A week ago, one man metal project Kvaen released their third album The Formless Fires (review here). Jacob Björnfot spoke with Hotel Hobbies about the album, recording in isolation and his approach to song writing.
Hotel Hobbies: Thank you for joining me! First of all, how are you? I know you are very busy at the moment.
Jacob Björnfot: Yeah, I'm always busy! Life is good and I am doing a lot of interviews and press stuff and I just found out that the new album peaked at Number 1 on the Swedish album charts.
Hotel Hobbies: I saw that on your Facebook today. You must be thrilled with that.
Jacob Björnfot: Yes. That's really nice. So I couldn't be happier.
Hotel Hobbies: I have listened to the album many times while reviewing it before it was released and the reactions it is getting in the first week of being out there seem very positive.
Jacob Björnfot: It’s been really good. I hope that the numbers will grow in the next couple of weeks. I am keeping everything crossed.
Hotel Hobbies: What first struck me about the album as a whole is that it obviously builds on some of the things you have done before, but also encompasses new territory. It feels like you are mid-evolution. Did that come naturally or did you make a conscious decision to include those new elements?
Jacob Björnfot: I definitely agree with you. Like every album I’ve done, it feels more mature than the last and I am always striving to be better at my instruments and to become a better musician. Those things are definitely the most important aspects of me even wanting to write music.
Hotel Hobbies: Talking about individual tracks, the album opens with the title track. It has this blistering attack at the beginning and then comes a balance between harsh metal and some cinematic atmospheres. How interesting is it to combine those two things?
Jacob Björnfot: I love to combine chaos with melody. I think that's when you get the best of both worlds as much as I love the chaos. I think the trickiest part is always to find the right mood of the melody.
Hotel Hobbies: The combination of the heavy parts and the melodic central section flows well and does not feel forced or out of place.
Jacob Björnfot: As a songwriter, I have always got to pay attention to every little bit because it's very important that everything glues together. When you when you feel like you are done and the song is written, I always to recommend everyone I know who are just starting out to let the songs be for while. Listen with new ears in a couple of days and then you will find out if you have to change something.
Hotel Hobbies: Because you play all almost of the instruments yourself, how often is that conversation with yourself?
Jacob Björnfot: Nine out of ten times it’s basically just with myself. It can be hard sometimes because you try to get this wide angle of how things actually sound because you have a vision of how you want something to sound. But sometimes of course, when I finish the songs, I send them off to the live musicians and I ask them, hey, what do you guys think about this? Is there something that would change or is this good just the way it is?
Hotel Hobbies: On the second track, Traverse The Nether, there is some haunting black metal and it has some of my favourite guitar work on the album. It is different to the first song and it is clear that the album is going to be far from one dimensional.
Jacob Björnfot: Thank you! Kvaen has always about been about variety and I think it’s the most important thing if you want to make an album interesting. I love the use of dynamics. Pink Floyd is my favourite band so its important to have these ups and downs to keep it interesting. I am a person who can lose interest quite fast if its just blast beast and shrieking vocals all the time – it gets kind of boring.
Hotel Hobbies: It is interesting you mention Pink Floyd because when I interviewed Oystein from Borknagar, he said that Pink Floyd was his favourite band too and they are a band that operate in similar territory to you. I think metal bands that experiment with dynamics and moods are extremely interesting. You have also mentioned the isolated environment that you live and work in being an influence on you and your approach to composition.
Jacob Björnfot: I live in the Arctic Circle. It's kind of bizarre when you think about it really. I mean, we are super isolated from everything. It's nine hundred kilometres for me to go to Stockholm. It’s not like I can just hop on a train or anything and be there in a few hours. It literally takes me between thirteen and fifteen hours to get there. So in some respects, it is kind of unique to breakthrough and get signed by a label like Metal Blade. I was born and raised here, so I guess I have taken it for granted because I see this place every day. For example, when winter comes and you have the Northern Lights almost every day, that's when you get reminded of that. This is a really remarkable spot. Winter is one of my favourite seasons. I’m not a summer guy. Much too warm.
Hotel Hobbies: It seems that isolation helps the actual way you record and write because you are doing it all yourself.
Jacob Björnfot: That’s right. I wanted to do this alone because I write music the way I want to hear it. This is the way I want my extreme metal to sound and if I start involving other people, then it would probably be something good but it wouldn’t be what it is today.
Hotel Hobbies: Tornets Sång is a song about wolves, gods and ancient forests. I know mythology is an interest of yours. How does it link to that song in particular?
Jacob Björnfot: That song is basically about the end of the world or Ragnarök as you may know it. What can I say about Ragnarök that hasn’t already been said? It’s an easy-going verse; then the chorus kicks in and you really get what this song is about. I knew that it was either going be a song that people would love or hate because of the chorus.
Hotel Hobbies: You have the clean backing vocals to accompany the main vocals and it opens up the whole thing to a huge scale.
Jacob Björnfot: Yes and they was definitely what that sound needed. When I heard the final results, I knew this was going to be really good and I am so happy. I knew it would reach a certain audience that perhaps doesn't listen to this kind of music, but it would open doors. I have already seen a lot of those kind of like posts on Instagram and stuff like that from people that normally don't listen to this kind of music and that's great.
Hotel Hobbies: The Ancient Gods adds yet more variety. It has a gorgeous introduction – darkly beautiful you might say. I know you wrote a lot of this album on tour and really focused on the specifics of songwriting. It is such a brilliantly written song.
Jacob Björnfot: Oh, thank you. I also knew that that was going to be a song that a lot of people who, as I said earlier, do not normally listen this kind of music could probably get a grip on. It's not too extreme, but it's not too soft so you can attract both audiences.
Hotel Hobbies: Definitely. The blending of genres is evident throughout the album and although it is not a long album – which is fine with me – there is still an epic feel to many of the tracks but no song outstays its welcome.
Jacob Björnfot: Definitely. I have never done an album that lasts say an hour because I don’t really like listening to those kinds of albums. I like albums that get straight to the point. With Kvaen, I have striven for albums that flow, are compact but have variety. So your comment about the album not being one dimensional is probably the biggest compliment I could achieve so thanks!
Hotel Hobbies: You have a couple of guest solos on the album by Sebastian from Necrophobic and Chaq from Dark Funeral. Could you talk about how their involvement came about?
Jacob Björnfot: Sebastian is a very good friend so whenever I get the chance to ask my friends if they want to play on my stuff, I send them the song and ask them what they think and if they are interested in doing a solo. So far, no one has said no. It’s fun. What's better than having your good friends on your music? I mean, that's awesome.
Hotel Hobbies: That is what it is all about, whatever type of music you are making. You have to enjoy it for yourself first. Bands that start making music purely with fans in mind lose some of their own creativity.
Jacob Björnfot: Yeah, absolutely. That’s the core of what a creative artist should do. Do what you feel is right not what anyone else says is right.
Hotel Hobbies: There are some songs that build up the layers wonderfully. De Dödas Sång is one such example. It also has some really vicious vocals that really fit well with the theme of the song.
Jacob Björnfot: Oh yeah! That song was fun to record, especially the vocals because there’s lots going on after the solo. Clean vocals mixed with growling vocals and an almost Pagan part. I remember doing that part thinking this is going to be great. When I heard the final song, I was like, yeah, this is probably my favourite song off the album.
Hotel Hobbies: It is hard to pick a favourite because listening to the album a lot, it has kept changing, which I suppose is the sign of a great album. At the moment, for me, it is The Wings of Death because it sums up everything that the album has to offer.
Jacob Björnfot: It has a powerful chorus. One of the best I have written, I think.
Hotel Hobbies: You mentioned Pink Floyd earlier; can you talk about bands you enjoy or who may have influenced you?
Jacob Björnfot: Bathory was the first one, and then Morbid. When I heard December Moon for the first time, that made a huge impact on me. Early, early Mayhem too. And of course, like if we're talking about other bands, it was Lou Reed, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Iron Maiden, Metallica and everything in between. I went and saw John Fogerty perform live and it was fucking amazing. It was like being a kid again. He’s one of, if not my favourite songwriter. He can write a hit song that is two and a half minutes long and it’s more convincing than most of the other songs that were written then or have been written today. Anyway. It's kind of funny.
Hotel Hobbies: It is an interesting answer because I feel that some people who look in on metal bands or metal fans might not realise the range of music they listen to or that a lot of metal artists really think of themselves as ‘songwriters’ too.
Jacob Björnfot: Yes! For me, it’s never been about being a guitar player. It has been about being an actual songwriter because without good songs, you don’t really have anything to offer. Writing an actual song requires a lot of - I don't like to use the word talent about myself but - talent.
Hotel Hobbies: You now have a settled live line-up. What are your plans for live shows going forward?
Jacob Björnfot: We're going to do some more festivals during the summer now. Then during fall, we are planning some more gigs and a tour but I can’t talk about that just yet.
Hotel Hobbies: Just to end. How would you sum up the journey of this album from your own perspective?
Jacob Björnfot: It’s been the easiest album to record so far, so I guess joyful is a word that comes to mind.
Hotel Hobbies: Thanks you so much for talking with me. Good luck with the album; it was a pleasure to write about.
Jacob Björnfot: Thank you man! That was great. Have a good one and take care.
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