Exploring Nordic mythology, atmospheric black metal, and the darker sides of human nature, Isvidd discusses Ragnarök, solitude, creative freedom, and the cosmic inspirations shaping his evolving musical vision.
1.
“Where the 9 Shadows Fell” takes inspiration from Ragnarök and the destruction
of the nine worlds. What first drew you to this particular mythological theme,
and what does Ragnarök represent to you personally?
I have many
activities that exist somewhere between a hobby, a job, and a source of
inspiration.
Besides
music, I also work as a history guide. I lead historical walks for those who
are interested in the Viking Age, Vendel Age, and Nordic Bronze Age. There are
plenty of ancient sites in Sweden, and I try to inspire people with history and
Nordic culture. Nordic mythology is a natural part of my poetic vision of the
world, and Ragnarök is the central and essential, pulsing heart of it.
For me
personally, it is part of the very grim worldview of people who did not see the
world as a good place to live. Even more ancient Nordic people considered the
world to be getting worse day after day and moving toward its end. This
resonates with my vision. Our current world is moving toward a very dangerous
and awful point of no return. Generally speaking, the poetic side of Isvidd is
a reflection of my pessimistic vision of human nature.
2. The
song describes the warrior’s soul being claimed by the Allfather, only to be
shattered at the end of times. How did you translate this powerful idea of
final death and spiritual destruction into music?
This is an
essential part of late Nordic pagan religion. There is no way out. Either you
live as a warrior, and at the end of the world you fight at the Allfather’s
side and die for the second time, forever. Or you live your life as a merchant,
peasant, blacksmith — whatever, but not as a warrior. Then you go to Helheim,
where at the end of times you will be forced to fight against the Allfather and
his forces.
Either way,
you will fight in the last battle and die again, forever. This inescapable idea
from the past gave me the inspiration for this song.
3.
Isvidd combines raw black metal with acoustic, ambient, and folk elements. How
do you balance these contrasting sounds while maintaining the cold and intense
character of atmospheric black metal?
Well,
Isvidd is not my first metal project. I played Folk Metal, Black Metal,
Progressive Metal, and many other styles in the past. Now I am 39, and I am not
a young and burning man anymore. I clearly understand what I want from music
and from the creative process.
Together
with my experience, I bring my personal impressions from my travels in the
North. I really love Nordic landscapes, and I have synesthesia. This is a
specific condition in which you can hear colors or smell sounds — a kind of
unusual neural connection.
I “hear”
the sky and the weather. I convert some of these impressions into chord
progressions on the keys, and then I make the arrangements. So I am just the
conductor of something cosmic into music.
4.
Nature, solitude, and the changing seasons are central themes in Isvidd’s
music. How do these elements influence the way you write and shape the
emotional atmosphere of your compositions?
I would
describe it a little differently. The central themes in Isvidd’s music are the
atmosphere of Nordic landscapes and the dark side of human nature. I have a lot
of lyrics about war and the rusted echo of war in the woods.
At first, I
was thinking about adding the DSBM hashtag to my style description, but I have
no depressive or suicidal topics at all. Melancholy is the natural feeling of
the Nordic sky, and this is not solitude. It is inner silence.
5.
“Where the 9 Shadows Fell” creates a feeling of something ancient, vast, and
inevitable. What kind of atmosphere or emotional journey did you want listeners
to experience from the beginning of the track to its conclusion?
Speaking
about this song, it is a little experiment with a 5/4 time signature and jazz
chord progressions on the keys. I liked the result, and on my second album
there will be more elements of “jazz-metal.”
So I
thought that such a complicated song should contain something like Odinistic
kennings. Then my mind naturally came to Ragnarök. I hope this little
experiment will be an interesting part of my first album. But I suppose the
emotional journey is more about the whole album, not just one song.
6. As a
solo project, Isvidd gives you complete creative control over the music. What
are the greatest advantages and challenges of working alone when writing,
recording, and developing your artistic vision?
Well, I
have many roles in my life: a father, a husband, a traveller, a history guide,
an engineer… And among all of this, I am also a musician and a poet.
I am not 18
anymore. A little bit older — 39. And this is not the first metal project in my
life. This time, I really do what I want, what I like, and spend as much time
on it as I want.
I am not an
easy person to work with — I am very demanding of myself and of others. So the
studio/online format with guest musicians is perfect for me now. Maybe in the
future I will gather some musicians to play all of this live, but for now I am
completely happy with how it is going.
7. Your
music sits within the atmospheric and melodic black metal tradition, with
influences that can appeal to fans of bands such as Agalloch, Panopticon,
Drudkh, Saor, and Woods of Desolation. Which artists have had the greatest
impact on your musical identity?
It is a
very hard question. My playlist consists of hundreds of bands. We could try to
divide them by style, maybe… Ritual Folk, Dark Folk, DSBM, Melodic Black Metal,
MDM, Symphonic Metal, Folk Metal, even some Heavy and Power Metal tracks.
I like to
roam in nature with randomized playlists in my ears. Maybe we should mention
the bands that have been with me for more than 20 years. I would say Amorphis,
Moonspell, and Moonsorrow.
8.
Sweden has a long and influential history within extreme metal. How does your
Swedish background and environment influence the sound, mood, or identity of
Isvidd?
My Swedish
background is not very deep. I moved to Sweden because I like Nordic nature and
the lifestyle. My guest musicians are also not originally from Sweden.
I would say
that Norwegian and Finnish metal have influenced my identity more.
9. The
nine worlds ultimately become ruins in the story behind the single. Beyond the
mythology itself, do you see “Where the 9 Shadows Fell” as carrying any deeper
message about mortality, change, destruction, or renewal?
I really do
not see the modern world as a good place, and I believe that the “human
project” has totally failed. Despite the fact that there are some good people,
humanity as a whole is still made up of very wild apes with atomic bombs.
That is why
I describe all nine worlds as being ruined. I have other songs that express
these ideas better. You will hear them quite soon.
10. With
“Where the 9 Shadows Fell” released on August 21, 2026, what can listeners
expect next from Isvidd? Are you currently working toward another single, an
EP, an album, or a larger musical chapter?
It looks
like Isvidd is going to be a long story. The first album is fully recorded and
is being released as singles at the moment. The rest will be released later as
a full album with all the tracks.
At the same
time, we are currently recording the second album. We are practically done with
the drums, and I am going to record the bass parts soon. The third album is
already about 90% composed. I also want to re-record some old material and
release it as an EP.
So I
suppose there will be a new song every 4–6 weeks. At least this strategy seems
to work for building name recognition in the modern world.
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