Hi FIMBUL WINTER, congratulations on the forthcoming release of “What Once Was”! You must be excited.
Hello,
We are absolutely thrilled to finally release our debut EP to the world and are eager to see how it is received. We’re confident that fans of old-school melodic death metal will truly appreciate what we’ve created and what we bring to the genre.
Firstly, can you tell us about the formation of the band? When and how was it formed?
The project began when Niko, the drummer of Fimbul Winter, was celebrating his 50th birthday and expressed a desire to perform Amon Amarth’s demo "The Arrival of the Fimbul Winter" in its entirety. Fredrik enthusiastically joined on guitar, and the remaining members were gradually brought on board.
Anders was the obvious first choice for the lineup, but due to a scheduling conflict with a performance by his other band, he was initially unavailable. However, when that show was cancelled, he was able to rejoin the project. Linus, a mutual friend, stepped in on bass for the performance.
As for myself, I was already attending Niko’s birthday celebration as a longtime Amon Amarth fan and mutual friend. Being a vocalist, I was asked to join the lineup for the event as well.
Following the shows, we all had such a great experience working together that we decided to evolve the performance into a full-fledged project.
Do you believe the band name 'FIMBUL WINTER' perfectly describes your music and philosophy?
We took it from the Amon Amarth demo ” The Arrival of the Fimbul Winter” which was the reason for us uniting as a band, and something we feel strongly about and connects us all. The name is just a name and doesn’t describe the music in any way, nor does it describe our philosophy. But it’s a name that brought us together and we like it.
Now, can you tell us about “What Once Was” and the lyrical themes behind each track? What are the ideas you wanted to convey?
A lot of the lyrics centre around loss, revenge, and loneliness because those are some of the most intense and transformative emotions we experience as humans. They’re not always comfortable, but they’re honest and I think that honesty is what people connect with. Writing about those themes helps me process things personally, but it also creates space for listeners to feel seen and understood in their own experiences. It’s not about glorifying pain it’s about acknowledging it and giving it a voice.
Memory and loss are due to the fact a close friend of myself who also was a huge Amon Amarth fan lost his life while the songs were getting written. I took it upon myself with the approval of the other guys to write an homage to him.
Where and when did you record “What Once Was”? Are you satisfied with the final product?
The drums were recorded at Wing Studio in Sweden in March, rhythm guitars in May at the same studio. Leads and bass were recorded at home. The vocals were recorded with Witching Hour Audio in july. It was mixed and mastered by Marko Tervonen (The Crown).
We are very much happy with how it turned out!
What are FIMBUL WINTER's musical and non-musical influences?
Anything in the old school melodic death realm we draw our influences from. What has been and forgotten we're trying to bring back to this day and age.
Could you please share your personal views on religion and god?
We are atheists and do not particularly believe in any religion or god.
Can we expect to see some gigs across the USA or Europe in the near future?
Europe we're currently in the process of booking a few select shows for mid 2026. USA You never know if the right offer comes through we wouldn't say no.
Lastly, when can fans expect something new from you? A music video, single, or documentary perhaps? Our EP is released November 14th worldwide, we have already released our debut single and music video.
In saying that we're already in the process of writing songs for our next release. So stay tuned......
Thank you for the interview. Is there anything you would like to say to your fans, supporters, critics, and our readers before we wrap up?
Thanks for your time and thanks to anyone checking us out!