Hi Johnny! At album fifteen, what part of the creative process still feels dangerous to you? Is there anything that still threatens your sense of control as a songwriter?
HI! No. I’d say we have done this for such a long time now that it is really not too much that can stand in our way, really. Apart from our own life puzzle. We have been together such a long time that we pretty much know how long it takes. This is really a good thing in my estimation.
You’ve constructed an entire mythology around Odalheim. At what point does this world start writing you, instead of the other way around?
Haha yeah, good question. But to be honest, it is really a lot of what Unleashed has always been about. The past, present, and future of Viking traditions and values. You can translate most of the songs in the new album into everyday life, and you will find them very equal to the hardships and struggle of life in general. Things don’t have to be handled with a weapon in hand (like in the storyline of the Midgard Warriors), but things still have to get dealt with. And you better prepare for when war comes again… because it will.
What’s a rule you imposed on yourselves during the making of Fire Upon Your Lands, and when did you knowingly break it?
Oh, I think the best rule is to work hard and set a bigger aim that overshadows all others. And then you take aim at smaller goals on the way there. Now, of course, you have to break them from time to time because again, the damn life puzzle comes in the way sometimes and things need your attention. But that doesn’t mean you actually break things. I mean… you know you will not be able to go 100% all the time. Life isn’t constructed that way.
Can you name a musical risk on this record that would’ve been unthinkable in the early ’90s, and what made it worth taking now?
Well, not exactly. Although I couldn’t have written “To my only son” back then since I don’t have one. And therefore it would have been very hard to understand how to write him a final letter lying on your deathbed. I mean… I could have, but perhaps not with such depth.
Do you ever deliberately write against fan expectations, just to avoid becoming predictable to yourselves?
No, not that I can remember. Perhaps I have in the past at some occasion, but not really intentionally.
The World of Odalheim has always reflected more than just myth, what modern or internal “wars” have found their way into the mythology this time?
None at all. The World of Odalheim and the hunt for White Christ is mostly a future story. Of course, it has its past and present events that have inspired things to be brought into the future but I can’t think of any that would be of any significance to something going on exactly right now. Religious wars play a role but not that exact as one may think. And if they do, it is very likely just a coincidence.
35 years in, has your definition of strength, on or off the battlefield, changed? What would the Johnny of 1991 find surprising about that?
Ahh, well, perhaps it has. I see things with more depth now. Or at least I hope I do. But then you never know haha. Perhaps I am still looking at things the same way or at least very similar to what I did back in the day. But I’d like to think that I have learned a lot during the past 30 years or so.
If Odalheim had a holy book, what passage from Fire Upon Your Lands would serve as its gospel, and why?
You are one mean interviewer… haha… ok I pick this one –
The call to adventure, the call to life
The time that is given to you, before you die
Go out in the world and test your steel!
Heed my call! Be the hero that you can be!
Does death metal still need mythology to elevate itself above modern nihilism, or do the riffs speak loud enough on their own?
I agree that metal music in general is so damn powerful it sometimes doesn’t need lyrics. But I personally grew up with both. I mean, look at lines like these from Judas Priest: “out there is a fortune waiting to be had, if you think I’ll let it go you’re mad you got another thing coming”. I mean really, just really?? How would my life had been without this type of thinking? I have no idea. But it for sure struck me hard when I was a young metalhead. And it still does. Among many many other amazing lyrics of course.
And I don’t give a rat’s ass for Nihilism. How does that save you from the horrors of life? How does it protect you when the dark clouds cover the horizon? Will it make you stronger when you wake up on a Monday morning and shit hits the fan? It is just not helpful. It is just the easy way out as I see it. And that will certainly not make you or your kin stronger in the battle of life.
What part of Norse culture or worldview still feels misunderstood, even by metal fans who wear it on their backs?
I don’t know exactly what you mean but perhaps there are questions that need answers out there. I truly realize that. I have actually made a serious try to answer that in a book I just finished. It is in the editing process now and deals with things like the meaning of life etc. I am not saying at all I have the answer, but I think I know the Viking way of it. And perhaps it can help someone to some answers out there. We shall see.
What’s the most disciplined thing about UNLEASHED that no one ever sees?
We pay our share of flight tickets in time to the band account hahahahah. Pretty much all the time. It works, man… it works haha.
You’ve watched the scene shift, fracture, and evolve. What’s a change in the genre you resisted, but now recognize as necessary?
Hmm, that’s a tough one. I was the last one I knew actually spending money on a CD player. Haha… you’d think I’d be the first but hell know. I just didn’t see the point. I guess nowadays you hardly need one.
Has the act of staying true to your roots ever felt like rebellion, especially in eras when trend-hopping dominated extreme metal?
I never thought about it that way myself. But it has always been the most important thing for Unleashed. You have to be able to develop without changing too much.
You’re known for consistency, but how do you quietly innovate without betraying what you’ve built?
Well, that is the million euro question. Now, we all get influenced by things we listen to regardless of if we like to admit it or not. You just have to tread carefully in the terrain of inspirations if you don’t want to copy shit. Now, it is inevitable that you try some new things here and there it is just the balance that is important. The balance of still keeping to the roots and not betray the idea of the band and its DNA so to speak.
In a digital world built on short attention spans, where does a band like UNLEASHED fit, and do you even care?
I know what you mean. But I think we are built for stories. And not just shorter ones around 11 seconds but really long ones. Perhaps long enough to cover your lie. Why else did I listen to Manowar yesterday? Or many many other bands with good stories. Movies long enough for a few weeks worth of time. Or perhaps listening to books or reading. I mean… I think it is some specific legacy media who want us to believe we are not built for the longer stuff. But that just isn’t the truth. If the story is good enough, people will listen.
Have you ever felt your music has been romanticized by listeners in ways that distort its original intent?
No, at least I haven’t given it much thought really. I think people are genuine most of the time. There will always be those who jump on the wagon and go with the flow. Regardless of style I guess.
How do you measure authenticity now? Does it still come from the same place it did in ’91, or is it something else entirely?
Good question. I wonder sometimes if you can really measure culture at all. It is strange. You could probably live without it. I mean you wouldn’t die. But how would life be in the long run? What we did back in -91 was perhaps a start of things for us. But was it our best and most authentic? If so…why? I mean exactly why is that? What were the criteria? I like our latest albums more than our first ones although of course it is an unnecessary thing to even measure. Different times, different measures perhaps. A tough one to contemplate for sure.
With 15 records behind you, what’s something you still haven’t figured out about death metal that keeps you hungry?
Haha… when you put it that way… well, I still have much to do and so does the band. We still look forward to the next album, the next festival, the next show and the next meeting with friends and bang heads together. I’d say that it is really. It doesn’t have to be deeper than that for me at least. We keep rolling…
What do you think the next evolution of UNLEASHED would look like, not musically, but as a concept or cultural force? Thank you for your time!
Holy hell, Mr. Hatt. You sure dig deep.
Well, I think it will be something, haha. Yeah. But I won’t give that just yet. It may crash, too. These are strange times. But you can be sure Unleashed will stand strong regardless of what happens. New concepts or not. I can only hope people will find our music and lyrics interesting enough. Perhaps we can make our way into the hearts and everyday lives of a good number of warriors on this planet. If so… I’d say we did well.
Thanks a lot for the interview!
Hail Odin!
Johnny/Unleashed
Order Fire Upon Your Lands HERE.
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