Interview:	GRIMNER
Title:	A deep love for the North

This is what six Swedes with an immense zest for playing sound like: with their new album „Stormvingar", the band from Östergötland brings a wonderfully refreshing Folk Viking Metal party to the summer heatwave!

Formed as a band in 2008, this new release slots in as the fifth longsword in the consistently high-quality arsenal of these utterly carefree seafaring souls. The interview features flautist Johan Rydberg together with lead guitarist and singer Ted Sjulmark.

Congrats on the new album - what a delightful & refreshing Folk/Viking Metal surprise! Are you already raising your horns in unison? 


Johan: Thank you so much! Yeah we are quite happy and excited about this new album! Oh yeah, the horns have been raised for a while, I think we made our first communal listen through with a couple of friends back in February. That's when we really felt we have some good stuff on our hands.

Ted: Yeah, it's been a few months since we first heard the final mix, and we are still so happy with all of it, and really looking forward to getting on stage with the new material.

How do you manage to perform with such verve, energy, wildness and exuberance in these multi-crisis-ridden, rather "dark" times?

Johan: Well, we have always been a quite energetic band live. But in relation to the world and times I would say that for Grimner’s music we don't really relate to the modern world. We sing about mythology, folklore and history. We don't really want to comment on the modern world. We could do it. But then it would become something else. Live we just want to have a great time with our fans and friends. Fuck the shit thats going on, just be kind to each other and have a great time for an evening.

Ted: Indeed, there are plenty of bands who bring all the horrible current events into their performances, lyrics, whatever. And that's totally fine, I love several bands who do that. But we don't let all that stuff beat down our love for the crowds and for our craft.

5 albums in 18 years – you like to take your time, don’t you?

Johan: Well, I guess so. It doesn't feel like we have been taking it slow. I guess the pandemic and lineup changes did slow things down a bit. Hopefully we can have a little better flow going forward! That said it does also take time to make an album, there are a lot of things going on behind the scenes besides the music when preparing a release.

Ted: Plus, we didn't release our debut full-length album until we had technically been a band for 6 years, so, depends on how you wanna count it, haha! But even so, we have had a bit of delays because of private life stuff as well, while we have really been working hard on the music production. We don't want to take longer than this between albums though, and I too think the flow will be better from now on, indeed.

The new output also sees the addition of brothers Anton Elowson, drummer, and bass player Axel Elowson, who bring fresh energy and musicianship to the band’s evolving sound. Please tell about how they've found their way into the Grimner crew. 


Johan: These guys have been absolutely amazing. Even though they are about 10 years younger they fit in so well in the bands dynamic. They are incredibly nice and reliable guys when working with the band, as well as exceptional musicians. It started off when we made a post about looking for a new drummer and Anton applied, later when we searched for a bass player we did put out an ad for that as well but it was quite logical that we also asked Axel, even though his main instrument was guitar. Although Axel and Marcus quite recently switched instruments so Axel now is the rhythm guitar player instead.

How has Grimner's musical style evolved since the album predecessor, "Urfader" out of 2022 in your own opinion, and what do you particularly like about it right now?

Johan: I would say that the main difference is Urfader has a bit more focus on clean vocals, being the first album that previous clean vocalist Martin was a part of from the start, as well as having a quite clean sound. Mostly due to us recording with Top Floor Studios who work a lot with quite crisp and highly produced sounds, a lot of progressive metal and such. For this album we worked with HoboRec, whose background is more in grittier metal, punk, metalcore. Which I think gave it quite another feel. Mainly I think the growls for this album sounds better and harder than ever! Basically both studios, who hadn't really worked with folk metal, used their expertise and experience when working with us thus making some quite interesting differences in sound for the albums.

Ted: Couldn't have said it better. I'd like to add that, if we count out the studios and focus solely on the musical style itself, I think our style has evolved into being a bit more wild and less predictable than on "Urfader", but still more controlled and focused than our early years.

How do you see and evaluate this new output within your whole musical journey, which lasts since 2008?

Ted: I want to think of this album as a sort of new beginning, because that is spontaneously the feeling that comes up when I consider how it stands in the discography. That is really what it is, in many ways. 


Johan: I guess we say it all the time but we are incredibly happy with the production of this album. This album is also an amalgamation of old and new. Both in the sense that Marcus is back and the Elowson brothers joining. But also in the music. Apart from the songs that were written for this album we also re-recorded a couple of old songs from a very early EP. "Runstenen" and "Völvans spådom", as well as the song "De kom från norr" which was an acoustic song from an old acoustic EP. And the song "Där mjöd och högmod flödar" was also a song that was written a long time ago, probably over 10 years ago. But it didn't find its proper lyrics and rightful place until this album.

How does it feel right now, knowing that lots of people out there will be enjoying these new songs?

Johan: It feels very exciting! The response for the singles have been great and we are looking very much forward to hearing from both community and reviewers what they think. And hopefully they are as excited as we are!

Ted: Yeah, we are very thrilled. It always feels great to see and hear such great reactions to our work, and especially the times when people reach out to tell us how much our music means to them and how it makes them happy or helps them with hardships in life. That's just awesome.

How has the band’s spirit and style evolved since the previous album "Urfader", and where do you see yourselves today among all the similar bands?

Ted: I think it has stayed within the same realm, but having a different harmony within the band now, that probably reflects outward as well. Regarding where we see ourselves, I feel like we bring something unique and authentic to the scene, something that we have been building and shaping during all these years of playing together.

Are you glad that the Viking / Folk metal scene has shrunk back to a healthier size following the worldwide boom that began in the mid-2000s?

Johan: Not quite sure if that's something I've reflected upon.

Ted: I haven't actively given that much thought either, really. Now that I do think about it, I don't know if I have strong feelings about it. It is of course nice to still be one of the bands that has persisted, to still be in the midst of established bands who put out quality folk metal. Although I can also look back on that whole wave with fondness, even if it's maybe pure nostalgia, but it's good for the scene to not be too saturated in the long run, I suppose.

And, when you look back on all your experiences since you started out as a musician (in the band), what has changed the most in your attitude toward Viking/Folk Metal?

Johan: Maybe a little bit more self distance to our selfs and what we do. Of course we are serious about our music and what we do. But it is also good not to take yourself too seriously.

How can readers picture the process of how you write, develop, and finish one of your new songs? And were there any ups and downs along the way this time?

Johan: It usually starts with Ted writing a new song. The rest of us then rehearse the song and maybe make som minor adjustments for our own playing style and ideas. Then we play the song together, usually it's all good and we keep going with the new song. But now and then a song might not quite feel right at the moment. Then it ends up in a computer folder. And maybe for another album we might try it out again and then it might feel just right! Lyrics are then written last. Sometimes Ted has an idea for the theme of a song. But usually we sit down maybe two people and try to come up with lyrics for a song.

Ted: Usually the music tells us what the lyrics should be about. Some songs feel more obvious exactly what tale they want to tell, and some feel more like they could fit with several themes. Additionally, most times, the songs undergo several small changes in the studio, both musically and lyrically.

One can hardly figure it out since the freshness of all the new material … but how was the selection of songs for the album done - was it difficult or rather easy for the band?

Johan: It went quite smooth. We did know that we wanted to incorporate some old material in a new way or re recording. Thus the songs "Runstenen" and "Völvans spådom" were added and rewritten a small bit. As well as the new version of "De kom från norr" and the previously unreleased song "Där mjöd och högmod flödar". The rest of the songs came quite naturally and felt very fitting the new album. So we didn't scrap any songs for this album.

Ted: Well, not scrap in that sense, but there are still two or three old and unreleased songs that could fit the next album, with some work, who knows? But that's uncertain, and for another time.

In your song lyrics, do you prefer to explore imaginary themes, or do you draw on Old Norse mythology?

Johan: We mainly write about stories from norse mythology. Some stories have a lot to work with, some don’t. So then we might have to add a bit more to it from our own minds. But always based on an underlying story. Sometimes we write about historical events from the Viking Age. And we also dip into folklore, which I personally quite enjoy!

Ted: Johan is certainly more into folklore, while I like to write mostly about Norse mythology and stories inspired by those themes. But we all enjoy all of those subjects.

What was your experience of the recording process for the new output from start to finish? Biz as usual or something new due to the different material?

Johan: About the same I would say. We always record some parts in a larger studio and some we record our selfs. I think the main difference was that this time we recorded the flutes in the more professional studio. That was really nice as it made it so the natural dynamic of the flute was much more present.

Ted: Personally for me, it was a little different too, because the guitars and vocals were completely recorded at my home. Can't say I've done that before. Recording in a different studio with a different engineer was also new. But I don't think anything was different because of the material in any way.

Singles: lots of metal bands do this, especially since the pandemic. Hasn’t it proved appealing for you to release singles or live recordings to bridge the gap between two albums?

Johan: The thought has probably been there. But at the same time it's a lot of work and money to produce a good sounding song. At least if you want to utilize a professional studio for just one song. But it could happen. It would probably be more of a fun thing to do and that we would record everything our selfs.

The new band photo on the beach looks great; you look like wild warriors with lucky hearts. Kudos! I see a strong bong of "men and mind". How good and how close synchronized is the current chemistry between you and the other musicians in Grimner?

Johan: We are in a very good place. The chemistry amongst the band members are at an all time high. We really enjoy hanging out doing all the nerdy shit we all enjoy.

Ted: Definitely! Since we live pretty far apart, rehearsals are usually a question of hanging out for a whole weekend when we meet up, and luckily we do enjoy that a lot.

Today incl. some seasoned veterans in the band - what were some of the most important experiences, lessons, and insights you gained along the long way?

Johan: With today knowing how good it can be. I would say that the dynamic within the band is very important. And that everyone has something they want to work with and provide to everything that goes on behind the scenes.

Ted: Yeah, everyone has different talents and things to offer. And understanding and respect for each other within the group is extremely important.

Anything you would like to add?

Johan: A huge thank you for a great interview! And hope you guys enjoy the album as much as we do! Keep rockin’ and be kind to each other!

© Markus Eck, 29.07.2026

Photo Credit: Alexandra Petersen

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