Patrik Lindgren: Jocke and Jens both have their one man projects Rutthna and Profundi) with one album out each. The activity has been quite low during the last years though, probably due to the completion of Hels Vite, but I think you might hear something from these projects in the future.
How did you get started in music?
My friends had a band and needed a bassist and I thought “how hard could it be?” So I joined the band before I knew how to play. Maybe not the best way to learn in theory, but it was highly inspirational and a lot more fun than to learn from a teacher or music school.
Was there a song or album that inspired you to want to perform music?
Metallica was probably our biggest favorites back then, even though we never tried (or could) sound exactly like them. I remember that we already at that point preferred to writing our own stuff rather than playing covers or trying to copy other bands.
What was your first band?
– The first band was called Manticora (which later on changed its name into Pantheon) that I had together with Jocke and Thomas from Thyrfing. As mentioned above, I played bass in that band, Thomas handled the drums and Jocke did vocals and guitars. So Thyrfing initially started as a “fun project” out of this band when we switched instruments after the rehearsals. We did two demo tapes with Pantheon and participated on some compilation albums around ’96-’97, but it never really led to anything, so when we got a record deal with Thyrfing around the same time we decided to put all our energy into that.
What is your all time favorite album?
That probably changes from day to day, but Metallica – Ride The Lightning and Bathory – Hammerheart would share the throne right now.
Who are some of your favorite Swedish metal bands?
Right now my favorites would be Grand Magus, Watain and Ereb Altor. But there are many bands that I’ve been admiring through the years such as Dissection, Unleashed, Candlemass, Dismember, Unanimated, Merciless, Bathory … the list could go on forever.
What's your favorite hobby away from music?
As I also have a full-time job beside the band, there is not much spare time left, but when it happens I enjoy more everyday stuff like cooking, reading, jogging, watching movies etc.
