal
tracks. When everything is recorded we arrange the song together, here we
sometimes have some different opinions on how to structure the song. I´m more
of a "kill your darlings" type, and Hati is the "more is
more" kind of guy, but since we have a very similar vision of the end
result, we always manage to find a common ground, we are after all Swedes,
consensus is inevitable ... :)
9. Blood
and Bones was
mixed and mastered by Dion Christodoulatos. How did that collaboration shape
the final sound of the track?
When we had
recorded our first song Glory to the fallen we did a sweep on SoundBetter for
potential mixing and mastering partners for the project. We found a couple of
interesting candidates and ended up sending the song to 3 different people. Out
of the three different mixes we got in return, Dion´s was by far sounding the
best and was the closest to the sound we where looking for. We instantly felt
that he understood our vision, besides delivering a great mixing and mastering,
he also enhanced the production with some sound scaping and production ideas.
We have since then collaborated with him in similar way on all singles.
10. As
Odjur continues to grow and the pack expands, what can listeners expect next:
more lore, heavier battles, or deeper journeys into the wild?
You can
definitely expect more of all that! We have a lot in store for this year and
our next single "End of Days" will be released later this spring.
We invite you all to Enter the forest, Embrace the beast, and Join the Pack!
Post a Comment