Exclusive Interview with DARKTRAIL

Hailing from the thriving metal hub of Scavadniava, Darktrail is a six-person metal ensemble from Halden, Norway, blending haunting, eerie melodies with thrashing, distorted guitars and driving, anthemic drums & bass. The band, formed in late 2021, consists of Cecilia Sävervall on lead vocals, Andreas Bye on keyboard and vocals, Fridtjof Braunsek–Vigen on guitars and vocals, Hans Jørgen Kvisler on guitars, Jostein Gundelsby on bass guitar and vocals, and Bjørn Svensen on drums. Their music draws inspiration from folklore, loss, despair, and the contrasting light and dark aspects of the human mind which is beautifully illustrated in the poignant lyricism that is present throughout each and every one of their releases. With two singles already released, Darktrail is now celebrating the release of their debut album, delivering their unique brand of metal to the world and hoping to make their mark on the Scandinavian scene. Check out the exclusive Interview below:

1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?

DARKTRAIL: Four guys played in a band called Sacral Disorder, a girl joined, one guy left, the band changed, and two other guys joined, and suddenly we were the band we are today.

2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?

DARKTRAIL: There is a mix of one guy with 9 years of piano lessons, a couple of guys with three to five years of youth musical education, and some are completely self-taught.

3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘DARKTRAIL?

DARKTRAIL: We choose to answer this question individually as our influences are quite dispersed.

Fridtjof: Iron Maiden was the first source of inspiration, Judas Priest was the second, and is one of the strongest influences on my playing style. Def Leppard and Ozzy Osbourne are other strong sources of inspiration. Growing up as a kid I badly wanted to be able to play like those guys did, and those bands are much of the reason that I started to play guitar to begin with. Over the years the sources of inspiration have evolved and widened somewhat, but the core of it all is the 80’s heavy metal and rock scene as a whole with heavy focus on the new wave of British heavy metal, although not limited to that, rather than specific individual artists or bands.

Andreas: Coming from really liking alternative rock and hard-core, such as Ministry and LARD, what I really love and take with me into the music is the energy from punk (Dead Kennedys and Iggy Pop), the sounds and melancholy in the singing of two voiced grunge (Alice in Chains).

Hans J: Growing up I listened to Children of Bodom, Arch Enemy, Wintersun, Jarle H Olsen, and I still do! Those are just a few of a looong list of bands that I enjoy. In later years bands with a more progressive sound has found its way into my list of go-to bands.

Jostein: I listen to a lot of different music, and I always have. But when I come up with ideas for Darktrail I will draw inspiration mainly from rock and metal acts. I think the riffs from the legendary album Slaughter of the Soul by Swedish death metal band At the Gates are absolutely killer, and thus you might hear some similarities in the song Oskorei which I wrote mostly on my own. I have also listened to a ton of Norwegian black metal band Taake, and a lot of influence has undoubtedly made its way into my songwriting.

Cecilia: I have listened to all types of commercial music, but especially 80’s rock and grunge. Metallica, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, System of a Down, Fleetwood Mac are some of them.

Bjørn: I like classic, melodic rock. Saga, FM, Aldo Nova, Cheap Trick, Fate, TNT, Shy.

As you understand, discussing our influences in the band led to a big argument, so we can’t agree on a joint reference. We melt the different styles together in our own music, which we love.

The name Darktrail came mostly out of necessity, and method of elimination. Everyone involved at the time just threw suggestions at each other back and forth for a few days, until we finally settled on Darktrail. The name is meant to reflect on the fairytale and folklore atmosphere in some of our lyrical material.

4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?

DARKTRAIL: Strong vocals are the first thing that comes to mind that we think would resonate well with the listeners. Our sound is strongly guitar driven, while still blending that with synth and piano elements as well. Adding in the bass and drums, we get that powerful punchy heavy sound, that is instantly recognizable.

5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style?

DARKTRAIL: We gathered and developed as a band comparatively late in life, we are in our mid 30’s to late 50’s after all, so I think our phase of emulation largely passed for each and every one of us prior to gathering as a band. In a sense we became who we are as a band through writing and recording our first track “Hulder” everything since evolved from there. So the blend of the styles into our own sound is actually learning by making songs together.

6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?

DARKTRAIL: It’s nice when you’re able to write something sensible that has a deeper meaning to the listener in some way, but at the end of the day music as a consumer product is entertainment, so you must entertain. On the other hand we are exploring folklore and the connections to daily struggles and people’s minds and deeper thoughts. For each of us individually, just being able to do what we love and convey that to an audience is what drives us.

7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?

DARKTRAIL: In many ways it does, and in many ways we also want more. We think both are mandatory to be able to keep doing this over time.

8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?

DARKTRAIL: The songs are mostly collaborations among the various members of the band, but not necessarily. What starts it off varies with who brings the initial idea to the table. A lot of the time there’s a guitar part or a piano part, or just a melody, that then quickly evolves into a certain feel or atmosphere as the idea is brought into collaboration, and other times there are more or less completed frameworks or song structures that then gets worked on until we have a finished song, or someone just plain writes a song in full and presents it to the band.

A typical example of the first songs was that the guitarist came with a riff, our vocalist hummed a nice melody on top of it (she is brilliant at melodies) and then we build the arrangement, bridges etc together in the band.

9. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?

DARKTRAIL: They’re two very different things, and thus bring excitement in very different ways. But, if we have to choose one, it will have to be interacting with a live audience. You get an instant response on what you do, and the whole atmosphere of a live performance is second to none.

10. What would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?

DARKTRAIL: Our proudest moment must be when we finally finished our debut album. None of us really thought we’d make a full album when we entered the studio for the first time. We made the full album before having played a single concert together.