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The Black Metal perspective makes a long overdue debut to the Nordic Sound in episode 49 with the inimitable Thomas Eriksen (Mork, Udåd). Not only has Thomas made quite the name for himself as the mind behind Mork, but kept himself and others entertained during COVID running his own Black Metal podcast, the "Thomas Eriksen Podcast" which featured some in depth conversations with big names in Norwegian Black Metal. Join us as Thomas takes us through what the style means to him, his recent work on Mork's seventh album "Syv", and my favorite, his haunting experimental project Udåd.

Thomas's work has captivated me over the last few years as I've explored his impressive discography defined by "urkraft", and a warm, organic approach to black metal inspired by rock production styles from the 60s and 70s. "Udåd" sealed the deal for me with its bleak and skeletal approach to a primitive black metal sound, reminding one of the atmosphere of films like the Blair Witch Project. If you haven't yet, I do sincerely hope you check out Thomas's music.

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0:00 Intro
1:47 Why Black Metal?
19:09 The Thomas Eriksen Podcast
32:57 Mork
56:16 Udåd
1:21:19 Midgardsblot
1:25:18 Black Metal Today
1:32:43 Closing Thoughts

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Over the course of his career, Olav Mjelva has become something of a face of the Hardanger Fiddle, with his fiddle being heard in settings such as Rings of Power, God of War: Ragnarök, and Marvel’s Loki. As well as being featured in over 60 studio projects, he is also well known in the Scandifolk scene for his work with Sver, the Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, Rydvall/Mjelva, and the Lodestar Trio. After collaborating with Einar Selvik and Ivar Bjornson for Skuggsjá, Olav has returned to sign with ByNorse for his project Afargang, whose debut album “Andvake” is looking to reimagine what Folk Metal can be. 

I hope you enjoy this milestone episode of the Nordic Sound, in which Olav and I discuss his upbringing as a fiddler from Røros, his love of black metal, and how his upcoming album Andvake blends these two worlds, and as always, taking little detours along the way.

Timestamps:

0:00 Intro

1:12 Sver in the States

4:38 Origin Stories

10:11 Learning the Hardanger Fiddle

13:00 Becoming a Studio Musician

18:04 Skuggsjá

23:02 Afargang

37:25 Black Metal as a Folk Musician

45:11 The Nordic Sound

48:29 Waiting for Andvake

52:22 ByNorse

56:24 Norway’s Folk Music boom

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Celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, Frigg have long established themselves as one of the leading string bands in Nordic folk. A small army of six musicians, what has always astounded me about the band is how effectively they use their numbers to their fullest capabilities, often times in their recordings sounding like there’s a full orchestra at their disposal. Their attention to orchestration and texture is second-to-none, and even when all three fiddles are chugging along at full steam, everything just fits into the arrangement. This rich texture of Frigg’s sound, combined with a relentless spirit for both innovation and tradition, is what sets Frigg apart as one of the most versatile and captivating bands of their generation. 

Website: Nordicsoundarchive.com
Frigg's website: https://frigg.fi/

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A beautiful homecoming!

Ale joins the channel once again from balmy California where Dreamers' Circus begin their 2025 U.S. tour to celebrate the release of their new album Handed On.

In this conversation, Ale talks about the importance of music in bridging divides between cultures in tumultuous times, the Handed On project, and of course, that every present question of Nordic Folk music.

Thank you so much for coming back around these parts, Ale. It's always a pleasure!

Check out tour dates near you in the coming weeks here in the states at Dreamerscircus.com/tour

0:00 Intro
1:45 Handed on U.S. Tour
10:30 The Nordic Folk Question
17:25 Touring the U.S. in 2025 - The Elephant in the Room
25:30 The Handed On Project
43:11 Handed On, the Album

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This year, I made it a New Years' resolution for the channel that we'd finally start an honest effort in expanding the Nordic Sound into new and more diverse genres, and what better way to bring classical music back into the picture than by chatting with one of my favorite music writers. 

Join me in welcoming Ola Nordal (Ballade Klassisk, Store Norske Leksikon) to talk about Norway's contemporary classical scene, the practice of active listening, and writing about music. Ola has long been a friend of the channel, often giving his own time to introduce me to composers and artists active in today's Norwegian classical music. 

0:00 Introduction
1:55 Ola's Musicology
4:12 Getting into Classical music (from Bathory)
9:59 Becoming a Music Writer
13:34 Active Listening
37:44 Writing About Music
45:28 The Norwegian Classical Scene
53:01 Why Write About Music?

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Fredrik returns to the Nordic Sound for his second appearance to talk about Torulf's recent record Ristningar i Ginnungagap and the stories that inspire his music. Along the way, we also talk about his earliest memories as a musician, how he became Torulf, and why it's difficult to keep up with new music.

Thanks for hanging out, Fredrik!

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Jameson and Jouhikko virtuoso Lassi Logrén celebrate Finnish independence day by talking about the Jouhikko/Tagelharpa tradition, Finnish folk music, and the Tagelharpa renaissance we’re experiencing outside of traditional folk circles. We also talk about Lassi’s new solo album “Jouhikko”, why Lassi believes the instrument itself sounds human, and what we might gain from learning how to connect with solo instrumental albums on a personal, communal, and maybe even spiritual, level. Along the way, Lassi offers advice and pointers for those learning, or looking to learn how to play the Jouhikko/Tagelharpa. And of course, being Finnish independence day, I had to take a detour through some Sibelius talk ;)

Lassi’s email for those who want to ask him for Jouhikko/Tagelharpa advice: [email protected]

I hope you all enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Thank you Lassi, it was a pleasure!

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Finnish/Swedish(/Cornish?) duo Ville & Tommie join me in Nordic Sound #43 to talk about their uniquely freeform approach to performing Nordic folk music as an accordion and fiddle duo and their debut album "Stuffed Pockets". Along the way, we talk about how the duo came to be, where they come from as individual musicians, and that tricky line across tradition and innovation we always have to dance as folk musicians.

"Ville & Tommie play for concert and dance, blending traditional melodies alongside original tunes. They each bring their backgrounds to the stage, whether it be a deep knowledge of Gästrikland fiddle tunes or Cornish street music. Yet in essence the duo Ville & Tommie is all about creative empathy. To be more than the some of their parts, they must inhabit each others’ playing. And in whichever setting, the dance is never far away. The groove of polska, waltz, hornpipe and schottis is the heartbeat to their tune."

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In part 2 of Nordic Sound #42, Jameson and Fredrik poke and prod at the thorny question of what folk music is, what makes something folk music, and what folk music means in a Nordic context with Fredrik contributing what he learned while writing and directing the documentary "Trollstemt".

I've found these conversations are almost always had behind closed doors in hushed tones, but I think there's much to be gained by bringing it out from under the rug after hearing perspectives from many sides of the Nordic music industry that tend to overlap more than one would expect. Therefore, the purpose of conversations like these is to create a space for open and candid discussion that encourages us to think more intentionally about the ways we think about, talk about, and listen to the music that we love.  With that in mind, I hope those who do contribute to the conversation do so in the same spirit.

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Join me as I dive deep into the history of Norway's folk music tradition with Fredrik Akselsen, acclaimed director of the series "Trollstemt" - a documentary I had been keeping tabs on since Mattias Thedens of Gangar first promoted it last year. It's funny to think I hadn't the slightest idea that I'd end up having the director on the Nordic Sound for a chat, and for that, we all owe a hearty "tusen takk" to Ingrid Aune Falch of Songleikr for putting us in contact after our last interview. 

In a first for the channel, this interview will be split into two parts. In the second part, we continue the thorny, provocative, but important conversation to be had about what Nordic Folk music is and why it's a conversation that needs to be had more openly, and more candidly, as fantasies of Nordic Folk enter into the mainstream and risk overtaking this rich, beautiful, and surprisingly animist music tradition dating back over a millennia. 

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