Rockezine.com interview with Månegarm on Oct 26, 2005

with Erik Grawsiö on Oct 26, 2005

Månegarm, the Swedish Viking metal vetarans, recently released Vredens Tid, their strongest offering so far. Time to let drummer/singer Erik Grawsiö answer some questions
		Hi there, how’s life over there in Sweden. Getting colder already? Hi there!! We are just fine here in Sweden even though it’s getting colder. This morning the temperature was - 3 degrees Celsius when I went to work.
		Vredens Tid, your fourth album, has just been released. Are you satisfied so far with the reaction from fans and press? Yes, we’re very satisfied so far. We have received a lot of reviews and they have all been very good.
		Are you completely 100% satisfied with the result of the recordings? We are very satisfied with the songs and the production on “Vredens Tid” but I don’t think that we ever will be 100 % satisfied. After recording an album you always find things that could have been done differently or done better. Some parts that you could have played better, singed better, arranged better etc.etc. We recorded the album during two hectic weeks so we had to work really, really hard, day and night, to get the album ready in time. One extra week would have been nice…….
		You invested a lot in the lyrics printing both the original Swedish version as well as the English translation in the booklet. Are the lyrics that important for Månegarm? The lyrics are very important to Månegarm. For a song to be perfect, both music and lyrics have to be good and interesting. Pierre, our bass player, is the one that writes the lyrics and he puts a lot of effort into the writing. Through the years we have received a lot of requests for English versions of the lyrics and now we thought that it was time fulfill that request.
		Are the lyrics a cooperation between you guys or are they written by one person? Almost all Månegarm lyrics are written by Pierre.
		You stated that you were not a live band before. But by now you’ve played several gigs. How did they go? We haven’t been a live band before, that’s right. We have always liked playing live but earlier years we just haven’t done it that often, no particular reason….This year we have been quite busy playing live. We have played at great festivals and “metal fests” in Germany, Austria, Scotland, and Belgium. The gigs have gone well and the audience has been great. We have met a lot of really, really great people!!!
		What was the reason anyway for not playing live, in the past? As I said earlier, we didn’t have any particular reason for not playing live, we just didn’t do it that much. I think that we were a little bit lazy at that time. If you want to play live you have to spread your name and get people interested in your band. That was something we didn’t do back then.
We would probably kill each other if we had swords and other stuff on stage		Do you think it’s important for a band like Månegarm to perform live? Do you perform as Vikings during a gig? (Meaning that you wear battle gear and wave around with swords and such). I think it’s very important to perform live. Recording albums alone doesn’t make you famous, you have to play a lot of gigs and promote your band in every way, just to show that you exist. Nothing comes for free……. We don’t perform as Vikings on stage. We would probably kill each other if we had swords and other stuff on stage, ha-ha!! We let our music do the talking!!!!!
		What exactly does Månegarm mean? Something with the moon I reckon judging your moonjarm@hotmail.com email address but what else? Månegarm is the name of a wolf that lived in a dark and terrible forest called the Iron forest. He feasted on blood from dying people and during Ragnaroek he hunted the moon which caused an eclipse of the moon. He also caused an eclipse of the sun as he spitted blood among him that blackened the sun.
		Vredens Tid is your fourth album on Displeased Records. Is this still based on the original contract or has it been renewed? If so I guess you’re pretty satisfied with these guys. We have been working with Displeased Records since 1997. It can sometimes be a problem to have a record label so far away, you always have to communicate via e-mail, but over all we’re are satisfied with the corporation so far.
		It is also the fourth cover painting by Kris Verwimp. Still satisfied also? It seems he is continuously growing as a painter, the guy is amazing. Kris Verwimp has done the cover painting for “Havets Vargar”, Dödsfärd”, Vargaresa-The beginning” and “Vredens Tid”. We are very satisfied with his work and I totally agree with you; the guy is absolutely amazing!!!!!
		Of those four, what’s your favorite painting? And what’s your overall favorite painting by Kris? Tricky question……It’s hard to pick out a favorite. I really like all of the Månegarm cover paintings but the “Vredens Tid” cover painting is just really something. It’s totally amazing with its depth and all its details. I also like the “Dödsfärd” painting for the same reason and the “Vargaresa……....I told you, I can’t decide…….. I can’t tell you which one is my overall favorite……That was an even trickier question. I’ll have to buy Kris’s book that shows many of his paintings, then maybe I can decide…..
		Månegarm has been a long time around already. How do you see Månegarm in ten years time? Retired or still going strong? We really love what we’re doing so I’ll have to say; Still going strong!!!!! It’s hard to guess what it’s like ten years from now but I think and hope that the future holds good things for Månegarm.
		Thanks for answering the questions: Below is about 500 lines of space to promote Månegarm, send greetings, or do whatever the hell you want. See you in Holland some time in the near future! Thanks for letting us being interviewed. It’s always a pleasure and it’s also an important promotion part in this business. Buy our new album “Vredens Tid” and we hope to see you all on the roads!!!! We will hopefully do a “minitour” in Holland/Germany in the beginning of 2006. Rock N’ Roll!!!!
		(Roy van den Brink)