Hi! Ravens and Eagles deals with opposing forces. Which stories or events shaped that idea?
Good question. The main stories that shaped the idea are the Roman Imperium and the Dark Ages. Ancient Goths can be seen as the ones bringing the Dark Ages, and the ones bringing the heritage of the light from ancient Rome. For some people, Ancient Goths represent the barbarians that brought darkness from northern Europe, and for other people, Ancient Goths were extremely Romanized and the less pure Germanic tribes. So, I think that speaking about Ancient Goths is speaking about two forces that have built the history of Europe and that are in continuous fight and collaboration at the same time.
The album title draws on the imagery of ravens and eagles. What made these symbols feel right for this record?
Usually Ravens represent the ancient Germanic tribes, and they can be materialized in Huginn and Muninn. So Eagles would represent the darkness coming from the Germanic tribes of the North. The Eagles are a clear symbol of the Roman Imperium that for some people is identified with the light, and also some other Germanic people took it as their own standard later.
Gothic history has been a recurring element in your lyrics. Did you approach it differently this time around?
Midjungards is always dealing with Ancient Goths’ history. All the stories that we tell are linked to Ancient Goths in different ways. On the other hand, the approach is a bit different in each album. From Scandza was a presentation of the long travel in the history of the Ancient Goths. When Empires Fall was centered on the Sack of Rome by Alaric and all the historical consequences and circumstances that it had. And Ravens and Eagles is focused on the duality of Ancient Goths during history, as was explained in the previous questions. So, we are always speaking about Ancient Goths, but in each album we try to make a different focus and try to tell different parts of them.
When writing about history, where does fact end and imagination begin for you?
That is a good question. I think that Midjungards does not want to be historically accurate. The main reason is that nowadays the history of the Ancient Goths is very politicized. People try to use historical facts to justify concepts of our days. We do not want to discuss what the real facts are, and for sure we do not want to use it for any political ideas. We just want to enjoy the Ancient Goths’ legends and, what is more important, have fun and enjoy with people that feel identified with those legends.
Compared with When Empires Fall, did the songwriting process feel different for this album?
I think that in When Empires Fall the bases for Midjungards’ songwriting were established. So, I could say that the songwriting process in Ravens and Eagles is an evolution of the songwriting process in When Empires Fall.
Producing the record yourselves must have changed how it came together. Did it give you more freedom, or more challenges?
I would say that both. We have all the freedom that we need. But it is a challenge. This is the main reason why we contacted Finnvox. We wanted to record, mix, and master with someone that could give us some warranties of quality until we learn how to get that quality by ourselves.
Returning to Finnvox, what aspects of the sound do you feel were shaped most by the studio team?
I would say realism of sound and mastering.
When everyone has a strong vision for the songs, how do you settle on the final arrangement?
Before going to the studio all the songs of Midjungards are written in partitures. So we are sure that most of the arrangements are fixed in the partitures already, so we can minimize the amount of arrangements to be done in the studio. This makes the arrangements in the studio very few, and the few that arise are fixed on the go.
You handled the album artwork yourselves. What mood or feeling were you aiming to capture?
I was aiming to capture a mood and feeling of transcendence and philosophy. I wanted to transmit the feeling that when we are speaking about the duality of Ancient Goths we are speaking about something more that is still living in our society, that you can see everywhere.
After playing From Scandza live, how are you thinking about performing Ravens and Eagles on stage?
Well, with Guillermo Roig joining the band we are taking a different way of performing live, we think that the new way will bring more authenticity and connection with the audience in our concerts.
Are there tracks that you expect will hit differently live than they do on the record?
We always want that our concerts bring an extra flavor live. We want to have more connection and expressivity live. In particular, I think that Ansi’s Wrath can improve quite a lot live.
With your sound evolving, what kinds of festivals or shows do you imagine fitting this new chapter of the band?
That is difficult to say. I think that our sound already has identity, but as you said it is evolving all the time. To be honest, I do not think of any kind of festival for playing. We want to play in any place where you can feel metal. The more authentic the festival is, the more comfortable we feel playing in it.
Looking back at your career from 2006 to now, does this album feel like a peak, or the start of something new?
I would say something in the middle. I see it as one step more in a long travel. We are trying to improve and bring new things all the time, and this album is just one more step in which we put all our heart and effort.
If you had to sum up Ravens and Eagles in a single sentence for yourself, what would it be? Thank you for your time!
I would say spirituality in metal. Deep thoughts and passion for metal. Thanks a lot to you for this great interview.
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